JohnInOttawa

Just a suggestion on the water. Make the investment in distilled or de-ionized water. Depending where you live, there can be high enough mineral content (and other additives) in the tap water that you'll give yourself issues later. J

Just so I have this correct, when you swap your Printcore from position 1 to position 2, you are able to print PLA fine in position 2? If this is correct, then I would look upstream of the printcore. Bowden tube obstruction or disconituity (maybe not fully seated at one end), or a feeder that is worn or needs cleaning/tensioning. J

I just went through a similar process with a UM3. I removed every panel, the print head, the dial, all of it. Even had to remove, clean and re route the wiring back to original pathways. Light soap and water mix on a paper towel for the side panels first, but 70% alcohol on anything near electronics. Wet the cloth/towel first... I would stay away from acetone or anything stronger than alcohol. There is one remaining spot that I think I need something stronger on. The mark is cosmetic and I decided not to risk melting the plastic, so the mark is staying. Otherwise, the unit is in brand new condition.

While this may early, perhaps it is early enough to implement. Having just completely stripped, cleaned and reassembled a UM3X, I realise that, with parts, this printer can be renewed to essentially brand new condition indefinitely. The challenge OEMs face on legacy items is often how to produce parts cost effectively going forward. OEM's processes are often geared to large production runs and the lines don't pay below a certain volume, so get repurposed to putput the current products. A lesson I learned from my (now retired) job was that parts that became impractical for OEMs to produce represented opportunities for aftermarket producers under licence. I'm not talking about the knockoff market here, but authentic parts to original spec using qualified materials. Anyone who has seen a 1940s vintage aircraft flying around is watching that supply chain in action. I would argue that the timing is right for Ultimaker to seek aftermarket partners who can produce authentic parts under licence. Not just for the UM3, but possibly for the UM2Go (and even the heated bed upgrade for the UMO since we are on this subject). Personally, I would far rather trust my sustainability to a licenced aftermarket producer than AliExpress. So what, exactly, goes away with parts support ends for the UM3/3x? The motherboard, printhead, print bed/support plate and possibly print blocks seem like opportunties. I'm not sure about steppers or Z screws. I guess in time there would have to be a firmware branch maintained. Feeders already have aftermarket upgrades. Print Cores continue to be produced for the S3/S5 line. Perhaps a crazy notion - but the UM3 is a backbone not easily replaced. Taken another way, a perfect gateway to the S5, so perhaps in everyone's interest to keep this machine alive as long as possible. Thanks for your consideration John

Toxic blame has never fixed a single issue. Not with printers, cars, or anything else. Is the software perfect? No. Is it frustrating at times? Yes. When was the last time I did something perfect, myself? Hmmm. Let's maybe cut each other a bit more slack and let the water flow off our collective backs a little. For those who celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend (as we do in Canada), then I hope there is something that inspires thanks in your life. I'm lucky to have a long list and for the record, this community that has helped me get prints right, recover bricked printers, source components and actually was the listing source for both of my UM3s, is on the 'thanks' list too. All the best John

Good afternoon! I have an Ultimaker 3 with 2 3DSolex hardcores (plus a third that has just come in). I have used them extensively for non-standard nozzle sizes and also for abrasive fliaments (gemstone tipped, with a BondTech feeder). I bought 2 Hardcores to limit the number of times I need to change nozzles, as this is a particularly vulnerable activity, risking the heat break. I am very happy I did this as there have been a few prints where I had abrasive material in both print cores. Autolevelling does work but with care. No foreign material on the nozzle, at all. I'm very happy with this product. Cheers John

That's the one. Sounds simple enough in that case. Thanks! Cheers John

One more obscure question. The 'new to me' UM3X and its NFC cover parted ways at some point. I know I can buy one, but what fun would that be for a maker? I have the STEP file from Github and Fusion allows me to flatten this in sheet metal mode, so I can cut a new one on the waterjet. My question today is, what material is this? The github reference is greek to me. I am thinking likely powder coated steel. Anyone with specifics? Thanks. John

I've read a few articles about this, but I haven't found anything definitive yet, so thought I would ask here. I'm setting up this new (to me, but well used) UM3X. I have a UM3 and am used to the blue (teal?) ring colour around it. I do see green during software updates and my recent un-bricking trip when the load worked, but otherwise, it's more blue than green. I have the UM3X cleaned up and powered it up for the first time last evening. the ring is a bright green, the same colour as I had from the UM3 at software update. I am not seeing the same teal colour during the same phases as I am on the UM3. I would like to know if there is a guide or legend anywhere to help me understand the UM3 'mood ring' better. Thanks!

Sure! Not entirely sure I'll get this right, but here's the link.

