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neo-ninja

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Posts posted by neo-ninja

  1.  

    But I have having a similar issue with the z axis, its moving almost exactly at half speed. I have tried all the connections again and no success.

     

    First thing to check in this case:

    There's a connector at the center of the board that is labeled "8/16 step". Take sure that there's nothing connected. If you accidentally plugged in the 5V connector (orange/blue cable) there - it would explain the symptoms...

     

    Oh really nothing should be plugged into the middle of the board? I copied all plugs like for like from the old board and that wire was plugged in.

  2. The question is: what was previously installed on the new board?

    If in doubt, perform a factory reset with the correct firmware. Or have you already done that?

     

    The board should be brand new for a UM2.

    I have been playing around. I think maybe i hadnt pushed in the wire enough for the stepper as thats fine. But I have having a similar issue with the z axis, its moving almost exactly at half speed. I have tried all the connections again and no success.

  3. Hi Guys,

    After some thoughts.

    I just bought a new board (as the old one fried) everything is working great. APART from the feeder for filament. It is almost going at half speed, and i cant work out why.

    I made sure i installed the UM2 not the UM2+ firmware.

    The board all seems sound everything works apart from its slow. So it means when i eject filament it aprox does about half of it and when i put new filament in it takes ages.

    Motor itself is good.

  4. In reply of your initial email, are you planning on modifying your existing Ultimaker into a 3, or upgrading your range of printers with an Ultimaker 3?

    The first one could be quite a challenge (but doable. @UltiArjan has made a fancy modification to his 'calimero').

    We currently don't have an amount of hours set as a standard yet. This would follow from the experiences from our users using then. Obviously its function has been thoroughly tested, but there are too many variables in an average user's workflow we did not feel comfortable setting a number out there yet. Perhaps some users can shed some light on their experiences. @Korneel, @Ultiarjan, @dim3nsioneer?

    I can tell that it has been tested to last longer than a teflon coupler on the previous generations.

    It uses teflon, but it is installed differently. Therefor it is way less subjective to wear.

    What other parts wear, in a print core? This depends for example on the materials you use. The most obvious part which would show signs of wear, would be a nozzle when using an abrasive filament.

    And something which is not part of the print core, but the silicon pads underneath the print core, which are officially part of the printhead. They can degrade due to long exposure to heat, but are pretty cheap and easy to replace.

    so i have 8 UM3s right now, and run all of them 24/7. so far no real issues with that, I also started out years ago with UM2s, then Um2+ now UM3..

    as far as maintenance cost, it actually went down quite a bit, I've had print cores that have done 3500+ hours and are still going strong.. it's not an official Ultimaker statement, I know, but so far, I think i've replaced 2 or 3 print cores, 1 because it was simply done (at around 2800 hours i believe) and 2 because I had to do a carbon fiber print for a customer and i did not have the ruby nozzle yet..

    so for me, the upgrade from um2+ to um3 certainly made sense..

    OK wow this is what I am looking for. Thank you very much. You might well have just sold me on the upgrades!

  5. In reply of your initial email, are you planning on modifying your existing Ultimaker into a 3, or upgrading your range of printers with an Ultimaker 3?

    The first one could be quite a challenge (but doable. @UltiArjan has made a fancy modification to his 'calimero').

    We currently don't have an amount of hours set as a standard yet. This would follow from the experiences from our users using then. Obviously its function has been thoroughly tested, but there are too many variables in an average user's workflow we did not feel comfortable setting a number out there yet. Perhaps some users can shed some light on their experiences. @Korneel, @Ultiarjan, @dim3nsioneer?

    I can tell that it has been tested to last longer than a teflon coupler on the previous generations.

    It uses teflon, but it is installed differently. Therefor it is way less subjective to wear.

    What other parts wear, in a print core? This depends for example on the materials you use. The most obvious part which would show signs of wear, would be a nozzle when using an abrasive filament.

    And something which is not part of the print core, but the silicon pads underneath the print core, which are officially part of the printhead. They can degrade due to long exposure to heat, but are pretty cheap and easy to replace.

    When i say upgrade, i actually just mean sell my UM2s and buy UM3s.

    I find the Teflon currently lasts me 200-800MAX. before it needs a change, depending on the print, material etc..

    It sounds like from your messages with PLA filament that a print core should last a very long time. But is it more on average then 800 hours?

    My worry is I currently run LOTS of printers, I can buy new teflon for around £15. Changing it is very easy. For the UM3, a new print core is around £125 which means for the upgrade to be worth it I would expect it to last at least 4000 hours.

