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kaz911

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Posts posted by kaz911

  1. thanks - is there any documentation for the calibration procedure?
    For temperature, don't worry about it for now. Most temperature sensors are working fine, and there are a few cases where people have issues. Unless you have serious problems, or want to tinker with the machine, you shouldn't be needing more electrical knowledge and calibration knowledge then knowing how to plug in some cables.

    I do not agree. It would actually help a lot if temperature measurement was consistent between printers. That would make it a lot easier to make Material Profiles that would more or less work across printers. Right now reading the forum - many say their sensors are "off" just like mine was. If they came out of Ultimaker "pre-calibrated" it would help. Then you could build a database of Ultimachine and other suppliers materials and colors - and get a "reasonable" first print. So when the instructions says print at 200 degrees - you do not have to increase or decrease it before it "works"

  2. I know it is a RepRap "issue" but the current design could have made use of fan sensors. :) And I know there are solutions.

    Its easy speaking. However, just saying is one thing, actually implementing it is another. You are working with sensors that arent really accurate and you need to device a way to get the info out without losing too many pins.

     

    And I know about BuildMarlin - and I know a lot of the solutions. But why have they not "migrated" down into the shipping versions of the Ultimaker? It is the same problems that still bugs down the Ultimaker.

    The build-me-marlin is actually part of the newest UM firmware. Thats how I know that this function is actually available. However, I didnt had the time to actually put it in repg.

     

    And Firmware should not be the place where you calibrate a k probe. That should be available as a simple command that is stored in eeprom. And there should be an "agreed" point of where to measure the "base temperature" from. So fx. take the screw out of the alu block and pop your calibration probe in there (that would be my suggestion)

    Well, what that command does is simple: It heats up to 150C while measuring, and based on that calculates the PID values. Those values can be stored in eeprom.

    thanks - is there any documentation for the calibration procedure?

    2nd .. i am an electronics engineer... I know MSP430 and PIC - not so much Arduino - but not many items are fast - so a lot of things could be offloaded via I2C to a separate controller. Would it add cost - yes. But Id rather spend another $20 on the electronics and have "adult supervision" :- than have broken components in my printer.

  3. 8. Design - in general there is a lack of "error handling" in the ultimaker. There is no error if stepper motors are to heavy loaded (like when the extruder pushes to hard), no error if the fans are not spinning etc - the only "error handling" i have found is the temperature sensor - that stops the printer if it gets >268 degrees or below 0. (which is a bugger if you want to print at 260 degrees - and your temperature sensor is measuring -16 degrees lower than it should. That means max REAL print temperature is 252 degrees.

    Thats with all reprap machines, its not just the UM. The problem is that the stepper motors dont give any feedback. Onliest way to fix it is to use stepper drivers that actually can sense the load. There is a function in Marlin to calibrate the temperature. Normally you would print with PLA, which means you will never reach the 260C. And if you go to 300C and beyond, the PEEK melts...

    I know it is a RepRap "issue" but the current design could have made use of fan sensors. :) And I know there are solutions.

    And I know about BuildMarlin - and I know a lot of the solutions. But why have they not "migrated" down into the shipping versions of the Ultimaker? It is the same problems that still bugs down the Ultimaker. But I guess - printing all the replacement parts :-) teaches you how you machine reacts.

    And Firmware should not be the place where you calibrate a k probe. That should be available as a simple command that is stored in eeprom. And there should be an "agreed" point of where to measure the "base temperature" from. So fx. take the screw out of the alu block and pop your calibration probe in there (that would be my suggestion)

  4. I do not think there is any <$3000 3D printer that does not need tweaking.

    The problems are (in my book)

    1. Materials are not equal.... So some materials like to print at 210 degrees - other at 230. Some are very even - some are not.

    2. Self assembly - well the Ultimaker is only as good as you can get it. It is not easy to get all the items aligned perfectly.

    And then on to Ultimaker weaknesses:

    1. Hot End - is lightweight - but Matrial Extruder is far away - so material retention (spool back) has a lack before no material comes out. That gives more stringing than other solutions - but potentially can print faster since Hot End is more light weight.

