drumrboy44

Hah, thanks for the insight, illuminarti. I guess I will be going back to Cura 13.04.03 for such hollow prints!

I've been using the new Cura 13.06.04, and there are of course lots of advantages in speed and ease of use, but when printing certain hollow things, such as vases, the new Cura seems to be slicing very strangely. For example, printing this Double Twisted Vase (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:37327) at a layer height of 0.1mm and a shell thickness of 0.8 (at 210 C and 55 speed) results in all sorts of (thin) stringing across the center of the vase. This seems to be resulting from unnecessary jumps across points along the perimeter of the vase. In my experience, previous versions of Cura would simply slice a vase such that the nozzle would simply travel along the perimeter of the vase, and not jump across the central portion of the vase unnecessarily. Is there some changed setting I am not seeing? I know there is no longer a "Joris" option, but I cannot think of an explanation for these print artifacts I am seeing in a relatively straight forward vase containing as many jumps as I am experiencing. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Ok, the vendor finally got back to me and said "The resistance is double for the 24V," thus indicating (I think) that at the 24V hookups, the resistance would be 2.0-2.4 ohms. Thus, unless I am missing something, power draw *should* be (24^2 / 2.2) = ~260 watts at 24V. The vendor had previously told me that 180W would be sufficient for the 12V hookup, meaning (I think) he meant that the entire board's resistance would be 1.0-1.2 ohms at for 12V, yielding power draw of (12^2/1.1) = ~ 130 watts. Thus, if I go with a 24V PSU having a draw > 260 watts, I should be OK. I still plan on holding off on purchasing the PSU until I get the board, but does that sound correct?

I saw that, too, but should then this heated bed http://reprap.me/Alu-Heatbed-MK3 be able to operate anywhere between 12V and 24V, and not just at those individual temps?

Thank you both for your prompt responses! Okkk, well the bed I was looking at is supposedly between 1.0 and 1.2 ohms resistance, according to the manufacturer, and can handle either 12V or 24V. Thus for the 12V option, as far as I understand, assuming a mean resistance of 1.1 ohms, I would need a PSU that can handle 130 watts, and a minimum of somewhere around 10.9 amps. Would this work for that? http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Volts-DC-Power-Supply-Unit-LDA150W-12-Output-12-VDC-12-5-Amps-LDA-150W-12-/350833196006?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51af49bbe6 For the 24V option, assuming the same mean resistance, I would need a PSU that could handle around 523 watts. How about this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mean-Well-MW-AC-DC24V-50-100-350-400-600-1000W-1500W-Switching-Power-Supply-PSU-/111115520782?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19df004b0e I am assuming I should us DC, but do not know if there are any advantages to AC, or if it would even work.

Ok, I have pored over these forums for awhile, and ordered what I think is everything I need for a heated print bed build with one exception. I just had a few quick questions regarding the suitability of particular PSUs. Per the recommendation of several forum posts (as well as my own skills and familiarity), I have decided to go with a second PSU and a relay (ordered this one http://www.findchips.com/avail?part=ALFG1PF18 with a socket) to power my HPB. From what I've read, generally the greater the wattage, the faster the PCB will heat up. I've also heard some people having problems with lower wattage PSUs (like 180), and also with certain brands, so I was thinking a PSU that is 360 watts or above. So now my question: I was wondering if anyone had a positive experience with a particular PSU that you could recommend to me. Any particular output you recommend? 12? 24? Variable? I understand the risks of 24V to be lower on the US 110v grid, but also am considering installing a fuse. Also, what output wires might I need for that particular PSU? Thanks in advance, Drumrboy44

Thanks! I was correct, dumb question, but I see the no solid top option.

This seems like a dumb question, but I am trying to print this: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:49348 And the model is solid, so I set the fill to 0%, but I don't know how to use Cura to give it a solid bottom and empty top (like a vase). Any tips? Thanks!.

Interesting... Well upon checking again, the retraction was not actually happening, despite the tab being checked on the first Cura tab. I reinstalled Cura, re-installed the Marlin firmware that came with it, and now the retraction at least is happening. I will see if this solves my stringing issues. Would anyone make any changes in the default settings for retraction as I listed them in Cura? Thanks all!

Hi all, I have some questions about some very bad stringing that I've been getting. Currently, I am using the Cura 13.04 default retraction settings: [Min travel = 5.0mm, Speed = 40 mm/s, Distance 4.5 mm, extra length on start 0.0], but I still get what I think is bad stringing on most of my prints, seemingly regardless of print speed. I have been printing at between 35-80 mm/s, and mostly around 210 C. Attached is a prime example of the stringing I get, which makes little sense to me, since the stringing is clearly beyond the minimum travel distance set for retraction in Does anyone have any ideas? Could this be caused by some other setting, or something mechanical?? Thanks in advance. -Drumrboy44

Okkk, it pretty clearly is a Z screw issue. The screw wobbles rather noticeably when running the platform up and down. This is what my z coupling looked like when I received it. Is the gap below the z coupler normal? I figured maybe not, so I loosened the screws and lowered the z coupling into the circular cutout, but not so far down so it touches the motor below. It now looks as follows: However, when I retightened the screws and ran the platform up and down, there was still a noticeable wobble. A test cube I printed looks like this: It may be SLIGHTLY better than my previous print rippling (See ), but it is certainly far afield from quality I have gotten from a previous ultimaker I owned. Look at the difference between the two prints: Does anyone have any ideas for fixing this problem? what is the correct position for my Z coupling, and why would it have such an effect on the Z wobble? Any help is very much appreciated!

