At my wits end... auto leveling just won't work suddenly.

[GLABERGE 0]

So, I am turning to the forums for help. I have a UM3, normally prints flawlessly-- but after a print today it decided that it no longer wanted to autolevel. This happens sometimes so I cleaned the nozzles, cleaned the bed-- tried again.  Same issue.  Okay! Off to the internet.

 

So I set my bed to 14mm.  Nope. That didn't work.

I manually level the bed. Nope. That failed as well.

I calibrate the lever switch.  Still nada.

I change PrintCores (both the AA and the BB).  Nope.

 

Okay, so let's watch what it is doing.  PrintCore 2 isn't touching the bed. Well that's odd.  Fiddle some more.  PrintCore 2 touches the bed as does PrintCore 1.  Yay its-- work... it isn't working, it kicks back and says it cannot complete the autoleveling.  Check my nozzles and bed.

 

So where I am.  I have been poking at this for 4 hours now.

 

I am running current firmware for the UM3.  I am open to anything.

[Enigma_M4 119]

Hi,

after the description of your activities, there are only a few possible points left (afaik).

• run the diagnostics of the capacitive sensor. Run it several times to assure the sensor is working properly. If the diagnostic is inconclusive, there might be a (new?) source of electric interference, as a new lamp or so (yes, the sensor IS that sensitive).
• Check the two wires running to the capacitive sensor. They might be damaged, mostly either directly at the connectors of the sensor board. there are a lot of topics in this forum about broken or pinced cables.
• If the cables are ok, possibly the capacitive sensor board is faulty.

Regards

[GLABERGE 0]

@Enigma_M4--

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I ran it about 5 times.  First time it came back as not working and that there was interference.  I do happen to have two SUNLU dryboxs behind it for its filament.  So I unplugged both and ran the test again.  This time it cleared as good to go.

 

I tried it several more times before finally plugging the boxes back in and moving them a little further back from the UM3.  It just completed its active leveling.

 

Thanks!  I really didn't want to pull out and use the spare printhead I have!

[Enigma_M4 119]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad I could help.

I just read a post about active leveling problems, where the culprit was a cell phone with active WIFI and Bluetooth placed besides the printer.

Happy printing!

[sbfdfmdk 1]

Hi

 

Before I started a new thread, I found this on, which is very similar to the problem I am observing. Some differences, though.

 

We are using a UM3. The printer is configured to perform the auto-levelling before any print job. It had been working seamlessly for a long while until recently, when the auto-levelling started to fail. A prominent feature of the process was that instead of the bed just lightly approaching to the nozzle, it would actually press itself onto the nozzle before stating failure.

 

We run several bed levelling diagnostic tests (included in the maintenance/diagnostics routines) always getting a sensor OK result. Because we needed to run several jobs, we switched to manual levelling, and it seemed to work fine, but not perfectly as before.

 

I shifted attention to the nozzles, and decided that these may be needed to be changed, just out of the large number of hours they have been running. I got some new ones, installed them, and run an auto levelling, and it failed just as before. I run a manual levelling, and then tried to start a new print job, but got the message that the new nozzles should be XY calibrated. No problem, I started to run the procedure, but from the very beginning, the bed would rise to press onto the nozzles during the print-out. Cancelled the job, and try levelling again with the same odd behaviour. I had checked the forum for hints on what should be wrong, and I checked that the bed was 14 mm from the bottom plate, that the head sensor cables were not broken, etc. But nothing seemed to be out of place. So...

 

We have now a UM3 standing quite and idle. Any hints? Is the sensor in the print head that has failed?

 

I have got the log files from the UM3 but I am afraid I cannot understand them properly. I have uploaded them here.

I appreciate any help. Thanks!

 

Salvador

ultimakersystem-ccbdd3001685.5.2.16.20200331.boot-2.log ultimakersystem-ccbdd3001685.5.2.16.20200331.boot-3.log ultimakersystem-ccbdd3001685.5.2.16.20200331.boot0.log cap_DFM-von-Neumann-Replicator_2021-02-19_17.51.28_X180.0Y155.0_sensor_reset.log cap_DFM-von-Neumann-Replicator_2021-02-19_17.51.40_N1_X162.0Y155.0.log cap_DFM-von-Neumann-Replicator_2021-02-19_17.51.45_N0_X180.0Y155.0.log ultimakersystem-ccbdd3001685.5.2.16.20200331.boot-1.log

[Enigma_M4 119]

Hi Salvador,

the log files should be useful for @CarloK or someone else at Team Ultimaker.

 

One shot into the blue: is the Z-switch free of debris (the small pit of the Z-switch is a good place where debris of printing material could accumulate and lead to wrong Z-home-position).

Before the nozzles hit the build plate, does the bed stop and rise slowly, or does it rise at constant speed?

Regards

[JohnInOttawa 104]

Are you running an Ultimaker 3 or 3 Extended?  Your issues seem very familiar, have a look at these threads.

 

https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/28750-um3-nozzle-2-always-leveled-too-close-to-bed-after-active-leveling/

 

https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/35978-differing-layer-thickness-firmware/

[CarloK 203]

@sbfdfmdk One thing I notice from the log files is that the bed is at a very low level, i.e. the thumbscrews are very tight. This might explain the leveling problems as the process is a tight balance between springs in the bed and springs in the print head.

Try raising your bed by about 6mm. The official distance for the build plate springs is approximately 14mm.

