Hi. Got my printer a couple weeks ago, finally got filament day before yesterday, and time today to start. (Work week was too long.)
If you were starting TODAY and wanted to be off on the best footing, is this a good checklist?
1. Install Repetier and Slic3r per Ian's initial settings (Slic3r 0.93, based on the other thread about issues with 0.94 and 0.95) - DONE 2. Test travel in X and Y, tension belts, making sure the 2 Y belts (motor and nonmotor side) are about equal? - My motor side belt is currently a lot slacker, will tighten and test movement 3. Go ahead and do the 5/16x18 nut atop the thread cap trick Kendal has posted for Z backlash reduction, and test travel up and down to make sure it's not binding. 4. Go ahead and start with 1/8th inch or so 6 x 6 glass on bed, held on with small binder clips or insulated handle clips (buy a spare piece or two to swap vs. waiting to cool between prints) 5. Retract the z-stop screw out of the way, cautiously zero the bed using the paper spacing trick to the nozzle (won't have a printed dial caliper rig yet). Once zeroed, adjust the Z stop screw until you just hear it trigger the z-stop microswitch. 6. Install your filament, using the heat-and-retract method for removing the 'stub' that it shipped with. Install fresh, make sure you had a good orthogonal end cut. Still a bit unclear on the tensioning adjustment for the extruder gripper...but test by just manually spitting a bit out with the bed set a bit low, make sure it's dropping straight and not curling (indicative of clog)? 7. Loosely screw in the case holding screws all 4 positions and put the case 'atop' the screws, leaving filament to travel a bit more freely across the big slot formed in the back that way, and leaving more spacing for the loomed cabling to not bump the lid. 8. Test print something reasonable like a calibration cube or ring form before going all googly crazy and trying to print a ginormous custom part.
Sound like I'm missing anything? I'm off to the hardware store first for 5/16th, glass, and a couple screws.
While at the hardware store, get the longest M3 bolt you can find, since the stock one might be too short to hold the nozzle away from the glass. I don't know how long the original bolt was, and the longest one available may be too short, but grab one anyway.
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 6:15:49 AM UTC-8, rtrski wrote:
> Hi. Got my printer a couple weeks ago, finally got filament day before > yesterday, and time today to start. (Work week was too long.)
> If you were starting TODAY and wanted to be off on the best footing, is > this a good checklist?
> 1. Install Repetier and Slic3r per Ian's initial settings (Slic3r > 0.93, based on the other thread about issues with 0.94 and 0.95) - DONE > 2. Test travel in X and Y, tension belts, making sure the 2 Y belts > (motor and nonmotor side) are about equal? - My motor side belt is > currently a lot slacker, will tighten and test movement > 3. Go ahead and do the 5/16x18 nut atop the thread cap trick Kendal > has posted for Z backlash reduction, and test travel up and down to make > sure it's not binding. > 4. Go ahead and start with 1/8th inch or so 6 x 6 glass on bed, held > on with small binder clips or insulated handle clips (buy a spare piece or > two to swap vs. waiting to cool between prints) > 5. Retract the z-stop screw out of the way, cautiously zero the bed > using the paper spacing trick to the nozzle (won't have a printed dial > caliper rig yet). Once zeroed, adjust the Z stop screw until you just hear > it trigger the z-stop microswitch. > 6. Install your filament, using the heat-and-retract method for > removing the 'stub' that it shipped with. Install fresh, make sure you had > a good orthogonal end cut. Still a bit unclear on the tensioning > adjustment for the extruder gripper...but test by just manually spitting a > bit out with the bed set a bit low, make sure it's dropping straight and > not curling (indicative of clog)? > 7. Loosely screw in the case holding screws all 4 positions and put > the case 'atop' the screws, leaving filament to travel a bit more freely > across the big slot formed in the back that way, and leaving more spacing > for the loomed cabling to not bump the lid. > 8. Test print something reasonable like a calibration cube or ring > form before going all googly crazy and trying to print a ginormous custom > part.
> Sound like I'm missing anything? I'm off to the hardware store first for > 5/16th, glass, and a couple screws.
On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 9:15 AM, rtrski <rtr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi. Got my printer a couple weeks ago, finally got filament day before
> yesterday, and time today to start. (Work week was too long.)
