Solved Brand new to 3D printing - RoBo 3D R1+ - Multiple issues

Hi, I am completely new to 3D printing, so please bear with me. I have tried to read up on these issues, but haven't had much luck finding solutions yet.

A little background: I received this 3D printer from a friend who just claimed "he could not get it to work" and he didn't have the time to figure it out. So, it's been used before, it's not like I just took it out of the box. I have scheduled a Skype meeting with Robo3D for next week, but I'd love to try to troubleshoot this on my own so that I can learn more about the equipment and software. I'm printing with PLA, made sure I'm using the V2 firmware, and am using MatterControl 1.6.

First issue: I first tried printing the simple configuration circle from the MatterControl software. The printer appears to be printing something other than the circle it was programed to print. This seems odd, but maybe it is stuck trying to print something that my friend tried printing previously? The only strange thing is that the printer does seem to follow the commands from the software, ie. sits idle until I tell it to start printing, it warms up properly, etc. There is no SD card inserted either, so I'm at a loss here.

Second issue: When the plate is moving back and forth, it often appears like it's shaking and makes loud noises. This could be from trying to print something other than the circle, but I'm not sure. The plate does move smoothly when I push it back and forth. I took a quick video, but I can't link to it since I'm a new member.

I'd appreciate any insight you may have.
Thank you.

 

Thanks for the quick reply @mark tomlinson. I'll definitely check again under the plate, but there did not appear to be anything getting in the way of the bands underneath. I'm almost wondering if the shaking is just an issue with the printer thinking it's supposed to print something else. It really appears like it's not even trying to print the circle at all. Any way to like, reset the printer?

I'm also noticing that whatever material the printer is putting down isn't sticking to the plate. I noticed that some people recommend spraying hairspray on there, so I may try that too.

 

Thanks, yes I've seen that it'll touch points on the plate, but it actually started printing straight-ish lines (not exactly straight because of the shaking) forming some sort of stick-type shape. It does not appear to be the autoleveling sequence, though. It looks like printing something completely different than what the software is telling it to. Unfortunately I did not take a picture last night.

Nevertheless, I'll check out the videos you recommended!

 

I think I understand, but I watched a Youtube video of a guy printing the circle using the same software and it didn't make any straight lines, it simply went straight to building the circle one layer at a time. That's why I'm thinking there's something strange going on.

 

Thank you, I'll give it a try tonight.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of 3D printer tweaking and repair... Uhm I mean Welcome to 3D printing!!!!

The printer is very dumb. There really isn't a traditional "reset" for it. It has a simple electronics board with an add on controller board (Arduino with a Ramps board). They are very basic electronics and fairly inexpensive to replace as needed.

Please turn on your printer and confirm that the fan INSIDE THE BASE is running. It is what cools these boards. I've read over and over people getting strange behaviors and then discovered the fan was not plugged in and running.

Something to try while you await your skype meeting.

 

Thank you, I'll give it a look. I'm fairly certain it was running, because I noticed the fan making noise.

 

Just something to check. Good luck.

 

@mark tomlinson @Rigmarol I think I might have actually gotten it to work! See in-progress pic, attached.

The Z-axis offset was set to 0, so i changed it to 1.5mm and it looks like it's working!
I'll update once it's finished.

 

@mark tomlinson
OK, so after speaking with a very patient Robo3D tech last night, I may be ordering a new stepper motor and wiring harness for the Y axis due to the shaking I mentioned earlier. Strangely however, the shaking does not happen all the time and I was able to test print a cube.

I was also able to print a little mickey mouse keychain for my daughter last night and the finished product was 90% there, just the bottom layers aren't solid. See the attached photos of the finished product. I attached a top photo, bottom photo, and side photo that shows the difference between the top and bottom layers.

I used glue stick on the glass plate to make the bottom layers stick and that did its job, this was my first print not to shift during printing. I also brought the Z-axis offset down to 0.8mm last night, do you think I need to adjust it down even further to solve this problem?

 

Thanks, I'll keep reducing the Z axis until I get a good skirt like that one. Appreciate the tips!

 

Quick question, what (free) software do you recommend? I've been looking at Cura and it seems like it may be a little more user-friendly than MatterControl. Do you have a strong opinion one way or another?