USB Issue Again

[Mike McChesney]

Hey Folks,

While I am new to 3D Printing, I am an avid geek, and have been building my own computers for twenty years. I also spent a LOT of years working with electronic communications equipment in both the US Navy and the US Army. I just picked up a brand new CubeX for a few hundred bucks. I knew what I was getting into, but I figured my budget plus my experience (plus a pretty large online community of folks) should be able to go through the CubeX, and sort it all out. 

I pulled it out of the box, and set it up. Read and reread everything, as well as watching every video I could find about this printer. It set up EXACTLY like it was supposed to. Before delving into Kisslicer/CubeIT mods, I wanted a baseline for what this printer could do with only factory supplied software and hardware. Went and found a nice little delicate keychain to print, that was fast and didn't use much filament. Opened it in Cubify, and built it into a .cubex file. Loaded it into the USB (and I am sure everybody knows what's coming), the CubeX didn't see the drive. I spent the next several hours online researching all the possibilities. I grabbed four flash drives (all under 8gb), reformatted them to FAT32. Tried again, and no luck. I tried a file downloaded from 3DSYSTEMS Website (naturally my flash drive from them was empty). Same issue. I then tilted it, and braced it. Removed the bottom plate and checked the USB Cable Connections (all removed then refit). Same problem. There isn't much to the USB Board, and it looks fine (no cold solder or unsoldered joints or cracks).  Unless I have missed something, I am down to cables or the motherboard. 

Oh, and I also tried to update the firmware from 1.06 to 1.07, and had the same recognition issues. 

Does anybody see something I missed? I REALLY want to get this thing up and running factory stock, then start modifying.

Any help y'all could give would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

[Mike McChesney]

........as a PS to anybody who finds this, After the last post, I pulled the ribbon cable from the USB Board to the Mainboard, and it failed a continuity check. Looks like it had gotten pinched at some point right next to the Mainboard Connector. I trimmed back the factory ribbon past the break and reseated it in the connector. Connected the cable back, plugged it in, and VOILA! It recognizes and reads the formerly empty Cubify Flash Drive. Just finished printing a stupid little keychain, and everything is copacetic. NOW, it's time to hit up KisSlicer/CubeIT and a new Hot End. Any recommendations?

Since these things are coming into the market now at between $300 and $500 (CubeX - CubeX Trio), there will likely be a lot of people buying them (since its at 10% of retail). Even with no factory support, and all the issues, these things will sell. They are built like tanks, and with all the work you folks in this community have done over the last several years to get these things reliable and precise, the knowledge base has made my CubeX Experience not too shabby (so far HAHAHA).

So other newbies. If you have had the same issue as I have, here is my best advice; 

If your CubeX won't read ANY USB. More than likely, it is nothing too major. 

1. Check the USB Drive itself. Can your desktop and/or laptop read the drive? If so, move to step 2

2. Make sure your USB is formatted in FAT32. Anything else, and CubeX often has fits. Done this? Step 3

3. Attempt to do a firmware update. When your desktop is plugged into the USB Port on the CubeX, and it doesn't see the CubeX, you know the problem is not with the flash drive.

Before going to this next step, If your CubeX is already set up, either remove the cartridges or secure them in place (this is from experience). They will fall out.

4. Make sure the CubeX is unplugged, and completely remove the power cable from BOTH ends and move it away. Remove the print bed (so it doesn't fall out). Tilt the CubeX onto its' back carefully and rest it there. Use the 3mm (provided) hex drive to remove all the stainless steel screws on the bottom panel (you can leave in the little screws to the black fan under the mainboard). Next, remove the four screw in legs from the bottom panel. It should now pull out enough to give you some access. There is not much to the USB Board, and I haven't heard of any issues with that. Next, check the ribbon cable going from the back of the USB Board to the Mainboard. If either end is loose (happens all the time in shipping), securely fit the cable to both connectors. You may have to cut the zip ties to comfortably move the cable around. Resecure the bottom panel and legs. Plug it back up, and it will 99% likely be fine. If not..............Step5

5. Repeat Step4, but in this case, remove the ribbon cable completely, and perform a continuity test (make sure none of the ribbon cable's internal wires are broken or corroded). This is where I stopped, as my ribbon cable had a break. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), 99% likely the only thing major left is the Mainboard ($107 from Cubify and a two week wait unless you can solder). I don't have it in front of me, but there is another thread on this USB Reading Issue that told where to look on the Mainboard.

Hope this helps someone else.

Mike