Migbot Prusa i3 Unofficial Support Thread

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CrackinX
Hey guys, I have got my migbot all set up and printing pretty good at this point, bed centered in firmware, auto-leveling running properly. Just one issue everything is printing mirror image from what it should be, if I print something with text on it it comes out completely backwards. Any ideas what the issue might be? I can say that all my stepper plug wires are in the same order, all plugs on the board are black, green, blue. red. all plugs on the steppers are black, blue, green, red. so I'm kinda lost

CrackinX did you get this problem resolved?

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gwc2795

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CrackinX
Hey guys, I have got my migbot all set up and printing pretty good at this point, bed centered in firmware, auto-leveling running properly. Just one issue everything is printing mirror image from what it should be, if I print something with text on it it comes out completely backwards. Any ideas what the issue might be? I can say that all my stepper plug wires are in the same order, all plugs on the board are black, green, blue. red. all plugs on the steppers are black, blue, green, red. so I'm kinda lost

CrackinX did you get this problem resolved?

No I have not, I have just been circumventing it by mirroring in the slicer, but I would not like to rely on this and actually get it resolved for real.

Thanks for the help gwc2795 .

It's the sensor that came with the auto-level upgrade. Pulled the sensor wire(black) and the LED stays on.
This sensor was working perfectly when I was using the 12V supply. I'll connect the board back up to the 12V and see if it works. If not, I guess I fried it somehow.

I have a printrbot metal. The sensor on that one is really nice. If this one is defective I might figure out how to mount one of those instead.

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CrackinX

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gwc2795

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CrackinX
Hey guys, I have got my migbot all set up and printing pretty good at this point, bed centered in firmware, auto-leveling running properly. Just one issue everything is printing mirror image from what it should be, if I print something with text on it it comes out completely backwards. Any ideas what the issue might be? I can say that all my stepper plug wires are in the same order, all plugs on the board are black, green, blue. red. all plugs on the steppers are black, blue, green, red. so I'm kinda lost

CrackinX did you get this problem resolved?

No I have not, I have just been circumventing it by mirroring in the slicer, but I would not like to rely on this and actually get it resolved for real.

Thank you, this post made me look into the issue instead of ignoring it, I found my X and Y were reversed, now to go through the painfull process of re centering everything again lol.

Anyone can help me this? I have change my migbot extruder to wade's type but the extruder never move and keep making noise. See, stuck but when i use hand turn it's fine. Any advise from any one?

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evetanlm
Anyone can help me this? I have change my migbot extruder to wade's type but the extruder never move and keep making noise. See, stuck but when i use hand turn it's fine. Any advise from any one?

try this [forums.reprap.org]

If that doesn't help google wade's extruder does not move

Thanks you, will try now. Thanks you man!

OK so the ACME screws vibrating on the frame has annoyed me so I made some top bushing plugs. They help keep them straight and cut down vibration a bunch. I have included the STL if anybody is interested in trying them.

I would appreciate input about the bed leveling problem I am having (or think I am having). After bed leveling today the first layer in the middle of the bed was OK. The 1st layer on the right side of the bed was so tight that the extruder motor started clicking. I killed the print and issued a G28, it was OK. I checked the distance between the Y-axis rods and the X-axis rods and they were different from side to side. I adjusted them to be the same distance. Issued G28 and adjusted the nozzle tip to be 0.1mm above the bed. Restated the print and after the bed leveling was complete the 1st layer is spot on. The X-axis was out of level about 5mm from side to side.

Does this mean that bed leveling will not compensate for an X-axis that is not parallel to the Y-axis?
Has anyone else observed this behavior?
Any suggestions on preventing this? The printer had just finished a 17 hour print job which went without a hitch.
I have wired the Z-axis stepper motors in series because I had problems with missing steps when they were wired in parallel.

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gwc2795
I would appreciate input about the bed leveling problem I am having (or think I am having). After bed leveling today the first layer in the middle of the bed was OK. The 1st layer on the right side of the bed was so tight that the extruder motor started clicking. I killed the print and issued a G28, it was OK. I checked the distance between the Y-axis rods and the X-axis rods and they were different from side to side. I adjusted them to be the same distance. Issued G28 and adjusted the nozzle tip to be 0.1mm above the bed. Restated the print and after the bed leveling was complete the 1st layer is spot on. The X-axis was out of level about 5mm from side to side.

