First 3D Printer (i3 Prusa) build Disaster

With hindsight perhaps I should have asked for help before trying again.
Now I have burnt 2 sets of electronics...Melzi and Ramps 1.4 (Arduino Mega)

I got a Pangu i3 Prusa kit and the initial Melzi board I fried because -/+ was swapped. Fine that was on me. The explosion was well like popcorn.



The second attempt I got a Ramps 1.4 kit and 4 stepper drivers.



I followed the instructions to the letter this time and made sure red was positive and blank negative.





After switching it on I saw some smoke and immediately switched it off.

1. Will all the electronics be gone?
2. How do I find out what went wrong?
3. Can the PSU be the cause?



At the moment I feel like throwing it in the trash but I should at least find out what went wrong.

Any experts have any ideas?

Round 3....delayed

Ok so I ordered a Ramps kit from china for only $25. Sure it will take 2 month in post. That will be enough time to figure out what went wrong the second time

Step 1 : Get/fix Multimeter
Step 2 : See if PSU is 12v like on it's sticker and not 24v (Will send the supplier a angry email if it is)
Step 3 : Be awesome (to late)
Step 4 : See if soldering of motor cable extentions with SIL pin connectors caused a shorts
Step 5 : See why my motor colour sequence is not the same as in the guide

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2014 12:26PM by Buglish.

Did you test your electronics after smoking without an psu?
Is your mega2560 still being recognized by your computer when connecting usb?
If yes, add a thermistor to T0 and connect to your 3d-printer software and look for a extruder temperature reading(assuming marlin was installed)
If you got a temperature reading, you may be in luck and continue to use your electronics.

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Prusa I3 kits www.schufco.com

Thanks I will try those tests.
Guess I was a little miffed thinking the $140 electronics kit blew in 5 seconds so I was not thinking what can be recovered.

The last picture looks suspicious to me. I am guessing there are three +12V terminals but you seem to have some black wires connected to the first one? Where do they go?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2014 05:33PM by nophead.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Im with Nophead, why are there small black cables going to the 3rd + terminal.

Its mostly a problem with your PSU connection and yes as the others in the group have said u should not connect the 3rd terminal. Its just the first two terminals for both the +V and -V on the PSU. Use the wiring diagram available on wiki if need be. That's pretty clear!!

Have you made any progress?

Just a random thought, god knows I am not an electrician, but it looks like you have wires connected to the negative voltage (-V). I didn't think there was any need for the negative voltage in 3D printing and you were better off leaving it unconnected. Being a newb myself, I could easily see you confusing -V with ground.

Quote
Kurzaa
Have you made any progress?

Just a random thought, god knows I am not an electrician, but it looks like you have wires connected to the negative voltage (-V). I didn't think there was any need for the negative voltage in 3D printing and you were better off leaving it unconnected. Being a newb myself, I could easily see you confusing -V with ground.

That is DC Ground... The first 3 on the right are DC +ve, the next 3 are DC -ve

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2014 08:05PM by callumburns.

Quote
callumburns
That is DC Ground... The first 3 on the right are DC +ve, the next 3 are DC -ve

So (as others have already asked) - why do you have a black wire connected to the 3rd terminal from the right, which is DC +ve? If that is connected to the other black wires at the other end of the cable or through the RAMPS board, you are shorting out the power supply.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].