Folger Prusa i3 Kit from ebay

I noticed in the video that even when the filament is going through the extruder, the stepper seems to for lack of a better way to put it: take two steps forward and 1 back, so the end result is the filament moves forward, but it still seems to be "stuttering" its way through... i watch the video closely and the motion of the stepper does not seem like a smooth forward motion. I have not ever watched mine so I am not sure if it does the same thing, but I did find the motion curious.... have you tried to swap the motor drivers with another axis?

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NukedWorker
Ok, so I had some time over a few days to get the extruder apart. Interesting to watch it fail in action...

Video to my patience test

So when I noticed it seemed to catch on the set screw, I set out to turn it around, and for the second time, had to go shopping for a hex driver (1/16) that wasn't in my collection (the last time it was 1.5 mm). Don't get me wrong, I like tools, but sheesh (this time I got a monster set, regular $28, on for $13 at Canadian Tire). Unfortunately it didn't seem to be enough. As soon as I introduce the filament, it still does a jig back and forth.

With it open to reduce any added friction, I played with the v-ref a little, ranging from 0.35v all the way up to 0.5v. With no change (so I went back to 0.35v as it seemed to be the most valid based on other people's posts). I will try again when I've chilled a bit (I might just be bleary eyed). Is this a fair assessment for my v-ref?

Could it be something in my code?

Also, I'm wondering if I might have to drill out the channel a little as it seems a bit tight. I know some people have had to make some alterations to different parts of their kits. Has anyone had to go this far yet?

Thanks again for the input.

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jjbunn

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Wpflum
I remembered reading somewhere that putting the endstop headers on backwards could blow the regulator I'm not sure is relevant anymore as the post was from last year. Could that have happened to your board?

It's possible, although I was quite careful about polarity when wiring up. I have another Arduino Mega that I can swap in, to confirm that it is indeed the Mega's regulator that is the problem.

Swapped in a different Arduino Mega, and the problem went away - so that seems to confirm that the regulator on my original Mega was kaput.

Thanks for the files, Going to compare the config to what I have now and see where I differ. I was worried about that for the ABS, but the fact your wife doesn't complain makes me want to pick up a roll and test it out!

I got it from ebay, the seller is up in Cochrane. She only has the 3mm filament ones left now, that and some adult toys....

For now, I am just using a printed adapter to mount the Jhead to the motor, but once I get the print quality to where I am happy I want to print a new X-Axis to be able to condense everything a bit more. I am hoping to have all the settings dialed in this weekend and I will take some pictures/upload some models. I cleaned up a lot of the wiring while I was waiting, though I will fix it once I print a Ramps/Audrino box.

I wont see either the replacement end-stop or the batch of micro switches I got to fix the broken one I have until Monday or later so I can't do much printing wise, at least so I thought. I was looking at the printer and realized that even though the end stop arm was missing the end stop still worked except it no longer would hit the motor due to the mount for the end-stop being slightly ahead of the switch body, with the arm on it worked but no arm and it hits the holder before it hits the bump that is the switch. I was thinking that if I only had a simple way to put a protrusion on the motor I could use the printer for small stuff, like a new X axis end with adjustable belt attachment or such until I get the end-stop fixed. Then I had a brilliant flash, well ok 25 watts, of inspiration, I have some rare earth magnets from Harbor Freight that I could just put on the motor which should stay in place and give me the bump I need. Well it took 2 magnets but the printer homes now and I didn't see any indication that the magnetic field was messing up the motor so I'm going to give it a try after I get some food in me, I never print on an empty stomach since the growling noise masks and noises from the printer itself

I did a remix of a Raspberry Pi cam stand for my Folgertech Prusa i3, added extensions, and flattened the base from the original design.
have a look if you are interested... the positioning on the stand can pretty much be anywhere on your plywood base (if you have one)
as it's meant to be screwed down...

here is the link. [www.thingiverse.com]

Cheers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2014 03:20PM by Waltermixx.

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Waltermixx
I noticed in the video that even when the filament is going through the extruder, the stepper seems to for lack of a better way to put it: take two steps forward and 1 back, so the end result is the filament moves forward, but it still seems to be "stuttering" its way through... i watch the video closely and the motion of the stepper does not seem like a smooth forward motion. I have not ever watched mine so I am not sure if it does the same thing, but I did find the motion curious.... have you tried to swap the motor drivers with another axis?

