Commodore Sixty BoreAug 28, 2023

I tuned my #3dprinter. I printed 9 frames for some art. I made some wheel shelves to hold my bike on the wall. I made half of an advent calendar and a number of other things I am forgetting.

Then, we had a falling out. I have spent hours trying to get back to a calibrated state. Now, I am looking at getting a #Prusa because I am tired of this fight.

Show threadAlex VolkovAug 28, 2023

@sikkdays Yeah, it's like that, my printer would work for 100s of hours then some weird thing would break and I would spend forever to fix it.

I eventually got a knack for it, but here's a few things that got me the last time:

* re-flashed firmware with a new version, change E steps/mm that I didn't save in the source code. spent forever figuring out why nozzle extruded twice as much filament

* Inductive probe wire became frail because it was in MK2 that had issues with it.

Show threadAlex VolkovAug 28, 2023

@sikkdays But now I feel like once I get it more or less calibrated it's fine.

I find mesh bed leveling and stepper auto-align help with dealing with the most annoying problems of alignment.

Show threadCommodore Sixty BoreAug 28, 2023
@avolkov Currently using an Ender 3 that I was gifted. I have done some upgrades, but it is a slippery slope. I mean I feel like I already have too much into it to give up. However, it does seem like #prusa3d has a reputation for being somewhat more consistent?
Show threadAlex Volkov
@sikkdays But in summary, all the problems you're having is probably alignment. It's always alignment, especially on cheap printers -- getting alignment right is expensive.
Aug 28, 2023 at 5:48pmWeb
Show threadCommodore Sixty BoreAug 28, 2023
@avolkov Well the #ender3 will need to be leveled and aligned if a housefly rubs its legs together 4126 kilometres away, even with my touch sensor. I just wonder if I should start with a better quality build instead of sinking more investment into my sensitive paper maché 3d printer. 😅
Show threadKhyrieAug 28, 2023

@sikkdays @avolkov
I had a problem that stumped me for days where the teeth on the filament extruder had gotten ground down just enough to not evenly pull filament. It became a whole big thing where I had the "opportunity" to learn about E steps and installing a new set of extruder gears, and then installing a second set of extruder gears because the first one started grinding metal bits.

To answer your question, I think that #3dPrinting is a hobby for people who like to fuss and tinker.

Show threadCommodore Sixty BoreAug 28, 2023

@Khyrie @avolkov Oh yeah. I've been there. That was a fun one to diagnose. I do enjoy tinkering.

My bed was warped from the manufacturer. So I replaced it and since then I haven't had a decent print. No matter what I do, it cannot get level enough for a decent first layer. So I loosened everything up and made sure the frame was square. Better but not there.

So it sat more as I was frustrated. The rollers got flat spots in them. Replaced. Nope. Still not getting a good layer.

Dual Z? Why not

Show threadAlex VolkovAug 28, 2023

@sikkdays @Khyrie
Sorry to encourage you to throw more money at a problem but... ( i never had ender but had my own weird experience with 3d printer

Single z thing on ender is garbage, just get dual Z with ok motors and you get rid of at least half of the problems.

replace roller with smooth rods, and not stuff from aliexpress, use good ones from mitsumi, same with bearings.

If that doesn't fix the problem, at least you know this part of the printer is solid, and something else causing it.