shurik

That's a good idea but I do not have one at my disposal, unlike the previously mentioned PC. But will check it, too, to be aware of. Thanks!

Right! How didn't I think about that? Of course! I have a spool of it - OrbitTech PC. Thanks a lot for reminding me of that option.

Hi mates, I was asked to print a couple of details that will hold medical device components and battery which can get hot. What's important to me is that its strong, heat resistant, accurate to print... and hopefully the exterior will be a nice texture too. So I have Formfutura TitanX, OrbiTech SmarABS and Taulman Bridge Nylon. The later is really tricky to get printed decently. Which one would you suggest for the best results?

Ditto. Some models have rather complex internal geometry including small screwholes etc., making the post-processing really difficult. And yes, normally I do want my smaller prints stick to the glass, so increasing the distance to the nozzle isn't really an option.

Reducing just one layer by the tiny 0.1 or 0.2mm perimeter size should not really affect the roundings, IMHO. Or, it will even make them more smooth due to the proper size of that first layer. But, as @ahoeben says, that should probably be done in Cura proper. Would someone in UM listen?

That would be lovely! Is the plugin available?

Hi, Not sure if the issue was discussed previously, so here are my 5c suggestion/question. When we print on the glass, the first layer is naturally squashed against the glass and it stands out a bit on the finished parts, giving them sharp edges and also effectively closing small holes and other openings on the first layer. Is it possible to develop a plugin/feature that will negate this effect by reducing the perimeter of the 1st layer by about 0.1mm, like here: I do that sometimes for simple geometry for the outer perimeter, but for more complex forms we would need something more sophisticated. It that something feasible?

At the end, I found some screws long enough to fasten the board with nuts. My printer works again. Thanks for everyone who tried to help, I do appreciate that.

The description says: So I need to find a way to fasten these "soldered spacers".

So I gave the printer to our local dealer who also has a good lab. In addition to the board, they also replaced the display's board, the flat cable and for whatever reason, the fans. Now my printer works!!! They also confirmed that the old board is dead, indeed. Once probably last question - the new board came without the metal holders into which we should screw the four holding screws, like this one, on the old board: How do I attach those? They seem to be firmly attached to the old board.

Yes... I tried to unplug some other things, all with the same result. Yes, that way the firmware update worked. At least, from Cura's point of the view. It didn't help my poor printer, though...

No more that weak noise and clicks. The yellow light still blinks. Otherwise, all the same. :-(

Well, I checked the voltage of PSU and it is correct - 24V. BTW, the clicks are coming from Z-motor. I can feel pings when holding the printing plate. It looks like the Z-motor tries to run but fails. The printer lays on its side but it never was a problem for it in the good old days. P.S. Just measured the voltage on the new board. Just as good as on the old one.

Update. In incredible 11 days the replacement board from here arrived and was installed today. The printer is dead yet!!! :angry: There are some behavior changes, however: When powered, there are periodic sounds and kinda weak clicks, like something tries to get properly up but just can't. I cannot determine for sure where the sounds come from but it looks like they originate from Z-motor or its area. The display stays dead. While the sounds are happening, there is yellow blinking light just next to the normal green one on the board. When connected via USB, the computer (Win10) initially started the "New device" installation and duly rings when the printer is being connected/disconnected or powered on/off. Cura 2.4 cannot see the printer but performed firmware update that changed nothing in printer's behavior. Cura 15.4 agrees to start the firmware installation but almost immediately fails with error message: Here is a short video: Besides some noise from me holding the phone and the board, you can hear the weak background zummering and the yellow blinking begins. So, there is some progress, so to call it. Any ideas, please?

@SyntaxTerror - your help is invaluable! I will try to find around someone with the needed equipment and experience, although no idea at the moment where to start. Meanwhile, how can I check that the microcontroller gets all the due power supply it needs? Just to be sure it should work, at least.

So it looks that the board itself has all the power it needs and the prime suspect is the microcontroller whose firmware probably got corrupted. Is that correct assumption at this point? If so, how that firmware can be checked/restored? I have absolutely no tools to interface it to anything except the USB and PC.

Indeed, there is 5V between TP24 and each of them - TP22 and TP45. So why the display is dead and the system itself is dead? Weird...

How can I check if the display receives power? There should be a reason why it is dead. I tend to agree that the fans are probably a separate issue.

TP17: 3.27V. Cura or the computer do not see the printer being connected with USB.

Report: This is how the board looks like when powered: Could that be that I just did not plug the power properly when the board was dismounted the last time? I was too depressed and tired then. Maybe... Voltage between TP24 (GND) and: TP16 = 4.9V TP77 = 24V TP78 = 24V In short, the readings are normal. The display is dead, and so the back cooling fan. What else to check? P.S. No matter how it turns out, your help, all of you, is absolutely amazing. It is that help and cooperation spirit that won the UM for me over other alternatives back 3+ years ago, and I did not regret the choice ever since. Thank you!

No, of course not. I will check it with the multimeter according to your scheme. The correct connection of the fans is a bit confusing. On the photo of the board the yellow and green wires leading to the fans cannot be seen on the upper right corner because of the thick black cable. How they should be properly connected?

Well, as I said, the printer was always giving me some electric current since I got it, so something was clearly not 100% right with it from the very beginning. But it worked. And now it's not. So, if the main board is cooked, as it most probably seems to be, I need a new one. Would this one fit?

I really appreciate your help! @Daid - glad to see you, even on this forum. The board is the original one, as it came to me at the February, 2014. Can you please point me to this thing? I have a multimeter device, so if someone could tell me what to check (and even better - what values to expect), I probably could do some board inspection. On the more practical side - would newer boards fit my dinosaur? And where can I find ones? Many thanks, Alexander

Well, here is the board. I do not see anything special, but I do not understand much in electricity anyways. @SyntaxTerror - this 3+ years old machine always, from the day 1 gave a small but tangible electricity shock when it was touched by anyone. So maybe, it wasn't that 100% good from the beginning. Dunno. I have a multimeter device, but what should be checked? Or, maybe, there is a fuse that needs to be replaced?

Yup. Yup. The blue light goes on on the Power Supply, but the printer stays cold dead. @onkelgeorg - the link is invalid, but you have a good idea - will look on the ifixit site later on. I want it to be the case. The whole board is just so expensive. Will disassemble it later in the evening to inspect it visually. Thanks guys for your help!