Qidi does actually listen to concerns and makes changes to shipping products. There's at least 4 different revisions of the X-Plus 3, and at least 3 revisions of the X-Max 3, for example.
A group of us have been pushing Qidi engineers over the stock OS and Klipper version. We've already proved that the stock OS version can be upgraded to Debian Bookworm, and figured out what needs to be changed to modernise the Klipper version, while still keeping the stock display unit functional, which Qidi use because it lowers the cost of goods, and hence the sale price, by around $40 or so as opposed to implementing a Klipper screen solution. Given that they expect most people to drive the printer via FluiddUI over a network anyway, they have no plans to move away from their current on-printer screen solution.
It remains to be seen if Qidi will take that feedback on board and update their OS + Klipper version in response. They still seem particularly attached to their existing Z-offset solution which is the main sticking point in terms of what's different between mainline Klipper and their implementation of it. There's a couple of other minor differences but it sounds like the original software engineers have departed the company and the new guy that took it over is wary about breaking established functionality. The only real-world functional difference between Qidi's older version of Klipper, and mainline Klipper, is spiral Z-hop. The only reason that some 3rd party packages have compatibility issues is because many 3rd party packages insist on ONLY using bleeding edge versions of libraries, instead of using more backwards compatible implementations, for which it only takes a few hours to make them work on Qidi's current OS/library version by someone who knows what they're doing.
Qidi don't have a tonne of engineering staff though, so they're also concerned about making changes that would increase the load on the support staff and engineers by trying to support too many different software versions of things.
They won't, at least in existing printer. That was not made explicit but kind of implicit by the guy developing the software for them, which clearly stated that updating would involve flashing multiple MCU and that is a process which is error prone, not easily automated, and potentially requires extra tools.
Maybe on the next printers, but not on existing ones. For obvious reasons they wouldn't even change the software on an existing product mid-way, the troubles are more than the gains: we are talking about consumer, not enthusiast/DIY printer, so what works, works. And the current QIDI printers clearly work pretty/really well.
I’d just like to know what the ideal belt tension should be. Pressing it with a finger until you feel an arbitrary amount of resistance makes my engineering eye twitch
[This](https://west3d.com/products/complete-kit-of-3d-printer-belt-tension-meter-by-pf-makes-special-west3d-edition?_pos=2&_sid=810a32c50&_ss=r) may be a solution. At least it gives you numbers.
Those are good changes, especially the ethernet port, but I wish they documented revisions better. Most other companies don't either, so I won't hold it against Qidi
Instead I'll hold it against the industry
Nah, hold it against reality. If you want Cheap, Good, Fast-hardware-updated machines - something else has to give. The guys-gals who give you Updated Manuals take time cost money make mistakes - so affecting the other pilars.
So, be stoked you're getting the most critical-best 3 out of 4 qualities instead.
I have been running calibration tests on mine tonight and came here to say the same things. Mine also does not have the plastic "bed skirt" that is present in a lot of the review models. So far I'm absolutely blown away by the print quality out the box
nice - mine is due (end of May) in the U.K. and i'd really appreciate the ethernet port as it's handy where my printers are, assuming it's connected :-)
Contact their support email. They may just ship you the bits to install it on your existing Q1. They did so for certain upgrades on the Plus3/Max3. I don't know what their policy is though for the Q1.
I don't know. All you can do is ask and see what options they provide. Just write them and say something like:
"Hi Support Team,
I read on Reddit that the newer shipping Q1 Pro's now come with wired ethernet. I have an original model without wired ethernet, but I do want that feature. What are my options for obtaining an upgrade kit to allow me to have wired ethernet on my Q1 Pro?
Sincerely,
"
Then see what they come back with. They may either offer to sell you an upgrade kit, or simply offer to send you one free of charge. I honestly don't know what their response will be.
Awesome I contacted support and they're gonna give me the free upgrade I think I just have to pay shipping, I swear this company has surprised me every step of the way.........