Unfortunately, there wasn't actually any advancement. I should have done it before recording the video, but I put a black 'tick' on the end of the gear, and the roller, so motion could be seen easier (marks on the filament show it goes nowhere). From previous problems, the very first thing I tried was the stepper driver. I swapped it with my Z, and it worked in the Z, and with the one from Z in the extruder spot, I got the same results, so it ruled that out.

Based on everything I've seen, it appears like the motor isn't strong enough to overcome even the slightest bit of friction. The more friction that is added (filament, roller wheel), the less {not at all} that it moves. Putting my finger on the motor shaft it would still rotate, but simply catching my fingernail on the gear, I felt no resistance, and it just didn't turn. I did open the hole around the gear ever so slightly using a large drill bit, which appeared to be a small improvement, but it isn't enough. Still debating to drill out the filament channel, but not until I see some improvement otherwise.
Progressively, from motion to not:
full motion
- no filament, everything in place
- no filament, cover off (as in the videos)
some motion, still encounters a few places where it starts doing the jig again, gentle persuasion gets past it until the next is encountered, doesn't appear to be set locations
- filament, with the screws loosened a few turns (loosening any more and it doesn't hold together), roller wheel in place - this doesn't always get motion, just occasionally, the roller looks cocked a bit, possibly rubbing on the case around it.
- filament, screws tightened, roller wheel removed
no motion (the jig)
- filament, roller wheel, screws, everything in place the way it is supposed to be

I tried again messing with the v-ref too, but it didn't make any difference.

This is really discouraging. I so badly want to get this working, and it's been weeks with no success. People that want to see what I can do, are now giving me a hard time because I bought this cheap kit that is giving me grief, rather than something out of my budget but pre-assembled. I wanted the kit so I could work through the assembly and problems, but this is absurd, and frustrating with no one to sit with and actually work through it. At least the people here have been of big help to get me as far as I am.

I'll be up all night (going into nights tomorrow, this is how I prepare), so if you have any ideas and are around, I'd love to hear from you.

Perhaps the stepper motor isn't any good?
i would contact the guys at Folger and ask them for their opinion...
or ask them to send out a replcacement extruder motor, because everything is pointing at the motor,
if you already tried swapping the motor driver...

They do offer Skype support so try emailing support@folgertech.com (verify their support address)
and skype with them so they can see the motor in operation ( or in "not operation" ). And I bet they send
you a replacement... they sorta have to... if it's not working...

Well my temp modification by magnets works so I'm able to print until I get replacements for the end-stop. I tried a print but forgot to modify it to make the fan stay on so I was manually flipping the fan back to 100 percent every minute or so until it go to 50 percent then I let it go and within 5 minutes it was air printing again. Then I re-sliced the print and told it no cooling so it wasn't trying to play with the fan during the print and I manually added the M106 S255 at the start of the print to keep the fan on and when the print from SD started the fan went right back to a percent so I'm not sure if I have something in the Marlin firmware set or what so I solved it by wiring both the fans, extruder and ramps board, to the power supply so they are on all the time. This time the print went well so I'm hoping that the fans will solve some of my problems. I also lightly oiled the drill rods and the threaded rods and will try another test of a large area print to see if that helps with the weird skipping of the X axis.

Now it's time for me to go back to HVAC land and get my new humidifier installed so I can actually get a good nights sleep with the heat on. I only have one thing to save about HVAC work, as much as I'm not a fan of working on the heating/air system at least it's not plumbing, I hate plumbing

NukedWorker,

If Folgertech won't do anything, switch the motor with one of the others and see if that fixes the issue. If it does it is an easy fix of getting a new motor. Only other thing I can suggest is switch the V-Groove bearing to the opposite side. There is always a chance that the mounting piece for the bearing is too close to the motor shaft.

These motors aren't the torquiest. I had a heck of a time tweaking my V-Ref until I realized that I tightened the screws for the filament guide too tight and it caused too much binding which led to missed steps.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2014 09:18PM by AKFoddy7.

WOOHOO! (boy do I feel stupid)

So I went ahead and switched the X and Extruder motors. And it still was doing the jig. So I knew then it had to be something I did. After sitting a few minutes just brewing and stewing, I figured, go back to the beginning - and there it was. The 2 middle wires were in the pin connector wrong. Switched them up and VOILA! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Of course, then when I hooked it all up, it gave me a new problem (surprised? I wasn't.) I was getting hot end temps of 350+ when it was off. The leads were shorting right at the thermistor, and I couldn't get anything in there to separate the leads - so I cheated. I separated them, and while they were apart, put 2 drops of superglue between them, then turned on the hot end to dry it out. Success.

