DIY Ultimaker2 extended, missing steps, LED failure, dead board...

[scenic01 0]

Hi,

I builded a Ultimaker 2 extended by myself.

Yesterday I startet the first print at the printer and after 8.5mm layerhight the printer started with loosing steps on one axis when running in x and y direction at the same time.

Belts and pulleys are tight, I can see that the left Stepper is not turning when it should move to the printerfront and right at the same time. Moving just one axis is no problem in any direction.

At the first time the LED lights where adjustable through the menu and really bright. This also changed (before the missing steps) the LED is just about 25% of ist brightness no change whatever I set up in the menu.

Dose anyone know a solution?

Its the 2.1.4 board inside and a 24v 4pin power supply from a Dell Notebook with 12 Amps.

I dont know if this could be a problem with the power supply (measured actually 23.8V), with the stepper motor or with the mainboard.

Any solution would be helpful.

Thanks Alex

Edited December 18, 2016 by Guest

[scenic01 0]

Searching for the failure...

I just changed the LED and the FAN connectors at the board.

By changing the value in the FAN speed menu I can now adjust the brightness of the LED´s. So it seems to me that there must be a failure an the board.

I tryed the original and the custom firmware (tinkergnome), both with the same result...

Guess it could be, that I need a new motherboard.... When the board causes the LED problem, the lost steps could be a board based problem too. :-(

[neotko 1,417]

Most of the cloned boards have the +/- of the fan/led reversed (the molex on board not the circuit) so if you plugged the fan or leds inverted and turn it on the transistor bc817 dies almost instantly. About steps and slipping, well that can be that the clone has poor quality parts.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Guest

[Torgeir 242]

Hi scenic01.

Congratulation with a new printer.

As I've a printer with the version 2.1.1 PCB, it may be a little different in between those two versions. But this might only be some minor stuff at the board as, the "new" feather clamp connector for the heat bed and heat block heaters.

When I built my printer I got parts from many places and I had to scrap a "few" thing, just so you know.

First, your power supply is OK., 12 Amps is a well rated supply -and 23.8 V is fine!

It's strange that you lost the control of the internal light together with missed steps!

(As there is a "half" or low level light, it "might" just mean that there is a wide spaced short pulses that's is the cause of the dimming, but could also be a hardware issue.

However, do some  more investigation before any final conclusion.)

Due to this, I'd focus a little on the firmware. What firmware did you use when this happened? Did you try to upload a new firmware and activated factory reset?

Have you checked the current settings (in the Motion Setting menu) for X,Y,Z and E? Should be about 1200 mA. (1.2 Amp.)

Next, measure the voltage at the very end of the 24 VDC line for the stepper drivers. The good place to measure this voltage will be at the connector J20, the power for the cooling fan for the PCB itself, but be careful here as this is 24 VDC, so do not short. Best is to have a connector with wires going directly to the voltmeter.

This voltage should be monitored while printing, in order to see any lo voltage occur when the missing step happen.

Lets see how this go, Ok.

Good Luck.

Thanks.

Torgeir.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Guest

[scenic01 0]

@neotko

Yes I read about the problem with the switched +/-, but in my case the failure came up in progress, it started with a perfect behavior of the LED and without any mechanical change it stopped working. I have to check if the transistor is damaged... I´am the next three days not at home, so it has to wait a little.

Time to figure out how to check the transistor :-)

The step failure also appeared in midprint, without any change...

@Torgeir

Thank you, furtunately I still have my Ultimaker Original :-)

As I get the problems I had the actual official Ultimaker Extended firmware installed wit Cura 2.3.1.

I also tryed a factory reset and the tinkergnome firmware... the problems are always the same.

The current settings where the first I checked, they are at 1.200mA.

I´ll measure with the voltmeter at J20 the next days during print, maybe there is a drop of power but I don´t think so.

Thanks to both of you,

scenic01

Edited December 18, 2016 by Guest