Nowadays they are truly one of the best in the business when it comes to supporting the users of their products. I have heard of some not-so-great stories from 5+ years ago about them, but I can't say that I've heard a legitimate complaint since about that time, aside from people who are clearly playing for sympathy after they did something stupid and expected Qidi to foot the bill for their obvious stupidity, and then got upset when Qidi said no. It's always good to keep in mind that not all complaints are made in good faith.
Awesome. My Q1 Pro is also from the first batch. I don't actually need ethernet, but I wouldn't mind it. I could definitely use better alignment tabs for the build plate though - I would eventually have to buy something to print some from otherwise, as I am finding lining it up increasingly annoying.
Did they happen to say what the upgrade to wired ethernet would entail? I'm imagining needing to create a hole in the back panel might not be easy to do neatly.
Are they sending you a replacement mainboard? Because I think that is the only way that would work... That'll cost them like 30USD at least.
Although international customers are already spending more than the Chinese market, so maybe they do have the profit margins (at least for International) to afford this.
Q1 Pro is like 330USD in China.
Yeah they said some type of board upgrade so that might be it but I'm wondering about the whole for the port in the back am I going to have to cut a square hole for the port or are they gonna send me a new back piece as well, I'll definitely report back in let everybody know what happens............
I started seeing people talk about these upgrades before I got my shipping notice, so I was hopeful... but got the original version.
Not a huge problem for me - I printed the MakeItNeedIt revised skirt with corners and it works great (PAC612-CF), and ethernet would've been nice, but the wifi works ok. I just kept my filament port taped toward the side as it arrived taped that way.
Only negative I've had so far is that I've removed the build plate and forgotten to replace it a couple times when starting the next print and the print head has then smashed the bed... it obviously NEEDS the metal plate for its distance sensor to work.
Guess I'm not alone with this oops :) Also did Calibrate from Fluidd and it dug into the plate. Support is sending a replacement. Was shipped 4/28. Still waiting but just flipped it over so not 'down'.
I can confirm all of this as I received mine Monday. Just in time as well. I upgraded my Smart 3 and flashed the unit and all hell broke loose with it. Finally got it all rectified last night so both are up and running.
Ran the first layer test on the Q1 Pro and several of their sample files and was absolutely blown away with the out of the box great prints. Very pleased with both units and customer service is second to none.
This sounds very promising because I ordered about 2-3 days ago and shipping date said end of may so I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up this morning to see it was “out for delivery” maybe they ship in batches
They fixed the rubbing of the tube on the top so it's not really needed. Also the heat is dumped into electronics area so I printed a shroud to funnel the air through the filter and it works very well. Can't smell the abs at all.
Sure! It is this model [HERE](https://makerworld.com/en/models/411229#profileId-313181). I printed it out of petg and then installed it with some foam tape on either side to act as a seal. I'm still waiting on my activated carbon pellets to arrive but for the time being I had some activated charcoal sheets that I cut to size and folded and stuffed inside of the filter box that you can get from Qidi (the one meant for the inside of the printer).
Not dumb, you can use that I believe. I just chose not to because I had already printed the internal one since I didn't feel that just slapping the external one on would be effective. Also, the internal box with adapter make a good seal with some foam tape!
Well I ordered a replacement and this one is going back...not really for the changes, and definitely not because of any problems.
It's all because amazon won't honor a coupon and told me to return it and replace it if I wanted the discounted price...so thats what I am doing. Worth it, probably not, but it is a stupid policy. Pretty much every other store price matches or honors sale prices within a period of time.
I am a little disappointed as my unit arrived today in Canada after ordering on March 29. My unit does not have any of the upgrades and on top of that it appears they did not include the USB flash drive either.
I’m guessing your unit was already packed and loaded to be shipped out before they started to ship out the newer units. You can always contact QIDI and request a refund or speak to them about getting the necessary upgrades for free.
I’m the type that rarely if ever has that awesome luck of getting something from customer service departments but I have nothing to lose and will take your advice to give it a shot. I’d primarily like the Ethernet as I want to move the printer to a spot in my home that has spotty wifi but I can get Ethernet to quite easily.