So for my first feat of amazement I tried to print a square, AND FAILED! BUT I'M HAPPY!

Clearly I need to level my bed some, and possibly work on adhesion. But I'm in the game now.

Thanks again too everyone for their patience and help.

Tyler.

Dont go crazy trying different adhesion formula's.
go straight to Garnier Fructuis extra hold (V) (or 5 strength so to speak)

works amazing with a properly leveled head bed glass.

do not pass go, do not collect $200.00 go straight to the drugstore and get this hairspray...
and keep the hair on your head.

(not affiliated with Garnier in any way... just thrilled it works so well)

Cheers.

wires switched eh? dang... glad you found the issue.

Nuked Worker,

I don't feel so bad anymore....I had the same issue with all of my stepper motors (Took me approx 6 hours to finally check the continuity to realize I had them crossed). Glad to see you have things working!

P.S. If you are using PLA, I find I haven't needed any sort of adhesion promotion. Just clean the glass with window cleaner heat the bed to 70 and bump up the first layer temp. But from what I have heard, the hairspray or the "ABS Juice" is the best for printing ABS.

I haven't printed any PLA but will second the use of 'ABS Juice' for ABS. Juice is all I've used since my second test print and as of yet I've had no curling, even on big prints, and only had one where the print broke free from the bed during the print and I'm pretty sure that was due to a problem with the Z axis binding and the extruder clipping the edge of the print when moving from one side to the other.

Sorry I should have been more clear...
for ABS Garnier Fructis V at 100 degrees glass plate is great...

PLA? I only use Blue painters tape 2093 or 2090 works great for PLA on the makerbot replicator 2.

Hello All,
I assembled the kit and that was pretty uneventful. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However. I am having issues with my motors not functioning properly.
I have the Merlin firmware installed with the configuration given at the beginning of this thread and I have also tuned the Vref to almost exact settings as to what was supplied on the 1st page.

Whatever direction I hit, it only seems to maybe move a slight amount if any at all. I can hit the .1, 1, or 10 and the same scenario happens. I am at a loss.
[www.youtube.com]

I attempted to bump up the power and eventually ended up with nearly 2 times the power to the motors with no noticeable difference other than motor pitch. With different configuration settings from other websites I seemed to get more of a response. But I don't know enough about motor settings to give any indication as to why.

Relevant code that is currently set. I have the VRefs currently set to the 1st page default.

//// MOVEMENT SETTINGS
#define NUM_AXIS 4 // The axis order in all axis related arrays is X, Y, Z, E
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE {50*60, 50*60, 4*60, 0}  // set the homing speeds (mm/min)

// default settings

#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   {79.7, 80.3, 4995, 90}  // default steps per unit for Ultimaker
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE          {120, 120, 2, 22}    // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION      {3000, 3000, 100, 3000}    // X, Y, Z, E maximum start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for Skeinforge 40+, for older versions raise them a lot.

#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION          1000    // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION  1000   // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for retracts

// Offset of the extruders (uncomment if using more than one and relying on firmware to position when changing).
// The offset has to be X=0, Y=0 for the extruder 0 hotend (default extruder).
// For the other hotends it is their distance from the extruder 0 hotend.
// #define EXTRUDER_OFFSET_X {0.0, 20.00} // (in mm) for each extruder, offset of the hotend on the X axis
// #define EXTRUDER_OFFSET_Y {0.0, 5.00}  // (in mm) for each extruder, offset of the hotend on the Y axis

// The speed change that does not require acceleration (i.e. the software might assume it can be done instantaneously)
#define DEFAULT_XYJERK                20.0    // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_ZJERK                 0.4     // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_EJERK                 5.0    // (mm/sec)

The motor wires are properly wired in pairs to the RAMPS board.

I am at a loss for ideas and it is becoming rather frustrating. Do I need new motors?

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2014 10:06PM by spiffydudex.

Not to doubt you, but it sounds like you have the same issue I did and so did NukedWorker.

The motor wires don't line up exactly from the motor to the ramps board. (The wires side by side should have resistance and the other two should read infinity). On mine, Yellow was next to green and red next to grey.

If that isn't it, I would make sure your board is getting the proper current. Does the heated bed/extruder heater work?

Did you remember to put in the jumpers under each motor controller on the RAMPS?