Does this mean that bed leveling will not compensate for an X-axis that is not parallel to the Y-axis?
Has anyone else observed this behavior?
Any suggestions on preventing this? The printer had just finished a 17 hour print job which went without a hitch.
I have wired the Z-axis stepper motors in series because I had problems with missing steps when they were wired in parallel.

It took me awhile to get my Z axis to move level too, the ACME screws are not the highest quality and one side was tighter than the other, causing drag on one side so it would fall out of level after awhile.Try shimming the brass nuts for the side that is ending up lower than the other till it lines right up with the coupler on the motor. if that doesn't help then you might need to adjust your stepper voltage as one motor might need more than the other to not lose steps.


I have also been going to just about every thrift store I can find with my caliper finding printers with some better 8MM rods in them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2015 10:39PM by CrackinX.

Hello All,

I have the Prusa I3 kit and after a few set backs (Missing Hardware - Bad SD Card) .... I finally have everything together except 1 thing

I purchase the Auto Leveling kit sensor with this kit but I do not know where to wire it to?

Can someone advise the correct slot to install the OMKQN Sensor to?

Thank you,

J

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Bymp
Hello All,

I have the Prusa I3 kit and after a few set backs (Missing Hardware - Bad SD Card) .... I finally have everything together except 1 thing

I purchase the Auto Leveling kit sensor with this kit but I do not know where to wire it to?

Can someone advise the correct slot to install the OMKQN Sensor to?

Thank you,

J

It plugs into your z- endstop. Also replaces said endstop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2015 12:31AM by CrackinX.

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CrackinX

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Bymp
Hello All,

I have the Prusa I3 kit and after a few set backs (Missing Hardware - Bad SD Card) .... I finally have everything together except 1 thing

I purchase the Auto Leveling kit sensor with this kit but I do not know where to wire it to?

Can someone advise the correct slot to install the OMKQN Sensor to?

Thank you,

J

It plugs into your z- endstop. Also replaces said endstop.

Thank you for your help, that makes sense

Just checking in after my first post a few pages back. With the help of Ax on here I was able to wire up my SN04-N sensor and was using the stock version of the sensor holder I printed off from the files that came with the printer. I found, like most people it seems, the stock bracket is fairly inadequate as it it very limited in terms of adjustment. I printed off an adjustable one from thingiverse and am having much better results. Also using the 220 X 220 firmware Yakuza post on page 18 with great results. I'm using the Mk3 heatbed, which I installed right off the bat vs the stock MK2b with aluminum plate, combine with my SSR and 30A PSU I reach 110 on the heatbed easily and fairly quickly, <10 min. I think had I just used a SSR with the stock power supply it would have been more than adequate as well. Initially experienced some problems with warping and bed adhesion using ABS but fixed that with using brims and laying some kapton tape down on the heatbed. Working right now on replacing all the PLA hotend parts with ABS. All in all this has been a great first experience with 3D printing and I'm glad I went this route vs a more turnkey option. Most of the items I've printed are for the printer itself , but I have made a few useful house objects as well. Just thought I'd share my experiences so far, hopefully it will help someone!

Also, if anyone is interested in going about the sensor that same way I did, the MKS endstop board connector is indeed a JST XH style connector. The same type a 2 cell 7.4V hobby Li-Po battery uses. I bought 10 of them pre-terminated off eBay for about $3 shipped, all I had to do was solder the sensor to the pigtails on the connector. The whole sensor assembly cost me around $10. Much better than the $50 from the vendor.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2015 02:11AM by GouldShaw.

Is anybody else having issues with wired burning out? I have now had 2 pins burn out on my extruder stepper, I can't seem to find any replacement cables so I have just been hacking in wires from old 2D printers.

Hi everyone. I'm a newb to building 3D Printers, but grew up around plastic manufacturing and electronics so I bought one of these machines on eBay figuring I'd cheap out and learn something before building a bigger machine. I've found out quite a bit but have had a few big issues. For one, I've had to re-soldered my limit switches about half a dozen times, I finally zip tied the Y endstop to the tompkins rail and will eventually be modeling a holder. There are only two issues that remain getting the Bed level (I'm modding the Y Carriage to make this easier) and getting the Z endstop to the correct position for proper nozzle height.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips about getting the Z endstop set in the right place. I got pretty fed up with removing the screws and breaking wires so I designed a little end stop holder which is working perfectly. STL Link is below figured I'd share. I have the solidworks file if anyone wants it.

