Where is Z=0?

I am sort of a beginner, so I would really appreciate if someone could help me out. Would anyone be able to take a picture of their ormerod where the nozzle is at Z=0? I am having trouble getting it calibrated right. Thanks so much!

Z=0 is as near to the bed as you can get it.

Have you followed the calibration instructions on the website - to use the Z-sensor to zero Z or are you doing it manually?

James

A photo would not help a lot. It is the point where the nozzle is just touching the bed but exerting hardly any pressure against it. To set it, by far the easiest way is the paper method - raise the nozzle a few mm above the bed and slide a piece of ordinary copier paper under the nozzle. While moving the paper around under the nozzle, lower the head 0.05mm or 0.1mm at a time (using Pronterface or the Web interface) until you can feel the nozzle gripping the paper, but the paper can still be moved around. You will usually feel a vibration from the fan through the paper as you slide it around at that point. Do not apply any pressure on the bed with your hand while you do that, as it will push the bed down and mess up the height. Set that point as your Z=0 point ("G92 Z0" command). Unless your bed is adjusted to be perfectly level (which is what you should try to do), that point will vary over the bed area, which is where setting the bed compensation comes in. Choose a place near to one corner to set your Z=0 point as described, and then read off the height where the nozzle just starts to grip the paper near the other 3 corners of the bed (without resetting Z=0), and these readings become your bed compensation values. If any of the readings are above +/-1mm, I would suggest that you adjust the bed to be more level before printing.

Another way to set the Z height is to take a drill bit or rod of an exactly known diameter (say a 3mm drill), lower the nozzle so the drill won't pass under it, then tilt the Ormerod slightly so that the drill bit rolls against the nozzle and is held there. Now, with the printer still tilted, raise the nozzle by 0.05mm or 0.1mm steps until the drill bit rolls under the nozzle. Set that Z height as 3mm (or whatever size drill you used) - i.e. send the command "G92 Z3".

Looking for light under the nozzle to see when it just touches is not a particularly good method IMO.

Dave

Thanks for the advice

You don't have to tilt the Ormerod and use gravity when doing the drill shank method, I just blow on the drill to roll it across the bed and this pushes it up against the nozzle.
Then raise the nozzle until the pressure on the drill from you breath blows the drill under the nozzle.