> If you were starting TODAY and wanted to be off on the best footing, is
> this a good checklist?
> 1. Install Repetier and Slic3r per Ian's initial settings (Slic3r
> 0.93, based on the other thread about issues with 0.94 and 0.95) - DONE
> Ultimately you may want to keep a copy of skeinforge around as well. More
slicers in your arsenal will help.
> 1. Test travel in X and Y, tension belts, making sure the 2 Y belts
> (motor and nonmotor side) are about equal? - My motor side belt is
> currently a lot slacker, will tighten and test movement
> The Y belt is the most crucial to calibrate. Make sure this is done
> 1. Go ahead and do the 5/16x18 nut atop the thread cap trick Kendal
> has posted for Z backlash reduction, and test travel up and down to make
> sure it's not binding.
> 2. Go ahead and start with 1/8th inch or so 6 x 6 glass on bed, held
> on with small binder clips or insulated handle clips (buy a spare piece or
> two to swap vs. waiting to cool between prints)
> 3. Retract the z-stop screw out of the way, cautiously zero the bed
> using the paper spacing trick to the nozzle (won't have a printed dial
> caliper rig yet). Once zeroed, adjust the Z stop screw until you just hear
> it trigger the z-stop microswitch.
> 4. Install your filament, using the heat-and-retract method for
> removing the 'stub' that it shipped with. Install fresh, make sure you had
> a good orthogonal end cut. Still a bit unclear on the tensioning
> adjustment for the extruder gripper...but test by just manually spitting a
> bit out with the bed set a bit low, make sure it's dropping straight and
> not curling (indicative of clog)?
> Curling doesn't necessarily indicate a serious clog. In many cases the
printer will function well with curling filament. However, we understand
how this may be a cause for concern.
> 1.
> 2. Loosely screw in the case holding screws all 4 positions and put
> the case 'atop' the screws, leaving filament to travel a bit more freely
> across the big slot formed in the back that way, and leaving more spacing
> for the loomed cabling to not bump the lid.
> This is an interesting strategy. While some people have reported trouble
with the case interfering with filament, we use the case in the shop in the
normal fashion, with very little trouble. The main trouble in the default
case position is initially installing the filament.
> 1. Test print something reasonable like a calibration cube or ring
> form before going all googly crazy and trying to print a ginormous custom
> part.
> Sound like I'm missing anything? I'm off to the hardware store first for
> 5/16th, glass, and a couple screws.
I hope this helps. You can send us any other questions you might have.
Thanks to both Ian and John. I just got back, but need another trip to an Ace (HD just doesn't cut it), so I'll get the M3.
Also, John, do you know the spec for the case screws? It looks like a #4 diameterwise but I sure couldn't get it to thread in a #4-40 test hole at the store.
Since I was going to leave the case up high, I was also thinking of getting some teflon tape (if they make it with actual sticky - not much sticks willingly to teflon though) to line the top of the back support rail with so the filament isn't rubbing and getting dirty. Nice-to-have, not need-to-have.
Need to find some narrow rod stock (1/8 - 3/32nds if possible) to use as hinge pins for some of the first real parts I want to make. The difficult spec is I want it in stainless for marine use....HD has aluminum, zinc-plated, and plain steel...not terribly helpful. The aluminum could work if I had a way to anodize or aladyne...maybe a gunshop. Hm....
P.s. for those who asked I do have some pics of my Solidoodle up, some of you with earlier builds mentioned I might have some 'new' features like the electronics cover. Pics are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtrski/sets/72157631974547945/
The only thing I wouldn't do straight off, is the glass bed. Sounds like some of Solidoodles beds are not as flat as others, but in most cases, the existing bed with the Kapon Tape works just fine. "Leveled", this is the "must" for the *first* *step*, before you try to set the clearance to the Hot End, and before you run your first print)...
(not being in favor of inhaling any more Acetone fumes than I have too): I use Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (1st Aid Antiseptic) to clean the bed; takes a little more elbow grease, but believe it's a healthier choice...
On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Kendall <fd2...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The only thing I wouldn't do straight off, is the glass bed. Sounds like
> some of Solidoodles beds are not as flat as others, but in most cases, the
> existing bed with the Kapon Tape works just fine. "Leveled", this is the
> "must" for the *first* *step*, before you try to set the clearance to the
> Hot End, and before you run your first print)...
