What am I doing Wrong!... oh I mean Right???

[TobyCWood]

Jetguy's Makerbot Mini is on my desk. It is printing. No clogging... Yet. Stock Extruder. It seems to be actually printing. Why? DOH! I did forget to do something... If you read my posts you may figure out what i forgot to do! I am not going to go back and put on what i left off and lets see how long i go before an air print...

First print does have REAL serious issues.

The object on the right is off my Rep2, the left the Mini. Kinda rippely! Looks like when you have your thumb in water for a long time and your skin gets all wrinkly! Was up wit DAT?

The Cal cube is the second print. WTF! The layer lines are much cleaner then i expected... not too bad at all! Tops and bottoms not.

Some interesting things I have found:

1. The mini has the Raft permanently turned on. I will go into the XML file and mod that for fun. Almost ALL the settings (including temp) are grayed out in the Desktop Print dialog. No control over shells nor tops and bottoms... unless i mod the xml?

2. It's CoreXY. WTF!? I NEVER recall reading about that! I never noticed it when gapping at it at last Jan at CES nor at MF. I totally missed that. Are the other 2 CoreXY?

3. I can definitely see why noobs are buying it. It LOOKs the part. Fit and finish is commercial quality.

OK... no more Mr Nice guy. Time to get down to REAL 3D Printing. Next print will be Cells Bowl. A SERIOUS challenge to any extruder. LOTs of retractions, tons of travels and tall. 

[Dan Newman]

> 2. It's CoreXY. WTF!? I NEVER recall reading about that! I never noticed it
> when gapping at it at last Jan at CES nor at MF. I totally missed that. Are
> the other 2 CoreXY?

No, makerbot gen 5's are H-gantry (aka, H-Bot, H-Frame). They are not Core-XY.
Thus, the gen 5's have a racking issue owing to the unbalanced forces. To
mitigate that in H-gantry, you need tight tolerances on how everything fits
together so as to minimize any deviations and bindings caused by racking.
And tight tolerances usually means higher cost.

Dan

[TobyCWood]

It was REAL hard to get that about it not being CoreXY. Looking up the definition of CoreXY online I kept finding the exact same implementation as in the Mini and it was referred to as CoreXY.
I see now... yeah... the Hbot is the problem implementation and the CoreXY is the mod'ed fix.  

Egads! What a boneheaded thing to do!! This makes the Delrin Plunger fiasco look like nothing!!

ROTFL!!

[Dan Newman]

On 22/11/2014, 10:38 AM, TobyCWood wrote:
> It was REAL hard to get that about it not being CoreXY. Looking up the
> definition of CoreXY online I kept finding the exact same implementation as
> in the Mini and it was referred to as CoreXY.

Core-XY

http://corexy.com/

H-Bot

See the first diagram at http://joshuavasquez.com/docs/jVasquez/Projects/coreXY.html .
That's H-Bot, H-Gantry, H-Frame. Note the "H" belt path with no belt crossing.

Dan

[Ryan Carlyle]

The only downside to CoreXY is the need to loop the belts around the front or back of the bot. It's a little more belt length and a little more awkward routing. But in return you get balanced acceleration forces on the gantry, which means dramatically better cost:performance ratio for gantry/frame components. A cheap CoreXY bot will perform the same as an expensive HBot.

The only reason to EVER build an HBot is when you need an extremely open workspace, ie when you care more about form factor and enclosure aesthetics than performance. I have seen a few mechanisms where HBot was probably justified, but it's a stretch. It looks like the 5th gen MBI bot frames would actually have allowed a CoreXY implementation fairly easily. I think the gantry selection decision was just general incompetence at mechanical engineering. 

[TobyCWood]

So the mini is chugging away on Cells bowl... I'm watching... seems to be working! Again, I am surprised.... and then i notice some REAL weird tool paths... square... in the middle of the bowl... !!! The Cal cube! The SW combined the Cal Cube with the Cells Bowl! LOL!!