    What I am finding very frustrating actually is the complete lack of information on this site about the print cores. Is it because the machine is still so new that not many people have experience with them? In which case I feel like Ultimaker should be doing more to test and explain how long they on average last or at least give a rough idea. At the moment i actually find it quite misleading as its never mentioned anywhere...

    I have seen 3dsolex is selling upgrades that seem to have changeable teflon but it is a bit unclear how they work too.

  6. Hi,

    I'll move your thread to modifications and hacks, you may get more replies there.

    From what machine do you want to upgrade to an Ultimaker 3? The print cores have a pretty long lifespan. If you do not wear down the nozzle you should be able to use it for a very long time.

     

    I currently run UM2 and UM2+ i find the Teflon needs to be changed anytime between 200-500 hours. I have had them last longer but it can be as short as that.

    Does the print core not use teflon then? How long are people finding they last for?

    What other parts wear? Currently on my machines the teflon is really all i am changing, occasionally other bits have gone wrong but some of them have been running at close to 10k hours.

    There is almost no information i can find about it online.

  7. Hi Everyone,

    I am thinking of upgrading one of my machines to a UM3.

    Is there anything I should consider?

    Does it still use the same teflon etc? (I have quite a few spare) I cant find the answer to this anywhere. My worry is that my machines are running 24/7 365 days a year. Some of them are on 8k+ hours. I change the teflon between 200-1k hours. Teflon currently is around £15. But if on the UM3 i need to buy a hole new AA piece at £100 that makes it very pricey.

  8.  

     

    Stepper controller is the chip of the board that controls the data sent to the motor. You can’t change it on um2 board because is soldered to it, other printers use removable stepper chips that can be removed/upgraded.

    The motors, check the sticker behind yours, you have a long list of letter with the definition. They are easy to find on any pololu reseller, or at a um reseller/distributor.

    If you buy the motor elsewhere (cheaper) you will need to twist the pairs (red/blue - black-green) and crimp the cable on the proper socket, or cut one you have and resolder the cables.

    A fast google:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21674-what-stepper-motor-does-ultimaker-2-use#reply-150479

    Model SY42STH38-1684A

    https://www.pololu.com/file/download/SY42STH38-1684A.pdf?file_id=0J714

     

    Crimping or soldering isnt an issue at all for me.

    Thank you for the link. All the google searches I did, didn't actually come up with any retailers, and lots of confusing messages about them being different sizes and will they fit.

    I cant find a reseller in the UK that actually sell them. Most seem to be US based and postage etc.. i very expensive. If i search for that model, I cant seem to find anyone selling them, i get alot of NEMA 17 motors? Any idea?

     

    I bought the exact model on a reseller here in spain. In uk zappautomation doesn’t seem to have the one with the same length.

    I would try ebay for respetable sellers. Found one that the sticker matches the one of um and its pololu brand

    https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pololu-Stepper-Motor-NEMA-17-Bipolar-200-Steps-Rev-42-38mm-2-8V-1-7-A-Phase-/272330221721?_mwBanner=1

    Umm out of stock..

    Maybe other things on ebay has it

     

    I will have a look around on ebay. Thank you for your help so far

  9. Stepper controller is the chip of the board that controls the data sent to the motor. You can’t change it on um2 board because is soldered to it, other printers use removable stepper chips that can be removed/upgraded.

    The motors, check the sticker behind yours, you have a long list of letter with the definition. They are easy to find on any pololu reseller, or at a um reseller/distributor.

    If you buy the motor elsewhere (cheaper) you will need to twist the pairs (red/blue - black-green) and crimp the cable on the proper socket, or cut one you have and resolder the cables.

    A fast google:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21674-what-stepper-motor-does-ultimaker-2-use#reply-150479

    Model SY42STH38-1684A

    https://www.pololu.com/file/download/SY42STH38-1684A.pdf?file_id=0J714

     

    Crimping or soldering isnt an issue at all for me.

    Thank you for the link. All the google searches I did, didn't actually come up with any retailers, and lots of confusing messages about them being different sizes and will they fit.

    I cant find a reseller in the UK that actually sell them. Most seem to be US based and postage etc.. i very expensive. If i search for that model, I cant seem to find anyone selling them, i get alot of NEMA 17 motors? Any idea?

  10. I would check

    Endstop, like @stu_le_brew suggested. Move the head manually and check they do ‘click’. Maybe the metal of the endstop it’s bend and with care that’s easy to fix.

    The central smooth rods, the Left to right one, does it scratch the panels inside? You should be able to push/pull it if that’s so.

