SKR PRO 1.2 possible substitution with Octopus v1.1

Good evening everyone!
I’m building a lowrider v3, I’m in the final assemblies.
I found this thread quite recently: Replacement for SKR Pro 1.2
but that didn’t help me.
I’m Italian too, and between delivery times, customs and extra import taxes, it becomes really difficult to buy on the shop of V1.
I’m sorry about this because it would be a concrete contribution to the V1 guys who make a lot available moreover, the prices are fair (excluding hidden customs costs).
Coming to the point, I would like to know if any user has used BIGTREETECH Octopus V1.1 : https://www.amazon.it/dp/B09BJ8N671?th=1
(SKP PRO 1.2 does not seem available in Italy).
Since it mounts 8 TMC2209 drivers, I could use it by connecting all the motors to their own driver, dividing all the load.
I have experience with GRBL (I built a CNC router based on Arduino Uno r3 and Synthetos grblShield) and Marlin 2.x (I built a delta 3D printer with SKR Mini E3 V1.2 by customizing the firmware)
so I don’t see big problems, but I would like both comfort on the solution and some opinions.

Thank you!
Lorenzo

Maybe this post or this one will be of help.

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If you want to stay with the SKR Pro v1.2 it is widely available. I’m all for supporting the V1 shop but, as you say, import duty and shipping from the US to the EU is crippling. Aliexpress ships VaT paid so the price you see is the price you pay… no hidden charges… and usually quicker than shipping from the US.

(other shops are available :slight_smile: )

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There are many ways to support V1 and the shop is just one way. It is much more efficient to send some cash through the internet to V1 than for the board to go to the US and then back to somewhere like Australia, and then pay $50 for shipping.

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It isn’t just the shipping Jeff (which is expensive enough), in the EU and the UK Value Added Tax, or VaT of 20% is due on ALL foreign imports (although not always collected) there is also usually a hefty charge made by the importer for collecting the taxes on your behalf and supposedly forwarding the money to the tax authorities, this seems particularly bad on items from the US. I suspect Brexit brought import tax to a head and if they wanted to continue to sell into Europe the Chinese sellers have been forced to register with Europes tax authorities and can now implement tax collection at source at zero additional cost to the consumer, American exporters don’t seem to have caught up yet. Does Ryan have a UK or European tax registration number I wonder? Does he want one? It must, I guess, come down to volume of sales.

I just finished a build with Octopus 1.1 (purchased by mistake but it worked fine). Spent some time making custom firmware and figuring out pins but it works at the end. I also uploaded a custom case model to Thingsverse

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This topic helped me convert my LR3 from SKR 1.2 to Octopus v1.1… Bigtreetech octopus on Lowrider V3

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I get the feeling with @jamiek IDEX build working using the Octopus board, this conversion will be happening more and more. I know i am looking at it.

I will probably have to build a ZEN to use the BTT SKR EZ3 now.
Shit another thing to add to the project list…

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Agree, Jamie’s IDEX project was one of the reasons I tried out the Octopus. Would be great to see an IDEX in person.

hi, is there any place that I could download firmware from? I do not know how to modify it. thanks

I can compile mine for you but I am almost 100% confident that will not work since there are more variables like what hardware you used, how you connect it, how you want your CNC to behave

I have a Monster board, an Octopus, and the recommended Skr pro. Is one better than the other? (They are all for other failed builds)

I run my LowRider on Octopus, no complains. It has way more drivers than you need but that’s not a bad thing