So funny!!

[Ryan Carlyle]

Whaaaaaat. Did you have both in the slicer?

[Dan Newman]

> I think
> the gantry selection decision was just general incompetence at mechanical
> engineering.

Actually, two different engineers at MBI have told me that engineering wanted to
go with Core-XY and recommended Core-XY for the Gen 5. But engineering was
overridden by upper level management. And when asked if it was upper level
engineering management, I was told no it was [answer 1] marketing, and [answer 2]
the execs at the very top (presumably Bre and his executive management team).

Dan

[TobyCWood]

I thought I had deleted the cube, but evidently the SW thought otherwise. I kept it going. It looks kinda cool. Like a cube was placed there. So far it's at 49%. Lots of stringing... which ya can't do diddly squat about in the settings. So... WHY no air printing??? Jetguy's theory is not enough heat. It's a cooler day today... but there is one more thing. I left off the feeder tube. I deleted them from my Rep2s and the FF so I plum forgot about it when setting up this mini. I noticed the tube sitting on my desk and manually pushed some filament though it... there was plenty of friction. Enough IMO to inhibit movement along the filament path...

So... if you got a Gen5 bot and you are getting air prints DURING the print... try this... remove the feeder tube.... go direct from the spool into the extruder hole. What have you got to lose?

[teamca...@gmail.com]

Hrmm, I wonder if they used polyester or vinyl tubing instead of nylon for the filament guide tube? I was wanting to get a longer filament guide tube for my rep 2 awhile back. Makerbot game me one slightly too short (with it clipped into just the top most grip on the back, it still pulls out of the extruder when the head moves to the front left of the printer) I was at a local plumbing store the other day and asked if they had any 1/4 nylon tubing and the guy walked me back and showed me where it was. He said it was only 18 cents a foot! So I bought 10 feet just for the hell of it, laughing the whole way home thinking about how often I would get pissed off about the short filament guide when they carried the stuff just down the street for soon cheap. So I cut a piece off long enough for what I needed and fed the filament through the tube, and oh my gosh there was soon much friction! Turns out it was polyester tubing, not nylon :(

[Scott Booker]

You don't want polyethylene, polyurethane, or nylon tubing. The correct material is Teflon.

[Dan Newman]

On 22/11/2014, 6:20 PM, teamca...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hrmm, I wonder if they used polyester or vinyl tubing instead of nylon for the filament guide tube?

You want teflon tubing.... For instance, on Amazon serch for

PTFE tubing 3d printing

and you'll find plenty of the stuff. It's a creamy white color.

And yes, the tubing on my Rep 2 was too short as well. However, I don't like filament guide tubes
in the first place so I don't use them if I can help it. Instead I put my filament spool onto a
lazy susan which is above the printer. Works great.

Dan

[Ryan Carlyle]

Super fun PTFE tubing check procedure:

Try to melt the tubing with a heat gun for other >300C heat source. PTFE will char and emit smoke but will never melt or catch on fire. Most of the other similar-looking tubing materials (PE, nylon, etc) will melt and then catch on fire.

PFA tubing is sometimes used for feed tubes and should have acceptable performance since it a very closely related compound. PFA tubing will melt and will char but will not catch on fire. 

Obviously do this outside with excellent ventilation and some sort of fire extinguisher. No polymer combustion fumes are pleasant. Thermal decomposition products of PTFE and PFA are quite toxic -- not life-threatening, but very unpleasant. 

[teamca...@gmail.com]

Oh, for some reason I thought the guide tube was nylon, dammit. I spent a whole day using my Google-fu to try and figure out what it was made of and I only ever saw one result that said anything about it, and it claimed that tube was nylon. I've only ever seen ptfe referred to when talking about the extruder.

[Dan Newman]

On 22/11/2014, 7:50 PM, teamca...@gmail.com wrote:
> Oh, for some reason I thought the guide tube was nylon, dammit.

