The stock stepper drivers on the A5 use the Allegro A4988 stepper drivers. These drivers can be susceptible to showing “salmon skinning” on curved surfaces, or zebra striping on flat surfaces, like the cabin on a 3Dbenchie boat.
These artefacts can be reduced by several methods. One option is to install TMC stepper drivers. This works well, but is a bit more complex to do.
Another option is to install smoothing diodes - and these are very easy to install. These are simple devices that are plugged in between the stepper driver board, and the stepper motor. The reason that this works is not definitively known, but the result has been conclusively proven to reduce or eliminate salmon skinning effects. These are available in both 4 diode, and 8 diode version. The best results are obtained with the 8 diode versions.
DO NOT USE TL-SMOOTHERS WITH TMC STEPPER DRIVERS — YOU WILL GET WORSE RESULTS!
These products are often branded “TL-smoothers”, as the company who developed them is called Triangle Labs (TL).
TL-smoothers can be found from a range of suppliers, such as: