SOLVED my UM3 Extended is experiencing multiple errors after being moved to a new location

[kc-li 0]

Hi everyone,

So I've been printing with a UM3 extended a little under a year with little to no issues up to now. Recently, our department relocated to a new building and we hired professional movers to move the equipment. However, today after I setup the printer again to do a 18 hour print I started experiencing problems.

Firstly, I did an active build plate leveling and it was not able to detect when to stop pushing the print head onto the build plate. I tried 3 times and each time it would keep pressing onto the build plate to the extent I shut it down in fear that it will cause permanent damage on the glass/print head.

I manage to resolve this by doing a manual leveling first and then active leveling worked fine after (weird though I don't see why manual leveling would have fixed this if it worked fine prior?)

So I started an 18 hour print but then about 30 minutes in I hit an error that said "detected movement outside of print volume..." and it stopped by itself. This is actually not the first time I've encountered this error, I had a same error about 200 print hours ago but it didn't appear again after I restarted the print.

So I restarted the print again, and this time around 2 hours in, I encountered another error, this time it was a print head communication error ER18. Restarting the printer seem to resume normal function again, I checked if the printcores were being detected by the UM3 and it seems okay. I changed both print cores and have now started the print again. It is about 40 minutes in at the moment, it still seems to be okay.

Having so many errors appear simultaneously after a move seems to indicate to me that either something was damaged during the move or something is loose? What do you guys think the problem could be? Should I contact my reseller if the current print fails too or what I some things I should try first before that.

Some extra info:

Using latest Cura version as well as up to date stable firmware version.

Update: So last night the print didn't stop again but now my active leveling seem to have stop working even after manual leveling multiple times. It seems to have trouble detecting when to stop. About 10 attempts in, one of them did prompt an active sensor failure but didn't show up again later. Where exactly is the active leveling sensor? is it on the bed? Funny enough, if I remove the glass and try level on the metal surface directly it works! I was thinking this was a manual leveling issue with the z but i've manual leveled the glass bed multiple times.

Update2: Okay, upon further inspection, I found a cable that broke off connected to the front fan that flips down to gain access to the printcores. The cable is labelled "sensor". I presume that is what is causing the issue here!

Update3: Okay, sensor reattached and now active leveling seems to be working fine, yay!

Edited November 30, 2017 by Guest

[kmanstudios 1,074]

I cannot say about the leveling issue, but the other two issues could easily be the result of the move. Not so much damage as more like a torsion pull on parts that may have slightly pulled a cable to two loose. The frame is flexible and can twist and pull a bit.

Also, I have not moved or damaged my printer, been printing along merrily and I have had the "detected movement outside of print volume..." error twice in the last month with the latest firmware upgrade. I have also seen the error reported in other threads by people who upgraded. Not sure of the specifics.

[geert_2 462]

Have you checked if all connectors are still well inserted? Just every connector you can find? Gently (!) wiggle it and push it back on. Also visually check if everything is still aligned well and no corners are damaged from rough handling.

After moving mainframe computers in the 1980s (they had many 21" racks then, see the photo), it was standard practice for us to open the cabinet, and to reseat all print boards, and all flatcables, from the very first to the last. Because they would shake loose during transport on a truck. This solved 90% of problems caused by moving.

[kc-li 0]

Thanks, will definitely check and secure all the connections tomorrow once I bring in my screw driver set. At the moment it's around 3 hours in and still printing, fingers cross it'll keep going while I sleep.