    2. Material Extruder with bowden cable - well is a very weak point. Some people have 0 problems - other have a lot. I cant really say anything positive about the current Material Extruder.

    3. Temperature sensor - they seem to be all over the place. Some people measure 30 deg. difference - others - like mine is 16 degrees out. So when I set it at 225 - I am printing at 209. - That is a bugger for generic material profiles.

    4. The bed levelling - well - you need to use a screwdriver from the top - just the weight of the screwdriver is enough to offset the level to much. I like the Replicators method better

    5. The stop switches - are all actuated by wood ends. On X/Y it is not so much of an issue - but on the Z top switch it is. It is not easy to get the Ultimaker switch to stop the same place every time. There are small variations.

    6. Maintenance - get some locktite and apply that to screws once you know things have settled (unscrew a bit - and locktite to screw and screw back in) - all the movements has a tendency to loosen bolts...

    7. Maintenance of hot-end fx if your material plugs - you need to take most of the assembly apart (fan first, then bottom plate- then heat it up so you can remove the plug - and then "reverse")

    8. Design - in general there is a lack of "error handling" in the ultimaker. There is no error if stepper motors are to heavy loaded (like when the extruder pushes to hard), no error if the fans are not spinning etc - the only "error handling" i have found is the temperature sensor - that stops the printer if it gets >268 degrees or below 0. (which is a bugger if you want to print at 260 degrees - and your temperature sensor is measuring -16 degrees lower than it should. That means max REAL print temperature is 252 degrees.

    But once you learn all the features it is a great machine - if you need detailed prints, high speed and 8x8x8 build size. But fiddle free it is not....

  5. I found the left stepper very hard to get the right tension on since it is not pulling straight on the belt.

    So I drilled a hole on top of and behind the left stepper motor - and used a screwdriver with a piece of wood in between to gently "wedge" the stepper down. That helped a lot.

    I have also given all the belts "Cyclo Belt Dressing" - that is a gluey grease that keeps your belts in "better than new" condition.

  6. hot diggity, that made a big difference.

    OK, using the E-calibration procedure from Cura gave me E=844 or so. I thought this was right on the grounds lots of other people mention numbers similar.

    but using the method described by destroyer only extruded 5mm or so, so I changed E to 1087 and got a much better print straight off.

    I'll try and fine tune it a bit more now, but 1087 seems a big number - what kind of 'E' values do other people have?

    You will usually get to high E numbers if your extruder tension is to high. Back of a bit on the tension and measure again. (The stepper needs to make 1087 steps to vs. normally 865) - do the initial calibration without the bowden tube connected to the material extruder.

    if extrusion temperature is too low - you might also compensate with more E steps - but that can lead to blocked print heads. If the head does not melt quick enough - then you will have increased tension on the material and that leads to extruder skipping - and then needs more e steps needed.

  7. I downloaded and installed Cura on my pc.

    I uploaded firmware - seemed to be ok

    I ran the installation pages of Cura

    BUT the heating element did not function, so I could not test the extrusion length or move forward

    Checking, the heating element works with ReplicatorG24

    Why does it not work with Cura?

    Thanks, EM

    The Extrude 100mm does not work in RC2 (as pr. cura wiki)

  8. The compressed air removed the clog. I just had the head in the oven for 20 mins at 240, and it work. I moved back to Cura/Marlin and I am printing again.

    Thank you,

    A

    Glad to hear it worked for you as well! :-) I actually just used a "3rd hand" (a little tool with 2 arms that can grip) - and unscrewed the bottom part of the print head while the rest of printhead is still on the x-y cross. Then I let the 3rd hand hold the print head nozzle heating block (alu screw part, peek and nozzle) - and the other arm on the 3rd hand hold the fan away. Then I turned the print head on and let it heat itself up. I can clean my clogged head in about 20 minutes from start to finish using that strategy :-)

