Annoying things from UM2 coming from UM original

[spiruline 2]

Hello

I have two Ultimaker Original which I have used for 2 1/2 years and I have just got an Ultimaker 2.

I like the building quality of the UM2 but I find few firmware and hardware things annoying and time consuming.

- Why is not there a "preheat ABS/PLA" option in the menus?: It would be nice to be able to preheat platform and head to a preset temperature with one menu touch. I like to preheat the building platform and head while I slide my models, so by the time I put in the card the printer is ready to go. If you want to do that now, you have to go to ADVANCE SETTINGS, preheat the platform spinning a million times the menu knob and repeat the same for the head. And if you wait until you put in the card it takes a long time to heat the bed.

- A purge hardware button to prime the head, equivalent to manually turning the feeder wheel in UMO would be a nice addition. I know the firmware is supposed to do that before starting the print, but I find that many times it doesn't do it (or at least not enough), specially after aborting a print and tries to print without any material coming out. If you want to do it manually you have to go to advance settings, move material, and spin the dial for some time until material comes out.

Am I the only one noticing these inconveniences ?

[yzorg 9]

im in on this. i like.

[DidierKlein 729]

I like the ideas too

There's an alternate firmware for the ultimaker 2 family that you can find more information here

The firmwares can be downloaded here

Maybe @Tinkergnome could have a look at these two cool features that don't seem to be a ton of coding (or maybe i'm wrong).

[tinkergnome 926]

Maybe @Tinkergnome could have a look at these two cool features that don't seem to be a ton of coding (or maybe i'm wrong).

 

Phew... this duplicity is a bit frightening...

The doubled "end-of-print-retraction" (after pause and subsequent aborting) was a bug. It will be fixed with the next release of the stock firmware (AFAIK) - and is already fixed for the recent tinker version.

And it seems that i share some parts of the workflow with spiruline...

Actually - a preheat menu is already on my todo list for the next release. It will be accessable directly from the main menu - most probably along with "change-" and "move material".

I think - first i should take a look at the UMO firmware how the preheating of the nozzle is handled...

The main limitation is the lack of spare time...

I'm moving to a new appartment at the moment - the printer is already sleeping in his cardboard box - so it will take a few days... (or weeks...) But at least there's hope...

[neotko 1,417]

Maybe you could make some gcodes for it like the ones I use on my umo+ so the bed heats at 60 and light go on with auto0.g

[spiruline 2]

I am glad to see I am not alone with these details and that things are being taken care of.

I find it surprising that it wasn't done before, considering all the time the UM2 has been in the market and being present in the UMO.

I guess the idea was to simplify the process, but the results is it takes me much longer to start a print.

My trick now is to "tune" the bed temperature to about 70º and lower the speed before the start, so it begins earlier and then after the first layer increase the temperature and speed (I use ABS). That way at least I don't have to wait for ever for the bed and head to to heat up.

I´ll keep and eye on those updates and links

[spiruline 2]

...And it seems that i share some parts of the workflow with spiruline...

Actually - a preheat menu is already on my todo list for the next release. It will be accessable directly from the main menu - most probably along with "change-" and "move material".

I think - first i should take a look at the UMO firmware how the preheating of the nozzle is handled...

The main limitation is the lack of spare time...

I'm moving to a new appartment at the moment - the printer is already sleeping in his cardboard box - so it will take a few days... (or weeks...) But at least there's hope...

 

I have installed your latest firmware and it is a huge improvement over the stock. Good job, THANK YOU !!! I am much happier now with the interface and all the screen information. It always amazes me how you smart guys can code things much better in your spare time than the factory people. I understand they wanted to keep things simple, but c'mon, a more complete interface was needed, even if the expert option was hidden low in the advance menus.

I havne't tried to abort a print, but if the excessive retraction is fixed, I don't see a need to purge manually quickly. The standard purge before printing should be enough.

If i'd live closer I'll help you moving boxes to your new apartment, so you could program the preheat option sooner ! :-)

Seriously, I think the preheat option is the main important feature missing now. Who wants to be 10 minutes waiting in front of the printer to heat up after ordering it to print a piece?

Much better to preheat, go have breakfast, and then print right away.

Looking forward to the preheat option in the main menu window.