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Solved Extruder not working

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by rradams01, Feb 27, 2016.

  1. rradams01

    rradams01 New Member

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    Hello all,
    I have a Robo 3d R1 that the extruder has stopped working on and everything I have tried has not fixed it.

    Some details:
    I changed out the Ramps board as the terminals with the bed heater melted. When everything was back together... not extruder control.

    What I have done:
    Replaced the motor driver board
    Replaced the Arduino board
    Used a different stepper
    Repaired the first Ramps board and put it back with a new motor driver

    For all intents and purposes everything affecting the extruder has been replaced to no avail. I welcome any assistance.

    Regards...
     
    #1 rradams01, Feb 27, 2016
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    So, have you tried removing the extruder stepper from the extruder... just with it set on the bed try getting it to turn by heating up the hotend and doing a fake test extrude?

    I want to make sure that nothing is mechanically binding it.

    You have touched everything that controls it electrically (even though I would seriously doubt the arduino would be bad if only the extruder is misbehaving). Assuming everything is back together correctly electrically we can rule that out. So test it on the bed (or at least out of the extruder mechanism) and see if the motor will turn.

    If it will turn then you have a mechanical bind in the extruder. It it will NOT turn can you swap the stepper electrically to see if another stepper motor will turn on the extruder circuit? I know you said you used a different stepper, want to be clear that you have tested a known working stepper.
     
    #2 mark tomlinson, Feb 27, 2016
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    It is always possible that one of the components you swapped in was bad (unlikely, but possible) or that you do not have it correctly wired/connected back up. You really should try a completely new RAMPS as well if you have not already done that.
     
    #3 mark tomlinson, Feb 27, 2016
  4. rradams01

    rradams01 New Member

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    Hi Mark,
    Thanks for the quick reply... Yes I have already done this. Actually I moved the extruder connector to the Y axis driver and it plays fine.

    As for the Arduino board... that was a Hail Mary move. :) I read a post about the possibility of firmware being jacked up so having an extra board i flashed it and swapped.

    I'll order a new Ramps board and give it a shot... as this does not make any sense.
    Thanks again...
     
    #4 rradams01, Feb 27, 2016
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I agree. It has to be an electric issue and if you had replaced all of those with working units then it would work.
    I would suspect the RAMPS if you only repaired it rather than replaced it.
    In most cases it is as simple as replacing the output MOSFET driver for a failed channel, but sometimes there may be deeper issues.
    As cheap as the RAMPS boards are I would always keep a spare on hand, and if you feel up to fixing it then do it after swapping it :)
     
    #5 mark tomlinson, Feb 27, 2016
  6. MeMine

    MeMine New Member

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    I'm having a problem with my extruder today. It just quit working. I was doing a test with new gears and it was working then quit. The hot end was up to temp. I removed the gears and tried it, nothing. I than plugged the motor into the x axis and the motor turns when I jog the x-axis controls. So it's not the motor. I swapped the stepper motor module with the x axis board, nothing but the x axis does move, so not the stepper motor module. What do you guys recommend next? I'm thinking of just ordering the electronics kit but I don't want to waste money. Thanks.
     
    #6 MeMine, Feb 28, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2016
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The the hotend was still hot when you tried to extrude then it should have run if it was out of the gearbox when you told it to extrude..
    If it did not then at this point I'd open a replacement part request for the RAMPS
     
    #7 mark tomlinson, Feb 28, 2016
  8. MeMine

    MeMine New Member

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    Thanks I'll do that than.
     
    #8 MeMine, Feb 28, 2016
  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    On the plus side, warranty out of the picture, the entire electronics can be replaced for less than $100 (Arduino Mega, Ramps 1.4, Stepper drivers, Power Supply). A lot less if you shop around. You can get a kit from SainSmart (and others) that includes everything except the power supply.

    Example:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019TNELNU

    No affiliation :) Just an example.
    Out of warranty spare parts are cheap and plentiful so have some on hand.
     
    #9 mark tomlinson, Feb 28, 2016
  10. rradams01

    rradams01 New Member

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    RAMPS board came in today, replaced it, no joy :-( Is there a check box in Matter Control that I could have inadvertently clicked. I had gone from PLA to ABS, removed rafts, and changed infill to 20% when the bed heater connection smoked and I repaired the connector. All of this occurred before I started printing and noticed the extruder motor not running.
    Thanks...
     
    #10 rradams01, Mar 1, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2016
  11. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    What temperature is your extruder at?
     
    #11 Mike Kelly, Mar 3, 2016
  12. rradams01

    rradams01 New Member

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    Hi Mike,
    Thank you for asking...
    Temp was at 235°C (default ABS)... originally. When I found the extruder wasn't turning I removed the filament.

    The motor turns when connected to the Y axis driver.
    It now has new RAMPS & Arduino boards and a fresh install of Matter Control from the ROBO website and still doesn't play.

    I do have a tech support Skype this afternoon but still open to suggestions. :)
     
    #12 rradams01, Mar 3, 2016
  13. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    If you open terminal do any errors show up?

    Only reason the motor wouldn't move when given a command, and the motor proven to work, is a faulty stepper driver. Either under current (you'd hear the motor trying to move though) or a blown driver.

    Good luck on your skype call, would be good to hear what they say
     
    #13 Mike Kelly, Mar 3, 2016
  14. rradams01

    rradams01 New Member

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    Mike and Mark... Thank you for your input. After I talked to and listened to Kevin @ ROBO support he noted something that you guys were getting at... I wasn't letting the extruder get above 200°C before trying the extruder. ROBO plays well now.

    I am sorry for wasting your time...
    Rubin
     
    #14 rradams01, Mar 4, 2016
    Mike Kelly likes this.
  15. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Glad you sorted it, good luck.

    I think they switched the minimum extruder temp to 190 or 195 in a firmware update (it used to be closer to 170 if memory serves). I know I tend to forget that :)

    That is fine if you are using a normal extruder head (standard hexagon or E3D).
    If you ever upgrade to the Volcano adapter for E3D (or something similar) then that minimum will need to be lowered since the extrusion temperature for the filaments drops a fair amount with that upgrade.
     
    #15 mark tomlinson, Mar 4, 2016

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