My first project is to fix the printer itself. I am a total newb and hope someone can help me

I just got the printer yesterday off of craiglist and was so excited I started to print a bracelet for my friend.


Happiness and enthusiasm filled me. and i was mesmerized by the printer doing its work



i notice some strings and globs forming. I wondered what was wrong. so i changed the settings on matter control; i increased the retraction and tried decreasing the extrustion rate. (i also didnt notice that the hot head was loose in this photo)

my very first print was a disaster but we will soon figure out what the problem is.


and the .....


hot end fell off. Apparently the person who own the printer before me had a screw loss and filament was building up between the extruder and the filament feed. so over time it was gradually pushing the extruder out. I do not know how to repair it and i hope some one can help me fix my printer.

I was really looking forward to creating costumes and cosplays for friends and family and show off my autocad maya designs.

if anyone can give show me how to fix my printer. please let me know. I am willing to buy a new extruder as i plan to build larger sized projects.

 

thanks, i decided the robo needs an upgrade to the e3d v6. i just ordered it a minute ago and i will also install dual fans. I am new to using adrino boards and wonder if i need to update the firm ware for these 2 upgrades. also is there a map of the board anywhere online that can show me where i plug in the 2 fans?

 

thanks alot bro, my e3d comes on the 7th and my fan mount (designed by novice expert) is being printed by my local library. Am i able to use the same thermsister from my old hotend?

I use matter controller and also need a tutorial on updating firmware.



basically to fix my my printer I am :

1. installing e3d
2. install new fans for the hot end. ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:697200)
3. learn some arduino
4. update firmware

Do you think i need to do anything else to get my printer up and running?

 

If you ordered the v6, it should come with a thermistor. You just have to put it together.

 

cool, my parts arrive on the 15th, also there is a hacker lab having a 3d printer build workshop near where i live (Sacramento) . I will probably go to their meet up to get help fixing my printer on the 20th.

 

thanks! my replacement e3d v6 kit (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NAK9JFO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) comes on the 7th according to USPS. they are pretty accurate right?

and im referencing http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...ormation-installation-guides-and-review.3407/ and novice expert's youtube videos

I also am at school getting a fan mount printed out hahah.

I will also blog about my repairs at https://pandariot779blog.wordpress.com/.

Thanks again!

 

I came across another mystery.

i found this pair of wires that seem be disconnected from that doo-hicky there. Correct me if i am wrong but is it the level switch? if not, what is it and what does it do? and how should i go about reconnecting the wires. also do i need it? the wires look like they were disconnected by the previous owner.


\
my next question is, how do i detach the linear rods. i tried to detached them but couldn't.

Also i am wondering how the x-axis work. how does the printer know when it reached its limits on the x-axis. i could not find a switch. is the x axis switch on the extruder itself? is it that little strip of metal on the side of the extruder? if it is then why isnt there another one of the other side of the printer?


finally i want to share with you the dead hotend. check it out! hahha


look at that old outdated hot end. my e3d v6 arrives this weekend so i will update with you then.

thanks guys! i appreciate learning from the masters.

 

Well, you are going to learn a lot about your robo right off with having to go through a used machine and figuring out what is wrong and what is right. Once you get it dialed in you'll love it. I wish I saw your thread yesterday because @Printed Solid has a nice bundle on his site for like $135 that comes with the E3Dv6, screw type stud thermo, and XXL LCD. The LCD is a nice addition. PS is a great company. Matt treats his customers right. I don't care if I spend a few more dollars to support a forum member. Of course, I have always found him cheaper on the things I have bought so far.

You don't need to wire all the way back to the arduino for dual fan. You can make a Y adapter or just solder both wires together into one. I picked up a pack of these from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJVKKKI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00. Novice Expert (aka @Marquis Johnson on this forum) has a video for wiring them together. I did a Y adapter so that I can plug and unplug independently if I want.

One thing I would suggest is to go through and tighten all the screws on the machine. Any screws that screw into metal, you might want to add a bit of blue lock tite to keep them from getting loose. Also take some light machine oil and oil your leadscrews and rub some on your smooth rods. That should ensure things are moving smoothly and quietly. Also check that all your wires are secured. Just never know what the old owner did with it and with shipping, things happen. I see you already have issue with you endstop wires. You'll be printing soon. I know this all sounds like a lot.

Since you still have the leadscrews with the couplers, check for z-banding on your first parts. Do a calibration cube and you should see it. They are ribs on the side of the part that make a pattern that matches the threads on your leadscrews. If you have it, you will want to get this from Robo http://store.robo3d.com/collections/parts/products/lead-screw-upgrade-kit, or buy ones off of amazon as @Marquis Johnson worked out in this thread http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/amazon-sain-smart-lead-screws.7077/.

Cura is free and better than the MatterControl that comes with the Robo, but that said, MC is a good place to start. I lasted a week or so on it before making the switch. Don't change too much at once. Slow and steady

This forum is a great group of folks that can help with any issues including where to spend extra money in your pocket. I know I found more cool mods to buy from these guys that I wasn't intending on, but glad I did. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress and issues. You'll be putting that big grin back on like your first picture soon. Classic!

 

thanks danzca6. I am currently learning how to use cura. All i could do now is remove the hot end and play around with the gears and motors. I am able to move the printer manually but can not manually tell the printer to turn the extrustion wheel. Is it some sort of fail safe installed in matter control that keeps me from turning the extrusion wheel?

thanks

 

you have to be at temp in order to extrude or retract. I think 185C is the min defined in the firmware.

Did you read @Mike Kelly how to with Cura? Having Pronterface UI enabled helps.

http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/how-to-cura-15-04-setup.4169/

 

haha i got it, now im reading about start.gcode and end.gcode. now also i notice some wobbling happening with the lead screws. so i will have to fix that also.

 

i am wondering if i get a sample start code

 

wobble is bad. Make sure the set screws are tight on the couplers at the bottom of the screws. This all comes into the conversation around z-ribbing. That wobble could mean you need the upgrade. Let's wait and see how the print quality on the sides come out first. Some have designed some clips to go between the smooth rod and screw to keep it from wobbling, but I didn't have very good results with it.

Also, my end.gcode is a bit modified so that the bed slides to the front of the printer at the end of the print like Cura. By default, the bed zeros out. That means it is sticking out the back. Harder to get the part off that way.

;End GCode
M104 S0 ;extruder heater off
M140 S0 ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
G91 ;relative positioning
G1 E-1 F300 ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F{travel_speed} ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way
;-- My custom code to move building bed out
G1 X10 Y200 ;move bed out for accessing finished part
;G90 X0 Y0 ;move bed to front
;-- End custom code
M84 ;steppers off
G90 ;absolute positioning
;{profile_string}