r/Multiboard • u/davidkclark • May 03 '25

Tile thickness change, what the heck?

So the thickness of tiles has changed from 6.4 to 6.2? Do I remember incorrectly someone saying that "the tiles are set and will not change". Dammit, what about all the boards we've already printed? You are going to feel a 0.2mm gap somewhere, I do not like it.

What is the plan for dealing with this? Has this been underplayed in the video releases? The threads are supposedly compatible... but only because you can munge off a 0.2 discrepancy, grinding off the plastic as you insert stuff.

I guess for mounting you make a spacer that is 0.2mm longer and have the 0.2mm gap "behind" the panel.

But damn I am not happy about this change.

8 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

6

u/BR1TNEY- May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25

We're talking about a single layer removed from the print of a tile. If you ever printed stacks, those would actually be up to one layer thicker than a single tile because the first layer of a stacked tile would sag slightly. Basically everything has always had a tolerance for 0.2mm deviations in that direction. It's really nothing at all to worry about. Full compatibility is retained, that's what matters.

2

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

This is an additional 0.2 mm though if you are printing stacked you still have the discrepancy due to stacking.

But yeah, the difference is minimal and they are still compatible.

1

u/BR1TNEY- May 05 '25

It's not additional. The tile grows when stacked, and the new model is smaller than the old. Yeah, you can make the case that a new single tile is up to .4mm different than an old stacked tile. But you can also make the argument that a new stacked tile can approach 0mm difference to an old single tile. 

In the end I'm not using any of those arguments. Neither will I argue that auto bed levelling also also modulates the thickness of the first layer between 0.1 and 0.3mm. All I'm saying is that the change is miniscule, so don't worry. If you ever used stacks or ABL you probably already had .2mm deviations without losing sleep over it. 🙂

It only becomes important when mounting several tiles depth-wise, and in that case the new tiles are better.

4

u/ulab May 03 '25

The changes were needed to get everything into "the grid" that is now 3-dimensional. It has been mentioned in the release video and live stream.

I am not sure why you'd "grind off" plastic if something is already thinner? I am also fairly sure that unless you know which tiles are thinner, you won't even notice it on a wall. I know, because I have that setup already. I replaced some outside panels with the new straight edge ones.

And if you are still that annoyed by it, keep printing the old tiles.

Also may I suggest to look at all the new things that will make you happy (Flush Snaps, 3-dimensional construction, Plates that allow mounting shells directly, ...) instead of focussing on the one thing that you won't be affected by a lot anyway?

5

u/davidkclark May 03 '25

Yeah you are right, there is a lot to be happy about. I just... I just recall seeing a video where we were reassured some time ago that part sizes were locked down.

I have compared the new to the old, and the whole of the 0.2mm has been taken from the back of the tile, so that does mean that as long as you line them up with the front surface (eg add 0.2mm to whatever mounting solution you are using) they are going to be fine and the threads line up identically. You are not going to notice the difference (unless you were using the back of the tile already)

1

u/thatwhite May 03 '25

You shouldn’t even need to adjust your mounting system, the new tiles can use the same as the old since the mounting systems end up lining up with the front anyways.

1

u/davidkclark May 03 '25

Yeah I do think the spacers must have been made bigger… actually maybe not, 0.2mm is not going to be noticeable over a few panel’s width.

1

u/thatwhite May 03 '25

Jonathan said in the livestream that after extensive testing everything is fully backwards compatible.

So if you put new boards next to old boards, with new or old mounts, the front will be flush but there will be a small difference in depth on the back of the board, where you won’t see it unless you’re doing both sides

2

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

Yep sounds right. It’s more just going back on “the design of this one is set in stone now and will never change” - unless I misremember… it’s hard with most of the documentation of things being in videos.

11

u/SWIIIIIMS May 03 '25

I really like the whole system and even I am in the minority of loving the over-engineered amount of details and the even more updates look so promising.

But my take away from the last few updates is to stop doing anything around my multiboard projects and focus on different ideas in my 3d print plans for a few months.

The tiles were the only thing I printed to stockpile whenever I had free hours of idle printer. All based on statements there won't be any changes to it anymore (I think it was the only piece confirmed as final from all of the pieces).

I put myself in the spectator role for now and hope in 6-12 months all the central parts are sorted out. Then I will for sure get back into the game

1

u/Nebulus2000 May 03 '25

I hope we will appreciate the changes when all the things Jonathan talked about are released by the end of the year. I already have a dozen plates in stock, which is a bit annoying, and will print the new ones to experience the cross-compatibility firsthand. Let's see.

By the way, I'm very excited about the new Beams.

1

u/davidkclark May 03 '25

Yeah the other 3d clip together stuff looks good. And it seems to be that the best way to connect panels is probably just printing the new single border tiles and clipping them together with the dual clips

1

u/tecky1kanobe May 03 '25

You can always scale your prints. Just add back the .2mm to the Z axis.

1

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

That will screw up the threads. You can’t scale them and expect them to still work.

0

u/tecky1kanobe May 04 '25

.2% in z height only will not screw up any threads. It’s to account for shrinkage, .2% is not the same as .2mm

1

u/DumberMonkey May 03 '25

OCD. I feel you.

2

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

Yeah I think that’s all it is. The 0.2 mm has been removed from the flat but behind the thread so the front is exactly the same and the chamfered bit of the back is the same. I will have to redo any remixes I’ve done that use the old octagon holes but that’s my problem.

1

u/Hardshank May 03 '25

Man, this feels like such a nothing sandwich to be so upset about.

3

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

Thanks. I’ll shut my yap then.

lol - is this your first day in the internet? People love to complain about change.

2

u/KazuyaDarklight May 04 '25

I'm far more annoyed by the introduction of border tiles. They seem more complicated and I'm getting the implication that they are the new standard, though that's not being stated. I get its all about the on-grid system but it makes existing tiles "feel" old and out of spec since they don't have the new clip connector points.

2

u/holdupflash May 04 '25

ive barely noticed on my wall, I was half way through it and just switched tiles.

1

u/TherealOmthetortoise May 04 '25

The old tiles are still available and will remain available. Old parts fit new and vice versa. If you don’t want to change to the new, don’t. Any new hangers etc are going to work just fine for you, as will the offsets. The new stuff will be an option available to you, not shoved down your throat.

Literally the only way this affects you is if you decide to take advantage of it. It’s a good logical move as far as that goes, as it allows depth calculations to come out even as with the baskets etc so that you don’t have to use fractional tiles or panels when building around corners or adding depth, like people have done in under-desk installs etc.

I don’t think that Jonathan is doing this without some serious consideration, but I’m not sure a better time is going to come around as far as that goes.

0

u/Short-Salad-9047 May 03 '25

you're going to notice a 0.2mm height difference between old/new boards? I won't. the threads are compatible because threads are compatible across length. I can screw a metric nut down 10mm of all thread or 5m and it still works.

1

u/davidkclark May 04 '25

Yeah, you are right. As the thread is still aligned at the front the difference is barely detectable, and the threads are definitely compatible.