My Rep 1 came with black tubing that was, I believe, low density polyethylene (LDPE).
My Rep 2 came with PTFE tubing: look, feel, color was definitely PTFE. My Rep 2 was a very early model (serial #18).
I do not know if MBI continued to use PTFE throughout the production life of the Rep 2 or not. They definitely
made changes over time.

Dan

[TobyCWood]

Even with Teflon tubing there is still friction, particularly as the spool reaches the end and the filament wants to bend. If the tubing were frictionless then it would be a benefit in keeping the loop between the extruder and the spool so that the extruder does not jolt the filament when it goes from back to front. As it is with PTFE IMO it is not worth the benefit.

Still printing Cells bowl. Almost 12 hours. No jamming or air print.

[TobyCWood]

Cells bowl... In the pic the MBI Mini printed the one on the right in natural color filament. Kinda stringy! eh? It only took 14 hours! The estimate by "Desktop" was a bit over 8 hours... slightly off I'd say!

So my son's PrintrBot Simple Maker Edition (same build area... slightly LOWER price) printed the black one; 4 hours. What?! A 10 hour difference!? LOL!

i wonder why I'm not seeing extruder clogging...! I kept checking the temp inside the build area all day and it never felt anywheres as warm as my other bots get. So I am not seeing heat creep. Could it be that the filament guide tube inhibits the movement enough to make it slip in the extruder... ??? All it has to do is slip a little and I can see it going soft too high up from not moving through enough and then a clog... No guide tube, no slipping... no clog...? I know! I'll just keep on printing! I'll get this thing to air print! Too bad it's so freakin LOUD! I think I'll move it out to the garage tomorrow.

[Jetguy]

Cooler weather, it may not air print. I guarantee in summer it did jam and there was sufficient temperature rise.

Here's the thing, it's NOT just the jamming issue. Many users claim success and don't have jams. I initially had jams right off the bat, it was also summer at the time. Yes, My house is air conditioned but I live in the South and it's humid. Even with AC RH is generally higher. Now we are nearing winter, it's generally cooler, using a furnace is driving RH down. AC simply cannot remove enough humidity here in summer.

I thought for sure Cell's bowl would invoke the jam, but also, latest Makerware Desktop profile has limited retraction values (thus the stringing). I've said all along they were making tradeoffs.

They traded off print performance so the print completes, it just sucks quality wise.

Sorry, I disagree on the assumption it's the tube, but hey, independent testing is good. It's good you are looking for ideas as to why it jams, but honestly, I don't in a heartbeat think that's why.

Question, I gave you 2 tubes. One is the stock one with the plastic bracket and is shorter. I then gave you a second longer bare piece of guide tube for using an external spool on the rollers. The stock tube is looser than the longer tube I happened to source. You can use the short tube, I simply hooked the bracket on the back metal edge of the back. then placed the spool at the back on the rollers.

And the noise is just insane. I agree fully.

If anything, I hope we can agree on this:

Purchase price is $1375 for the mini. Compared to the build volume it's crazy that there are much better printers in the same price range with bigger build area and a lot better printer overall (any Rep1 clone).

Print quality SUCKS

Noise quality is out of control, you cannot use this in a room

Annoying that rafts are enabled and I had very limited (read none) success with printing raftless on previous versions of Makerware desktop. With raft disabled, the nozzle started too high and no way to ever adjust even with offsets that I found.

More importantly, than all the jams, I want to see if you can tell the difference between the stock extruder and the modded one.

Probably the most impact is seen from the stronger spring.

This affects vertical walls of parts where the layers must line up exactly

IMO, good test print for that  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:8870

[Jetguy]

Also, that stock extruder has insanely low hours on it- well because it's stock and I only used it for my own comparison. Some folks report it gets worse over time.

Something else I want you to see first hand and give your honest comparison on:

I printed Stan, from here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:347673

I think you have a genuine MakerBot as well, maybe some other printers too.

The point is, a real scientific test comparison of the same object printed on a different printer, both using Makerware desktop as a slicer and use the same basic settings (layer height, speeds etc).

