The BIGTREETECH SKR Mini E3 V3 board includes a working build of Marlin 2.0.x firmware for the Creality Ender 3. This comes pre-loaded, and for Ender 3 owners, can be used immediately following installation.
It is however recommended to update the firmware to the latest version, which has been pre-compiled and published on the BIGTREETECH Github page. This is maintained by their developers who commit updates as needed.
SKR Mini E3 V3 Marlin 2.0 Firmware
Ender 5 owners will not be able to use the default firmware and must update prior to use.
There are (3) pre-built versions of the Marlin 2.0 firmware available for download. Two are intended for use with BLTouch Auto Bed Leveling sensors, the third is for 3D Printers that use the stock Z endstop switch.
The .BIN files are named accordingly and should be selected based on your needs. For most users, the standard firmware.bin file is recommended.
Once booted, it will sit at a blue screen for 15-20 seconds. During this time, the new firmware is automatically flashed to the board. After it has finished, it will load in to the idle interface and the new firmware is now loaded.
For users who wish to control their SKR Mini E3 board via USB, it may be necessary to install additional drivers before a PC will recognize the device. These come loaded on Windows 10/11 by default, but are often missing from older versions of the operating system.
The Maple Drivers can be downloaded from the BIGTREETECH Github page at https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/tree/master/firmware/mapleDrv-USBdriver
Cura 5.0 and later utilize an experimental plugin called USBPrinting, which has known compatibility problems with some versions of the SKR Mini E3 board. It often results in the board crashing, screen freezes and loud chirping noises. To fix this problem...
# try:
# programmer.connect(self._serial_port)
# serial = programmer.leaveISP()
# except ispBase.IspError:
# programmer.close()
Save the changes to the file and restart the Cura software. This should resolve the problem with USB connections on the SKR Mini E3 board.