Erick407A

With that said, I ordered the Bondtech QR last night...ill see for myself.

I'm sorry, I still see plenty of issues with the "new" ultimate package. Is that another stamped sheet metal shroud for the fans ? :/ The obvious weak point for me is tied to the best upgrade they made. The extruded mounting plate is wonderful, but that weak looking plastic gear with grease gooped on it just looks like a cleaning mess ready to build up with particulates. If the extruder housing was openly accessible like iRoberti's, maybe I'd overlook the again, closed design. I'll wait it out for something better. Not worth $400 to me to have that 2+ sticker.

You were leaking around the nozzle, this Olsson block is somewhat finicky when it comes to tensions/torques. When I torqued the nozzle tip as instructed I got plenty of material leakage through he threads of the nozzle tip that eventually carbonized. I had to tighten it while heated up and problem was solved. Also, to clean that block, clamp it or hold it out while using a lighter ( you don't need extreme temps ) and it will slowly melt and ooze out all of that material in there. Careful not to hit the wires and try popping out the temp gauge and heater element while its still warm. Comes out buttery smooth ( usually ). To clean the tip of carbonization I grab a little propane torch and burn it all out then soak in acetone for a few hours. Comes out brand spanking new after a little wire brushing on the outside.

You're right, you do end up reducing the inner diameter of the tubing at its most distant points from the rear left where the feeder is. So far my tube is still new and fresh so any resistance is somewhat negated by the still slippery inner surface, I'm sure over time the feeder mechanism will have to work harder though. Eventually I'll be enclosing this case to try and help filter ABS fumes during prints, so part of that modification will be to move the feeder system to the top rear center of the machine to reduce some of that tube stretching and avoid kinking against the new top cover. Even without the enclosure I'd still most likely end up working at the relocation of the feeder.

Maybe a magnetic mount? I'm sure adding any kind of trinket to keep the glass in place would add significant cost. Maybe just a beveled platform that the glass drops into that holds it in place, no clips or accessories needed ?

- Dual extrusion as stated for support material - Higher temps on at least one hot end for increased variety of materials - Better feed method/mounting without having to remove motor for maintenance. - An improved platform. I'm ok with the glass and clips, but a more stable and wider platform would be nice. - As others have said, creating a case design that easily enclosed by the end user if they want. - More important for me would be wifi connectivity allowing access to basic maintenance functions and other commands like pause/abort with ability to wirelessly transfer files to internal HD or SD card. Nothing crazy

J20 is hot when its on. 24v DC. No GCode needed.

Ok, cracked open the cover and J14 & J15 are busy with the cooling fans and LED's..didn't remember this part when looking at schematics. So J20 is my current interest for voltage.

Has anyone successfully used either of these jacks for powering a fan ( J20 or J14 ) ? I'd like to cool the board and am printing a duct to aid in board cooling. I'd prefer to use J20 Fan 19-24V but the only reference I can find is "bad things happen" when you connect to this jack. Nothing specific though ? I know J14 and J15 are being used for laser diodes, I'd just like to run a simple fan, possibly only while the hot end is engaged. I have both a 12V and a 24V of the same dimensions available to use. This is what I'm attempting. Fan orientation: Fan duct: Thanks.

