Voron Switchwire Ender 3 Conversion — Complete Guide

Switchwire Ender 3 Conversion Mod 25 min read

The Voron Switchwire is a high-performance conversion of the Creality Ender 3 / Ender 3 Pro / Ender 3 V2 that replaces the stock single-Z leadscrew, flimsy V-slot wheels, and bowden extruder with a dual-Z leadscrew assembly, linear rails on X and Y, and a direct-drive extruder with Klipper firmware. The result is a printer that matches or exceeds the print quality of a stock Voron V0.2 at roughly half the cost. The Switchwire takes the affordable, widely available Ender 3 frame and transforms it into a reliable, high-speed CoreXZ (bedslinger) machine capable of consistent ABS and PLA printing.

Last updated: May 2025. This guide covers the complete Ender 3 to Switchwire conversion, including frame modifications, printed parts, motion system upgrades, electronics changes, and first-calibration. All pricing reflects China-direct sourcing through our parts mini-program.

Conversion Overview — What Changes and What Stays

The Ender 3 conversion reuses the frame extrusions and base footprint but replaces nearly everything else. Here's what stays:

• 2040 Y-axis extrusion and 2020 X-axis extrusion (frame is reusable)
• Base frame and lower crossbars (assuming no damage)
• Power supply (if converting the stock Meanwell LRS-350 — but 24V conversion is needed for most Ender 3 variants)
• Some M3, M4, and M5 hardware (frame screws, etc.)

What gets replaced or heavily modified:

• X-axis: Replace V-slot wheels with MGN7H or MGN9C linear rail and carriage
• Y-axis: Replace V-slot wheels with MGN12H linear rail
• Z-axis: Replace single leadscrew with dual T8 leadscrews + motors (one per side)
• Z motor mount: Replace stock motor mount with Switchwire dual-Z motor plate
• Extruder: Replace bowden setup with Clockwork 1 (CW1) or Clockwork 2 (CW2) direct-drive extruder
• Toolhead: Replace stock Ender 3 hotend with Stealthburner (or Mini Stealthburner for compact look)
• Mainboard: Replace 8-bit Creality board with BTT SKR Mini E3 V3 or Octopus
• Firmware: Replace Marlin with Klipper

Bill of Materials — Complete Conversion BOM

Total conversion cost (China-direct): $155-235, assuming you already have an Ender 3 frame. If you need to buy a donor Ender 3, used units sell for $50-80 on the Chinese second-hand market. Total with donor: $205-315. Compare to a $500+ Voron kit — the Switchwire conversion is the most cost-effective upgrade path for the Ender 3 platform.

Printed Parts List

The Switchwire requires approximately 20 printed ABS parts. Key parts include:

• Switchwire_Carriage.stl — X-axis carriage, mounts the toolhead and linear rail carriage
• X_Carriage_Back.stl — Back plate for the X carriage
• XY_Joint_Left.stl and XY_Joint_Right.stl — XY gantry corner joints
• Z_Motor_Plate_Left.stl and Z_Motor_Plate_Right.stl — Dual Z motor mounts
• Z_Top_Left.stl and Z_Top_Right.stl — Top Z leadscrew supports
• Belt_Tensioner.stl — X/Y belt tensioning mechanism
• PSU_Cover.stl — Power supply cover
• Display_Mount.stl — Klipper screen or tablet mount (optional)
• Toolhead parts — Stealthburner or Mini Stealthburner body, depending on your choice

Print settings (ABS): 0.2mm layer height, 4 perimeters, 5 top/bottom layers, 40% infill (grid or gyroid), 245°C nozzle, 100-105°C bed, enclosure required. The Switchwire printed parts are designed for functional strength — the Z motor plates and XY joints bear significant loads. Use high-quality ABS (e.g., eSun ABS+, Sunlu ABS, or Polymaker PolyLite ABS) for these parts. ABS+ or ASA is recommended over standard ABS for better layer adhesion and reduced warping.

Step-by-Step Conversion Procedure

Phase 1: Disassemble the Ender 3

Fully disassemble the Ender 3 down to the frame extrusions. Remove:

• Stock hotend and extruder assembly
• X and Y V-slot wheel carriages
• Single Z leadscrew and motor
• All wiring — label connectors or take photos before removing
• Stock mainboard (retain only if you plan to reuse the stepper drivers)
• Bed assembly (the aluminum bed plate can be reused with a new heater)

Phase 2: Frame Prep and Rail Installation

Clean all extrusions with isopropyl alcohol. Check frame squareness using the machinist's square method described in our gantry racking guide. The Ender 3 frame is typically not perfectly square from the factory — loosen all M5 frame bolts, square the frame, then retighten to 1.5 Nm.

Install the MGN12H linear rail on the Y-axis (the 2040 extrusion at the base). The rail mounts to the top surface of the extrusion. Use M3 x 8mm screws with T-nuts in the extrusion slots. The rail must be perfectly parallel to the extrusion — measure from the rail edge to the extrusion edge at both ends. A 0.5mm deviation across 300mm will cause binding. Shim with paper or kapton tape if needed.