> (not being in favor of inhaling any more Acetone fumes than I have too): I
> use Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (1st Aid Antiseptic) to clean the bed; takes a
> little more elbow grease, but believe it's a healthier choice...
Thanks. By the way, and pardon if I sound like a gushing tweenie girl at a Bieber concert, but...
OMGRoxx0r5 this is just so AWESOME!!!1!!! eleventy!!
First part nearly finished - took a little bit of doing to level the bed, seems like mine's got a very slight central bulge, but the glass helps. Then had to fiddle with the pots a bit as I had the Y motor clicking on idle, then overshooting (layers offset) on first print.
Circles are a little flat on the front and back still (X min and max sides) so I think I still need to tension the leftside Y belt a bit harder, and my flowrate really drops toward the end if I don't keep an eye on filament tension (need a guide I guess), but otherwise, I feel like that litlte girl in the "Despicable Me" movie - I want to shake something and scream "ITS SO FLUFFY!!" It even sounds cool when its working, and you can tell when your part pops off the glass because it makes a little "tink" sound as it cools.
I'm an EE by trade, never got into cars or other 'hands on' stuff outside of work and building the occasional computer. Bought this for photography customization, and I can tell I'm going to have one heck of a time. Seriously, I love living in this decade. <big dopey grin>
Oh, and I'd be remiss in not thanking everyone in this forum who's gone before. Lawsy's firmware, Ian's awesome blog, Kendal's nuts (urm...I mean Z backlash fix), Brandon's thread about calibrating for circles.
Best, RTR
(p.s. At one point, turning one of the trimming pots (yes, very very tiny amounts) I swear I heard a RADIO STATION. Guess my jewler's screwdriver made a good antenna....)
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 12:30:56 PM UTC-6, Support Tech wrote:
> I'll see about looking up the screw size.
> On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Kendall <fd2...@gmail.com <javascript:>>wrote:
>> The only thing I wouldn't do straight off, is the glass bed. Sounds like >> some of Solidoodles beds are not as flat as others, but in most cases, the >> existing bed with the Kapon Tape works just fine. "Leveled", this is the >> "must" for the *first* *step*, before you try to set the clearance to >> the Hot End, and before you run your first print)...
>> (not being in favor of inhaling any more Acetone fumes than I have too): >> I use Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (1st Aid Antiseptic) to clean the bed; takes a >> little more elbow grease, but believe it's a healthier choice...
LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get different results.
Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but kind of ugly.
1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on circular parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back toward the electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the back to the actual Y motor shaft. 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long either so catch 22....
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing > since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a > log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple > times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get > different results.
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:51:37 AM UTC-6, Ian Johnson wrote: > While at the hardware store, get the longest M3 bolt you can find, since > the stock one might be too short to hold the nozzle away from the glass. I > don't know how long the original bolt was, and the longest one available > may be too short, but grab one anyway.
My local hardware store apparently does not stock much metric (or properly restock) so what I did was take apart a mechanical pencil and then thread the internal graphite holding tube (with help from heat) on the current screw; you can wait to cut the tube until it is on and can visualize how much length you need to add to get it to properly stop on z. So basically, I removed the current screw to thread the tube, re-installed the screw, then screwed on my extension tube)
rtrski, One thing I would look at (from my own experience) in regards in the Y-offset issue, is to check the bolts holding the y-belt pulleys (the ones at the front of the case in my situation). I had one that was loose allowing the pulley shift back and forth which caused the belts to lose tension slightly giving me y-offsets. After tightening up the lock nut, things are working well.
Another thing I would also strongly recommend doing (just did it today after two weeks of printing and it has made a huge difference!) if you are after dimensional accuracy, is to calibrate the actual feed rate of the extruder (per Ian's blog) and verify perimeter thickness. As it was my printer was over-extruding causing dimensions to be off and small perimeter sections to be blobby.
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:20:13 PM UTC-8, rtrski wrote:
> Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but > kind of ugly.
> 1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an > 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just > tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? > 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on circular > parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back toward the > electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? > 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and > back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the > Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem > both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the > back to the actual Y motor shaft. > 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in > the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding > up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most > often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. > BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). > Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear > - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion > prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long > either so catch 22....