That said, does anyone have any insight into how I can get the Z endstop in the right place? I think once I mod my Y plate, (details below), it might be easier since I can use the bed height to close some of the gap.

Z-endstop holder.
Migbot Z-Stop holder modification


As for the Y plates, I'm switching to a 3 point mounting system rather than a 4 point. The 3 point plane is just much easier to deal with, at least from the machines that I've worked with before (Afinia H480, FlashForge Creator). I'm curious to know if anyone else has tried this or has a better solution before I start drilling into the PCB. The instructables on migbot setup and usage is pretty helpful and seems like some good results from the mod, but just curious.

Alittle loss here. I think I am on the last step of getting my printer to work (been busy with work so couldnt touch it)

I have the sensor package. I havent leveled the bed yet with it. I mean, when I level the bed, do I need to set any offsets? How do I know what they are?

Wish there was a more simplified step by step for the whole thing. And maybe I am just flustered too.

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Ironsights
Alittle loss here. I think I am on the last step of getting my printer to work (been busy with work so couldnt touch it)

I have the sensor package. I havent leveled the bed yet with it. I mean, when I level the bed, do I need to set any offsets? How do I know what they are?

Wish there was a more simplified step by step for the whole thing. And maybe I am just flustered too.

You need to set the Z offset. Tom's YouTube Video is probably the best explanation - [www.youtube.com]

Tip for all you guys with Migbot, you'll get better performance in heating time (slight) and current delivery if you change the wire from the PSU the stuff that comes with these things is crap grab some 14AWG (2.5mm² for us Europeans) and use that. I couldn't hit 255 (printing ColorFabb_XT) and keep it there, even aver several PID tunes. It was dropping 10-15 degrees when printing, I got to thinking it was power issues, so I grabbed some 14 gauge I had lying about and banged it in both. I'm seeing a hell of a lot better print quality and highly steady temps.At 190 for ColoFabb PLA/PHA it's hardly budging, 189.6 - 190.3. Well worth doing.

I am having a recurring problem with the hot end. The Throat continues to become loose. I have replaced the grub screw. I tighten it and use medium thread lock compound but it still gets loose. When it gets loose it starts hitting the object being printed and will knock it off, or the nozzle will hang inside an object and the printer skips steps on the X Y axis. The entire hot end has fallen out and made a big mess, it was hanging by the wires.
How are you keeping the grub screw tight?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2015 08:57PM by gwc2795.

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gwc2795
I am having a recurring problem with the hot end. The Throat continues to become loose. I have replaced the grub screw. I tighten it and use medium thread lock compound but it still gets loose. When it gets loose it starts hitting the object being printed and will knock it off, or the nozzle will hang inside an object and the printer skips steps on the X Y axis. The entire hot end has fallen out and made a big mess, it was hanging by the wires.
How are you keeping the grub screw tight?

I replaced the whole setup with [www.ebay.com] The hotend screws right into it.

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CrackinX

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gwc2795
I am having a recurring problem with the hot end. The Throat continues to become loose. I have replaced the grub screw. I tighten it and use medium thread lock compound but it still gets loose. When it gets loose it starts hitting the object being printed and will knock it off, or the nozzle will hang inside an object and the printer skips steps on the X Y axis. The entire hot end has fallen out and made a big mess, it was hanging by the wires.
How are you keeping the grub screw tight?

I replaced the whole setup with [www.ebay.com] The hotend screws right into it.

How did you secure it in the extruder frame?

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gwc2795
I am having a recurring problem with the hot end. The Throat continues to become loose. I have replaced the grub screw. I tighten it and use medium thread lock compound but it still gets loose. When it gets loose it starts hitting the object being printed and will knock it off, or the nozzle will hang inside an object and the printer skips steps on the X Y axis. The entire hot end has fallen out and made a big mess, it was hanging by the wires.
How are you keeping the grub screw tight?