    When was the last time you did an oil/shafts maintenance?

    https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/150-lubricating-the-axles

    Also make photos of the inside, the endstops are located  near the bottom left corne. Also with the machine off, move the head and try to locate where the friction is coming from.

    Both switches look fine, in one of the videos i am testing the x switch to show you what happens. But i have swapped the switches on the board to see if it swaps the issue to the other axis and there is still a problem.

  11. Hi Guys,

    I am really struggling to find the correct replacement motor to buy, on these forums no one has really answered the question very clearly.

    What is the motor called for a standard UM2 X or Y. And in the UK where is the best place to get one?

    Also can someone please explain to me what a stepper controller is? As i have read a few people saying to try changing that before changing a broken motor etc..

    Thank you in advance.

  12. Hi Everyone,

    My second printer has now packed in. When I go to print something something very strange is happening with the print head. It moves ok in the x axis but not the y axis.

    All pulleys are tight.

    I have swapped the x and y motor on the board and both motors are fine.

    I have swapped the switches on the board and both work fine.

    When off the head moves very freely around.

    I am really stumped as to what is causing the issue.

    Here is two videos that give you an idea of what is happening. Its almost like the y axis motor is jumping back and forward erratically.

    Please help as I now have two machines out of service.

     

     

  13. It moves freely in the Y axis when off and manually pushing. Shafts are oiled with Sowing machine oil. When you say ball bearings in the print head what do you mean?

    By ball bearings I mean the two linear bearings in the print head that the two shafts go through.  Unlike the bronze bushings on the X and Y axles, these bearings have recirculating balls in them, hence my use of the term "ball bearings", sorry for the confusion.

    I just wanted to make sure that these weren't sticking, and it sounds like you have checked that.

    Hi Guys,

    SO i got the new belts installed, and the problem persisted. But it also made some crazy clicking sound. Now i am pretty sure it has fried the board. I have swapped the x and y motor on the board and both motors work, but the board doesnt seem to be working on the y axis.

    Where is the best place to buy a new board?

  14. So aside from the possible replacement of the belts and the mainboard that have been already suggested, have you checked an obvious thing like making sure the print head moves in the Y-direction freely?

    Maybe the shafts with the bronze bushings are dry and/or dirty--it sort of looks like that from one of your pictures.  How about the linear ball bearings in the print head--do they move freely?

    So I was more just wanting to confirm what was happening to see if that offered another explanation before i bought a new board etc..

    It just seems strange that the belts are moving along and im not sure if thats because they are old or if there is another option.

    It moves freely in the Y axis when off and manually pushing. Shafts are oiled with Sowing machine oil. When you say ball bearings in the print head what do you mean?

  15. Hi Guys,

    So i moved the motor down that has stopped the belt doing the wierd thing, but i have stood there watching while printing and what happens is the belts move to the right and then try to slip off the cogs. But as its not possible it sort of clicks and goes back. I have moved the belts to the left and the keep pulling to the right...

    a121.thumb.jpg.19f02a3ef25ef97e414e4f29cab936c7.jpg

    a12.thumb.jpg.5ded1d27345b368c3d8271e4f43aa814.jpg

    Any ideas

  16. With 8000h use maybe it’s time to check the tooths of the belts. I got one damaged not so long ago.

    Maybe someone else has other ideas of stuff to check?

    So I have really tried to a few different things today. What i did notice is when the print is moving in the Y axis the belt almost seems to bunch up, it also seems to shift from the left to the right of the top cog.

    What i think might be happening is that is the belt is running to the very edge of the top cog and sort of getting caught trying to slip off. I have untighted the tough to get to screw and retighted it but it still seems to be doing that -  if i move the belt all the way to the left it moves to the right still.

    I recorded a little video where you can sort of see the belt bunching up

  17. Then check the belt tension. Maybe they are too loose. To fix the tension unscrew the pulleys and in theory they will retight with the spring inside the slideblocks. Also, check if there’s no oil on the belt/pulley contact with belts, just in case that’s making them slip.

    Done belt tension and they all seem fine. No oil or grease as far as i can see.

  18. Hi All,

    On one of my UM2 machines my prints are slipping in the Y axis. But what is strange is its completely random, sometimes it works fine on the same print and other times it fails. I could do with some advice. The machines are used for prototype work and are almost constantly going and have been going probably around 8k hours.

    I have tried:

    tightening all the belt nuts.

    Reducing the current to the X/Y motor

    Making sure the glass is held in place

    Making sure the printer head cables are not catching.

    Any other ideas? What else could it be?

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