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing >> since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a >> log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple >> times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get >> different results.
your comment: "Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push?"
I suggest that you consider trying a different spool of plastic before doing a whole lot and seeing if it helps. This comment is based on my recent experience below:
I have seen a lot of dust and shavings around the extruder slot and extruder gear teeth filled with plastic when I started using a new (but 6 months old?) spool of black plastic from Solidoodle.
No other spool of plastic (out of 10 or more spools, I've lost count) have shown this behavior. I have recently run red and white Solidoodle plastic and an older green spool from another seller with no problems at all. So this seems to rule out a recent change in the spring compression setting. I have used Solidoodle black plastic in the past with no problems.
So my guess is I have one spool of black plastic that was quite not made specifications. The shavings appear to be caused by the extruder gear gouging out the plastic. This could be caused by either the melting temperature of this batch of plastic being too high or the "shear strength" being too low.
I recently visited the Solidoodle factory and they cranking many black plastic parts and do not seem to have a problem. So hopefully there are just a few isolated "bad" spools of plastic out there.
TonyC
Were you using black plastic from Solidoodle? I have an old spool of black plastic that
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:20:13 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
> Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but > kind of ugly.
> 1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an > 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just > tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? > 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on circular > parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back toward the > electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? > 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and > back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the > Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem > both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the > back to the actual Y motor shaft. > 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in > the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding > up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most > often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. > BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). > Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear > - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion > prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long > either so catch 22....
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing >> since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a >> log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple >> times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get >> different results.
I wonder if solidoodle got a tainted version of black filament. I thought I began to have serious problems recently when switching to a new spool of black. I had the same symptoms you had and switching to another spool of red made them go away. It sucks that I have a $45 spool of plastic that is basically useless, but much better than bad printer problems. :)
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 11, 2012, at 3:38 PM, tc_fea <cervan...@gmail.com> wrote:
> your comment: "Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push?"
> I suggest that you consider trying a different spool of plastic before doing a whole lot and seeing if it helps. This comment is based on my recent experience below:
> I have seen a lot of dust and shavings around the extruder slot and extruder gear teeth filled with plastic when I started using a new (but 6 months old?) spool of black plastic from Solidoodle.
> No other spool of plastic (out of 10 or more spools, I've lost count) have shown this behavior. I have recently run red and white Solidoodle plastic and an older green spool from another seller with no problems at all. So this seems to rule out a recent change in the spring compression setting. I have used Solidoodle black plastic in the past with no problems.
> So my guess is I have one spool of black plastic that was quite not made specifications. The shavings appear to be caused by the extruder gear gouging out the plastic. This could be caused by either the melting temperature of this batch of plastic being too high or the "shear strength" being too low.
> I recently visited the Solidoodle factory and they cranking many black plastic parts and do not seem to have a problem. So hopefully there are just a few isolated "bad" spools of plastic out there.
> TonyC
> Were you using black plastic from Solidoodle? I have an old spool of black plastic that
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:20:13 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
>> Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but kind of ugly.
>> Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push?
>> Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on circular parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back toward the electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair?
>> Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the back to the actual Y motor shaft.
>> Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
>> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long either so catch 22....
>> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get different results.
Aaron: Thanks - I'd been wondering about the belt pulley clips to the case. In mine, one (front Y belt, left-side) seems shifted to the 'right' with respect to the actual motor shaft, e.g. the belt itself under tension doesn't travel a straight and parallel line to the shaft. Not sure if this matters. The doohickey itself is quite tightly attached to the frame.
Tony and Josh, yes, this is black from Solidoodle, newly received this past week. I'm trying Pronterface and Skeinforge at the moment, as others seem to indicate it does better with curves, but if that doesn't take care of it I'll switch plastics and see how much difference that makes. I'm not seeing any humidity bubbling in the filament, and the dusting's reduced (I've moved the spool holder higher up on the back of the case, with supports, so the filament tugs on the spool way better than from behind) but I am still getting inconsistent flow.
Oh, and my plywood nut cap on the Z threaded rod is split - delaminated thru the middle of the plywood, I can see a crack. That's not going to be a cause of my elongated XY circles. Also sprung for a digital multimeter today with a small enough scale range, and all trimmers are dialed in to within 0.002 V (did it after the unit had been on for a while too so the mobo had time to settle in somewhat, although I have noticed the power supply brick gets way hotter during actual use than just sitting idly on).
On Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:49:54 PM UTC-6, josh smith wrote:
> I wonder if solidoodle got a tainted version of black filament. I thought > I began to have serious problems recently when switching to a new spool of > black. I had the same symptoms you had and switching to another spool of > red made them go away. It sucks that I have a $45 spool of plastic that is > basically useless, but much better than bad printer problems. :)
> Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 11, 2012, at 3:38 PM, tc_fea <cerv...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
> to: rtrski:
> your comment: "Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is > there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, > or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push?"
> I suggest that you consider trying a different spool of plastic before > doing a whole lot and seeing if it helps. This comment is based on my > recent experience below:
> I have seen a lot of dust and shavings around the extruder slot and > extruder gear teeth filled with plastic when I started using a new (but 6 > months old?) spool of black plastic from Solidoodle.
> No other spool of plastic (out of 10 or more spools, I've lost count) have > shown this behavior. I have recently run red and white Solidoodle plastic > and an older green spool from another seller with no problems at all. So > this seems to rule out a recent change in the spring compression setting. I > have used Solidoodle black plastic in the past with no problems.
> So my guess is I have one spool of black plastic that was quite not made > specifications. The shavings appear to be caused by the extruder gear > gouging out the plastic. This could be caused by either the melting > temperature of this batch of plastic being too high or the "shear strength" > being too low.
> I recently visited the Solidoodle factory and they cranking many black > plastic parts and do not seem to have a problem. So hopefully there are > just a few isolated "bad" spools of plastic out there.
> TonyC
> Were you using black plastic from Solidoodle? I have an old spool of black > plastic that
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:20:13 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
>> Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but >> kind of ugly.
>> 1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there >> an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or >> just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? >> 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on >> circular parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back >> toward the electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? >> 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and >> back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the >> Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem >> both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the >> back to the actual Y motor shaft. >> 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in >> the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding >> up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most >> often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
>> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. >> BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). >> Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear >> - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion >> prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long >> either so catch 22....
>> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped >>> printing since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I >>> keep a log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings >>> multiple times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get >>> different results.
Camera modding was one of the big reasons I purchased a Solidoodle as well. Shooting on an A77, found some awesome follow focus printable rigs on thingiverse. Have yet to print, waiting till wednesday. Let me know what you come up with, as I see you are shooting on an A99.
On Saturday, November 10, 2012 5:27:33 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
> Thanks. By the way, and pardon if I sound like a gushing tweenie girl at > a Bieber concert, but...
> OMGRoxx0r5 this is just so AWESOME!!!1!!! eleventy!!
> First part nearly finished - took a little bit of doing to level the bed, > seems like mine's got a very slight central bulge, but the glass helps. > Then had to fiddle with the pots a bit as I had the Y motor clicking on > idle, then overshooting (layers offset) on first print.
> Circles are a little flat on the front and back still (X min and max > sides) so I think I still need to tension the leftside Y belt a bit harder, > and my flowrate really drops toward the end if I don't keep an eye on > filament tension (need a guide I guess), but otherwise, I feel like that > litlte girl in the "Despicable Me" movie - I want to shake something and > scream "ITS SO FLUFFY!!" It even sounds cool when its working, and you can > tell when your part pops off the glass because it makes a little "tink" > sound as it cools.
> I'm an EE by trade, never got into cars or other 'hands on' stuff outside > of work and building the occasional computer. Bought this for photography > customization, and I can tell I'm going to have one heck of a time. > Seriously, I love living in this decade. <big dopey grin>
> Oh, and I'd be remiss in not thanking everyone in this forum who's gone > before. Lawsy's firmware, Ian's awesome blog, Kendal's nuts (urm...I mean > Z backlash fix), Brandon's thread about calibrating for circles.
> Best, RTR
> (p.s. At one point, turning one of the trimming pots (yes, very very tiny > amounts) I swear I heard a RADIO STATION. Guess my jewler's screwdriver > made a good antenna....)
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 12:30:56 PM UTC-6, Support Tech wrote:
>> I'll see about looking up the screw size.