In my testing, there are major differences in the basic shape and detail of the print between ANY 5th gen print, and the same print on a previous Replicator Dual, Replicator 2, Replicator 2X.

Again, I'd like to see #1 if you can see the same differences in how 5th gen prints the same object compared to other printers using the same software.

#2 I'd like to see if you can tell the difference between modded and unmodded extruders.

[Joseph Chiu]

This is hearsay, but on the k-12-fablabs mailing list, someone recently reported that the Makerbot Store replaces their extruder about once a week...  That's a very spendy consumables budget if true!

[TobyCWood]

I do not disagree...   It IS a LOT dryer here... though it's been raining (finally) for the past few days.

So I assume that you had a clog with the stock extruder and that you did a teardown to clear it... right?

What I am seeing is it is possible for a newbie to have a perceived positive experience. This is REALLY unfortunate since newbies do not know what they do not know.

Take a look at the first pic i posted of the 2 inhaler holders. The ripples? That print was not at all acceptable to me, but to someone who has not operated a 3D Printer it would be. 

[Ryan Carlyle]

Hmm, MBI does say extruders wear out after about 200 hours. If you run the printer about 24/7 for demo purposes, you'd replace them every 8 days, yeah.

[Elbot]

That's insane! My prints take 150 hours! (multiple runs plus acetone glue) So, you'd have to replace the extruder for EVERY print?! LOL!!!

glad I have the rep 1.

[Ryan Carlyle]

Yes, they're trying to turn lemons into lemonade. 

Bad hardware + competent users = disaster

Bad hardware + unaware users = call shoddy parts "consumables" and profit off replacements

[Jetguy]

"So I assume that you had a clog with the stock extruder and that you did a teardown to clear it... right?"

Not exactly.  The very first extruder that came with the machine was the one that is now modded. It jammed from the very first time I loaded it. So badly so, I called MakerBot furious that I unboxed the machine and it was unusable for even ONE print.

They had a backlog on the extruders and it took them a little over a week to get me one. My concern was that 14 day return period. Quite literally, it may not have been intentional but they kind of pushed to wait for a new smart extruder and doing so could make a user go past that magic 14 day window. I should have returned that damn thing even if it cost me money.

Both are 6 fin extruders and identical (before the mod) internally.

That said, I have had the unmodded stock extruder jam and click but it was resolved by unloading and reloading filament without disassembly. Cavaeat, that's EXACTLY the scenario how folks jam these. If it's hot, and it has to be to remove filament, when the user pulls out the filament, the little tip that is still melted breaks of just above the hotend and cools to a shape that cannot push back down into  the hotened, but also cannot pull out through the top. That is was causes the "must take it apart jam" or replacement.

Again, it's a series of events that can and does happen, where it goes from clicking, to the user trying to correct the situation, to total and complete jam that now requires sending to MakerBot or replacing the smart extruder.

[TobyCWood]

The black is via S3D and my Rep2, the natural is the MBI Mini. Same layer heights, same infill %s.

The vertical lines in the layers are the same ripples seen in my first pic. This is not from infill. But... I expected a lot worse from the Mini and a lot better from my Rep2 and S3D.

So...

Any other ideas???

I'm thinking switching to an opaque filament and printing a statue. I know! Voronoi Yoda! In Black. I'll load before I unload, then load again. My bet is it will be more then a 15 hour print. THAT'LL DO IT!

[Ryan Carlyle]

Man, you gotta stop using those filaments for comparison shots. Can't see anything. Make them both white or something.

[TobyCWood]

Yeah I know... I don't have much at home at the moment. just the little of the natural stuff JetGuy included and some black and some blue. I'm not sure wtf happened with the S3D toolpaths, but they sucked. It's not the Rep2 it's S3D. It's real hard to capture photos. I had to use Macro and a long exposure so I had to have the camera stationary. So the attached is with my iPhone and you can see the reflection. yuck. I also attached a Macro shot from the Mini's output as well.

