This page details the process to adapt, install, and use the Marlin Firmware on an AthenaII delta-style 3D printer. The Marlin Firmware is a very popular and well supported open-source firmware used in a variety of commercial, reprap, and hobbyist printers. Marlin is written in C++ (Arduino Flavor) and utilizes a number of special features to maximize efficiency while minimizing program size. The Athena II is a delta-style 3D printer developed and Michigan Technological University and, by default, runs the Franklin firmware and controller package. This page will describe the necessary steps required to adapt your Athena II for use with Marlin with Octoprint as the controller.

This mod was first completed by TheJLo (talk) 05:13, 21 November 2019 (UTC).

WARNING: This mod is difficult and can damage your printer if done incorrectly. Please read the warnings section and this entire document before starting this mod.

Fig. 1 Completed Modification on and AthenaII Board. Notice the wire-to-trace and THT Components to Pads.


Warnings

This mod requires changes to the hardware, firmware and software of the Athena II. To do this on the original Athena II boards is risky and mistakes can break the board. It is recommended that you are comfortable with the following topics and skills before continuing.

  • Soldering & De-Soldering
  • Reading PCB Files
  • Determining where a trace goes on a PCB
  • Cutting Traces on a PCB
  • Soldering wires to a PCB
  • Usage of a Digital Multimeter
  • Familiarity with electronics
  • Familiarity with electrical communication
  • Basic Linux

You are entirely responsible for your Athena II if you attempt this mod. If you are not comfortable with any of these topics, this mod may not be for you.

Getting Familiar

Because we will be changing the hardware on the Athena II, it is recommended to get familiar with the Athena II board and how it works. Linked is a page which gives a brief overview of the original Athena II setup:AthenaII Basic System

The following will describe how the system is setup to run Marlin. Take note of the changes in hardware required. The first thing covered will be the high-level setup we will be using.

System View

When running Marlin, the system will be fairly similar to that of the AthenaII when running Franklin. The board will be the physical control unit of the printer. On the ATmega1284P (The microprocessor on the AthenaII), a configured setup of Marlin will be installed. Marlin will expect commands to come in from the Rx/Tx0 UART on the ATmega1284P. These commands will come in the form of GCode from the controlling software. The controlling software will be installed on the Orange Pi which provides a front-end interface to the AthenaII Board. For this project, Octoprint will be used as the controlling software because it closely resembles how Franklin works and can be accessed remotely. A visual diagram of the system this shown below.

Fig. 2 System overview diagram for AthenaII with Marlin

Required Hardware changes

In order

Hardware changes

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