>> On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Kendall <fd2...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> The only thing I wouldn't do straight off, is the glass bed. Sounds >>> like some of Solidoodles beds are not as flat as others, but in most cases, >>> the existing bed with the Kapon Tape works just fine. "Leveled", this is >>> the "must" for the *first* *step*, before you try to set the clearance >>> to the Hot End, and before you run your first print)...
>>> (not being in favor of inhaling any more Acetone fumes than I have too): >>> I use Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (1st Aid Antiseptic) to clean the bed; takes a >>> little more elbow grease, but believe it's a healthier choice...
Kevin: Until I get calibrated, I can't really do much, but the first 'big' project I want to do is a kind of ring-flash-like adaptor for underwater shooting, using fiberoptic endglow bundles to route the light from an Inon z240 strobehead to around the macro port. The Solidoodle would be used for the strobehead mount fitting, end fittings for the other ends of the fiberoptic bundles, and a sort of clamp fixture to grip around the lens port (probably with a groove to just tighten down with a long cable tie or something). Can also use clear to make the diffusers, sanding the front faces with about a 400 grit or so should result in a nice diffusion.
Also want to make a sort of 'pistol grip' of some sort for my Sigma 150-500mm. That beast is heavy, and the A99 didn't make it any easier to handhold, although it is a bit better balanced than on the a55.
On Sunday, November 11, 2012 6:46:59 PM UTC-6, Kevin Cole wrote:
> Camera modding was one of the big reasons I purchased a Solidoodle as > well. Shooting on an A77, found some awesome follow focus printable rigs on > thingiverse. Have yet to print, waiting till wednesday. Let me know what > you come up with, as I see you are shooting on an A99.
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 5:27:33 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
>> Thanks. By the way, and pardon if I sound like a gushing tweenie girl at >> a Bieber concert, but...
>> OMGRoxx0r5 this is just so AWESOME!!!1!!! eleventy!!
>> First part nearly finished - took a little bit of doing to level the bed, >> seems like mine's got a very slight central bulge, but the glass helps. >> Then had to fiddle with the pots a bit as I had the Y motor clicking on >> idle, then overshooting (layers offset) on first print.
>> Circles are a little flat on the front and back still (X min and max >> sides) so I think I still need to tension the leftside Y belt a bit harder, >> and my flowrate really drops toward the end if I don't keep an eye on >> filament tension (need a guide I guess), but otherwise, I feel like that >> litlte girl in the "Despicable Me" movie - I want to shake something and >> scream "ITS SO FLUFFY!!" It even sounds cool when its working, and you can >> tell when your part pops off the glass because it makes a little "tink" >> sound as it cools.
>> I'm an EE by trade, never got into cars or other 'hands on' stuff outside >> of work and building the occasional computer. Bought this for photography >> customization, and I can tell I'm going to have one heck of a time. >> Seriously, I love living in this decade. <big dopey grin>
>> Oh, and I'd be remiss in not thanking everyone in this forum who's gone >> before. Lawsy's firmware, Ian's awesome blog, Kendal's nuts (urm...I mean >> Z backlash fix), Brandon's thread about calibrating for circles.
>> Best, RTR
>> (p.s. At one point, turning one of the trimming pots (yes, very very tiny >> amounts) I swear I heard a RADIO STATION. Guess my jewler's screwdriver >> made a good antenna....)
>> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 12:30:56 PM UTC-6, Support Tech wrote:
>>> I'll see about looking up the screw size.
>>> On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Kendall <fd2...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> The only thing I wouldn't do straight off, is the glass bed. Sounds >>>> like some of Solidoodles beds are not as flat as others, but in most cases, >>>> the existing bed with the Kapon Tape works just fine. "Leveled", this is >>>> the "must" for the *first* *step*, before you try to set the clearance >>>> to the Hot End, and before you run your first print)...
>>>> (not being in favor of inhaling any more Acetone fumes than I have >>>> too): I use Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (1st Aid Antiseptic) to clean the bed; >>>> takes a little more elbow grease, but believe it's a healthier choice...
I noticed there was mention of an electronics cover. I for one find I need a fan blowing on the electronic - they get very hot and remember reading that intermittent prints could be a result of overheating.
One thing that keeps popping up is the "Shift in the Y axis", and "flat spots on front and back of circles." I found that there is a little bit of backlash that needs to be calibrated out. On other topics it hs been discussed, that using the Lash Module in skeinforge can get rid of that issue very easily..
