All I did was download a file from Thingiverse import to Cura and my printer then slice and save to SD card, but the printer only sees the objects that came on my printers sd card that came with the printer
GregValiant 1,359
Try saving the file to the hard drive then manually copy and paste the file to the SD card.
I really appreciate your input. Im new at this so my expectations are exceeding my knowledge 😳 there are great YouTube videos that help. Ill try your software. I put the sliced image on the SD chip that came with the printer do next ill save it on the computer then transfer it to the SD. I can see the saved image but the printer cant???
GregValiant 1,359
After slicing, when you "Save to Removeable Drive" or "Save to Disk" the file should have a ".gcode" extension. If it doesn't, then the printer won't display the name as an option for printing.
Gcode files are simple text files and can be opened (and edited) in any text editor.
Create a folder on your hard drive and copy all the stock Creality files from the SD to the new folder. Then you can delete all the files from the SD card. That way you will know that the only files on the SD are gcodes that you created and put there.
OK the slicer produces a gcode BUT
it won't see it without an additional file? the sd card has these files I sliced the DragonKnight as you can see however it appears like the cat that was supplied by the vendor has one added file? When I insert the SD card it does not recognize my Knight. When I click the blue icon, it brings up their slicer. It's a simple fix but I don't see it. I tried your slicer it's a bit over my head at this time, but I'll keep learning. Below is a screen shot of the contents of the SD card supplied by Ender. I printed the cat and rabbit and their logo with no problem
I have tried a new sd card with just the code and still no jackpot.......
How do you print 🤦♂️ Face slap. The control panel on my printer needs to scroll for added print jobs on sd chip
Edited by john3m
GregValiant 1,359
That emoticon will work.
My app isn't a slicer. It just sends Gcode commands (basically macros) to the printer over the USB. You can adjust the bed and hot end temperatures, flow rate, feed rate, and cooling fan speed during a print. In addition it has homing commands and "leveling" commands that move the print head. All printing is done from the files on the SD card in the printer.
If you have a USB data cable, plug the printer into your computer, and start my app. It should find the Com Port and open it.
After that, hit the "Home All" button and just play around. It's not like you can break anything.
With the SD card in the computer, select "Get Long Names from Removeable Drive". That will populate the drop down list.
Then stick the SD card into the printer and select "1. Initialize SD", then "2. Get File Names", then "3. Import File Names". Then in the dropdown box "4." select a file you want to print. My older printer gets populated with the DOS 8.3 file names. You'll see that the box below has the full file name, you could select the name there and it will adjust the "Print" box.
GregValiant 1,359
Yeah, you can't print over air. The gray print needed supports in a few places, notably the underside of the left forearm. You can see that the sword could have used support as well.
The gold print has a lot more vertical portions and the plastic tended to stay where it was put.
I tell ya what, post that STL of the gray print and I'll take a shot at slicing it. I can pass back a project file and you can open it in Cura to see what I came up with.
Ill do that thanks I really appreciate your help
new problem...I go to print it makes a test line on the side ok but nothing sticks now on the center.
I have leveled it manually and automatically. I cleaned the board with alchoal but still not sticking. I had great success at first. I reset the memory several times and re leveled but still it is not sticking it makes a swuarrely mess in the middle.
Ok time out this machine continues to try and print something even after a reset without a chip in or filament…weird
i like the machine but it gotta work im getting a replacement Amazon agrees and is replacing at no cost. I spent half a day trying various things watched several great YouTube videos followed all great tips 🤪nothing works when i tried the auto level it couldn’t complete it…and i call myself an engineer…
GregValiant 1,359
Maybe you don't need an engineer. Maybe you need a voodoo witch doctor or an exorcist. With the memory card out it can't print anything. If it's stuck-on-stoopid (technical term) then I guess it could be running around trying to Auto-Level.
Try sprinkling some chicken bones on the build plate and then jump around while playing Black Sabbath "Paranoia" as loud as you can get it. It can't hurt.
