ssshhhh! quiet! people are sleeping...

[LesHall 95]

Greetings Earthlings, lend me your ears!  

Oh wait, that's mixing metaphors (or quotes or whatever).  How can I make my UM2+ quieter?  It's really loud and seems to be playing audio on a speaker.  

Les

Edited October 6, 2017 by Guest

[nallath 1,120]

Put it on rubber feet & oil / lube it up regularly.

[LesHall 95]

OK TY will do.

[UbuntuBirdy 56]

If you like to print the feet try this one: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/damper-feet

[gr5 2,172]

First figure out what is the noisiest thing. Is it fan? (which fan) or XY or E or Z?

Usually the 3rd fan can be pretty loud or the extruder is the other likely culprit.

[LesHall 95]

it's Z. every time the bed goes up or down the loudness is way more that you'd think it should be.

[UbuntuBirdy 56]

The buildplate is a resonance body, it will amplify each db more. If somewhere in the z-axis the gap becomes bigger, vibrations arise and you will feel the noise as much louder than it is.

Fill the gap with grease and you can sleep again ...

[gr5 2,172]

Actually I think it's the base of the printer - the "base plate"??  The motor is screwed directly to it.  Putting some foam between the motor and the base plate might help and adding foam under the screws might help.  Putting a thin sound absorber on the baseplate should help (don't cover the z-switch hole).

I kind of like the Z sound - I can hear it from far away when a print is ending and is mostly not moving (quiet).

Edited October 8, 2017 by Guest

[LesHall 95]

Oh yeah gr5 - definitely enjoy the robotic whirring gear train sound! The only issue is of course waking the neighbors when I operate the printer at night. Points taken all around, will grease the Z rods both threaded and non- threaded as UbuntuBirdy mentions and will try to figure out the other comments of gr5. Thanks so much!

Les

[UbuntuBirdy 56]

I do not have a break from the experience with ultimakers like gr5, but I'm working in the mechanical engineering business and therefore also have some know how. So if the motor caused strong vibrations I would not decouple but replace it instead. But as I said, I'm not so familiar with 3d printers.

[neotko 1,417]

If you are adventurous you could do this:

Install a switch/pin near the 1/8-1/16 of the Z stepper motor on the board

Thank will change the motor step from 1/8 to 1/16 (without switch is 1/8 (default) and 1/16 with the pin closed.

Ofc after doing this you should x2 the Z steps from the default 200 to 400.

The advantage is that the Z motor noises will be ‘different’. Not exactly silent, but should be better or with a higher pitch. Depends on each one.

To change the z steps there are many ways to do the same:

1) Connect to usb to the printer using printrun software http://www.pronterface.com/ free software. Then once connected you will have to send the Gcode that changes the value steps of Z and save it. That’s done sending this texts through the printrun console (enter after each line)

M92 Z400

M500

2) Second option is to write a txt file with .gcode extension with that 2 lines (remember ‘enter’ after each line. And select it to print after saving it on the sd. Ofc you will get a ‘warning’ but just click ok nothing will happen but the Z steps will have change.

If something goes wrong you can always remove the pin from the 1/8-1/16 on the board and do a ‘factory reset’ on the Menus of the printer to revert the Zsteps change.

Last and also easy option is to use Tinkergnome firmware that allowsto change steps directly from the menus of the printer.

If something about this did sound alien, google, read about gcode/printrun/usb connection and you will also learn a lot about why/how your printer works. Is actually really easy and not complex at all when you know what does what. Also quite primitive

Edited October 9, 2017 by Guest

[LesHall 95]

To UbuntuBirdy: Yes, I am no expert either, being an Electrical Engineer not Mechanical.

To neotko: I can handle the jumper as I have a few I can locate later, and if I read your posts a few times then maybe I can double the Z steps. I may try it, thanks for taking the time to spell it out for us!

Les

[tomnagel 126]

You can also drastically lower the speed of the long z-moves before and after the actual printing. Then you won't have this whining sound. But you'll have to find the right location in the firmware and change it. Sorry, can't help you with that.

[LesHall 95]

Yeah, that or I guess slow the Z rise in the pre- and post- code steps perhaps?

[neotko 1,417]

Yeah, that or I guess slow the Z rise in the pre- and post- code steps perhaps?

Only way on a um2 (without any need to touch firmware or make a custom one) to do that is by changing the Machine settings on Cura to change the flavor to Reprap and then edit the start gcode to change the speed of Z after hitting the home sensor.

@tinkergnome you said um2 reprap correct flavor had a name on ither post but I don’t remember. Was something to keep volumetric so the material profiles still kickin? Can’t remember now...

But yea, doing that, you have full control of the start and end gcode. Otherwise the Ultigcode flavor dictates how is the start and end on each print and can only be changed by editing the firmware (a bit too much for something you can do by changing some settings here and there).

Btw IMO making the z move slower will make it just more painful, and loud (lower pitch but more time).

Edited October 11, 2017 by Guest

[tinkergnome 927]

@tinkergnome you said um2 reprap correct flavor had a name on ither post but I don’t remember. Was something to keep volumetric so the material profiles still kickin? Can’t remember now...

 

I think it depends on the Cura version... The displayed name in recent versions is simply "Marlin" (should be the first in the select list).

Material profiles on the printer are only used with flavor "Ultimaker 2" (a.k.a. UltiGCode)

[navigator 24]

If you like to print the feet try this one: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/damper-feet

 

I have just printed these feet and they work first class - UM2 is now very quiet and don't get the rumbles etc. that I used to have with it sat on its table - Thanks for the link

[/img]

[gr5 2,172]

When I said "sound absorber" think of packing foam. Not styrofoam but the pink sponge like stuff. Or maybe a towel. Something thin enough that it doesn't keep the Z from reaching the bottom. I don't know if this will work but it's so easy to try.

Or maybe something thin but with gel inside to absorb the vibrations.

Fortunately from the menu it's easy to make the bed go up and down so you can test lots of things quickly.

[UbuntuBirdy 56]

If you like to print the feet try this one: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/damper-feet

I have just printed these feet and they work first class - UM2 is now very quiet and don't get the rumbles etc. that I used to have with it sat on its table - Thanks for the link

I'm glad you like the feet. I am still impressed by them every day. And the self-leveling effect is also not to be underestimated.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Guest