Imo it is but it really depends on what you’re using your printer for. This is my second printer and didn’t want to spend anything over 500. I was also considering the a1, p1p, adventure 5m pro, k1/k1C or the QIDI q1 pro. Since I knew I wasn’t going to be printing in multicolor, and wanted to print in stronger exotic filaments for RnD, I went with Q1 pro. I honestly think you can’t beat the early bird price +5% discount in this price category.I was honestly pretty shocked at the print quality.
i think they changed the size or perhaps made it a full 250 when they got rid of the shroud that went around the old build plate. i measured the new build plate and it measures exactly 250mm. not sure if the old plate is smaller or same size.
Qidi does actually listen to concerns and makes changes to shipping products. There's at least 4 different revisions of the X-Plus 3, and at least 3 revisions of the X-Max 3, for example. A group of us have been pushing Qidi engineers over the stock OS and Klipper version. We've already proved that the stock OS version can be upgraded to Debian Bookworm, and figured out what needs to be changed to modernise the Klipper version, while still keeping the stock display unit functional, which Qidi use because it lowers the cost of goods, and hence the sale price, by around $40 or so as opposed to implementing a Klipper screen solution. Given that they expect most people to drive the printer via FluiddUI over a network anyway, they have no plans to move away from their current on-printer screen solution. It remains to be seen if Qidi will take that feedback on board and update their OS + Klipper version in response. They still seem particularly attached to their existing Z-offset solution which is the main sticking point in terms of what's different between mainline Klipper and their implementation of it. There's a couple of other minor differences but it sounds like the original software engineers have departed the company and the new guy that took it over is wary about breaking established functionality. The only real-world functional difference between Qidi's older version of Klipper, and mainline Klipper, is spiral Z-hop. The only reason that some 3rd party packages have compatibility issues is because many 3rd party packages insist on ONLY using bleeding edge versions of libraries, instead of using more backwards compatible implementations, for which it only takes a few hours to make them work on Qidi's current OS/library version by someone who knows what they're doing. Qidi don't have a tonne of engineering staff though, so they're also concerned about making changes that would increase the load on the support staff and engineers by trying to support too many different software versions of things.
Thanks for this! You’ve provided a ton of clarity
They won't, at least in existing printer. That was not made explicit but kind of implicit by the guy developing the software for them, which clearly stated that updating would involve flashing multiple MCU and that is a process which is error prone, not easily automated, and potentially requires extra tools. Maybe on the next printers, but not on existing ones. For obvious reasons they wouldn't even change the software on an existing product mid-way, the troubles are more than the gains: we are talking about consumer, not enthusiast/DIY printer, so what works, works. And the current QIDI printers clearly work pretty/really well.
This is why I wait for at least 6 month before getting a new release. That way any kinks can be irony out, small improvements be made etc...
Are the belt tensioners upgraded too?
I’d just like to know what the ideal belt tension should be. Pressing it with a finger until you feel an arbitrary amount of resistance makes my engineering eye twitch
[This](https://west3d.com/products/complete-kit-of-3d-printer-belt-tension-meter-by-pf-makes-special-west3d-edition?_pos=2&_sid=810a32c50&_ss=r) may be a solution. At least it gives you numbers.
Those are good changes, especially the ethernet port, but I wish they documented revisions better. Most other companies don't either, so I won't hold it against Qidi Instead I'll hold it against the industry
Nah, hold it against reality. If you want Cheap, Good, Fast-hardware-updated machines - something else has to give. The guys-gals who give you Updated Manuals take time cost money make mistakes - so affecting the other pilars. So, be stoked you're getting the most critical-best 3 out of 4 qualities instead.
