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JohnInOttawa

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Posts posted by JohnInOttawa

  1. Thank you @MariMakes!  Much appreciated.

     

    I am not encountering any issues with my current setup of Cura and firmware, but both are very old.  It's one of those situations where I don't want to fix something that isn't broken....  At the same time, there are print quality and speed improvements in newer versions of Cura that look very good, so I wanted to learn what I could before trying it out.

     

    It sounds safe for me to at least run a parallel installation of the latest Cura and give it a try on my UM3.  We'll see how it goes.

     

    All the best

    John

    • Like 2
  2. I bought a 'rescue' UM3 and rebuilt it a few years ago.  (with parts and advice from gr5 and erin at frbc8 - just a shout out).

     

    The rebuild brought the unit back to full operation, the thing I will say is that almost everything on this machine can be replaced. (even parts of the print cores, but that is a whole other creature)

     

    One thing I found useful was going to github and getting the full CAD drawings for the machine.  In my case, some wiring was off and covers missing, so re-establishing correct routing and getting the proper sense of how the print head went together was made much better with the github files. One thing github will also get you is the actual part numbers for things you might need to order. 

     

    https://github.com/Ultimaker/Ultimaker3

     

    Good luck!  Let us know how you make out!

    John

     

    • Like 1
  3. Hello everyone.  Happy 2023!

     

    This might be an old idea, but I haven't seen a related thread, so here goes:

     

    I've been following firmware issue discussions for a long time.  My UM3 seems to tolerate firmware updates better than the UM3X does.  As I try to keep the printers matched so I can swap a job between them (very few need the additional height), I ended up rolling both printers back to a very old version and have had no issues since.

     

    The challenge is that Cura is evolving and I wonder if I will soon encounter a time when Cura creates files my older firmware cannot correctly handle.  So I may have to try an upgrade and risk serious disruption - or not.   Many, I would wager most, users of these printers have seamless update experiences.  So what makes certain printers vulnerable and not others?

     

    I ran into a possibly parallel issue working on an industry machine control system bug, where a firmware upgrade introduced unexpected behaviour on 2 out of 60 installations.  100% of the cards were the same spec and these are certified devices, but we traced the issue to a production lot of processors that, for reasons we are still trying to find, had a latent issue that had not presented in firmware levels prior to the latest one.

     

    So I wondered about some of the hard to catch gremlins talked about here.  What is the possibility that certain Ultimaker main boards and/or component lots correlate with certain rare firmware side effects?  Given how well attended this forum is, is it possible at all to map firmware issues to machine or main board serial numbers?

     

    Maybe a silly Sunday night muse.  Thanks for your time and patience reading it...

     

    Cheers

    John

  4. 4 hours ago, redhatmatt said:

    Do I actually solder it in? "Tin" the end of the red wire first? Would like any direction you could provide.

    That's what I did.  I used a low temperature, fine tip soldering iron with a desoldering tool to make sure the receiver was clear, then tinned the new end, put the wire in the socket and soldered it home.

     

    The only catch is not to spend any more time than you absolutely have to heating up that receiver (square tube) in order to limit side effects.

     

    Hopefully this clarifies things a bit. good luck!

  5. Thank you!  I missed the fact that this could be done in an Arduino IDE.  I was reluctant to bother the author but you're right to suggest it. 

     

    Probably not the last question I'll ask as I stumble through this.  Thanks for getting me pointed in the right direction.

     

    John

  6. Ancient printer, maybe not something that is fixable anymore.  But if there IS a fix, I think it is here.

     

    I started out with this UMO second hand, already highly modified.  I made a change to add quiet drivers and, although mostly happy with them, I don't think the firmware load needed for them is playing nice with the non-standard Z screw and its stepper motor.  I'd like to be able to change the steps. 

     

    I use the excellent bUltimaker tool.  While this allows me to specify the GT2 pulleys (and so takes care of the steps for x and y), I don't see an option to tweak Z.

     

    Is there a way to alter the Z steps as needed?     I'm not afraid of programming as needed, of course depending on the platform.

     

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

    John

  7. I looked on thingiverse for that beard STL, no hits.  Maybe time for another exotic filament in the library 😉

     

    Sander you have been a force for good here, in every positive sense of that phrase.  May your next chapter bring success and happiness to you and yours.

     

    Mariska, welcome to your next chapter with this motly community (beards optional!)

     

    John

    • Like 1
  8. Although Breakaway is not really recommended with high temp filaments like Nylon/CF,  I've had very good luck with the raft printing.  Supports however, more mixed.   I was using it as the roof and floor material for supports and got good results with it as the floor, but very poor results when it is the roof. 

     

    It looks to me like the Breakaway roof is melting and fusing into the nylon/CF layer above.  Understandable as the CF is printing much hotter than the maximum Breakaway temp.  My theory is that the floor is OK because by the time the breakaway is laid down, the CF layer beneath has already cooled.

