Feeder solution for UM2 for filaments 1,75mm

[paul9 20]

If you have a UM2 then lets go with the tinkergnome solution then.  This is really not hard. I feel like I'm explaining how to shift from first gear to second in a car.

It would help if your profile said what printer you had because if you have a UMO then I just wasted 5 minutes!

First go here and choose the version of firmware that matches your machine.  Do not choose "UM2plus" as the feeder will rotate the wrong direction.  Unless that's what you have (the geared extruder).  Choose the firmware that EXACTLY matches your: printer dimesnsions, board (UMO has ramps board, UMO+ has different circuit board), heated bed, temp sensors.

Connect printer to computer.

In cura 14.X or 15.X go to "Machine" menu "Install Custom firmware...".  Tell cura where you donwloaded the tinkermarlin firmware.  You can always go back to your standard firmware using cura if something goes wrong.

It takes 1 or 2 minutes to install.  If the lights don't blink and a loud "thunk" noise in the first 3 seconds of "install firmware" then something is wrong - try a different USB cable or a different computer.

After you have tinkerMarlin running go to "MOVE" menu. Spin the knob backwards so you can see the filament leaving the machine.  You may have to heat the nozzle - that's in the same MOVE menu.  At some point maybe make a mark with pen on the bowden where the filament is.  Then rotate the knob and move foreward exactly 100mm on the display.  Then measure with caliper how far filament moved.

The steps/mm is burried in the "motion control" menu.  go to advanced I think, just keep looking around for "motion control" and there is an option for steps/mm.  Inside there you can change the steps/mm for any of the steppers.  If you don't hit SAVE you will lose the setting the next time you power cycle the ultimaker.

 

Thanks for the answer.

You have not wasted a single minute.

I have a UM2 and I mounted the extruder from 1,75mm of 3Dsolex.

Ok but can you be more precise in how to set esteps and how to understand what you have to move the filament?

[gr5 2,172]

I was precise. find the MOVE menu. It's on the main screen. Play with it. Tell me what happens.

[paul9 20]

I was precise.  find the MOVE menu.  It's on the main screen.  Play with it.  Tell me what happens.

 

Today I installed the firmware tinker gnome on my Ultimaker 2

specifically the version 16.08.2 on CURA vers. 15.04.6

[gr5 2,172]

And select "MOVE'. It's right there in your photo. And move the filament an exact amount like 10mm or 100mm. Then measure the actual movement.

[paul9 20]

And select "MOVE'.  It's right there in your photo.  And move the filament an exact amount like 10mm or 100mm.  Then measure the actual movement.

 

Before moving the material I have marked with a pen.

Then I told him to move up to 100mm and has moved 100 millimeters then it would seem that the material moves to the correct size.

[gr5 2,172]

It sounds like you are done then. You want an accuracy better than about 2%. So if you ask for 100mm and it moves 101mm then that's close enough. neotko would disagree with me but I've overextruded and underextruded by 5% and you can't really see any difference. I start noticing it around 30%.

[paul9 20]

Today I tried to do other tests.

Maintaining the same print file but changing only the esteps values.

[gr5 2,172]

You can test this live during a print. Just change the "flow%" option. This does the same thing and you can do it WHILE PRINTING.

The benefit of doing it while printing is you can change the flow ever 5 or 10 layers and mark the print with a permanent marker. and keep good notes. You get prints like this (very first photo):

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/2872-some-calibration-photographs

[gr5 2,172]

I recommend also a smaller print - maybe a 2cm cube. Also ignore the bottom layer as that is very very sensitive to leveling. Only pay attention to the second layer or higher.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Guest

[paul9 20]

I recommend also a smaller print - maybe a 2cm cube.  Also ignore the bottom layer as that is very very sensitive to leveling.  Only pay attention to the second layer or higher.

 

OK I'll do the tests

[paul9 20]

I recommend also a smaller print - maybe a 2cm cube.  Also ignore the bottom layer as that is very very sensitive to leveling.  Only pay attention to the second layer or higher.

 

Hi gr5 , I have done these three tests.

Before printing layer with height of 0.15 and 0.2 then to finish 0.1 naturally adapting the speed and leaving the flow always equal to 100%.

In all cases I had over-extrusion, and in the case of printing to 0.15 when in fact the upper part there was even a little is under-extrusion.

[gr5 2,172]

Those prints look great - I think you've got the steps/mm at the right value. However those arrows are pointing to areas where it appears to overextrude as you say.

That could be due to temperature fluctuations - that's easy to check - see if the temp is cylcing by 10C or more - for example from 220C to 230C back and forth. It could be that the wider areas are when the printer is hotter. This is a common problem when people increase the wattage of their heater but don't change PID settings.

Or more likely it could be a Z screw issue where your bed is not moving always .2mm (or .15mm etc) exactly and where sometimes it moves a little too far and sometimes not enough. There are many things that can affect Z but the most common and the easiest to fix is dirt on the Z screw. Try removing as much grease as possible along with dirt. But other possible errors include Z ball bearings need cleaning or replacing or the Z nut needs replacing.

[paul9 20]

Those prints look great - I think you've got the steps/mm at the right value.  However those arrows are pointing to areas where it appears to overextrude as you say.

That could be due to temperature fluctuations - that's easy to check - see if the temp is cylcing by 10C or more - for example from 220C to 230C back and forth.  It could be that the wider areas are when the printer is hotter.  This is a common problem when people increase the wattage of their heater but don't change PID settings.

Or more likely it could be a Z screw issue where your bed is not moving always .2mm (or .15mm etc) exactly and where sometimes it moves a little too far and sometimes not enough.  There are many things that can affect Z but the most common and the easiest to fix is dirt on the Z screw.  Try removing as much grease as possible along with dirt.  But other possible errors include Z ball bearings need cleaning or replacing or the Z nut needs replacing.

 

I understand, the z axis is spotless, I clean before making the various tests, but I can tell you that before I made the change of the filament, when normally I printed with wires from 2.85mm happening to me this problem of over-extrusion only when I used a height of 0.2mm to 0.1mm but if I printed out a perfect printing!

[gr5 2,172]

Did you watch the temperature during a print?

[gr5 2,172]

You changed many things - you changed firmware which does heat differently - especially the bed temperature algorithm which draws more current in some versions of the firmware and actually changes the power supply voltage and messes up nozzle temperature.

You also may have changed the objects you print - parts that take less time per layer can show up these overextrusion errors more than larger parts. You also changed filament. Some filaments are more sensitive to temperature change.

Just turning the printer on it's side may have changed the way the ball bearings in the two vertical Z bearings sit.