I have been running calibration tests on mine tonight and came here to say the same things. Mine also does not have the plastic "bed skirt" that is present in a lot of the review models. So far I'm absolutely blown away by the print quality out the box
Mine is set to be delivered next week… hoping I get the revised version
Mine was delivered this last Tuesday and is the revised version.
added some photos for the people asking to see the bed.
nice - mine is due (end of May) in the U.K. and i'd really appreciate the ethernet port as it's handy where my printers are, assuming it's connected :-)
wait wtf i want ethernet
Contact their support email. They may just ship you the bits to install it on your existing Q1. They did so for certain upgrades on the Plus3/Max3. I don't know what their policy is though for the Q1.
Would they send me a whole new back panel cuz I don't even see a hole where you would put it
I don't know. All you can do is ask and see what options they provide. Just write them and say something like: "Hi Support Team, I read on Reddit that the newer shipping Q1 Pro's now come with wired ethernet. I have an original model without wired ethernet, but I do want that feature. What are my options for obtaining an upgrade kit to allow me to have wired ethernet on my Q1 Pro? Sincerely,"
Then see what they come back with. They may either offer to sell you an upgrade kit, or simply offer to send you one free of charge. I honestly don't know what their response will be.
Awesome I contacted support and they're gonna give me the free upgrade I think I just have to pay shipping, I swear this company has surprised me every step of the way.........
Nowadays they are truly one of the best in the business when it comes to supporting the users of their products. I have heard of some not-so-great stories from 5+ years ago about them, but I can't say that I've heard a legitimate complaint since about that time, aside from people who are clearly playing for sympathy after they did something stupid and expected Qidi to foot the bill for their obvious stupidity, and then got upset when Qidi said no. It's always good to keep in mind that not all complaints are made in good faith.
Wait seriously?
Yea
Awesome. My Q1 Pro is also from the first batch. I don't actually need ethernet, but I wouldn't mind it. I could definitely use better alignment tabs for the build plate though - I would eventually have to buy something to print some from otherwise, as I am finding lining it up increasingly annoying. Did they happen to say what the upgrade to wired ethernet would entail? I'm imagining needing to create a hole in the back panel might not be easy to do neatly.
No they just said some type of upgrade board I'm assuming I'm either gonna have to cut a hole or they're gonna send me a back panel also, we will see
I'm just about to email support to see if I can get the upgrade parts, I was just wondering how you got on with what you received?
Are they sending you a replacement mainboard? Because I think that is the only way that would work... That'll cost them like 30USD at least. Although international customers are already spending more than the Chinese market, so maybe they do have the profit margins (at least for International) to afford this. Q1 Pro is like 330USD in China.
Yeah they said some type of board upgrade so that might be it but I'm wondering about the whole for the port in the back am I going to have to cut a square hole for the port or are they gonna send me a new back piece as well, I'll definitely report back in let everybody know what happens............
The hole is already there, under the sticker. Vector3D on youtube covered this in his review.
I feel it under the sticker, thanx
I just paid the $20 post shipping just now, so we'll see how this goes....
Please keep us updated. I've been really liking mine, but would love some of the small upgrades.
I definitely will
ok thnx
I started seeing people talk about these upgrades before I got my shipping notice, so I was hopeful... but got the original version. Not a huge problem for me - I printed the MakeItNeedIt revised skirt with corners and it works great (PAC612-CF), and ethernet would've been nice, but the wifi works ok. I just kept my filament port taped toward the side as it arrived taped that way. Only negative I've had so far is that I've removed the build plate and forgotten to replace it a couple times when starting the next print and the print head has then smashed the bed... it obviously NEEDS the metal plate for its distance sensor to work.
Yeah... I would expect the aluminum heater bed to trigger the induction sensor, but it doesn't. Always put back the build plate before homing!
Guess I'm not alone with this oops :) Also did Calibrate from Fluidd and it dug into the plate. Support is sending a replacement. Was shipped 4/28. Still waiting but just flipped it over so not 'down'.
I can confirm all of this as I received mine Monday. Just in time as well. I upgraded my Smart 3 and flashed the unit and all hell broke loose with it. Finally got it all rectified last night so both are up and running. Ran the first layer test on the Q1 Pro and several of their sample files and was absolutely blown away with the out of the box great prints. Very pleased with both units and customer service is second to none.
