Printer keeps automatically lowering the target extruder temp when I start printing

This is the printer I have: [www.geeetech.com]
I have everything assembled and moving but I can't print because of this.

So, first I preheat the extruder to 230, and the extruder only heats up to around 220 and stays there, but I start the print anyway. But when I do that the target temp of the extruder immediately gets set to 200. Both Pronterface, and the LCD panel on the printer are set to 230, and I can't find any setting anywhere that would tell it to go down to 200.

But there's more, after it sets itself down to 200, now the actual temperature of the extruder goes down and stays around 190-195 and never even gets to 200 so the print never starts. I tried leaving it alone like this for about 10 minutes and still never even reached 200.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2015 01:25PM by chrispytoes.

Usually those cheap printers are limited to PLA and that means they limit the max temp you can set - check the manual.
Did you perform a PID tuning?
Did you try lower temps as 230 is like boiling your PLA?

Wow really? I did not know that at all, I got this printer planning to use primarily ABS, and that is all I have, would I need to get a new extruder then? And if I do how can I remove the 200 degree limit? Also what is PID tuning?

If you set the temperatures in the slicer it gets incorporated into the gcode file and will override your manual settings once the print starts. If you set the temperatures to zero in the slicer, your manual settings should work.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

Quote
the_digital_dentist
If you set the temperatures in the slicer it gets incorporated into the gcode file and will override your manual settings once the print starts. If you set the temperatures to zero in the slicer, your manual settings should work.

Ahh thank you, that fixes that problem. Now the extruder still can't get quite up to 230 but I'm going to get a better extruder to fix that.

Thanks everyone!

Hmm the extruder transports the filament, why would you need a heated extruder???
And even if you get a different hotend chances are your limits are fixed in the firmware - that is why I said to check it...

First, I think you're confused between the extruder (the stepper motor and gear and tension spring and stuff like that) and the hot-end (nozzle, heater block, heater cartridge, thermistor, heat break, heatsink, fan). The extruder pushes filament into the hot-end.

Go to http://reprap.org/wiki/PID_Tuning to find out about PID tuning.

If the thermistor is not properly inside your heater block, it may be reporting a lower temperature than reality. Try checking with a trusted thermometer (e.g. my multimeter comes with temperature measurement probes)... the outside of the heater block should be within a few degrees of what the thermistor reads. If you don't have a thermometer handy, hold a piece of ABS filament against the outside of the heater block... it should melt but not discolour.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2015 03:19AM by frankvdh.