On Saturday, 10 November 2012 23:20:13 UTC-5, rtrski wrote: > Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but > kind of ugly.
> 1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there an > 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or just > tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? > 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on circular > parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back toward the > electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? > 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and > back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the > Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem > both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the > back to the actual Y motor shaft. > 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in > the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding > up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most > often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. > BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). > Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear > - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion > prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long > either so catch 22....
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped printing >> since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I keep a >> log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings multiple >> times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get >> different results.
Yes, my circles look almost exactly like the ones I think you posted pics of in another thread: slightly flat at X min and max, slightly 'bulged' to the left of X max (back) and right of X min (front). From watching the machine's counterclockwise motion, seems to me at those points X would be travelling in a consistent direction (perhaps slightly changing speeds) while Y has to come to a stop and reverse direction. Obviously the stop is a hair too long and the direction reverse is a bit behind. Same thing both sides.
I did start looking at backlash a bit, as well as reflash the firmware so I have access to Neil's hysteresis setting option. But didn't get too far with either - my last print of the evening on Sunday was cleaning out black and getting a cal ring done in red (which did print a little better than the black, but not hugely. Seems to have somewhat corrected the apparently shortfall in top layer flow vs. lower layer, but didn't alter the circularity issues). I also did switch back to Pronterface and Skeinforge for that in anticipation of wanting to use lash, noticed it does seem to slice more cleanly than Slic3r (but man is Repetier/slic3r easier to use!! (sigh)).
I'll probably not have much time thru the week but next weekend figured I'd start by calibrating my extruder flow per Ian's 100mm test, and update steps in the firmware appropriately, then print out something like the lash maze that's on thingiverse instead of a ring, should get me something with which to dial in those settings pretty quick, then a ring after to verify.
One last thought: could the whole machine 'rocking' a little front to back influence this? With the weight of the spool on the back, I notice my machine does seem to sort of shimmy a bit more front to back than side to side with the head in motion. If there's any flex to the frame at all, this would exaggerate it I guess (and mine's on a sturdy but lightweight 'end table' so the whole thing is rather top-heavy)...is that vs. actual stepper motor issues the definition of 'backlash'? Was thinking of putting a big lead weight in the bottom of the machine, and/or bolting it to the table and putting a weight in the bottom shelf of the table to lower the whole CG. I guess if the whole machine frame is flexing, a weight in the bottom of it or on the table won't make a difference
On Monday, November 12, 2012 3:58:35 PM UTC-6, BrandonW6 wrote: > One thing that keeps popping up is the "Shift in the Y axis", and "flat > spots on front and back of circles." I found that there is a little bit > of backlash that needs to be calibrated out. On other topics it hs been > discussed, that using the Lash Module in skeinforge can get rid of that > issue very easily..
Add me to the list of bad black filament. I can't get the stuff to do more than one layer before it strips and fails to feed. 190-205 degrees, every screw combination i could think of. Came in last week, and when it is laying down it does lay down nicely. Swapped to my older white filament, same program as before ran perfectly
On Sunday, November 11, 2012 3:49:54 PM UTC-5, josh smith wrote:
> I wonder if solidoodle got a tainted version of black filament. I thought > I began to have serious problems recently when switching to a new spool of > black. I had the same symptoms you had and switching to another spool of > red made them go away. It sucks that I have a $45 spool of plastic that is > basically useless, but much better than bad printer problems. :)
> Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 11, 2012, at 3:38 PM, tc_fea <cerv...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
> to: rtrski:
> your comment: "Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is > there an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, > or just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push?"
> I suggest that you consider trying a different spool of plastic before > doing a whole lot and seeing if it helps. This comment is based on my > recent experience below:
> I have seen a lot of dust and shavings around the extruder slot and > extruder gear teeth filled with plastic when I started using a new (but 6 > months old?) spool of black plastic from Solidoodle.
> No other spool of plastic (out of 10 or more spools, I've lost count) have > shown this behavior. I have recently run red and white Solidoodle plastic > and an older green spool from another seller with no problems at all. So > this seems to rule out a recent change in the spring compression setting. I > have used Solidoodle black plastic in the past with no problems.