Wait, Jumpers under the motor controllers? Do I jumper all 3 sets?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2014 12:11AM by spiffydudex.

Yes, all three.

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Waltermixx
Yes, all three.

Oh my gosh...was it really that easy?! Wow...seems like I have working motors now.

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spiffydudex

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Waltermixx
Yes, all three.

Oh my gosh...was it really that easy?! Wow...seems like I have working motors now.

Those jumpers help - I found that out as well

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jjbunn

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spiffydudex

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Waltermixx
Yes, all three.

Oh my gosh...was it really that easy?! Wow...seems like I have working motors now.

Those jumpers help - I found that out as well

Ditto! We should start a poll to see how many people missed the jumpers on their first printer

Well, now it seems like I have another issue. The Filament feeder pinches the filament too much and causes it to deform. This is causing the filament to get stuck in the extrusion head.

Due to the design of the feeder, there is no real adjustments. Any ideas? I'll post a picture soon.

SpiffyDudex,

I was able to relieve some of the stress by loosening the two screws a bit. It doesn't affect the location of the V-Bearing, but it seemed to help align the middle of the V with the filament.

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spiffydudex
Well, now it seems like I have another issue. The Filament feeder pinches the filament too much and causes it to deform. This is causing the filament to get stuck in the extrusion head.

Due to the design of the feeder, there is no real adjustments. Any ideas? I'll post a picture soon.

It's 1.75mm filament, right (not 3mm)?

AKFoddy
That seems to have solved it! Little test cube here I come!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2014 01:09PM by spiffydudex.

FYI, something to keep an eye on if you are running using a box or enclosure over your printer with the standard PLA printed parts. PLA parts changing size/expanding.

I had been running a series of batches for about a week before leaving town for the weekend. I had been using a large cardboard box with a window cut in it and some clear plastic to cover the window. I had been getting great prints this way before I left but when I came back I noticed that the printer was misbehaving. On closer inspection I found that the PLA parts seem to have expanded or changed shape in several locations. The Y-axis to X-axis printed parts expanded enough that they "let go" of the bearings. The X carriage also seemed to have changed enough to allow the extruder screws to loosen even though they were plenty tight before. My endstops had all loosened. Lock washers were in place on everything. The printer seemed to be fine after my last print before leaving but after resting for about 3 days everything loosened up. Most issues could be fixed by just tightening stuff but the biggest issue (bearings coming loose) will require some replacement parts.

Ironically the bed was still nice and tight on the ABS printed test bearing holders even without zip ties.

I will be reprinting the X axis parts again soon. Most likely printed in ABS this time.

The kit looks good if you get a decent hot end. I would recommend an E3D V6.

Ok, so my kit arrived last night and I started putting it together. Tonight (stupid employment getting in the way of today fun) I plan on starting with attaching the heat bed and I've been looking around on youtube for videos on getting that soldered up and keep seeing people attaching their own thermistors to the middle of the bed with kapton tape. I've read this thread and then skimmed it for good measure but it looks like the bed with this kit has the thermistor attached and I just need to solder wires to the pads on the bed and that's it. Can someone verify I'm not missing a step here?

Also, are you guys mounting the bed with the component side up or down? I feel like I should put the components down for safety (of the components) reasons but then how do you see the LED that is now on the bottom of the bed?

Thanks for the help.

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louspinuso
Ok, so my kit arrived last night and I started putting it together. Tonight (stupid employment getting in the way of today fun) I plan on starting with attaching the heat bed and I've been looking around on youtube for videos on getting that soldered up and keep seeing people attaching their own thermistors to the middle of the bed with kapton tape. I've read this thread and then skimmed it for good measure but it looks like the bed with this kit has the thermistor attached and I just need to solder wires to the pads on the bed and that's it. Can someone verify I'm not missing a step here?

Also, are you guys mounting the bed with the component side up or down? I feel like I should put the components down for safety (of the components) reasons but then how do you see the LED that is now on the bottom of the bed?

Thanks for the help.

thats all i did was solder to the pads at the bottom and everything seems to work ok, I am getting a temperature reading(I don't have one of those temp checkers to see if it is correct tho). The Led at the bottom of the bed u can see-ish, it shines on the acrylic so it kind of disperses the light.

Also a pro tip for putting the nuts into the acrylic, if you are having trouble putting it into one side try flipping the piece over. I think when the pieces were laser cut it sloped the holes slightly.