5 Best Ender 3 Screen Upgrades/Replacements – How to Upgrade
Reading Time: 8 minutes If you are looking to upgrade the Ender 3 screen, you can implement many upgrades and replacements to make it better and more convenient.
Depending on your 3D printing activities and your personal preferences, you can upgrade your display screen to enhance your 3D printing experience with advancing 3D printing projects.
Here are some of the best Ender 3 screen upgrades or replacements you can get:
- CHPOWER Ender 3 Display Screen Board
- Comgrow Ender 3 Display Screen Board
- BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 E3 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board
- BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board
- BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT70 V3.0 Display Controllers
Let’s go through each one of these below.
The video below by ModBot goes through the process of installing the TFT50 V3.0, which has a similar process to the others.
1. CHPOWER Ender 3 Display Screen Board
The CHPOWER display screen board is a great upgrade for Ender 3. The screen comes with a flat/ribbon cable for easy installation in your 3D printer. The rotating knob is there to scroll through different menus and adjust settings.
It is specifically designed for Creality Ender 3 but because of the similar screen size, it can also be used with 3D printers like Ender 3 Pro, Ender 3 Max, Ender 5 Pro, CR-10, and many more.
The screen is made of non-toxic and odorless, premium plastic. You can get used to the new screen in a matter of minutes because it has the same usage scenario as the Ender 3 original screen.
The step-by-step installation process is as follows:
- Switch OFF the Ender 3 and unplug its power cord.
- Remove the Ender 3 screen screws and replace the old screen with CHPOWER Ender 3 screen board.
- Remove the mainboard fan cover.
- Unplug the cable of the old Ender 3 screen.
- Plug the ribbon cable of the CHPOWER screen board into the mainboard.
- Install the mainboard cover and put the screen screws back on.
One user said that it is an easy plug-and-play replacement without costing a lot. The screen worked great since he replaced the old screen a month ago because its dial seized up and broke.
Another user claimed it was better than the original screen because the knob dials and movement feel more solid, though it’s a bit heavier to rotate.
The screen is also the same so you can start working normally again right after the installation.
A few users stated that the knob size is a hair too small and doesn’t fit perfectly. This leads to skipping significantly which is annoying especially while calibrating Z offset during live print. It is not a big issue as the old knob fits perfectly and works fine.
You can purchase the CHPOWER Ender 3 Display Screen Board from Amazon.
2. Comgrow Ender 3 Display Screen Board
The Comgrow display screen board is another great upgrade for Ender 3 as it comes with a knob for scrolling through the menu and a flat/ribbon cable for easy installation.
It comes with a complete screen panel allowing you to just remove two screws from the old screen and install the new Comgrow Ender 3 display screen board.
The board is made of high-quality material and is durable. The company provides after-sales technical team services to help you out with installation and usage issues.
One user said that he bought this display screen board a few months ago because the original screen was damaged due to water in the control board. The board is working great since then and the installation process is simple.
You just need to take off the old screen panel by removing the two screws and put the new panel on. Then you remove the motherboard cover plug the ribbon cable to the motherboard and new screen.
Another user was quite happy with the board because it fits perfectly and the screen display pixels are great. The rotary movements are solid so you won’t be overshooting a setting or selection while rotating the knob.
Other highlight features of the board for him are cleaner soldier work, good ground pads for screw holes, and better shielding against EMI.
One user purchased this after the knob of the old screen started malfunctioning. He assumed that the package would only have a screen and a ribbon cable, but it came with a metal housing. This made the installation even better and it is working great on his Ender 3.
You can purchase the Comgrow Ender 3 Display Screen Board from Amazon.
3. BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 E3 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board
The BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 E3 V3.0.1 display controller board is also a great option when looking for Ender 3 screen upgrades available today. It is easy to install and use and requires firmware upgrades through the SD card.
The display screen board has higher compatibility and can be used by users with varying 3D printing activities. It has two work modes:
- UART serial port screen mode
- 12864 screen mode
Simply press and hold the knob down for about 3 seconds for the mode selection page to appear, then select the mode you want to use.
The UART serial port screen mode has a touch screen feature, and it further supports SD Card and U disk 3D printing modes. The package also contains 2 serial port extensions/ribbon cables (EXP1, EXP2) and one black cable (serial rs232) to enable Touch Screen.
This allows you to switch between the normal dial screen mode or touchscreen mode.
For dial screen mode, you need to plug the EXP1 and EXP2 ribbon cables into the motherboard.
One user said that it is a worthy Ender 3 screen upgrade to spend money on because of its two display options, different ways for uploading data, easy-to-upgrade firmware, and many colors or configurations options.
Another user said that it is easy to program in the Marlin for his already updated Ender 3 printer. You can make adjustments and customize colors on the fly.
One user also said that it is a great upgrade for Ender 3 but he had to print a custom screen holder to use it on CR-10. That’s because the knob is at a bit different position and doesn’t fit in the CR-10 original case.
You can purchase the BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 E3 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board from Amazon.
4. BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board
The BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 V3.0.1 display controller board is another good upgrade for your 3D printer. It comes with AUX connectivity technology and is network-ready so you can just plug in and start printing.
The board is easy to install and operate as you can upgrade the firmware using the SD Card. For better compatibility, the board has two working modes; 12864 (dial) Screen Mode and touchscreen.
You can print using the SD Card or U disk when printing in the serial port screen mode (touchscreen).
The external Wi-Fi module there realizes the reverse Wi-Fi port and the Wi-Fi function. This allows easy transmission and communication of Ender 3 and other components over Wi-Fi.
One user said that this is a great upgrade, especially when combined with the BIGTREETECH SKR 2 Rev B mainboard. One of his favorites is that you can choose from various themes when updating the TFT firmware.
However, he prefers the classic interface because of the variability of touching. He didn’t like the fact that the display board came with no detailed manual. However, reading Marlin Compile options in the ReadMe document can be useful.
Another user said that he would go for this if he needed to buy it again because there are no other good options when it comes to the 5″ graphics interface with the SKR2 motherboard for Ender 3.
You can purchase the BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT35 V3.0.1 Display Controller Board from Amazon.
5. BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT70 V3.0 Display Controllers
Another great option for those looking to get a replacement for their Ender 3 screen is the BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT70 V3.0 display controller board.
The screen is just the size of the Ender 3 original screen with a display area of 154 x 86mm and a screen resolution of 800 x 480 with 21 white LED backlights.
You can upgrade the Ender 3 firmware via SD Card. The screen boards have two working modes, dial (12864) and touchscreen (serial port screen mode) for enhanced compatibility.
The process for switching between two modes is:
- Long press the knob for about 3 seconds.
- Wait until the mode selection page appears.
- Select the mode and press the knob.
The lights on the motherboard indicate screen conditions such as:
- D6 Red Light (Power indicator): Power Supply is Normal
- D4 Red Light (SD Card Detection indicator): SD card is Inserted.
One user who purchased the TFT70 V3.0 Display said that once you figure out the firmware and dial things in, it makes a difference with adjusting things and operating the menu easier. He said that he loves the features that it brings to his 3D printer.
The navigation is great and pairing it with the SKR Mini E3 v2 in Ender 3 enhanced the 3D printing experience because of added features.
Another user recommended updating the included firmware to the latest available firmware. Choose the preferable theme/graphics and run it on the “Marlin Mode” to have direct control over all functionalities.
You can purchase the BIGTREETECH Ender 3 TFT70 V3.0 Display Controllers from Amazon.
