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General discussions. For specific printers / electronics / fabrication methods / softwares, please see other sections.
Re: Would these work as cheap endstops? - 10 years ago
I don't see why not. As long as they reliably switch at exactly the same position every time they should be fine (not a crucial issue for X and Y, but essential for Z)by Opus - General
Re: x-carriage movement - 10 years ago
QuoteTolstiy Definitely faced the problem few months ago. Looked similar - about 10-12 layers in one place, then shifts a bit to side and continues to print fine. Not quite sure, but as I remember tightening the y-belt (with EXTREME force) solved it. Good luck! I'm pretty sure my y belt is tight enough (hums like a guitar string when plucked, and if I force it any more it just pings out of the bby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Jerking problem with extruder - 10 years ago
I would guess that either your big gear isn't perfectly round, or you've got some malformed teeth on there. I had similar problems where the little ridge on the outside of the bottom layer was grinding into the small gear, I had to clean that off all the teeth before it would run smoothly. Also, have you checked the current on the extruder stepper motor? If that's low then it might only taby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: What type of bed spring should I get? - 10 years ago
As someone who destroyed a hot end nozzle by crashing it into an unsprung bed I can attest to the value of springs! I don't feel they need to be that strong (I'm using 4 from pulled apart pens) as the downwards pressure from the hot end should be very small if the z-stop is calibrated correctly. I have way more problems from thermal expansion of the bed than I ever do from the springs not beinby Opus - Reprappers
Re: x-carriage movement - 10 years ago
QuoteRalph.Hilton Is it consistently at the same height? Pretty much, the shape varies a little but it's always in that bottom 10mm or so. Once it gets passed that things generally print pretty well.by Opus - General Mendel Topics
x-carriage movement - 10 years ago
Hi All, I'm seeing some strange artifacts in my prints, and my current theory is that it's the x-carriage rotating backwards and forwards in the Y axis as the filament applies pressure in various directions as it unrolls from the spool... (if that makes sense!) Have a look at the attached image, you'll see the wobble in the lowest 50-ish layers. It's consistent across most of my prints. Wby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Can't figure out how to mount JHead to Wade's extruder - 10 years ago
I'd give it a go, I started with a cheapo J-head and it worked fine. YMMV but try it before ditching it. Mine would probably still be working if I hadn't carelessly smashed the nozzle out of shape while adjusting the z homing. If you've got the standard i2 extruder then you'll need a mounting plate something like this. I just hacked one up out of a bit of wood to start with and printed up aby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Divots in the side of parts - 10 years ago
It might be the place on the perimeter where Slic3r starts going round. There's an option in there for randomize start location that might improve things... I see it a little, but nowhere near as bad as that.by Opus - Printing
Re: PLA stick to nozzle - 10 years ago
Have you measured the true heat of the bed surface? That can be very different to the value returned from the thermistor underneath at the heat bed. I need to set 80C on my thermistor to get an even 60C on the bed surface and get things to stick well.by Opus - Printing
Re: Highest quality print you have seen with a Prusa i3? - 10 years ago
Here's some samples from my i3 box frame. Printing 3mm PLA with an E3D hotend. These are a mix of 0.3mm and 0.4mm nozzles, printed at 0.2mm and 0.3mm layer height. I generally keep my speeds pretty slow (30-40mm/s, and 60 for infill/support). Not 100% happy, but generally pretty pleased. I do like the inside of the cup, this was printed upside down so that entire layer is bridged, and is cby Opus - Reprappers
Re: Highest quality print you have seen with a Prusa i3? - 10 years ago
I'm curious as well! I've tuning up my i3 at the moment, and constantly wonder whether I'm chasing something that the basic design just isn't capable of acheiving. I'll post some pictures of my prints tonight, lets see how they compare...by Opus - Reprappers
Re: Mendel 90 vs Prusa Mendel i3 in NZ? - 10 years ago
I've got my Prusa i3 running nicely now, it seemed a reasonably easy build. Admittedly I did pull apart an i2 to get most of the bits. I don't think you'll have any problem sourcing the bits yourself for an i3 if you wanted to go that route. Get a list of all the vitamins you need and go to EDL or Blackwells or somewhere like that. EDL got everything I needed bagged up and ready to pick upby Opus - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Heat Bed ALWAYS on, I can't be the first - 10 years ago
I had the opposite problem, heatbed was always off. Solved that by unplugging the RAMPS board from the arduino and plugging it back in, that seemed to solve a dodgy connection between the two that was causing the thermistor to read badly. What temperature values is the thermistor reporting, and what have you got the heat bed temp set to?by Opus - Reprappers
Re: heatbed thermistor input not working - 10 years ago
Quotewaitaki Extruder bed pins? Do you mean just bed pins (which is T1)? Anyway, it could be the channel for the bed thermistor has died on the Arduino. If so, you can change the pin configuration in the firmware to use T2 for the bed (assuming you're not using it for a 2nd hotend). Apart from that, check for continuity between T1 on Ramps and the arduino. Sorry, yep, meant just bed pins.by Opus - RAMPS Electronics
heatbed thermistor input not working - 10 years ago
Hi All, My heatbed on my RAMPS 1.4 stopped working last night (mid print), and I'm trying to track down why, Symptoms are this: 12V present on both inputs, and I can see 12V between all the D8/9/10 + pins and ground I've got a known good thermistor and can plug it into the extruder thermistor input and see correct temperature values being reported for the extruder When I switch that same thermby Opus - RAMPS Electronics
Re: few question before turning on the printer - 10 years ago