     

    So my dilemma is whether there is a suitable support alternative to breakaway for Nylon/CF.  I have never printed with HIPS but recently brought a roll in.  Would it work? 

     

    Pretty soon I think we will need a triple extruder Ultimaker.

     

    Thanks!

    John

    • Laugh 1
  9. Good morning everyone.  I've seen some posts on this error, including some that resemble what I am seeing, but I didn't see a resolution, so hoping to tap someone's memory here.

     

    I have a UM3 running old firmware (4.3.3), printing ASA using (mostly) ABS settings.  AA0.4 at 245C, print bed at 90C.  Print speed 50 mm/s. The first print got an ER17 about 10 minutes into the print, while still laying down brim, lights shut down, head stopped moving, control panel suggested print was ongoing.  No error posted until I cancelled the print.

     

    I lowered the temps a bit, tried it again, this time it stopped, same mode, part way through the first line of brim. 

     

    First time encountering this error.   I did have the printer wrapped to contain heat and also use a UPS (battery brick) as my power bar.  I don't know if I am causing my own overheat, if the board is failing, or if the UPS is somehow starving the machine.

     

    I had a PLA print of the exact same model go fine two days ago, so will try that again and see if it's linked to higher power.

     

    Thoughts? Thanks!

    John

  10. As there is ASA expertise on this thread, I'd appreciate advice - I have my first ASA print job coming up.  I've really only printed PLA and nylon (or nylon/cf) to date, using my UM3, so haven't really had to deal with fumes.

     

    In terms of bed adhesion, would an Ultimaker adhesion sheet or DimaFix work?  In terms of fume management and venting, how much of an issue should I be preparing for? 

     

    Recommended nozzle size?  Detail is not significant so I was aiming for AA 0.4.  I read 240 for the nozzle and 90 for the bed are good?

     

     

    Thanks in advance!

    John

  11. Good afternoon everyone.  

     

    My much loved UMO has been idle now for a year, everything is being handled by the UM3/3X.   I'm faced with either selling the unit as is or potentially upgrading it. 

     

    I purchased this second hand, it had an attempt at a heated table and the Z screw is not ultimaker OEM.  It prints fine, in some ways still more accurately and quickly than the UM3.  That said, I haven't had much luck finding an official heated bed mod for it and firmware mods are complicated by the Z screw.

     

    I (perhaps mistakenly) wonder if the quickest path is to update this to UMO+ if possible.   Is that practical?

     

    The other direction is simply to sell it at a discount to someone who knows what they are doing with Ultimakers, so they can apply mods themselves.

     

    Thoughts?  Thanks!

     

    John

  12. I dry mine at the same temps I use for PLA.  I haven't seen any issues.

     

    I also use breakaway as rafting material for nylon/CF.  I'd moved away from rafts, but in this case I find it greatly reduces warping and allows me to get a pretty decent finish on the underside when I don't want a shiny glass look.

    • Like 1
  13. Another successful UM2Go Heated Bed and Olsson upgrade.  Thanks for this great thread.

     

    I am eyeing the extruder upgrade next.  Two questions.

     

    The source for my 'upgrade' units will be my old UM3 extruders.  Of course there is a left and a right.   I understand that upgrading the extruder on the UM2Go normally involves a wire swap.  Can I avoid this if I use the second extruder from the UM3?

     

    Second question is on the stepper shaft length.  I don't have another stepper motor and would rather not cut the shaft, in case I botch this upgrade and have to reinstall the original extruder.  Is there a way to mount the UM3 components in the (excellent) Labern housing without cutting the original stepper shaft?

     

    Oh and a shout out to George @gr5.  The new heated bed kit version is great!  I put my imager on the bed glass after about 15 minutes.  The glass temperature was within a degree of what the printer was reporting for bed temp. 

     

    Thanks!

    John

  14. Thanks @geert_2.  Your response makes perfect sense to me.  My default is metal for the same reasons as you cite.  I just thought, maybe I am being old fashioned.  But given the consequences of a step giving way, I think maybe old fashion is best.

     

    I will look at rivet options.  The nuts and bolts would probably be strong enough, but I am trying to have one flush surface and would rather not have to thicken the metal for a countersink or counterbore. 

     

    Much appreciated!

    John

  15. Good morning everyone.   This morning I am working on some brackets to hold pre-fabricated aluminum stair treads.  The treads are pre-drilled to mount on brackets made from aluminum 'T' extrusions, wall thickess may be 1/8" or 3/16", but the brackets are welded to beams at an angle I can't use, so I have to make my own.

     

    I was about to hire a Tig welder to make up a set of brackets, likely out of 6061 angle, but the price is rapidly spiralling.  These brackets are small enough that I can fit two sides of the triangle on my printer. 

     

    So I wonder - with all of the claims about the strength of materials like NylonX, Nylforce, XStrand, etc, would it actually be safe to print these brackets?  And additional consideration is that these will be used in a wet environment, with the bottom brackets likely underwater for much of the time. (fresh water, not salt).

     

    Thoughts?  Thanks!

    John

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