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Printing issues ...
Re: Nozzle going below Z-home before first layers - 8 years ago
Check the firmware has the z stops set as hard stops - you should not be able to go past these. Check you have the correct machine selected in the software your last attachment mentions moving the bed lower. I don't know if that is a generic term used incorrectly but clearly your bed doesn't move so it will be an issue.by MCcarman - General
Re: Anyone had similar experience on the Z axis? - 9 years ago
Prusa style machines use the plane shafts to control the X/Y position at every Z height. The Z lead screws are only there to change the Z height. Do not constrain them at the top or if not straight/properly aligned they will conflict with the other shafts. They do not need to be perfectly straight hence they can appear to wobble. They also don't need to be perfectly aligned with the motor - withiby MCcarman - Printing
Re: First to second layer adhesion issue - 9 years ago
Check the gap between the bed and nozzle. Put this value in your slicer. Your first layer seems a lot larger than the others so I am wondering if you are just dropping filament on the bed. If you are deliberately over extruding the first layer as is often suggested you may mask the issue.by MCcarman - Printing
Re: Prusa i3 Rework problem - 9 years ago
Double check the wiring on the PSU. I think these are actually double PSUs with 2 x 12v output. The full power is only available if you combine the outputs - reprap instructions indicate you should combine all 4 +12v cables. However the standard controller wont handle all that power. Don't be confused by the negative 12v line - you don't use that. I don't use this controller but you may need to aby MCcarman - General
Re: heat bed issues - 9 years ago
Probably need to look at your wiring scheme. AFAIK If you try and draw the bed current through the standard controller you will probably blow it - As ElmoC point out. Typically you don't want to go over 8 amps. With a 1.2ohm bed you will draw 10amps. If the driver is blown permanently on you will have the bed permanently on. So you need to drive the heater directly from the PSU. I think these actby MCcarman - General
Re: Filament stuck - 9 years ago
The picture is taken from where the fan should be so we can't assume he doesn't have one. Its possible the feed tube is to low in the block so the slightest misalignment causes the filament to kink and provides space for it to coil. Assuming the alignment is good, as TJ... points out, then the tube should extend above the block and be within a few mm of the drive gear/idler - obviously not touchiby MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Insufficient extrusion after retraction FIX!!! - 9 years ago
Thanks for the Fix galaxy... This could explain issues others have had and on the face of it looks like a software bug in the firmware. You would expect the firmware to just replace your 100 speed with 50. Since its under extruding its either retracting a longer distance or just not feeding until some time limit.by MCcarman - General
Re: auto bed levellin working but z-offset inconsistent, keeps changing slightly every few prints - 9 years ago
I don't know how your sensor is mounted but it could be due to thermal expansion of the extruder relative to the sensor. You say a few prints but not how long they take or how quickly you print the next part. If you consider the carriage as fixed then the expansion will push the nozzle nearer the bed. If the sensor is mounted off the carriage it wont move. It may just be that it takes a significby MCcarman - Printing
Re: No extrusion during print - 9 years ago
And make sure you don't have dry run turned on - its happened before.by MCcarman - Printing
Re: printing issues - 9 years ago
Sorry if this is a bit basic but I reread the posts and just thought we may be a few steps ahead of ourselves. In order to get a good print you load the STL file in to a slicing program (Slic3r etc). These are separate programs but for convenience can be run directly from your host program (Repetier etc). You have to configure the settings in the slicer specifically for your machine and to suitby MCcarman - Printing
Re: Can't figure out extrusion problem - 9 years ago
Have you changed the heater block ? If the hole for the heat break doesn't align with the hole for the nozzle you will have problems getting the filament into the nozzle and so struggle to heat the filament. This is compounded by the smaller crossection so it doesn't flow well.by MCcarman - Printing
Re: octoprint and relay question - 9 years ago
For your camera:- What voltage and current will it switch? The smallest would be a transistor.by MCcarman - General
Re: Chinese eBay 3D printer - Story so far, and request for advice - 9 years ago
IMHO but as an engineer:- I would put the brass threaded inserts on the Z screws at the top of X carriage. If they are on the bottom then they are very close to the motor coupling which is constrained in position so you pick up any eccentricity from the couplings and start fighting with the plane guide rods. When they are on top they are further from the coupling so the threaded rod can move a biby MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Filament won't move through nozzle - 9 years ago
IMHO. I think you are saying that the 3mm hole in the heat sink doesn't line up with the hole through the heat break. So I assume the Teflon tube to the heat sink is OK. With the offset you have, the filament will hit the end of the heat break. By moving the heat sink away from the heat break you made space for the filament to flex and align with the heat break. If it was mine I would start by uby MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Filament won't move through nozzle - 9 years ago