You can also make up a text file with two lines:
M502 ;factory reset
M500 ;save settings
Save it as a gcode file and print it. It might work and it would be easier on the ears.
GregValiant 1,359
Indeed. It was either a hair raising experience, or you've printed a world class spaghetti wig.
Question…i measured the heat from the board after heating it up. I used a digital gun to measure the heat at different areas. I used two guns. The heat on the screen said it was 60c but the gun’s even within a 1/2 inch above the board only got up to 53-54 c is this normal. Should i trust the screen or the guns? Meaning if the readouts come up to 53 c should i bump up the heat? I couldn't get a reading from the nozzle it was a bit small and hard to steady up on.
right now im waiting for a UPS pickup i could be home all day. Amazon is shipping a new machine
GregValiant 1,359
My hot end and bed can't agree on what room temperature is.
When you get the new printer set up we can go over the calibration steps for the various motors and hot end. The bed is what it is. If your are reading that much below the set point then you can make adjustments by setting a higher temperature in Cura. Because of it's mass and the fact that the build surface doesn't contact the metal plate perfectly, there are going to be variations. It's one of the reasons I prefer the glass build surface.
The number one most important calibration step is putting the printer together so all three axes are exactly square to each other. Do not assume that since it comes partially assembled that those "partial assemblies" were in fact assembled correctly. It is safer to assume that they were not. My Y axis was off from the X by 3° and off from the Z by 2°. It only takes a few minutes to loosen some screws and square things up.
Is there a decent pdf on setting up so I can study prior to setting up? as soon as I get the replacement Ill post. Amazon says it will be here Thursday
GregValiant 1,359
A fella named "Chuck Hellebuyck" (CHEP) has a YouTube channel he calls Filament Fridays. He is very Creality specific and has this video on proper assembly of the Ender 3 Pro.
A carpenters tri-square, a steel straightedge, and a good caliper are the necessary tools. Setting things up to take measurements can be a bit tricky. I sat my printer on a granite countertop and was able to shim the rubber feet with pieces of paper until the two base extrusions were parallel then I went to work making sure that everything was square and plumb.
Edited by GregValiantI was looking at videos and found one a guy in Australis on leveling he prints 4 squares on each corner to see if the bed level is correct Is there a download for squares, they are one or two layers thick.
GregValiant 1,359
That will work. You can check Thingiverse.com
Have you tried that app I sent? It has leveling commands to send the head around the build plate so you don't have to use the knob. I use baking "parchment paper" as it's only about .05mm thick and nothing sticks to it. A paper store receipt works well too.
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GregValiant 1,359
Hello @john3m. It's about time somebody older than me showed up here.
I also have an Ender 3 Pro that is now about 2 1/2 years old. It has the 8 bit 1.1.5 mainboard. Not a bad machine at all.
There are a couple of things that can keep the printer from reading the file. You can try re-formatting the SD card (FAT32). That typically needs to be done every so often. If Cura/Windows writes the gcode file to a bad memory sector on the card the printer is too dumb to know there is something wrong and will try to read it although chunks of the code might be missing. Trying another SD card is also an option.
The second thing is that long file names can keep the printer from displaying the names on the LCD so keep the file names shorter that "16 characters.gcode". The printer itself uses DOS 8.3 filename structure and I think that is still true of the 4.2.X mainboards.
Since we should never trust anyone under 70 I took it upon myself to write a little app for 3D printing. It communicates with the printer over the USB (it does not print over the USB). You can query the printer and see what files are on the SD card, then select one, and tell the printer to print it. There is a basic installation readme file but the app is pretty simple. If you decide to install it I'm sure you'll figure it out. It is also an unsigned app so you would need to fool your anti-virus into allowing it to install.
This is the "Cliff's Notes" version. I have a full featured version but I'm re-doing a bit of it right now.
Greg's SD Print Tool
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