I used to use Sketchup but switched to Autodesk 123d. Complex but simple enough, plus there are some good tutorials from adafruit on designing stuff with 123d ( https://www.youtube.com/user/adafruit & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn739HGNJuA...pjsXSQ45nxfORb)

This post has been edited by KLKS: Mar 27 2015, 09:15 AM

you can actually reflash the firmware on the melzi board, the isp headers are broken out. I helped a friend flash his melzi's firmware to repetier host 0.91

From memory, I didnt use the ICSP, just used the usb, my buddy's melzi from china had the rrp or something firmware and we use repetier firmware. The steps i did to flash is

1. Download the repetier firmware (http://www.repetier.com/firmware/v091/index.html)
2. Download the arduino IDE
3. Download the sanguino board information for arduino from https://code.google.com/p/sanguino/downloads/list
4. Load the repetier firmware in Arduino, do the configuration.h changes, select the sanguino board (since melzi uses the atmega 1284p chip)
5. Upload firmware
6. Make sure everything works using repetier host
7. Copy eeprom settings from an existing melzi thats running repetier host to the newly flashed board

read more at http://reprap.org/wiki/Melzi
I dont use marlin so cant help u there

He bought the melzi board only for his 2nd printer.

I've never tried to flash one that came with the printer. It may be possible they set the AVR fuse to disable re-programming, but i didn't see that as a fuse option for the atmeta1284p. Maybe try flashing via the isp headers?

http://www.ladyada.net/learn/avr/fuses.html

Yes color affects temperature, i've had PLA which printed nicely at 190 and some that went up to 220. (my red PLA prints at 220, any less and there is layer seperation and motor skipping)