E3D v6 Information, Installation Guides, and Review

Ok, it worked. my JST connectors have yet to arrive, but I rebuilt the old ones with the Newark parts that worked, along with using RC-JST connectors to connect the fans. I flipped the male and females around, so that its more obvious which to connect where.

 

Hi to all.

I'm a Robo3D user since one short month and really pleased and excited with my printer. I decided to upgrade my extruder to the E3D V6. I've completed the assembly, but I want more precision on the connecting between the kit and the E3D V6.

1) The fan coming along the kit which is along the extruder, has short wires. It doesn't have any plugs on it. Do I need to swap this fan from any fan already installed on the current hexagon extruder coming with my Robo3D? And should I plug this fan on the same electric plugs? May be using the previous plugs on this spare fan?

2) Do I need to keep the two fans? Seems a No for me, but please advise me. There is one on the previous hexagon, one which is toward the bed heating.

3) I printed a new support as advised on the upper part. Do I need It as I see that some E3D V6 users have only the fan on the new extruder on the blue shroud and one on the carriage block.

Thanks for your advice, I'm a guy from a product design and I'm an Art Director, so less a pure tech guy with an engineering background.

Cheers,
Xavier

 

1) you will use the new larger heat sink fan in place of the small original fan. It would be best to cannibalize the old connector and add it to your new fan, or order it from amazon see above.

2)You will always need a heat sink fan. You will need a part fan if you are printing in PLA. Not if you are printing in ABS.

3) You will need to print a new part fan holder for the e3d v6 upgrade, from thingiverse if you will be printing with PLA.

hope that answers everything. happy printing.

 

Hi Thanks Robert for your answers.

I bought few connectors and installed them and setup the E3D hotend. I noticed few other aspects:

1) I took off the bottom plastic part which was around the hexagon and holded the old small fan. The E3D is installed, I tightened the two screws around but as the E3D is bigger it could not be fully aligned if I try to screw a lot. I have the new Robo3D R1. I don't know if the screws on every one model are as long as mine.

2) And as told in previous note, the screws are really long so when tightened they are not all fully entered in the carriage as when screwed with the hexagon hotend.

I'm in the final line. I still have to connect the wires from the heatcartridge and all firmware update. There were few notes in this thread telling that the fan should be connected on other power supply. I have for the while connected the new E3D Hotend fan to the previous power connector. Is it right?

All the best to all.
Cheers,
Xavier

 

The screws that hold in the nozzle don't need to insert all the way. As long as the nozzle is secure.

The E3D Fan can use the same fan that the hexagon cooling fan used (Not the parts fan)

 

Thanks Mike,

I'm at the last step... Firmware update... So close to try the E3D...

Xavier

 

Hi All.

I've upgraded my firmware. I'm currently performing a printing test with the classical calibration circle. I've noticed something, which I don't know if it's a big issue or this is normal:

The big fan I've attached with screws on my new printed fan holder is running / working, but the fan on the hotend isn't working. It is connected but... don't work till now. Well does it start to spin /work when the hotend reaches some temperature or does it should already be working?

Thanks,
Xavier

 

The hot end fan needs to be always on.

 

Haha, I'm laughing because I just asked Mike this same question. Thanks for being so patient with us @Mike Kelly.

I had the same problem, turns out my connector setup was bad. Make sure you matched red to red and black to black. I don't know why but when I had them flipped the fan did not spin.

 

Thank you Mike and Robert for your feedback. All is fine now and printing. All fan running well, I will complete the upgrade with some Z stabilizers. The trick was special for the hotend fan:

In fact, I tested with the old fan and tested again with the new hotend fan, and the new E3D fan seems polarised and It works now with reversed wires connected where it works with red to red and black to black with the old setup.

In the end... Thanks again for the support. I'm really impatient to print with flexible and other special filaments.

Cheers,
Xavier

 

I've got a weird problem. Both the bed and heater thermistors are reading 0 degrees. I would believe the hot end one since I have been messing with it but I haven't touched the bed one. Could the problem be in the firmware?

 

I believe in some situations the system will not report a bed temperature when the extruder thermistor reports 0.

 

Yes, Mike. But if I want to check the Z axis height before starting to print, I don't want to do it at the X and Y home position. I want to do it in the middle of the bed. Therefore, I don't want to home X and Y first. I only want to home Z.

 

Instead of hitting home Z hit Home all, it will do the exact same thing as what you're describing just takes 10 seconds longer. Homes X then Y so it knows it's position, then moves to bed center to home Z.

Homing in the center is better all around. Not a bug but an enhancement.

His point is that the autolevel firmware homes in the center instead of just bringing Z down at whatever position it's in

 

Mark,
That is EXACTLY the problem. Without commenting out the AutoLevel definition in Mike's code, the Z Home button in Matter Control does not work. I have a KickStarter version of the Robo3D with an E3D hot end, but no (yet) AutoLevel. I simply stated that unless I commented out the AutoLevel code, the Z home didn't work. Mike responded that I should home X and Y first, but that puts the extruder at the X=0, Y=0 position where I DON'T want to check the level. I want to do that in the middle of the bed, but that's not where Mike's suggestion would place the extruder.
Or am I somehow not understanding?

 

Ok here's how it works Lew.

The system puts up an error message that says "Home X and Y before Z" meaning that it wants to ensure the nozzle is in the center of the bed before homing normally.

A normal home command "G28" will do this automatically. It will home X, Home Y, move to the center of the bed and Home Z.

This is ideal and I don't think it's worth changing anything on.

You can avoid this procedure with "G28 X0 Y0" then "G28 Z0" forcing X and Y to home and then the system is happy enough to home Z at it's position. This is NOT Standard Operating Procedures and I discourage using this homing sequence.

Keeping the autolevel routine and using G28 or Home all is ideal.

 

Thanks, Mike. I'll need to go back to the code you supplied and try what you suggest. As long as I can get the extruder to home Z in the middle of the bed, I'll be happy. Perhaps I didn't play around with it enough before I figured out to comment out the AutoLevel code.

 

Hit home all instead of home Z and you should be good.

In the startup G-code if it says

Code:

G28 X0 Y0
G28 Z0

Delete everything except for the first G28 command. That will home X then Y then Z in the middle.