[Joseph Chiu]

Most of the modern cameras have plenty of pixels to throw away, so instead of trying to fill the frame, just make sure you are at the highest quality, and then crop the picture to the portion that matters. 

[TobyCWood]

It's more the limit of GGs then my camera. 2K pixels across. I've been zooming and cropping each time.

[TobyCWood]

Yoda is at 50%. WHY is this working?!

[David K.]

What version of the software and firmware are you using?

Whats the default temperature?

Are you using .2mm layer height?

I have a Z18, so I am not too familiar with the mini.  Just keep on printing, and problems will surface.  Might take about a week.

Most problems occur with models that have lots of retractions and support material.

Makerbot definatly went with the H-bot vs CoreXY based on price, overall volume, and faster assembly.  Probably save about $1 or $2 per unit, but when you build a 100,000 units that adds up.  I doubt the marketing and accounting departments thought the quality improvement justified the cost.  I think the main problem is with the extruder rather than the gantry.

Just keep printing and something will happen.

[Jetguy]

On the Mid sized 5th gen replicator and the Z18, they used the same precision ball linear ways for BOTH X and Y, but on the mini, they cheaped out and went with molded plastic shoes that slide inside some custom coated aluminum rails that attach to the plastic frame.

ALL of them have stress from running in H-Bot VS Core XY but ball liner bearings don't tend to lock up from the twisting forces. The Mini is just a ripe disaster.

Again, just so it's not me saying it, ask TobyCWood's opinion on moving the gantry by hand in the mini in the Y axis.

The reason is simple, they had to use impressively strong springs that allow the left side "shoe" to press and preload the snot out of the gantry compared to the frame.

Again, the left side shoe rides on 2 metal pins for alignment and then in order to prevent the gantry from racking, they had to use REALLY strong springs because the run (of the shoes) is short compared to the rise (length of the gantry). A general rule in motion system design in knowing such a racking force is present is to double the length of the run (the bearing distance) VS the rise (length of the gantry).

Now, just for grins, I replaced the stock springs with weaker ones  for a test and it massively improved the friction factor (the gantry then slid smoothly and easily) but could also easily be twisted or rack inside the frame. So that's why they had to use such stiff springs. But that then ALSO explains why the mini is so loud, they had to crank the stepper current through the roof so the NEMA 14 motors can even move that insanely stiff gantry. I put the stock springs back in and that is how it is being tested now.

I do know this for a fact, all 3 basically run the same firmware with minor mods to support LCD options and a few other things, not unlike the Replicator 2 and 2X share the same basic firmware.

Further, all of them use the same smart extruder, all they do is change out the top filament guide for the Z18.

[David K.]

Oh wow, the gantry on the Mini sounds like a massive headache, figuratively and literally

Also, regular smart extuders have ducts for cooling the filament.  On the Z18 the cooling ducts are built into the gantry(ie next to the extrusion motor).

[Jetguy]

Good point, I knew there were minor differences, but the core extruder remains the same.

[TobyCWood]

Please note that I will not make detailed internal design critiques as JetGuy can. Instead I will focus on observations and issues that Newbies will latch on to and understand. This is how I hope to report on the podcast.

I can confirm that moving the gantry by hand with the power off is not as easy as all the other bots i work with. I just tried. It IS way stiff and I would agree that the high level of sound is partially due to the Nema 14s wailing away... Even with the power off and moving the gantry by hand you get substantial sound so there's a lot of noise coming form the entire gantry subsystem. Moving the gantry back and forth real quick is a noise maker! Then I try the same on my Rep2 right next to it... LOL!!! I'll be sure to record a sample of that! I'd add the resonance in the plastic panels and casing make it even worse. BTW, I also noticed WAY too much play in the carriage while doing this. But... since the Mini prints so slowly it does not seem to do any harm.... and so far the speed of this machine is number 2 of my issues with it. It is WAY slow. Slower BY FAR then the PrintrBot Simple! It took 14 hours to print the Yoda model. A model that my son's Simple can do in 5 hours or less.
Issue number 1 at this point is the build area... which for this cost with FDM is a joke.

