AxiDraw Upgrades
Since the announcement of Bantam Tools’ acquisition of AxiDraw manufacturer Evil Mad Scientist on January 16, 2024, I have been lurking around the remaining AxiDraw accessories at RobotShop EU, always in fear that they will disappear one day. Last week I bit the bullet and ordered two upgrades for my AxiDraw SE/A3:
- Brushless Servo Motor
- Pen Clip Rotation Stage
I chose the Brushless Servo Motor Upgrade Kit without the mount. Make sure to consult the Compatibility Check tab on Bantam Tools’ shop page to decide whether you need the mount. The kit includes a considerably faster and more reliable brushless servo motor that replaces the standard pen-lift motor; a spring kit that enables AxiDraw to use pens that require pressure to write; and a new power module with a proper power switch.
You can find the latest installation guide at Evil Mad Scientist’s CDN; my package didn’t include a physical one. I also enjoyed Dan Catt’s unboxing and fitting video.
The installation guide is excellent; very detailed and with a lot of photos. I still have some minor remarks:
- Preliminary step 1: Whenever a PZ screwdriver is needed, a PH one did the trick as well.
- Step A4: If you, like me, have not one, not three, but two holes, make sure that the third is not just covered by plastic residue. I used a toothpick to clear the way.
- Step A7: This is the most finicky step by far, because you have to juggle the servo motor, the front face of the vertical slide, and the screws. Put the motor aside first and pre-screw the holes to make the actual installation smooth-running.
- I was able to skip part B and C1.
- Step D4: My kit only included long black M3 screws! Luckily, I had a couple of M4 screws lying around with the right length; wrong color and screwhead but that’s okay, as long as the power module is secured in place.
- Step E4: Do not forget this step! Make sure that pen-lift servo is set to “Brushless” in AxiDraw Control > Options > Config.
A test print went smoothly and I am looking forward to trying the included spring kit—maybe pencil plots will be an option after all!
The Pen Clip Rotation Stage was easy to install. This little thing brings a whole lot of convenience by allowing arbitrary writing angles and making unscrewing/rescrewing the pen clip obsolete.
It’s not that my AxiDraw wasn’t a formidable device before, but I feel that those two upgrades really helped future-proof it.