Ok, I finally got my (new, assembled) machine printing after an unexpected nozzle plug, but it appears that all of my prints have the same strange (to me) print artifacts that I have attached pictures of below: Does anyone know what might cause this? It is on every print I have, and you can feel the edges of each horizontal band. I purchased my second ultimaker fully assembled, and even the test print that Ultimaking included with my machine contains the lines (though slightly less pronounced). If you view edges of prints with this artifact, there is a "rippling" effect, as the alternating bands seem to be of different thickness. I would greatly appreciate anyone who knows how to solve this issue, or any suggestions anyone has! Thanks!

Ok, I managed to solve the issue. It was a plug in my (brand new) nozzle! After checking just about everything else I could think of, I removed the nozzle, held it to a candle, and ran a heated copper wire through it a few times. Then I placed the nozzle standing in the oven at 400 for half an hour. Finally I ran the copper wire through a few times again, and replaced the nozzle on the hot end. The change was instant. I have still been having some black gunk come out randomly during prints (on my 4th now), but other than that the difference was night and day!

Hello all, I received my new (assembled) Ultimaker last week, and after 5 flawless prints, I went to check my 6th print to find that it was extremely sparse and was about as strong as paper. Every print thereafter has either started extremely sparse with lines not overlapping, or started with a decent first layer only to have extrusion slow to a crawl after a few minutes. I have tried everything I can think of, but just cannot get the flow to be consistent. I would appreciate any insight!! My problem seems very similar to this one: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/1812-my-prints-are-now-very-brittle/ . But the solution there has not helped me. I believe I have the V2 hotend, and they even now include the machines with a bracket that holds the bowden tube/white tightener down to prevent the bowden tube from popping out. Here is a summary of what I have tried, and it is long to help answer any questions you might have, and to provide as much info as possible.: - I have printed with 3 different types of filament, Ultimaker Yellow, and Ultimachine Red and White. It seems like no matter what I do, I still have an under-extrusion problem. I have attached picture 1 to show you an example of the prints I am getting (it is actually one of the better ones, but still breaks very easily). - I tried varying printing temperature at 210, 220, 230, and even 240 for each of the PLA, all printing at 40-50 mm/s. While 230 worked a bit better than I had been getting at 220 or so, it still had the same issues with under-extrusion that I have been having. Many times the first layer will work reasonably well, but will quickly get much worse after the first layer. - I checked the extrusion mechanism, and tightened the screw on the spring on the back. It seems to be working properly. The filament has the impressions from the mechanism, but is not smashed into an oval shape. I checked with my calilpers and it is all between 2.82 and 2.93 mm. The only time I notice any grinding is when a plug of some sort has formed in the hot end, and extrusion has slowed very much. The large extruder gear does not seem to be lined up perfectly with the small black gear, but I do not think it is missing any steps that would cause slippage or under extrusion. - I tried heating up to 245 and feeding as much filament as I could through the hot end to clear any plugs. However, after some extrusion a plug developed, and I had to disassemble the hot end. When I have had visible plugs (which is not all the time), they have not been forming in the bowden tube, but have been forming in the bottom of the peek. I can't tell if some of the plugs have been forming upon removing the filament from the bowden tube some of the time either. Is there a preferred method for removing filament to avoid causing any plugs? I have been preheating for PLA, extruding a little filament, and then pulling the filament out of the tube by hand. - Although I am disassembling, and assembling the hot end the same as I was with my previous ultimaker (which would fix plugs after I put it back together), perhaps there is an error in the way I am reassembling. Here is the process I have followed: First preheat the hot end, then remove the blue horseshoe clip and push the white tightener down and remove the bowden tube. As I said before, plugs seen to have been forming in the teflon tube rather than the bowden tube. Then I begin to unscrew the 4 long screws, and remove the fan assembly and let it dangle. Finally, I pull the hot end assembly down, and separate the aluminum block /peek/nozzle assembly from the teflon tube and remove any material I find in either piece. Picture 2 is of the disassembled hot end. - Is there an error in the way I have reassembled the hot end? I have not taken the nozzle itself apart. I have heard it is rare to have a plug in there, and I have heard it is easy to damage the nozzle. Typically, when I reassemble the hot end, I first put the nozzle/aluminum block/peek part and push it up into the teflon tube, and then push the bowden tube down through the white tightener into the teflon tube as a last step. I also tried pushing the bowden tube into the teflon tube before reassembling the 4 screws into the nozzle/aluminum block assembly, but I did not notice a difference. Pictures 3, 4, and 5 are of the assembled hot end. If anyone can offer any help, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance.