Ragged first layer

This is my second attempt at posting so if there is another earlier post please accept my apologies when I tried to attach the photos everything disappeared .

Previously no problems printing. But I have developed a problem which I have tried all I know to solve to no avail.

When printing the first layer, the perimeters print correctly with good adhesion to the bed. However, the infil of the first layer is jagged and very rough with peaks and troughs. The following layers print OK. I have been printing for a couple of years having built a Printrbot and Ord bot so I would not consider myself to be a complete novice.

Currently using the ord bot with the printrboard from the printrbot.

So far I have tried:
Using different filaments from several suppliers - some better than others, but all pretty poor.
Changing print speed in 5mm steps 25 -10mm/sec - no improvements
Changing temperature from 175 -220 at bellow 200 failed to adhere to bed. - no improvement
Changed % line width from 75% - 125% in 5 % increments - no improvement
Changed the nozzle height from touching to 0.15mm in 0.05 increments - failed to adhere to bed at 0.15mm - no improvement
Changed bed temperature from ambient to 40 degree in 10 degree increments - no improvement
Tried blue printer tape - no improvement
Tried Kapton and heated bed at 65 degree -no improvement


My setup is:
Ord bot printer
E£D V6 hot end
All metal Kossel Bowden extruder drive
Glass bed with vinyl carbon fibre cover
Bed is level to better than 0.05mm (Checked with a DTI)
Belt checked and tight.
Print speed 40mm/sec
Acceleration X, Y, 3000, Z 20, E2000
XY jerk 15
Retraction 3mm 3000

Alibre - for modelling
Cura 14.07 for slicing and printing although I have also tried Slic3r, Pronterfaces and Repetier-Host all with similar results.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Mine looks like that on the first layer when im overextruding. Have you played with the percentage in Cura? I was actually messing with mine last night and had to set it to 90% for it to look right printing solid cubes.

Not tried that as I was very careful when I calibrated the extruder. My thinking was that if I changed the percentage it would upset the remainder of the print which at the moment seems to be fine but I'll give it a try. My real concern at the moment is that when the head travels over the first layer it collides with the ridges and that may cause loss of position in X and or Y and eventually may damage the nozzle.

I had similar results when I was printing too fast on the infill. I was up at 70mm/s on the infill speed.

Solved.
I don't know why, but despite the suppliers recommended temperature of 175 to 190 I tried increasing the temperature by in 5 degree increments this time to 230 and the problem is solved. Now printing as it should . printing at 230 degrees 100% line and 100% flow with 0.3mm first layer and 0.2mm remainder 30% infil.

I think I read somewhere that the E3D does need hotter extrusion temps. But, 235C? It seems silly to me though that you are forced to go to that extreme! Your filament supplier is correct in their recommended extrusion temps (assuming we are talking about PLA)

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Waitaki 3D Printer

Do you sometimes notice when you're on the edge of a bottom fill that it seems to have finished yet the printer will do one (or more) passes where there doesn't appear to be a gap in material?

I'm almost positive your z-height is to low. Your nozzle is too close to the surface forcing the plastic to spread out in the X-Y plane interfering with the next line's extrusion.

I have tried increasing the z height in 0.05 increments using a z offset in pronterface. No improvement up to 0.1. Above that I can't get the PLA to adhere to the bed. I am leaning to suspect it may be a faulty thermistor. I have just purchased a K type probe for my meter and will check out the temperature of the hot end independent to the printrboard and Marlin.. I have the correct thermistor selected in Marlin but it may be a faulty one. I'll post back when I have checked it.