That's encouraging! Thank you. So I'll look a bit closer at the condition of things with the motto, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I understand the print cores are not designed for nozzle replacement. I'm not entirely sure yet how I'll inspect for abrasion. At this stage, I probably need to concentrate on effective cleaning. What I think I'll do at this stage is remove all covers, (now that I know how to, thanks to the bricking recovery on my UM3), clean out everything I can, then fire up the machine and start to warm up cores and clean them. That in itself will be a significant exercise. Once I know the printer is stable, then I'll invest in some belts and feeders. Love this forum! Thanks again. John

I've just picked up a previously owned UM3X to complement my UM3. The UM3X is significantly older than my UM3 and much higher time (white reel holder, but black slider blocks). I knew this printer had a storied past and am fine putting the needed work into it. The previous owner was very up front with everything, for which I am grateful. The print head looks pretty old (faded with a blue/grey tinge) and the feeders look to be very high time. I had intended to change out the feeders to Bondtech in any event as I print with abrasive filament. I don't know how one assesses the health of the print head though. Is that a part worth changing proactively? I'm pretty sure I'll be into a new set of belts before long. I don't know about the rods - do these wear out or sag irreparably over time? (of course, this relates to the print head - if I need to change these parts in short succession, I'd do them all up front) There are a number of print cores, most UM, one Hardcore. The printer was used to print some nylon/CF but I don't know which print cores were used for that. How should I asses the print core nozzles for excessive wear? If wear is detected, is the print core dead or is there a way to refurbish/replace the nozzle? Are there other things I should be on the lookout for? Thinking outside the box, given the investment I am about to make on new parts for this printer, are there other upgrades I should be looking to do? Thanks for your advice as always! John

Thank you! I get the feeling the info directory is a place I should spend more time. Much appreciated. Cheers John

This thread is helpful to me, I've just inherited a hardcore throwing a problem. I'd like to be able to measure and plot the temperatures and signals as you experts on this thread have. How does one do that? I do have a scope, but is this a matter of reading results from the motherboard, the core itself, or ? Thanks John

It was a good learning experience, once I found the thread. Had a moment of looking for a micro SD card, but then, pretty much worked as advertised. I may go ahead and look for the patch cable that the other thread mentions, just in case I am not so luck next time.

Found the excellent thread on how to recover a bricked UM3. Back in business. Unsure what tripped this thing up, I hadn't touched anything in a while, but better now. Great forum, this! John

+1, back in business after following this thread. Merci!! John

Good afternoon everyone. I am pretty sure I read something about this here, but at the moment cannot for the life of me find it. Today for the first time, I switched on my printer, the startup appears normal until I get to the 'Ultimaker' displaying on the screen, and then nothing further. It has been quite a while with no changes. I have not intentionally asked for a firmware update, so am at a loss. Suggestions welcome. John

That is a first for me as well. Just as a hypothesis - I can see a couple of scenarios here that might have the potential to trigger an unexpected print. I have two different computers (laptop and desktop) that I use Cura on, both on the same network as my UM3's. I have accidentally suspended operations on the laptop by closing the lid too early, only to have them resume when it opened. If there was an upload suspended at an opportune time, maybe it would resume? I have also had uploads that hung up during a session on the desktop, only to try and complete the next time I restarted Cura. Maybe either case, or a combination of events, might trigger an upload to Cura of what looks like an old job, when it's a fresh upload of an old Cura session instead. I know it is far fetched, but I prefer that version to the thought that my printer has become self-aware. That reminds me, I should unplug those things.... J

Ha! That made my day 😉 Cheers J

I would love to hear the rumour about a drop in core, bowden and feeder mod to handle continuous fibre. The print core concept can do so much more. John

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try the tag search. John

I was looking for a thread on a UMO from some time back and realised, this topic covers all types, so is starting to look a lot like my sock drawer ;-). The family is now large, with variants of the UMO/UMO+, UM2/UM2+, UM2Go, UM3, S5 and now S3. Some subjects pertain to all types, while others (like material or air manage or print core issues) would not. Would it make sense to subdivide in some way? John

Thanks! I did consider coating but have experience with coatings flaking off as they degrade. The molding route would work, but I'm not set up to do that. My fall back option will be to extend the cloth far enough that no part of the lid can shed into the jar's interior. I'll just have to back off the threads enough to make room for the cloth. Thanks again! John

I'm considering 3d printing some lids for jars. The lids don't have to be airtight or watertight, will really just hold cloth in suspension to keep dust out of a solution that needs air but not dust exposure for a period of time. My issue is with the 3dprinted part itself. I have seen some filaments deteriorate over time and leave dust. I'd like the lid to shed as little dust as possible. I'l thinking something like T-Glase might work, but honestly, that's just a guess. What's the best option here? Thanks in advance! John