BUGS in firmware 5.2.8??

[RonBreukers 0]

I own an Ultimaker 3 printer and I was VERY happy with it until I updated the firmware to version 5.2.8.

Since then, the indicated temperature of the build plate jumps immediately from 20 degrees to 60 degrees, and - of course, the build plate does not heat up anymore.

I tried a factory reset. An additional problem popped up. I can no longer connect to my WIFI network.

After the reset I tried to set the build plate temperature manually, and that worked!

Now I tried to print something via the USB (remember no WIFI..) and again the build plate did not heat up and the system started immediately to heat the print cores.

I went to the manual build plate setting and the temperature indicated 60 degrees.

PLEASE does anyone know how to get back to a previous firmware? Remember no WIFI and -as far as I understood- in SW 5.2.8 no update via USB.

PLEASE HELP

Ron

[RonBreukers 0]

As a follow-up to my previous post.

I got the WIFI working again by "CURA Connect reset". After that I could setup the network again.

I tried to set the build plate temperature manually. The indicated temperatures were very erratic. Within 5 seconds it went from 25 to 60 degrees. The build plate just luke warm. After a short while, the indicated temperature dropped to 37 degrees and started to gradually climb as the heat plate warmed up. The plate stabilised at 60 degrees, and at the touch it could be the correct temperature.

Now I tried to print. The brim came loose at 3 of the 4 sides as the build plate cooled off.

Next try was to print with the build plate setting at 68 degrees. Result: "Max temp error on the build plate. Go to ultimaker.com/ER14" No way to get out of this error. Switch off and on again just comes back to this screen. The temperature of the plate is no more than 25 degrees by the way.

I waited 10 minutes and switched on again. The screen shows "Print failed. remove the print...." and indicates a build pate temperature of 105 degrees and falling.

Something amiss with the firmware or (just at the same time as the firmware update) something wrong with the build plate temperature sensor???

Firmware installed:5.2.8 20190320. Hardware type ID: 9066

 

[RonBreukers 0]

Another test result.

I dismounted the build plate and measured the temperature sensor PT100. The resistance was exactly correct, so no problems there. All wires wire fixed, no loose connections or anything.

After re-mounting I set the build plate temperature manually. It indicated an actual temperature of 23 degrees, which was correct. I set it to 60 degrees and allowed the build plate to heat up. I measured the temperature with an infrared thermometer and it varied between 57 and 53 degrees, but it was still creeping higher.

My conclusion: No hardware problem at all.

Now I tried to print, and the old problem re-occurred. After a short while, the "Max Temp error" on the build plate happened again.

So everything points to a firmware bug, occurring when you try to print. I do not understand why you can set manually the temperature correctly, but as soon as it comes from a print command thing go awry.

Again, does anyone have an idea how to get back the old firmware???

Ron

[CarloK 203]

It sounds like a coincidence for the buildplate temperature sensor having problems, especially the ER14 is an indication for a bad electronic connection. Check for a loose wire near the glass plate, loose connector on the other cable end, or a broken wire inside the cable.

 

An extra check you can do is to go to the 'temperature' web page on your printer. For example:

http://10.183.0.164/info/temperature.html

Here you see a real time graph of all temperature sensors. Do these values make sense? A broken wire will be reported as a temperature of 700C. Just try fiddling with the bed cable and see if readings change here.

 

Downgrading from 5.2.8 is a bit difficult because of the changes to the file system you will have to do the recovery procedure which involves preparing an SD-card and opening the bottom cover of your printer: https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/20024-recovering-a-bricked-um3/

[RonBreukers 0]

Hi CarloK,

 

You were SO right!! It WAS just a coincidence!!

When I took the build plate apart before, I just measured the temperature sensor. However when I now wiggled the cable at the rear of the build plate the temperature indication jumped all over the place.

It turned out to be a bad crimp on the connector of one of the sensor wires. I re-crimped them both and let some solder wick in the crimp connector from the end. Now the temperature is stable.