Simple fix, get an E3D Lite6. Doesn't require much, if any modding at all. Basically all I've done is slotted it just under the groove mount in the U of the metal cutout for the nozzle, drilled out the bar a little to accept the PTFE tube clamp and modified the Stepper motor extruder assembly to remove the guide at the bottom so the PTFE tube can get close the the gears, Clamp that down with the modified bar, wire it up, PID tune and Calibrate steps and you're away. So much better than the nozzle assembly it comes with. Currently working on a proper DD mount for it, that should be ready soon.

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gwc2795

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CrackinX

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gwc2795
I am having a recurring problem with the hot end. The Throat continues to become loose. I have replaced the grub screw. I tighten it and use medium thread lock compound but it still gets loose. When it gets loose it starts hitting the object being printed and will knock it off, or the nozzle will hang inside an object and the printer skips steps on the X Y axis. The entire hot end has fallen out and made a big mess, it was hanging by the wires.
How are you keeping the grub screw tight?

I replaced the whole setup with [www.ebay.com] The hotend screws right into it.

How did you secure it in the extruder frame?

originally I used the single screw hole on the bottom to mount it to the metal frame they use as a carrier, but now I have a whole printed rework going that i will post STLs to once I am finished.

Hi All,
Just wondering what lubricant you are using on the slides and Z-axis threaded rods?
Thanks,
Michael

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MigMic
Hi All,
Just wondering what lubricant you are using on the slides and Z-axis threaded rods?
Thanks,
Michael

For the Z-axis I use this [www.amazon.com]
For the X and Y I use 3-in-1 oil. One drop and then move the bearings over that, Then take a towel and remove the remaining oil from the rods.
Use a toothpick to apply the Moly Plate. Lower the Z-axis and apply a touch above the Z-axis bearing and raise and lower the axis several times to spread it on the threaded rod. Once that is spread move the axis up midway and repeat. raise the axis fully and wipe any excess off the threaded rod. The Moly Plate goes a long way. The threaded rod will be black from the Moly Plate. I like Moly Plate because it does not attract dust.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2015 05:17PM by gwc2795.

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gwc2795
For the Z-axis I use this [www.amazon.com]
For the X and Y I use 3-in-1 oil. One drop and then move the bearings over that, Then take a towel and remove the remaining oil from the rods.
Use a toothpick to apply the Moly Plate. Lower the Z-axis and apply a touch above the Z-axis bearing and raise and lower the axis several times to spread it on the threaded rod. Once that is spread move the axis up midway and repeat. raise the axis fully and wipe any excess off the threaded rod. The Moly Plate goes a long way. The threaded rod will be black from the Moly Plate. I like Moly Plate because it does not attract dust.

Thanks. We're in a dusty environment so I need something which doesn't attract the dust. I can get 3-in-1 locally, but not Moly Plate. By the looks of it, it's a regular molybdenum disulfide grease so I should be able to find a local equivalent. What sort of consistency does it have? (I can't find an NLGI rating for it in their datasheet; see [en.wikipedia.org] for equivalent consistencies) Cheers, M.

Quick question,

What do you guys do to prevents the bearings from coming out of the X-carriage during a print? mine slide out when it is moving.

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veaceonee
Quick question,

What do you guys do to prevents the bearings from coming out of the X-carriage during a print? mine slide out when it is moving.

print new parts that are in spec, most of the printed parts the migbot came with are crap.

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MigMic

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gwc2795
For the Z-axis I use this [www.amazon.com]
For the X and Y I use 3-in-1 oil. One drop and then move the bearings over that, Then take a towel and remove the remaining oil from the rods.
Use a toothpick to apply the Moly Plate. Lower the Z-axis and apply a touch above the Z-axis bearing and raise and lower the axis several times to spread it on the threaded rod. Once that is spread move the axis up midway and repeat. raise the axis fully and wipe any excess off the threaded rod. The Moly Plate goes a long way. The threaded rod will be black from the Moly Plate. I like Moly Plate because it does not attract dust.

Thanks. We're in a dusty environment so I need something which doesn't attract the dust. I can get 3-in-1 locally, but not Moly Plate. By the looks of it, it's a regular molybdenum disulfide grease so I should be able to find a local equivalent. What sort of consistency does it have? (I can't find an NLGI rating for it in their datasheet; see [en.wikipedia.org] for equivalent consistencies) Cheers, M.

Not quite as thick as toothpaste.