QuoteVonRansak The only grudge I hold, is it doesn't ship with a screw adjustable Z endstop -_- This is probably typical for most of the i3 clones coming out of China too. A good Z endstop adjustment is a must if you want consistent quality prints. It's probably why a lot of people get frustrated and waste so much time setting up "auto leveling" when it's really a poorly designed Z endstop tby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
PLA is more brittle than ABS but a lot easier to print with. ABS requires a hotter bed and a consistent room/ambient temperature to stop it shrinking and lifting off the heat bed surface (I use buildtak at 65c for printing ABS).by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
I print at 45 to 50 mm/s so I think 65 mm/sec for perimeters is good. 1st layer 1/2 of that depending on what I am printing. If you are using a heated bed then I would add : M140 S0 in your end gcode to turn the bed off Steveby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
I went through the same learning curve - there was no manual or instructions and I sourced the parts from different vendors.by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
I like to build my Prusa i3's from scratch using quality components vs buying a cheap kit- the advantage is I don't have to build it twice, once with the supplied parts and then later the upgrades needed to get decent prints. I am going to a fishing get together in a couple of weeks and spent a few (many) hours printing articulated fish and fly reels as door prizes. I printed everything picturedby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Do you have the right board selected in the Marlin firmware? There are some that use the D8 heatbed pins for a fan. #define BOARD_RAMPS_13_EFB 33 // RAMPS 1.3 / 1.4 (Power outputs: Extruder, Fan, Bed) #define BOARD_RAMPS_13_EEB 34 // RAMPS 1.3 / 1.4 (Power outputs: Extruder0, Extruder1, Bed) #define BOARD_RAMPS_13_EFF 35 // RAMPS 1.3 / 1.4 (Power outputs: Extruder, Fan, Fan)by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Take a look at pronterfaceby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Interesting project. I was chatting with a member of my local hackspace tonight and he has a "maker mobile" - a converted cargo truck which they traveled throughout much of British Columbia, Canada last summer showing off "making". They had 3x 3D printers which they used to show off that technology. Apparently people loved it. What I wouldn't show people are the kits coming out of China - theby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Does it use a standard RAMPS? Quotertcbill tried to update firmware to a8 L have found no easy plain way of uploading firmware i need help now i have all white blocks on screen i would guess i have no firmware now tried everything i could think of win 10 win 7 cura avrdudess xloader skynet everyone has the same problem no one has an easy solutionby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Maybe easier to use a regular micro-switch for the z-axis stop?by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Are you 100% sure you have the correct board and port selected in the Arduino IDE?by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
avrdude: ser_open(): can't open device "\\.\COM5": Access is denied. Do you have Cura, repitier host or pronterface connected to the printer while you are trying to upload the firmware? Do you have the correct port selected in the Arduino IDE? The Arduino IDE can't access the portby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Whenever I've done a free set of parts for an i3 I've always asked the recipient to print a set of free parts for someone else - kind of like a "pay it forward"by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Are there any Makerspaces where you live? I have printed sets of Prusa i3 rework parts for members of my local Hack/Makerspaceby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Looking at the youtube vid SatorCodex linked to.... Wow, he had to add 10mm nuts/washers to the Y frame. With that printer I would just bin the whole lot and start again and I wouldn't use a clone E3Dby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
I have a detailed Instructable on a Prusa i3 build (from scratch) It should help you with calibration & Curaby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
You could also measure the diameter of extruded filament to make sure you have the right nozzle diameter setting in Cura.by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
I do the same as Obewan - in Cura set the 1st layer print speed to 20, the rest of the print at 45, though it could probably print at 50. Use a low infill to reduce the print time, 15% is usually OKby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Check your marlins configuration.h file for the DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE, if the Z is set to 5 change it to 2, compile & upload #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 2, 25}by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
For PLA I use blue painter tape with bed at 55C. For ABS I use buildtak with bed at 65C.by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
Looks like ABS as it's curling off the heat bed. I would go through a calibration again, then get comfortable printing with PLA before trying ABS. When printing with PLA use a cooling fan for the piece. I don't use a cooling fan for ABS.by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
What's not working? The download? The install of Cura? Setting up Cura? What's the error?by SteveRoy - Reprappers
I have 2 scratch built i3's, one with 6mm plywood frame and bed (with a braced frame), the other with 6mm aluminum frame and bed. Both use an aluminum heat bed. I rarely need to check the bed level (bed to nozzle distance) - maybe every 2 dozen prints or if I physically move the printer. The auto bed level is really compensating for 2 things, the first being a difficult way of adjusting the z-aby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
If it's a scratch build then you need to figure out most of the values yourself. Depends on pulley size, belt type, z-axis threaded rods, extruder type etc etc These are my notes from a recent build: Steveby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
WHat type of printer is it?by SteveRoy - Reprappers
Check your DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE in the Marlin Configuration.h the default of 5 is too high #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 2, 25} // (mm/sec)by SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
The new heatbed is probably lower resistance than you old one and there for is puling more amps. If the bed resistance is 1.3 Ohms then 12v / 1.3 ohms = 9.2A On the RAMPs board the MOSFET for the heatbed is usually a STP55NF06L which doesn't handle the load very well. On the China make RAMPs I change it out for a IRLB8743PBF. I have also bought RAMPs board from staticboards and they are way bettby SteveRoy - Reprappers
The alu-frame.dxf is the standard frame and bed, the Y-Axis_Bed.dxf has been modified for 4 bearings. I am in New Westminster, BC Canada Steveby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
An aluminum bed is a good thing. Acrylic will flex, plywood does flex a little. I have build a number of Prusa i3's from scratch using both quality 6mm baltic birch plywood with braces (as per sgraber plans ) and also 6mm aluminum without braces. The plywood with braces is nice in that there is a place to attach the RAMPs board and power supply on the braces, but the bed is more flexible than aby SteveRoy - Prusa i3 and variants
As Dust said - don't do acrylic frames Build from scratch vs buying a kit - unless it's a genuine Prusa My i3 Build(s) Steveby SteveRoy - Reprappers