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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Help/Repair/Maintenance → Help getting my machine up and running again.
I have one of the older machines that I have not used in years. It's in excellent shape and has only had about a half a spool of filament run through it.My youngest son wants to try and get it up and running again. I have changed computers a couple times and the programs have gone by the wayside. I'm looking for help getting the OS updated and what programs to use to run it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Roy
can you be specific about which machine?
the controller board used will dictate what COM driver you need to install
otherwise for software to run it, just download & install Repetier Host - it comes bundled with Slic3r and Cura for slicing needs.
dont really need to do much else.
It's a SD 2 Pro. Thanks for the help. I just downloaded the files and they seem to be connecting. I can manually move the print head, also heat the print head and bed. When I load a file and slice it the head moves into the uppermost right position which is off the print table when it tries to zero the Z position. I thought the bed size may be set incorrectly since the default setting is 200mm for both X and Y, so i set them to 154mm since the bed is 6"x6". It still hangs in that corner.
i have never had an SD2, but it is possible there is a small offset involved.. i forget the proper "name" for it, but it is most likely configured in the firmware - typically an extra 5mm or so.. I know on the SD4 with the 200x200 (8x8) bed, it is specified in the firmware as 205x200 somewhere.
Endstop position can also affect this - you should be able to adjust the endstop position to get it where you want it.
right rear corner would be the correct "home" location for an SD, tho.. and endstops should be configured as X=MAX, Y=MAX, Z=MIN in RH printer set up.
On the SD2, the bed size is 150 x 150, actually, X=159 to allow the extruder to 'home' itself is the right rear corner. You can reset the size in Repetier using the Printer Settings.
Sounds like you've got the rest ready to go.
Ski
Thanks guys. I will try to change the bed size again and see what happens.
Ok, back to the experts. Got things up and running for a bit. Printed a few test shapes and everything looked ok. now the extruder head is not heating up properly. I turned on the machine and everything started to heat up normally. The bed heats and holds temp, but the extruder heated to around eighty degrees and then slowly cooled off to room temp. now it will not heat up at all. I have looked through the forum and several posts talk about extruder problems but don't seem to fit. Is there a replacement extruder anyone is using.
I have an older SD2.
Before you jump ahead you may want to troubleshoot the problem . it could be just a broken wire .
do you have 12v dc coming from the board?? do you have continuity on the heater wires.
and to clarify the extruder is the part that pushes the plastic into the hot end the hot end melts it and deposits it on the bed.
Extruder here
https://www.printitindustries.com/colle … 5-extruder
https://www.printitindustries.com/colle … 6-extruder
and hot ends
https://www.printitindustries.com/colle … -assembled
https://www.printitindustries.com/colle … -assembled
make sure you select 12 v for the hot end
As Tin Falcon said, there is a big difference between the extruder and the hotend..
You could simply have a broken wire, or maybe a bad thermistor (temp measuring) so verifying either of those would be the first step in figuring out where to go next.
the thin wires are for the thermistor, and those can be quite fragile and easily broken.
the heavier wires are for the heater, but they can be broken over time with repeated flexing.
see if you can determine exactly what has gone wrong, starting with making sure you have power from the controller board to the hotend, and working out from there.
I have 12v from the board. Checked the the continuity on all the wires even across the connectors and the splices on both sides of the heating element (looks like they just used a large resistor as a heating element). I do not have continuity across the heating element. I took the wrap off the hot end so you guys can see whats going on. I have taken the heating element out and tested it. I just put it back in place for the picture. The green wires are just sitting in the red connector. I wonder if I can just try to replace the heating element? 
sounds like a dead heater then..
in all honesty, you would be better off replacing the hotend with something else.
If all you intend to run is PLA or ABS, then the E3D Lite6 would be a very economical upgrade and a much better hotend all around.
First off thanks guys for helping getting my SD2 up and running again. I fixed the hot end heater by just ordering a 12v ceramic heater and boring out the resistor hole to fit. This is just a temporary fix until I can get my E3D Lite 6 hot end up and running. What I have noticed is that my hot end does not move to the center of the print table and touch to set the Z axis to calibrate. The hot end just moves from the upper right corner to the center and starts printing. I seem to be missing some code on the start printing setup. Right now this is what is in Slic3r.
G91
G1 Z50 F4800
G90
G28 X0 Y0
M84
Are you homing the machine when you power it up.
Here is a g code cheat sheet that may help you .
http://www.makeit-3d.com/wp-content/upl … tSheet.pdf
g1 moves the z to =
+50 mm and sets a feed rate to 4800
G90 resets absolute mode
G28 X0 Y0 homes the x and y axis only
M84 put the machine in hold mode waiting for more g code.
If it work why fix it.
My solidoodle printer seems to have no starting g code.
My other printers simply have this
G28 ; home all axes
G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle
IMHO it is a bad idea to home the Z in the middle of the bed actually anywhere over the bed . you are better off somewhere just off the edge that way if something goes wrong and the routine overshoots the end stop you are not jamming the nozzle into the bed plate.
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