However... (here's where i am getting uncomfortable)... I am not seeing the issues that i have heard and read about that are plaguing the Gen5 bots... i.e., Air prints, missed layers... unreliable feeds and clogs. Note the attached Yoda pic. This object always tested my Rep2's ability to dissipate heat at the extruder. Except for all the stringing, which IMO is from too high a temp, it did ok.

and that will reflect my #3 issue... the lack of temp control.

Back on the extruder... I will continue to print until i get a clog. The next object I print will use a substantial amount of support material. Once i get a clog I'll switch to JetGuy's mod'ed extruder and try the same object.

IF (that's a BIG IF) I never get a clog... i.e., a clog caused by heat creep due to an inappropriate extruder design.... then I will do a series of tests on my feeder tube theory. With/Without and then actually hold the filament and force the gear to bite harder thereby putting the filament shape out of tolerance at the top of the extruder path.

[David K.]

What temperature are you printing at?

Most of the jamming I have noticed occurs at the 215c temperature that Makerbot recommends.

[Jetguy]

You know what it is? It's that I touched the stupid thing before sending it to you.

It a universally known fact when I touch printers- they suddenly work better than they ever have.

Or maybe you have that "syndrome too? You know, things just tend to "straighten up and act right" just in your immediate presence.

Like a watched pot never boils, a smart extruder won't jam because you want it jam in this case.

[TobyCWood]

What temp? Beats me! Only way to know is to look in the xml file and I have yet to do that. So... it's the default temp for PLA in the "Desktop" SW.

But... typically on my Rep2 (which I fully recognize is VERY relative) 215C is a good temp... 205-220 depending on the filament always works OK for me... It's at 230C (on my Rep2) that I would start to see more ambient heat around the extruder then i am comfortable with for PLA. So for a heat creep related issue I would expect the temp to be higher. Also... I'd expect based on the stringing of the black PLA,for Yoda... which I've used a lot of... II's higher then 215C.

I wish I could get my hands on the Replicator Gen5 too.

[David K.]

You may want to explore custom profiles and set different temperatures.  I agree with you that it is definatly higher than 215C with all that stringing.

Did you upgrade to the latest Desktop and Firmware?  That may also cause a difference between user experience 6 months ago vs today.

Did you get wifi to work?  That is also one of the other major complaints.

[Jetguy]

Just sent via email

Too bad I can't swear in this group- they deserve it today.

 

 

Tips & tricks for your MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer   Minimize under-extrusion with custom profiles. If your MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder appears to be under-extruding, try getting under the hood of your MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D Printer and experiment with the temperature settings using a Custom Profile in MakerBot Desktop. Here’s how.   Discover more tips and tricks for getting the most out of your MakerBot Replicator Z18.

[Jetguy]

I'm being serious for a moment here.

Yes, right now the mini seems to be printing well, only because we are dying to see it fail.

 

But beyond that, the message going to Z18 owners for a $6K MakerBot is just INSANE.

 

To tell them that the extruder is a consumable item, that all is OK, that gaps are normal and should be hidden by using extra shells?

How is that OK? This is beyond unethical behavior, this should be criminal.

 

Somebody, somehow needs to hold them accountable.

 

 

[TobyCWood]

Yes... I agree... They are seriously damaging the 3D Printing Market ... profession and... hobby.
Eventually I will bet Atlas WILL Shrug. Idiots like Lawton will get their deserved unemployment check and we will see quality products... someday. As a stock holder in SSYS I feel this MUST happen and i intend to make my complaints heard... but first... it has to be first hand experience and not hearsay or i look like a shmuck.

The mini may not be jamming at the moment... but that does not make it worthy of going on the market. NOT AT ALL! It can't compete with the PrintrBot Simple!