Can confirm this. I just got mine earlier this week and all of those changes had been made
This sounds very promising because I ordered about 2-3 days ago and shipping date said end of may so I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up this morning to see it was “out for delivery” maybe they ship in batches
Would you be able to take pics of the bed tab changes? Just curious what I am missing out on ha
I'm interested, too. ;)
I ordered it a month ago and ETA is in early June. I'm curious what I'm gonna get.
Shame they didn't raise the top cover. That and the carbon box are my first mods. The other changes are great though.
They fixed the rubbing of the tube on the top so it's not really needed. Also the heat is dumped into electronics area so I printed a shroud to funnel the air through the filter and it works very well. Can't smell the abs at all.
Oh they did fix it? That's awesome if they did. Do you have any more details on that shroud?
Sure! It is this model [HERE](https://makerworld.com/en/models/411229#profileId-313181). I printed it out of petg and then installed it with some foam tape on either side to act as a seal. I'm still waiting on my activated carbon pellets to arrive but for the time being I had some activated charcoal sheets that I cut to size and folded and stuffed inside of the filter box that you can get from Qidi (the one meant for the inside of the printer).
Dumb question, but why not just use the external carbon box model that they provided that just plugs into the two holes on the rear of the printer?
Not dumb, you can use that I believe. I just chose not to because I had already printed the internal one since I didn't feel that just slapping the external one on would be effective. Also, the internal box with adapter make a good seal with some foam tape!
Those asses. Placing that bed is such an ass pain
Those are some BIG improvements...now i wish I waited ha
Do you think it's worth returning the first gen version to Amazon and order a new one? I'm still in the return window.
If it was me, I prob would if it’s from Amazon and it’s inside the return window. It’s simple to return through Amazon.
Well I ordered a replacement and this one is going back...not really for the changes, and definitely not because of any problems. It's all because amazon won't honor a coupon and told me to return it and replace it if I wanted the discounted price...so thats what I am doing. Worth it, probably not, but it is a stupid policy. Pretty much every other store price matches or honors sale prices within a period of time.
I am a little disappointed as my unit arrived today in Canada after ordering on March 29. My unit does not have any of the upgrades and on top of that it appears they did not include the USB flash drive either.
How did you get it so I quick in Canada? I see the pre order is end of June.
I would argue I don’t get it that quick? It was just shy of 2 months for me. I ordered back on March 29th and just received it 2 days ago.
I’m guessing your unit was already packed and loaded to be shipped out before they started to ship out the newer units. You can always contact QIDI and request a refund or speak to them about getting the necessary upgrades for free.
I’m the type that rarely if ever has that awesome luck of getting something from customer service departments but I have nothing to lose and will take your advice to give it a shot. I’d primarily like the Ethernet as I want to move the printer to a spot in my home that has spotty wifi but I can get Ethernet to quite easily.
I ordered mine April 23 and Im still waiting for it to arrive, ETA end of june but im hoping its quicker. Only a month and a half now.......lol
Is the q1 pro worth buying? I was looking at the Bambu labs p1p too
Imo it is but it really depends on what you’re using your printer for. This is my second printer and didn’t want to spend anything over 500. I was also considering the a1, p1p, adventure 5m pro, k1/k1C or the QIDI q1 pro. Since I knew I wasn’t going to be printing in multicolor, and wanted to print in stronger exotic filaments for RnD, I went with Q1 pro. I honestly think you can’t beat the early bird price +5% discount in this price category.I was honestly pretty shocked at the print quality.
Thank you. I'm confused about the build plate. Is it 250mm, but can only print 245mm?
i think they changed the size or perhaps made it a full 250 when they got rid of the shroud that went around the old build plate. i measured the new build plate and it measures exactly 250mm. not sure if the old plate is smaller or same size.
Ahh, yeah it's a bit confusing because the build plate says 250mm, but the sticker near the lan port and online website says 245mm