It can be frustrating if you struggle with upgrading your Ender 3 V2 screen firmware. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid spending more time than you have to in upgrading your screen firmware.
I looked into upgrading the screen on an Ender 3 V2 firmware and learned the steps to take when upgrading your screen firmware.
Keep reading to see the steps and important details behind upgrading your screen firmware.
How to Upgrade the Screen on an Ender 3 V2 – Firmware
Upgrading your screen firmware on the Ender 3 V2 can be done before or after upgrading your motherboard.
If you have updated the firmware on the motherboard before your display screen, you might notice the icons and labeling on your display screen appear lumped up or unclear. It’s a sign that your screen will also need an upgrade.
Here’s how to upgrade the screen on your Ender 3 V2:
Search and download the right Ender 3 V2 upgrade firmware
Open the downloaded file
Format and transfer the file to the SD card
Unplug your 3D printer and disassemble your display screen
Plug your printer and reconnect your display screen
Switch off 3D printer and remove the SD card
1. Search and Download the Right Ender 3 V2 Upgrade Firmware
If you have already upgraded the Mainboard firmware, you will find the LCD screen upgrade in the same configuration file you used for your Main board.
Before you download it, check the version of your firmware. Most Ender 3 V2 machines comes in version 4.2.2, but newer versions come in 4.2.7. You can find the version written on the main board, so you’ll need to get into the 3D printer electric box under the base.
If you have yet to download an upgrade, here are popular upgrade options available to you:
Marlin: Most people go with this option because it comes as default on their 3D printers.
Mriscoc and Jyers: There are specific features for these options that users enjoy, which allow them to customize the user interface on the screen. This customization includes features like changes in screen color, icons, and brightness.
A user found out the hard way when he downloaded version 4.2.3 firmware upgrade for his Ender 3 V2. This stopped his printer from working and turned his LCD screen black. He resolved this when he found out that he had downloaded the wrong update and then downloaded the default 4.2.2 update.
2. Open the Downloaded Folder
After downloading the update, which will be in a compressed version – you need a file archive program to open the RAR file. A RAR file is an archive that contains one or more compressed files.
To open the compressed file, use WinRAR or a similar archive file opener to access its content.
To make the explanation easier from here out, I will explain with the assumption that you are using the Marlin upgrade from the Marlin GitHub. I’ll explain the steps and have some videos below that take you through the steps as well.
Once you have unzipped the file, it becomes a folder with other files inside. Open this folder and select “Config,” then choose the “examples” folder and scroll until you see the “Creality” folder.
Select it and choose the Ender 3 V2 option. You will see four folders, including one labeled “LCD Files.”
Open the “LCD Files” folder and you will see a DWIN_SET folder. Click on it and transfer it to your formatted SD card.
A key requirement for a successful upgrade is to match your screen board version (PCB) and screen firmware correctly. Some screen boards don’t search for the DWIN_SET file needed to upgrade, while others do.
Like the Mainboard, the screen board (PCB) also has unique versions. Some screen boards do not have a version number, while others are version 1.20 or 1.40.
Creality used some Ender 3 S1 boards for newer Ender 3 V2 boards. Therefore, not all screen boards for the Ender 3 V2 are the same.
While the screen boards with no version number and V1.20 will look for the DWIN_SET file, the V1.40 screen boards search for another folder called PRIVATE in your SD card.
You can locate the version of your screen board in the lower-right corner of the screen board near the SD card slot.
A user who struggled to upgrade his screen’s firmware after many tries and research discovered that his version 1.40 didn’t read the DWIN_SET file. Upon learning about the PRIVATE File, he upgraded his screen successfully.
3. Format and Transfer the File to the SD Card
Use an 8GB SD card or lower when formatting because your screen board will not read any files on an SD card higher than 8GB. Those that could get the screen to read a higher size card went through a lot of trouble to do so.
If you are using Windows to format your SD card, right-click on the SD card after your computer has read it in the “This PC” icon. Choose your SD card and format it using FAT32 with an allocation size of 4096.
After formatting, go into Windows disk management and delete all small partitions still on the card after formatting it. Then create one partition using all the free space. This will get rid of any lingering files.
Apart from using Windows to format, you can also use an SD Card formatter to format and the GParted program to partition the free space on your SD card.
One user who mistakenly formatted his SD card with FAT couldn’t get the screen to read the file until he used a FAT32 format for the SD card.
If you are formatting with a MacBook, be careful of hidden files on the SD card. This was the case when a user with a MacBook Pro discovered his computer created hidden bin files on his SD card, which stopped the screen from reading the SD card.
The V2 doesn’t like when other files are on the SD card.
4. Switch Off 3D Printer and Disassemble your Display Screen
Once you transfer your DWIN_SET or PRIVATE file to the SD card, eject and remove it from your computer. Before disassembling your display screen, switch off your Ender 3 V2 printer and disconnect your display screen from it.
Switch off your printer and disconnect the display screen from your 3D printer to avoid damaging your display screen or the Ender 3 V2 itself.
After switching off your 3D printer and disconnecting your display screen, you can now remove the display screen from its handle.
Once done, turn the display screen around and use your Allen key to unscrew the four screws to access the screen board where you will find the SD card port.
Insert your SD card into the slot.
5. Plug your Printer and Reconnect your Display Screen
Once you insert the card into the slot, switch on your printer and reconnect your screen. Your display screen should change color from dark blue to orange. If you are struggling with a black screen, you can check out my article on How to Fix a Blue or Blank Screen on a 3D Printer.
6. Turn off the Printer and Remove the SD Card
After you see your screen turn orange, you can remove your SD card because it means your upgrade was successful. Some users prefer to turn off the printer and turn it back on to verify their update.
After verifying, you can switch the printer off and reassemble the screen.
Your display screen is ready for use.
This video by Chris Riley goes through the process of upgrading your screen firmware using the Marlin update.
You can also watch this video by 3DELWORLD who also does a good job in demonstrating how to upgrade your screen firmware using Mriscoc firmware.
This video by BV3D Bryan Vines does a good job in explaining how to upgrade your Ender 3 V2 to Jyers.
Michael Dwamena is the founder of 3D Printerly, a platform dedicated to simplifying 3D printing for hobbyists and professionals alike. Owns over 20 3D printers (filament and resin) and has plenty experience 3D printing. Michael has authored over 900 articles, helping millions navigate the exciting world of 3D printing.
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