[TobyCWood]

Homing Errors! Woohoo!

Reboot the bot... fixed it... Printed and then another Homing Error! Reboot again. Printing fine.

[TobyCWood]

OK... That's it. I give up. I put the stock feeder tube on and STILL I cannot get a jam or a clog during a print. I have printed complex statues with ALOT of supports. They came out just fine(relative to the 5th Gen that is...). I have tried different PLA, no diff. I give up. The 5th Gen mini will not jam or clog or slip for me.

Any other suggestions???

Be that as it may...

Ya gotta be NUTS to buy this machine. It's a measly 4"x4"x4" build area. WAY too small for the price! The user is cut off from most control due to the "Desktop"SW. Only control you get is via XML file tweaking... which IMO is NOT AT ALL acceptable!

The printer's speed is abysmal. at least 60% slower then a PrintrBot Simple thanks in part, to the way it lifts the nozzle for travels. The gantry system makes for extreme noise and flat vertical surfaces have ripples due to some kind of weird vibration during movement and it takes a VERY long time for it to do it's homing and leveling which is flakey and sometimes requires a complete reboot. Filament MUST be loaded before unloaded or a probable jam WILL require a "Smart Extruder" crack open fix.... a MAJOR PITA.

MBI is obviously trying real hard to LOCK the user into their world by using the "Desktop" sw using the iTubes/iPhone biz model approach and from the users perspective this cuts them out of a lot of awesome 3DP experiences. 

They tried to make it a toaster and they ended up with a total mess.

Next I'll attempt to attach to it via wifi.

On Monday, November 24, 2014 7:12:40 PM UTC-8, TobyCWood wrote:

Homing Errors! Woohoo!

Reboot the bot... fixed it... Printed and then another Homing Error! Reboot again. Printing fine.

On Saturday, November 22, 2014 10:25:21 AM UTC-8, TobyCWood wrote:

Jetguy's Makerbot Mini is on my desk. It is printing. No clogging... Yet. Stock Extruder. It seems to be actually printing. Why? DOH! I did forget to do something... If you read my posts you may figure out what i forgot to do! I am not going to go back and put on what i left off and lets see how long i go before an air print...

First print does have REAL serious issues.

The object on the right is off my Rep2, the left the Mini. Kinda rippely! Looks like when you have your thumb in water for a long time and your skin gets all wrinkly! Was up wit DAT?

The Cal cube is the second print. WTF! The layer lins are much cleaner then i expected... not too bad at all! Tops and bottoms not.

[TobyCWood]

Tried to connect via wifi. At first it would not connect. I rebooted my router to restart dhcp and it connected. I then printed a bunch of Xmas ornaments. It worked ok, but the user has no way to see how it is configured... As such I have to assume that all configuration for the lan and wifi must be via the controllers OS... IOWs "firmware". The camera was useless. Octoprint is MUCH more useful in many ways. Meh to their wifi connect... I would not bother trying to connect via WAN. But... It worked ok for me.

[Jeff Davis]

Toby -  I have something for you to try.  It's my belief that the main cause of a plugged extruder is because the nozzle tip gets to close to the build table.  The auto leveling routine never worked for me and so I manual level now.  Try to raise the table just a little on one side to simulate a slightly out of level table.
If I'm correct it will still take some time, but gradually the plastic will move up into the cooling area and cause a jam.

The other issue, is that not all extruders are set correctly coming from MBI.  After my first extruder finally plugged, I turned it in for a second one as well as I purchased one too.  The second one came to me and I found that the tip was set so high that when it ran the first line of plastic at the front of the table the nozzle was about 1/8 inch off of the plate and made a nice squiggle line of plastic.  I had to loosen the nozzle and turn the cooling fins CW then tighten the nozzle to move it down.  I did this until I was satisfied with the height.  I went a little to low before I stopped adjusting, and on the first pass line it started to click before it finished the line!  So I know it will jam if the nozzle it too close to the build plate.