> So my guess is I have one spool of black plastic that was quite not made > specifications. The shavings appear to be caused by the extruder gear > gouging out the plastic. This could be caused by either the melting > temperature of this batch of plastic being too high or the "shear strength" > being too low.
> I recently visited the Solidoodle factory and they cranking many black > plastic parts and do not seem to have a problem. So hopefully there are > just a few isolated "bad" spools of plastic out there.
> TonyC
> Were you using black plastic from Solidoodle? I have an old spool of black > plastic that
> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:20:13 PM UTC-5, rtrski wrote:
>> Yeah, initial excitement is waning into determination. It prints, but >> kind of ugly.
>> 1. Getting a lot of dust around the gear in the extruder. Is there >> an 'appropriate' level of tension to set the extruder gear screw to, or >> just tighten a few turns so the spring's got some push? >> 2. Definitely getting some 'shift' in layers in the Y axis on >> circular parts, not so much on square ones. They end up leaning back >> toward the electronics board. Turn up the Y trim resistor just a hair? >> 3. Still have sort of 'flattened' sided to circles on the front and >> back faces (e.g. the flat is parallel to the Y axis). I have tightened the >> Y belts, both of them, but am leery of tightening them more since they seem >> both fairly even and fairly tight. Not as tight as the little belt in the >> back to the actual Y motor shaft. >> 4. Getting some sort of 'vibration' or chattering that you can see in >> the filament extrusion as ripples. Not sure if this is the gear grinding >> up the filament as per (1), or in the Y motion. Does seem to happen most >> often with 'forward' motion in Y (toward the front or -Y direction).
>> Suggestions welcome on all the above. Going to call it a night for now. >> BTW, I removed my filament and opened and cleaned as best I could re: (1). >> Interesting that the instructions say to 'extrude' while cleaning the gear >> - yet if you don't have it hot, it will not extrude (cold extrusion >> prevented warning). Don't want to leave hot with nothing in it very long >> either so catch 22....
>> On Saturday, November 10, 2012 8:14:28 PM UTC-6, Eric William wrote:
>>> LMAO. I can feel your excitement :) My 'doodle has not stopped >>> printing since I got it a few days back. Every print gets a bit better. I >>> keep a log as Ive been through many of the same adjustments/settings >>> multiple times- but due to the interaction between them I easily get >>> different results.
I ran across this quote at the RepRap forum just the other day -
Black plastic always concerns me, since it usually is made out of all of
> the "junk" plastic that the processor doesn't want to get stuck with. > Almost every plastic part can be colored black, a lot of junk processors > throw all there garbage into their black batches. If you ever get cheap > Chinese black filament that seems extra brittle or doesn't seem to process > well, this is the reason. In most other colors, it would show up as major > contamination.
That might explain the trouble with black filament. I have also run across complaints about black filament from Octave, whose reviews are generally positive otherwise.
On Monday, November 12, 2012 7:16:59 PM UTC-5, Ian Johnson wrote: > I ran across this quote at the RepRap forum just the other day -
> Black plastic always concerns me, since it usually is made out of all of >> the "junk" plastic that the processor doesn't want to get stuck with. >> Almost every plastic part can be colored black, a lot of junk processors >> throw all there garbage into their black batches. If you ever get cheap >> Chinese black filament that seems extra brittle or doesn't seem to process >> well, this is the reason. In most other colors, it would show up as major >> contamination.
> That might explain the trouble with black filament. I have also run > across complaints about black filament from Octave, whose reviews are > generally positive otherwise.
On Monday, November 12, 2012 8:04:05 PM UTC-6, tc_fea wrote:
> Ian: your explanation makes a lot of sense to me.
> Tony C
> On Monday, November 12, 2012 7:16:59 PM UTC-5, Ian Johnson wrote:
>> I ran across this quote at the RepRap forum just the other day -
>> Black plastic always concerns me, since it usually is made out of all >>> of the "junk" plastic that the processor doesn't want to get stuck with. >>> Almost every plastic part can be colored black, a lot of junk processors >>> throw all there garbage into their black batches. If you ever get cheap >>> Chinese black filament that seems extra brittle or doesn't seem to process >>> well, this is the reason. In most other colors, it would show up as major >>> contamination.
>> That might explain the trouble with black filament. I have also run >> across complaints about black filament from Octave, whose reviews are >> generally positive otherwise.