  9. RepG25 + Marlin 1.0.0 release candidate 0 = Z axis top and bottom limit switch ignored

    Yes, my nozzle is now plugged with blue tape and/or melted acrylic as a result of its impact and burning in. I did not expect the end switches not to stop the Z movements, and I was not fast enough to prevent damage to my UM

     

    i have with success cleaned out my nozzle from paper and acryllic with compressed air on a can. Take head out - heat it up to 240-250 degrees - then shoot some compressed air through it. I used a heat resistant tip on my compressed air can. Only do it if you have written off the printhead anyway!.... :-)

    I cant get RepG34 to connect to my Marlin 1.0RC2 - while everyting else connects. Anyway I am happy with Cura RC2 and Netfabb.

  10. The extrude test isn't that user friendly. If the "steps per E" is 0 then it indeed doesn't work, you need to manually set it to 800 or something, then run the test and enter the real extrusion length, then press save. The steps per E will be updated on the save button with the correct steps per E then.

    ahh thanks :-) then maybe the start up wizzard should start with 800 :-) else you cant complete the startup wizzard.

    anyway - 2 questions

    1. Is it possible to set it so the head does not have a start position in the middle of the print? (0,0,0) ? That usually leaves a blob in the middle of my print :-)

    2. How about raft printing? Is that an option? Flat and big objects seem to stick very well to the blue tape...

    thanks

  11. I am running the included Marlin 1.0 RC II? firmware - and I cannot run the extrude test either on Cura RC1. I have given the program the right rights for the directory.

    when pressing extrude - I hear a few ticks from the extruder (like one or two) but no extrusion happens. But when I print it extrudes fine. (from PrintRun)

    If I enter a new value in the "100" Edit box - it just reverts back to 100 and Steps pr E stays at 0.0?

    Apart from that Cura slices a lot faster than netfabb on my 6/12 core I7..

  12. Now there are 7 feedbacks from the seller - all positive so far.

    I must say I am tempted. I would love to buy the "original" but I do not like to pay up front (which in many EU countries is kind of borderline legal) - and then wait two+ months for shipment. PayPal had (and I dont know if they still do) - a max 20 day from payment to shipping rule. That landed a few sellers in trouble because paypal just froze their accounts.

    I think it is great to support innovation - but payment up front before shipment - is a no go for me.

    Paying upfront is quite common with these kinds of projects. Is saves them the hassle of securing capital beforehand, and the hassle of getting payment afterwards.

    And they are doing a lot better then OpenPandora, who took your money, and delivered 2.5-3 YEARS later. While the original estimate was 5-10 months.

    But you are free to buy where you wish. However, buying from eBay is more risky then from Ultimaker, as you won't get any support from Ultimaker. They told me, the most annoying part about copy-cat sellers is that you can get support requests from people that never bought a kit from you. And suddenly you have to verify every request if it's from a real customer. Which is not something they want to be busy with, they want help people to get 3D printers.

    yes - but you loose all consumer protection. The only winner is Ultimaker. And since they are a company in rapid growth - with new staff, new offices etc - that is the kind of company that is ultra high risk to buy from.

    The normal EU rules are an internet shop cannot charge your money BEFORE they actually SHIP the product. The only exception is if it is a CUSTOM product made especially to ONE client. As soon as you sell two of the same spec products - you are bound by the normal rules.

    The seller has the option to "pre-authorise" an amount on your credit card - so they are certain to get the money when they ship.

    Paypal Buyer protection ends 45 days after payment is made....

    So in short - if something goes wrong - you as a buyer has ZERO protection. I would be happy to pay into an escrow account - but handing about $2000,- without any kind of insurance that the product will be delivered - I consider that gambling.

  13. Now there are 7 feedbacks from the seller - all positive so far.

    I must say I am tempted. I would love to buy the "original" but I do not like to pay up front (which in many EU countries is kind of borderline legal) - and then wait two+ months for shipment. PayPal had (and I dont know if they still do) - a max 20 day from payment to shipping rule. That landed a few sellers in trouble because paypal just froze their accounts.

    I think it is great to support innovation - but payment up front before shipment - is a no go for me.

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