So _ NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. It was just a coincidence that it happened at exactly the same time.

Again thanks for the tips.

Ron

[CarloK 203]

Glad to hear my tips helped you find the problem.

Kind regards, Carlo

[p-kimberley 4]

Hi folks,

 

I experienced the same symptoms as CarloK right after upgrading to the 5.2.8 firmware. I probed the resistance of the PT100 sensor and it was correct, however I was getting ER14 (max temp) errors. I then checked and reseated connections all the way back to the controller board. Also reverted the firmware, which didn't fix the issue.

 

My local supplier in Australia kindly replaced my heated bed and I'm back up and printing with no further issues.

 

Can't rule out coincidence either - just letting my own experience be known in the event there are other cases like this reported.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[RonBreukers 0]

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I take this opportunity to follow up with my latest information.

After my original fix, things worked for maybe a week, and then the problem returned.

I took the heated bed apart again and soldered the wires directly to the connectors instead of using the crimped wire ends.

Again things worked for a while, and again the problem came back. Extremely frustrating.

The problem was that it happened in a long print overnight. The print came loose and In the mean time all the PLA was in and around both print heads. It took half a day to get everything cleaned up so everything worked again.
Now I added small wires from the connector to the PT100, under the assumption that it must be the wires in the bed to the sensor. I measured the resistance at the other end of the cable, and everything seemed OK. Wiggling the wires did not change the resistance at all.

However, the story repeated itself. A few days OK and again problems.

At last I found out that one wire was not soldered with all the strands to the connector. Due to the large heat sink of the aluminum, soldering is not easy. I re-soldered and reassembled it all. I got a lot of experience by now.

That was a week ago, and I hope the issue is now really resolved.

When the printer is working I really love it. Very accurate, nice prints, fast. Great. But I start to HATE it when it does not do what it is supposed to do.

[p-kimberley 4]

Hi Ron,

 

I've had a few close calls with printhead flooding as well, where I've waited and observed a good first layer, but some other problem like too much PVA glue on the bed has led to the part detaching mid-print. I'm especially wary now with printing with high-warp materials like ABS to ensure the first several layers print well and have good adhesion and bonding.

 

Obviously having the temp sensor fail mid-print isn't something you can help, so it's unfortunate you had to go to such lengths to fix the connection. I must've wasted just over a weekend troubleshooting my temp sensor problems as well and exhausted nearly everything in the process. Was contemplating ordering a new PT100 sensor and soldering it to the board, but in the end decided enough was enough and got the Ultimaker reseller to step in. Didn't want to void the warranty or risk ending up with a dead print bed. Fortunately I didn't have to pay a cent in getting it replaced, they turned around a replacement within days.

 

Since I started in this scene about 6 months ago, I've found a lot of the time spent learning has been with the complexities of FDM printing in general and less about Ultimaker specific issues. I accept that while some of the marketing can suggest 3d printing can be hassle-free, as with many things in life this may not apply when you start to push the envelope. For instance I've found printing with PLA and support materials really easy, but since venturing into more exotic materials like metal-infused / carbon fibre PLA, PC and ABS, you really do need to be willing to spend a lot of time in trial-and-error getting things right. And then there's the money as well - I've got the Bondtech DDG extruders installed, which enabled me to try out the CC Red 0.6 print core on my UM3. Works a treat, but wasn't cheap!

 

Anyway, I didn't really buy the UM3 in the hope that I'd get a so-called "plug-n-play" experience, I accept that's practically impossible to achieve outside the simplest of use cases. I bought it for its dual-extrusion capabilities and build quality - and aside from the heated bed issue, I haven't been disappointed.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

Edited May 8, 2019 by p-kimberley

[RonBreukers 0]

Hi Peter,

 

No, I did not expect miracles. It was not my first printer and I have an engineering background.

It is just frustration speaking after now 4 attempts. I try to solve firstly my selves, before trying to get a replacement. If this last try is again not successful, I will have to replace the heated bed.

Greetings,

Ron