Crystalvalen

Thanks for the update! Can we expect a blog post/forum post/etc. with a complete changelog for the 5.4.27 firmware update? I can't seem to find full documentation yet and was hoping to see if there was anything in it that might have fixed or adjusted the flow sensor errors people seem to have been getting on the last few firmware images for the S5.

Ah, good catch! I had taken those off to put in a new tube (was hoping it would help with a separate issue, but alas it did not) and forgot to clamp them back on when I was done. I’ll make sure I double check stuff like that before I take a picture the next time lest I confuse anyone, haha!

As someone who works with both UM3's and UMS5's (but who hasn't gotten their hands on an S3 yet), I have a few thoughts. As someone who does not work for Ultimaker and thus cannot know when or if such a kit would be made available, take them all with a grain of salt. The main improvements that I think you would be able to see from an S-line upgrade kit to the UM3 are all a result of the improved feeder assembly: the lever on the S-line models is a vast improvement over the thumb button on the UM3 in terms of user experience, the hardened version of the knurled knob in the S-line allows users to print with coarser materials (in conjunction with the CC0.6 ruby tip Print Head), and it has a cleaner aesthetic overall (although notably, this is less important). There were some talks a year or so back about developing a flow sensor for the UM3 like the one on the S-line, but so far, I don't think anything official has come of it. Perhaps a third-party option exists, but it would involve a lot of manual tinkering with wires and programming. I know third-party kits for doors/other enclosures also exist. Other upgrades (e.g. the touch screen or the better air flow in the housing) would be very difficult to implement in an upgrade kit and would probably not add enough of an improvement to the user experience to be worth the cost or effort, much like DidierKlein said. I also agree that we will not likely see an official upgrade kit, but if you are interested in some of the changes I mentioned with the feeder assembly, it shouldn't be too tough to find those parts and make the adjustments on your own.

@Smithy, your reply is correct and I think fairly comprehensive in regards to the Support Blocker function in Cura, but I think the OP speaks to a real problem: for something this simple and straightforward, there should never be any reason for a user to have to resort to forums to figure it out. In my experience, Ultimaker documentation has been decent, but there is always room for improvement. If there are ways we can make the user experience of the Cura software better or more intuitive—especially for tools that are front and center and will likely be explored by any curious user—we should definitely strive for that. Settings hidden in the preferences pane need it a little less so, but there is nothing which could not be benefitted by adequate documentation; things that are obvious to experienced 3D printers are not always so for the beginner.

From the video, I don't actually think the first part of the level (with the Print Core in slot 2) is successful. It appears to be fairly far still from the print bed. In the active leveling process, the printer first measures and makes sure that the height difference between the nozzles is correct and then measures each part of the bed against itself to level it. To do this, the bed is raised until it touches the nozzle and it sets off a capacitative sensor inside the print head assembly. If the bed is too far away and doesn't touch the nozzle or trigger the sensor, the active leveling can not be completed. The first thing I would try is a manual level of the build plate (under the gear panel on the left of the screen > Maintenance > Print Bed > Manual Level). If you still have the calibration card from the box, the process should be fairly straightforward; the printer will walk you through each step on screen. If the active leveling issue still persists after that, the issue may well be something else. Let us know what happens!

It's tough to say for sure, but I can see a few things here that might contribute: It appears that one of the magnets on the cover with the front fan is missing (see toward the bottom of the photo). I don't remember the exact dimensions of the magnet, but your reseller (3dgbire) should be able to source some for you. The plastic parts on the main print head assembly look a little worn (likely from all of the times the front panel has fallen open). It is possible that they are worn in such a way or that the metal pieces they attach to are bent in such a way that they no longer securely attach. I have seen a few other threads with reports of this happening (mostly on the UM3 and UM3E), and I have seen one person at least suggest making this 3D printed clip to hold the parts together. I would mention that though it will not be a huge amount, adding this piece to your assembly will add a little bit of weight to your print head and you may see a need to adjust some speed or flow settings in your slicing software to compensate for it. Another thing to mention that is not 100% relevant to the question you asked, but may be helpful later on is concerning that red wire you see disconnected in your photo. That wire is supposed to go into the contact spring labeled "sensor" like the white one next to it goes into the one labeled "shield." Without those wires connected, the UM3 will not be able to perform an active bed level and you will always have to level the build plate manually. I was running into this issue for a while and just fixed things up last week, so I wanted to keep you ahead of the curve on that.

Interesting indeed. Even if there is a higher charge, 3mm seems like an awfully far distance for the sensor to trigger. I'm afraid I haven't encountered that particular issue you are describing before (nor do I use 3D Lac), so I don't know anything for sure. I imagine nothing has changed recently in your working area which has its own electric field that may interfere? If I do hear anything, I will be sure to let you know. In the meantime, if you find that wiping down the plate works or you come across any other solution, please do give us an update! I am sure it would be helpful to others reading in the future.

NBull said just about everything that needed to be said above. I would also recommend looking into low-friction holders to help heavier spools fight against other feeding issues that could lead to grinding. Ours was 3D printed and assembled well before I started working here, but I am sure there are similar setups available for purchase online. Here is a picture of our setup (using only Print Head 1 on a UM3):

I just did a bit of work this past week to fix a UM3 that was having similar issues. My first recommendation is almost always to start with a manual bed leveling, but it sounds like you've done that already. Kudos to you! In any of your tests, does the plate press the nozzles into the print head at all (as opposed to just lightly touching them)? If so, it may be a faulty connection with the sensor wires in the print head. There are two wires behind the print cores (red and white) which connect to a capacitative sensor board via contact springs to sense when the nozzle touches the plate. Especially on older or more frequently used machines, these wires can be knocked loose and may have to be reinserted. Here is a photo of the wires as they looked when they were disconnected on our printer:

My first inclination without seeing any other information about your setup is to say that the bed is starting a bit too far away from the nozzles for the printer to compensate for the gap, hence the message that it "exceeds realistic values." The first thing I would try is to manually level the build plate once to at least get things in the right range (The gear tab on the left of the screen > Maintenance > Build Plate > Manual Leveling). If you have the calibration card that came with the printer, this should be pretty straightforward; the printer will walk you through the steps on screen.