[sbfdfmdk 1]

On 2/24/2021 at 8:33 PM, Enigma_M4 said:

Hi Salvador,

the log files should be useful for @CarloK or someone else at Team Ultimaker.

 

One shot into the blue: is the Z-switch free of debris (the small pit of the Z-switch is a good place where debris of printing material could accumulate and lead to wrong Z-home-position).

Before the nozzles hit the build plate, does the bed stop and rise slowly, or does it rise at constant speed?

Regards

Hi Enigma_M4

 

Thanks for your response. The bed was rising at constant speed without stopping and rising slowly thereafter. 

 

Then I looked at your suggestion, and effectively, there was some debris in the small pit, but most concerning was that a blob of material was attached at the end of the sensing ping! After I removed that, and cleaned any residual (and from the switch pit as well) the automatic levelling did work nicely.

 

So, problem solved. The only consequence of that is that one of the print cores was so clogged that it has to be changed  (some one tried to run a print without checking the process and did not notice that the nozzle was pressing on the bed, and no material was coming out).

 

Anyway, thank you again. And certainly, Occam Razor, that's the way many times.   

[Enigma_M4 119]

For this issue, there's a useful tool on youmagine:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/um3-buildplate-distance-tool

Regards

[Enigma_M4 119]

Hi and thank you for your message, which was overlapping with my last answer.

I'm glad I could help you.

To minimize the risk of small junks of plastic falling into the z-switch pit, there's another useful print I can recommend:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ultimaker-3-z-endstop-guard

Regards and Happy Printing

[sbfdfmdk 1]

On 2/25/2021 at 5:55 AM, JohnInOttawa said:

Thank you, JohnInOttawa

I am running a UM3. Happily I have resolved the issue with the levelling as it goes in my reply to Enigma_M4. My colleagues and I are discussing the possibility of upgrading to an UMS3, and keeping this as a backup. But before that happens we must bring this one back to life.

 

Thanks again

 

[JohnInOttawa 104]

23 hours ago, sbfdfmdk said:

 The only consequence of that is that one of the print cores was so clogged that it has to be changed

I'm glad you are back in business.  I had a print core blocked solid also from too close bed levelling and was able to recover it with a nozzle cleaning needle and some advice from @gr5.  It prints completely normally once again.  Hopefully you are able to do so as well.

 

All the best

John

[sbfdfmdk 1]

On 2/26/2021 at 11:47 AM, CarloK said:

@sbfdfmdk One thing I notice from the log files is that the bed is at a very low level, i.e. the thumbscrews are very tight. This might explain the leveling problems as the process is a tight balance between springs in the bed and springs in the print head.

Try raising your bed by about 6mm. The official distance for the build plate springs is approximately 14mm.

Hi CarloK,

Thank you. I guess the reading of a very low level was due to the presence of the material attached to the sensing pin. The 14 mm distance was one of the very first things that I checked, and corrected accordingly. Now the auto-levelling is working. Now I have to solve the problem of the (new) blocked solid printcore.

 

Thanks again.

[Printer_supreme 0]

On 2/24/2021 at 11:15 AM, sbfdfmdk said:

Before I started a new thread, I found this on, which is very similar to the problem I am observing. Some differences, though.

I am also having similar troubles. I found this, hopefully someone can help.

 

Instead of a UM3, I've running a UMS5 with the most recent firmware (6.2.0). 

 

Each time I start a print, the printer runs through the the z-calibration step. 9/10 rimes it will get to the nozzle, stop then continue to the other nozzle, stop, and then continue to push both nozzles up into the head. When it reaches the maximum height and can not push the nozzles up anymore, it will jerk back down and say that the process failed and would abort the print. The rare times it does get past this point, it begins the auto-leveling process but then fails after getting about half-way. It gives me an error saying that the auto-level could not be complete.

 

I have read on this forum that something hat could produce an EMI could cause this. I put my phone in another room, put my laptop and the computer tower to sleep, and let it run again. Did this two or three times with one of the two above sequences happening. I thought that it could be from my own static (also read on here), so I started it and then left the room -- still had the computers and stuff off and away. It got past the calibration step, but then failed on the leveling step.

 

We do have a second printer (also UMS5) on the other side of the room. Could this be the problem (although it was never a problem before)?

 

Is there something I'm missing, can anyone help?

[Enigma_M4 119]

You could run the diagnostics for the activ leveling sensor and refer to the result. The diagnostics will show you if the sensor works correctly, of if there's an interference-problem or a problem with the sensor.

I don't think it's interference, as you've checked nearly every possible source and the other printer in this room works properly. Is the light in that room a possible source for EMI?

I guess it's a problem with the wires that connect the leveling sensor with the printhead board (but that's just a guess).

Regards

[Printer_supreme 0]

Enigma_M4,

Sorry, I got a little busy since your reply. I ran the diagnostic test for the level sensor and it gave me a url with the error code. I went to the page; it said to check to make sure that the cables were completely plugged in on the back of the print head. I pulled them out and then stuck them back in, and now it works. I guess they didn't get pushed in completely last time I had to take the head apart.

I had already done a few level sensor diagnostic tests before, but I followed your advice and did it again. It is now working just fine.

 

Thanks

[Enigma_M4 119]

@Printer_supreme, thank you for the feedback, I'm glad I could help.

Regards and Happy Printing