Try something like this. You just stick the metal end into the hot end somewhere, and it'll read the actual temperature. I don't know exactly how accurate these cheap versions are, but it'll give you a good starting point to calibrate your thermistorby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Recommend an i3 x-carriage and extruder? - 10 years ago
QuoteCptanPanic QuoteOpus In the end I went for the stock extruder/x-carriage on the github site for the i3. The extruder is fine (and fits the E3d well), but I think I might try a 4 bearing x-carriage at some stage. All the 8mm rod we get here is really 7.94mm and the bearings rattle around on them. I'm thinking adding another bearing might cut down on the amount of play. For the stockby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: few question before turning on the printer - 10 years ago
I'm guessing that j-head got a lot hotter than 170C (or you got a very faulty one) I've was running mine at 195C with no problems for ages. The thermistor would be the first culprit, check it's properly seated in the head, and the right type set up in the firmware. Grab yourself a thermocouple sensor (they're only $25 from China) and it'll tell you what the actual temperature is compared to wby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Recommend an i3 x-carriage and extruder? - 10 years ago
In the end I went for the stock extruder/x-carriage on the github site for the i3. The extruder is fine (and fits the E3d well), but I think I might try a 4 bearing x-carriage at some stage. All the 8mm rod we get here is really 7.94mm and the bearings rattle around on them. I'm thinking adding another bearing might cut down on the amount of play.by Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: few question before turning on the printer - 10 years ago
Stepper motor drivers getting hot is normal, and something you'll need to deal with. A fan blowing across them (or putting the electronics in a case and using an exhaust fan) is the usual solution. Also make sure you're not sending too much current to the motors. You can check it with a multimeter, but I never bothered, just turned the current down till they started skipping and turned it backby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Want to print a new extruder for my Prusa i3 and E3D, suggestions? - 10 years ago
QuoteCptanPanic In the scad file for hotend_mount, the e3d would be a groovemount? I think it's j-head mount you want. This puts the screw holes into the front of the extruder.by Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: few question before turning on the printer - 10 years ago
QuoteEEstudent Hi All, Finally I got all things I needed, tomorrow I will connect the wires and plug it into power. 1. where I should put the end stops?what is there purpose?shout their position be accurate?It has 4 wires but on the scheme of RAMPS there are only 2 for each endstop, how should i wire them? (there are 2 ground wire,one for VCC and one for signal) 2. I will be using Marlin firmwareby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Mendel Mono kit: Y smooth rod is not straight - 10 years ago
I'm not familiar with the Mendel Mono (looks a lot like a Prusa i2?), but you might get away with it. If the Y carriage runs on 3 bearings, then set the 2 bearing side on the straight rod, and the single bearing on the bent rod. It's only there to stop the carriage rotating around the other rod. The big question will be if the carriage can then move freely enough on those bearings to stop biby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Want to print a new extruder for my Prusa i3 and E3D, suggestions? - 10 years ago
The extruder that comes with the standard box-frame Prusa i3 parts on github (in here) mounts an E3D hotend just fine (I'm using it right now with my E3D). It's got nice herringbone gears, and the hot end mounts by just pushing it into the hole on the bottom and tapping in a couple of 3mm bolts into the front. They travel back through the mounting hole and into the groove in the hot end. Youby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: problem with letters - 10 years ago
I had the same problem. Built a Prus i2 according to what everyone else did and got mirror image prints. You definitely need to reverse the direction of one of your X or Y steppers. There'll be a setting in your firmware to do this (well, in Marlin at least) You'll also need to move the endstop to the other end, as the home position will be at the other end of the travel. You can also swapby Opus - Printing
Re: Smooth rods, cheap bearings, and grooves... - 10 years ago
I've gone to printed PLA bushings on my Prusa i3. The "8mm" rods we get here actually 5/16th inch (which is bizzare, given that the rest of the country is metric) so LM8UU bearings rattle like a train on them. If you work the PLA bushings on a spare bit of rod to bed them down to the right size, and add a bit of light grease, they move pretty well. There's more friction than a ball bearing sby Opus - General Mendel Topics
Re: Questions on vertical X carriages - 10 years ago
I was using an E3D on a Prusa i2 and had the same issues, really hard to get at, and a pain to get on and off. Just built a Prusa i3 (in the process of calibrating it right now), and the vertical X carriage is soooo much better. Extruder (I'm using a wade's) bolts on at the front, and the Hot end is held in place by two more bolts into the front of the extruder. There's plenty of room for thby Opus - General
Re: wade extruder problem - 10 years ago
Also check the current running to the stepper motor. It may be that the added work of pushing plastic through the extruder requires more current than you're giving. Stepper motors behave very oddly (including turning backwards) when they don't get enough juice.by Opus - General
Re: problem printing in pla - 10 years ago
I had a bunch of problems with PLA jamming in an E3D hotend as well. I ended up polishing the heatbreak and seasoning it with oil (sounds odd, but works!) then shaving out some material from the nozzle to shorten the length of the 0.4mm part of it (or whatever nozzle you're using). Check the E3D online forums forums for lots of discussion about this.by Opus - Printing
Recommend an i3 x-carriage and extruder? - 10 years ago
Hi, I'm about to start printing parts for a box-frame Prusa i3 to replace my wobbly i2, and there seems to be a bit of confusion about which extruder goes with which x-carriage, as well as being a huge number of variations (3 bearings, 4 bearings on the carriage, normal or herringbone gears on the extruder?) both on github and thingiverse I've got an E3D hot end which I'd like to use, and goinby Opus - General Mendel Topics