Install the MGN7H (or MGN9C) linear rail on the X-axis (the 2020 extrusion that carries the toolhead). The rail mounts to the front face of the extrusion. Again, verify parallelism — the X rail carries the toolhead and directly affects print quality. Tighten M3 screws to 0.8 Nm in a sequence from center to ends.

Phase 3: Z-Axis Dual Motor Conversion

The Switchwire uses two Z motors (one on each side of the frame) with independent T8 leadscrews. Mount the Z motor plates (printed parts) at the bottom of the left and right vertical extrusions. Install the NEMA17 stepper motors into the plates, then attach the flexible couplers and T8 leadscrews. The top of each leadscrew is supported by a Z_top printed part with a bearing (typically an MR128-2RS or 625ZZ bearing). This top bearing is critical — it prevents the leadscrew from whipping at high Z speeds. A set of 10 MR128 bearings costs approximately $2 on AliExpress.

The Z leadscrew brass nuts mount to a printed Z nut carrier, which is then attached to the gantry crossbar. The brass nut should have approximately 0.2mm of float (achieved by not fully tightening the M3 mounting screws) to allow the nut to self-align with the leadscrew. Tighten the mounting screws fully only after running Z up and down 100mm to let the nut seat naturally.

Phase 4: X/Y Motion System

The Switchwire uses a CoreXY-like belt path but constrained to X/Y on a bedslinger frame. Install the XY joints at the top corners of the frame, then route the 2GT belts according to the official Switchwire manual. The belt path is:

• From the left stepper motor, belt goes to the left XY joint, across the X carriage, to the right XY joint, and back to the left stepper.
• The Y belt connects from the Y stepper (mounted at the rear of the frame), routes through idlers on the bed carriage, and returns.

Belt tension should be 90-110 Hz for a 350mm belt span on the Switchwire. Use the Gates Sonic app or a guitar tuner app to measure frequency. Tension both belts to within 3 Hz of each other.

Phase 5: Toolhead Assembly

Assemble the Stealthburner (or Mini Stealthburner) toolhead with the CW1/CW2 extruder. Mount the MGN carriage plate to the X-axis linear rail, then attach the toolhead using the Switchwire X carriage printed parts. Wire the hotend heater, thermistor, extruder stepper, part cooling fan, and hotend fan. If using CAN bus (recommended for clean wiring), install a CAN board such as the BTT EBB36 or EBB42 ($12-18 on AliExpress). CAN bus reduces the toolhead wiring from 10+ wires to 4 wires (CAN-H, CAN-L, 24V, GND).

Phase 6: Electronics and Klipper Setup

Install the BTT SKR Mini E3 V3 or Octopus mainboard in the electronics enclosure (either the stock Ender 3 base or a printed Switchwire electronics case). Connect the PSU (24V conversion required if using the stock Ender 3 12V PSU — or replace with a Meanwell LRS-350-24 for $20-25). Wire the stepper motors to the mainboard: X, Y, Z, Z1 (dual Z), and E0.

Install Klipper on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ or 4B. Use the official Voron Switchwire printer.cfg template from the Voron GitHub as the starting point. Key configuration parameters:

[stepper_z]
step_pin: ...
dir_pin: ...
enable_pin: ...
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 8  ; T8 4-start, 2mm pitch
endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop
position_min: -5
position_max: 240

[stepper_z1]
step_pin: ...
dir_pin: ...
enable_pin: ...
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 8

Phase 7: First Power-On and Calibration

Before powering on, do a continuity check on all power wires (24V and GND) to confirm no short circuits. Power on with the bed at room temperature. Verify that:

• All stepper motors can be moved via Klipper console (STEPPER_BUZZ or FORCE_MOVE)
• The hotend thermistor reads ambient temperature (20-30°C)
• The bed thermistor reads correctly
• All endstops trigger correctly
• The probe (usually an Omron TL-Q5MC2 or Euclid/Beacon) deploys and triggers

Run PID_CALIBRATION for both hotend and bed. Run BED_MESH_CALIBRATE using a 5x5 or 7x7 grid. Run input shaper calibration (an ADXL345 accelerometer is recommended — $5-8 on AliExpress). Finally, calibrate pressure advance using the standard tower method.

Common Conversion Issues and Fixes

• Z binding on one side: The dual Z leadscrews must be synchronized. Run G34 (Z tilt adjust, if available) or manually turn both leadscrews so the gantry crossbar is level before each print. Add a Z_TILT_ADJUST macro using a probe at both Z locations.
• Belt noise or resonance: The belt path on the Switchwire has long unsupported spans. Add belt guide printed parts (available in the Switchwire mod repository) to prevent belt flapping at high speeds.
• Y-axis rail binding: The MGN12H on Y must be dead-parallel to the extrusion. Shim with kapton tape (0.05mm increments) until the bed carriage glides smoothly from end to end.
• Toolhead too heavy for X rail: If using a full Stealthburner with heavy all-metal hotend, upgrade the X rail from MGN7H to MGN9C for increased load capacity. MGN9C carriages have 50% higher load rating.
• Layer shift after high-speed printing: The stock Ender 3 belt tensioners (M4 screws with springs) are inadequate for the Switchwire's higher speeds. Replace with M5 threaded tensioners and remove the springs for solid mounting.