I'll try to be brief. One of my first attempts at improving the quality of my prints was trying to find a smoother method for the filament spool to be fed into my machine. I found tons of them and printed 3 or 4 versions that I liked the best but they just either seemed overly complex, too bulky, or had areas where the spool would get stuck from sliding laterally. So, I designed my own ( https://www.youmagine.com/...ller-for-55mm-spools ). The smooth roll of these bearings solved some stuttering/pocketing issues I had where the filament feeder would have to yank at the filament and during which the print nozzle would be starved for filament causing unfavorable prints. After replying to this thread: https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/17301-known-problems-and-what-is-being-done-about-themI got to work seeking the best upgrades I could find and preparing for prints I would like to ( and had been delaying ) get done to try and upgrade the reliability and print quality of my UM2. First up was getting rid of the original filament feeder housing. I had previously printed IRobertI's Alternative UM2 Feeder ( https://www.youmagine.com/designs/alternative-um2-feeder-version-two ) but had some issues with finding the correct length M3 screw for the spring, as well as successfully threading in a screw for the bearing, and it just didn't interest me to continue trying to make this work. I can tell by the likes that this feeder version is very well liked, I just didn't take to it. Then I found this gem by frank26080115 ( https://www.youmagine.com/...ent-feeder-mechanism ). His method of mounting the filament driver to a back plate that saves me from the frequent mounting/unmounting of the cover panel and motor is a life saver! In addition to the swing down arm for manual handling of the filament during trouble shooting is a very necessary feature, this alone has possibly saved me hours of time tinkering with the feeder. I also like how this design incorporates easy to find hardware from stores such as Ace Hardware or Home Depot rather than the more difficult M3 variety. Make sure to print the spring arm file separately with 100% infill. As described I've also switched over to the Olsson block by 3DSolex ( http://3dsolex.com/olsson-block ). This is a must have, almost nearly a necessity for anyone that does any kind of serious printing. The original heat block just isn't versatile enough for this machines capabilities. I have had some break in issues where somehow the head block became tarnished and was unable to extrude, but this little issue was minutes worth of worth when compared to the original setup. I simply left the heat on, removed the filament and used the stiff end of a q-tip to clean out the offending material in the heater block. After threading on the tip, no issues. I'm loving this machine again. Below you can see the very first print I began after having this machine down for repairs. Now that I have all of these tips, I need somewhere to store them! So on to youmagine I went to shop for the best mount for me and there it was, Primozz's Nozzle Holder ( https://www.youmagine.com/...dd-82fb-bca040a6f2e1 ). I don't like using double sided tape to mount anything to my box though, so I added a screw tab to his and posted up the remix also ( https://www.youmagine.com/...lder-with-screw-hole ). As you can see in the picture, I was printing up Looking4's Blizzard Fan Mount ( https://www.youmagine.com/...04-875f-dc0f15989b53 ) for my next upgrade. Unfortunately this fan, as many others listed on Thingiverse and Youmagine are too wide for the original limit switch placements and end up slamming in the left side wall and dragging down the side. If you're like me and very rarely use your fans, then I may have something for you. I want something easily accessible, that leaves the heater block and tip open, and allows for looking of the material at very low rpm's to reduce warping or delamination. I whipped these fan mounts up to see how well it will work compared to the others I've tried. The Olsson block is a must have, for any newbies that are recent owners of this machine, you might as well just order this block because you will be needing it. White you're at it, order up a new heater element and thermistor from Ultimaker because when it comes time to unmount your hot end for serious maintenance, you're going to end up breaking either or. Everything else has just improved the quality of my prints so much that this printer feels like a new machine. Between all of these prints you can see that each upgrade helps the other. In addition to these changes I also worked on the bowden tube by ordering some PTFE tubing from eBay. From what I understand Ultimaker sends their units out with PFA material for the bowden tube which has a higher resistance then all out Teflon tubing ie: PTFE. The exact dimension is 1/4 o/d & 5/32 i/d. Now that I had most of the bowden issues fixed I went ahead and printed out a few different methods, with this being the most successfull of them. Since this item will have significant stress from having the bowden tube pulling at it when its stretched to its fullest extent I went ahead and printed this out 100% infill for solid pieces. ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:783966 ) Some of this may be old news to the vets, but its just a collection of all of the reading, research, and experience with several printable mods I've dealt with that may help someone else from wasting time/printing material. You can see in one of the above pics that the bowden fix print is still on the plate with literally zero cleaning needed, I'm getting some of the cleanest prints I've ever gotten so far. Below is an example.

I regularly use rafts with ABS prints to have an easy to peel print without any damage to the bottom edge & avoid cleanup.

I purchased my Ultimaker almost exactly a year ago. I've had some stumbles, learned to deal with some of the feeder issues, perform regular maintenance such due to regular switching between ABS and PLA. Ownership of this machine has been great overall, aside from a small hiccup during a Cura update that caused temp probe issues, it's been more or less a positive experience with this machine. I'll add that I'm very happy that my pre purchase research didn't lead me towards a Makerbot, I could see myself having thrown it out the window with some of the issues a friend of mine has had with the print head. But I am a little let down as an overall customer & with this machine's manufacturer being quick to offer excuses. During my initial purchase I viewed the dual hot end progress as a huge positive factor, that is now dead in the water, and I'll go on a stretch to say that won't be seen until the next version UM3. The extruder is a mess to deal with, unmounting the extruder motor, vacuuming out any flaking, recalibrating the tension after disassembly. Some fixes have been developed by various users with some very clever designs. The hot end is HORRIBLE. This is the worst part of this machine and to add to it, every time I disassemble it, I'm replacing it the damn temp probe with an expensive unit that I of course purchase from Ultimaker because I tend to buy from the OEM source, this is not a cheap part. The fixed nozzle block is just the most ridiculous segment of the entire machine, it was amazing to me that Ultimaker had the courage to push out two new "versions" of the UM2 without correcting this very specific flaw. I did eventually purchase the Olsson Block which I have here awaiting parts from Ultimaker to complete installing. But the fact that they've relied on a 3rd party to upgrade their own machine just boggles my mind. I buy my filaments almost exclusively from Ultimaker, specifically the ABS, which usually ends up including another small part to have as backup for any emergencies. But I've seen the countless posts here on the forums where they're quick to respond about how many ( or how few ) people they have in their shipping department, it's no excuse to me. I've dealt with startups, most recently purchasing an X-Carve CNC from Inventables. The initial kit took a few weeks to arrive, but I can't help to use them as an example because of the availability of upgrades for a machine that has really only been out a few months. Upgraded spindles, spindle brackets, controllers, etc. This is the type of continued service support I expect from a manufacture of an item that costs $2000.00+ that uses many off the shelf parts and has been in business long enough to receive an overwhelming amount of feedback regarding their products weaknesses. The shipping delays are just one of those thing you come to deal with from UM. It's 5 days now on an order and I've received no shipping confirmation. OEM upgrades for the extruder, hot end, and even development of connectivity add ons such as wifi networking should be on a list of priorities for a product that already has a broad base. Rebranding the same unit with the same flaws is just irresponsible. Cold pulls, "adjustments", and basic maintenance to prevent flaws is helpful. What's more helpful though is parts & upgrade support for these machines. Keep me running & printing faster, longer, and with less downtime so I can keep buying more upgrades and filament from you guys rather than just replacement parts for the same continuous issues.