What size filament are you using? I don't have an E3D but I have looked at the web site. Can you explain what you mean by the heat sink doesn't line up with the heat break. The heat sink screws on to the heat break so must line up. Do you mean the entry for the Teflon tube doesn't line up with the hole in the heat break? I suspect the later. However if there is filament leaking from the heater blby MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Build times way off my on Prusa i3 Anet A8 - 9 years ago
This has been annoying me for a while as well. I don't know how the slicers are calculating the time but I was wondering if they are using the max print speed value. Since everything will be lower than this it may account for the error. Any one want to have a look at their speed settings and reduce the max print speed to there highest set print speed and see if the times get closer. For example.by MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Very weird stepper motor behaviour - 9 years ago
Just a thought. Homing speed and micro steping. Did these get changed during your software changes?by MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Need support | Hot end and z axis problems - 9 years ago
Hi. 1. I would go back to parallel and check the current is set correctly. Check each motor and shaft rotates freely with no power to make sure there are no mechanical issues. 2. You probably need to take the extruder apart and check it is not blocked. Do you have any other way to check the temperature of the extruder?by MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Mysterious defects... - 9 years ago
Make sure there is no value set in the "retract-restart-extra" settings and the retract speed is sensible say 40. Though I assumed the small zits elsewhere were due to the layer change. Is this with a Bowden tube? Make sure the Bowden is secure at both ends. Are you sure you have the correct size nozzle and have calibrated the extruder.by MCcarman - Printing
Re: problem with sanguinololu - 9 years ago
Is the temperature above the safe limit in firmware?by MCcarman - Sanguino(lolu)
Re: Large Scale Nozzle - 9 years ago
presumably if you have a sharp nozzle when you print with any sort of width greater than the hole (1st layer 200%, and probably any layer height less than the hole diameter) the filament will be forced up the sides so you will get a filament run with a gorrve in the centre and raised edges. Your next run will bash into the raised edges. If you have a flat nozzle it will all be one level and squidby MCcarman - General
Re: Z axis limit switch working in reverse way - 9 years ago
I don't have this hardware/software but in an effort to help:- You say "I move the Z axis up and down with Cura's heatbed leveling function". I don't use Cura but if this is an auto bed levelling function it may be expecting different wiring and an inductive sensor. "stop when the Z axis limit switch is pushed while the Z axis moves UP" . It should do this on the way down. The software then knowsby MCcarman - General
Re: Need assistance with my I3 - 9 years ago
I agree with elwood that the temperatures are an issue. I am guessing this is PLA so lower the temperature. This is also a small object so it doesn't have time to cool before the next extrusion. Try printing several of these at the same time, some distance apart on the bed. This gives more time for each part to cool before the next layer. Alternatively you can use a cooling fan.by MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: Extruder Problem... - 9 years ago
Sounds like insufficient current for the motor. What control board are you using. When we know what board then people can give guidance on how to adjust the settings. You should check them all to avoid issues with the other motors later. Well done on getting this far. make sure the threaded tube from the extruder isn't so far up as to hit the feed gear. There are parameters in the firmware on theby MCcarman - Prusa i3 and variants
Re: My First print with problem =( - 9 years ago
Hi. When you home the printer the nozzle will be at 0 (defined by the end stop switch). You adjust the bed to be lower. You can use paper at 0.1 thickness. The Z offset in Slic3r tells the program the bed is at -0.1mm (paper thickness) position. If your first layer is 0.3mm high the slicer will calculate 0.3mm (layer height) - 0.1 (Z offset) = 0.2 position of the extruder. That is up 0.2mm, withby MCcarman - Printing
Re: Cannot connect using ubuntu to makibox driver board 5d - 9 years ago
There is a user group at:-by MCcarman - Printing
Re: My First print with problem =( - 9 years ago
In slicer set the Z offset to NEGATIVE paper thickness. You have it at 0. This should get the first layer height correct. I.E. Paper is 0.1mm the Z offset should be -0.1 infill_overlap = 15% Seems a bit high for me. I would start with 0 and then increase it slightly if I had an issue.by MCcarman - Printing
Re: Help. Extrusion limited with both hotends - 9 years ago
So with the hot ends working its pushing less filament. That's the product of the resistance and causes grinding. Since you are printing at low speed it has to be an issue with the hot ends or from the pressure. One thing to check is the lead in chamfers on the Bowden tube fittings. Especially if you have a metal insert near the hot end. Don't forget the filament will deflect under load so can snby MCcarman - Printing
Re: Change hysteresis value because of thermal runaway issue - 9 years ago
I don't know if this is the issue but some readers may be interested to know:- Some firmware has a protection feature that checks that after first reaching your target temperature, you reach it again within a certain time. Something like 30seconds. This is to protect for the thermistor coming of the hot part and under reading. Its possible that with the extra fans you are not maintaining your tarby MCcarman - General
Re: Shifted Layers with No Answers - 9 years ago
Can you try printing the hollow cube when rotated 45degrees to the bed. At the moment infill is the only time you are using both X & Y together so just wanted to see if its the infill or X+ Y motion that is the issue.by MCcarman - Printing