1 Topic by lnpurnell (edited by lnpurnell 2014-05-07 15:28:37)

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Topic: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you guys know about the issues I have been having with the Da vinci 1.0 'automatic bed levelling' feature.

I have been doing the normal bed calibration and didn't have any success with the xyzprinting video, I kept getting +999 on the 3rd reading, even as I was getting close to the 200-250 range. I was sure I was not setting the screws correctly but then I noticed something interesting.

The sensor on the print nozzle touches the first two corners of the bed fine but it doesn't contact the third corner correctly and the sensor cannot detect it touching and complete the circuit.

I have heard a few people complaining about the +999 issue on forums, but i solved it by putting a small piece of aluminium foil on each corner so the sensor could complete the circuit. (I attached the image below)

This may be an issue with the design of the printer, I just wanted to highlight this to you all as it has taken me 2 days of my time before I realised this and worked a fix for it.

Leigh

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2 Reply by skestes

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

The sensor not contacting the third corner...?

That means your bed isn't just not level...it's *really* not level.

3 Reply by lnpurnell

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

skestes wrote:

The sensor not contacting the third corner...?

That means your bed isn't just not level...it's *really* not level.


The bed is level; the problem I was having was the nozzle pushing down on the print bed when calibrating the 3rd corner. This stopped the calibration sensor from contacting properly, as soon as i used the single layer of foil it worked fine.

I added the foil to ll three corners though so it wouldn't alter the calibration results

Leigh

4 Reply by Ovrclck350

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

I pushed the glass back towards the rear of the machine and the nozzle didn't touch, but I noticed the same thing too.  It seems that the Y home is a bit too too far back or their Y value in the self calibration needs to come a bit more negative.

BUT, the glass is loose and it slides, so try pushing it towards the rear of the machine.  If you're using foil then you're throwing off all your calibration.  Most aluminum foil is around .2mm thick.  Even using it on all 3 pads you're telling the machine that the bed is .2mm higher than it is, so the bed is going to be .2mm lower on your first layers than it's expecting.  That's going to cause you problems.

5 Reply by usa1

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

I have the same issue with my one day old machine.  The Y axis zero point is too far forward for the head to make the electrical connection on the first calibration point.  Is there a way to correct this?

6 Reply by Ovrclck350

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

You could possibly re-try homing out the axis.  Take it home with the control panel and see if that helps.

7 Reply by 3Ding

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

I seem to always need to clean the probe and razor blade the corner contacts to get it to actually make contact properly. I have since disabled the auto bed calibration and have set it manually. I print a large skirt around each print that allows me to make slight adjustments before the object starts printing.

8 Reply by skestes

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

3Ding wrote:

I seem to always need to clean the probe and razor blade the corner contacts to get it to actually make contact properly. I have since disabled the auto bed calibration and have set it manually. I print a large skirt around each print that allows me to make slight adjustments before the object starts printing.

How have you disabled auto leveling? Does this Zero out the stored offset or simply direct the printer to ignore it?

Even when I level the bed with respect to 'Home' the printer wants to add it's own (and very very wrong) Z-offset. This has led me to the process manually setting the extruder .038mm above the plate when Z=0 and then to add a -3.45mm offset in slicer to negate the printer's stored offset.

My stored offset is 240 and I can't really figure out what that number means. According to the company's video on bed leveling the offset should be anywhere from 200-250 but a https://skydrive.live.com/download.aspx … 9827%21156 states that a homed extruder should be .2mm about the bed. When I home my extruder it's somwhere around 2.6mm *below* the bed.

9 Reply by arpuffer (edited by arpuffer 2014-05-17 06:35:12)

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

skestes wrote:

How have you disabled auto leveling? Does this Zero out the stored offset or simply direct the printer to ignore it?

Even when I level the bed with respect to 'Home' the printer wants to add it's own (and very very wrong) Z-offset. This has led me to the process manually setting the extruder .038mm above the plate when Z=0 and then to add a -3.45mm offset in slicer .


So auto-leveling (part of the pre-print routine for every job) was in the original firmware, but I've had versions 1.1.g and 1.1.l since then and this feature no longer exists.  That being said, when I run the calibrate routine, the z offset is about 4x the desired value of 0.2mm.

Instead of using slicer to fix the offset, I let the printer believe whatever it wants since the last calibration.  I then manually adjust the height using a feeler gauge in between the nozzle and the bed.  From this point forward, there will be no more automatic leveling, only manual.

I am currently talking with customer support, because this is a pretty serious defect--I'll update if they have anything interesting to say.

10 Reply by apc7654

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

Interesting,,,,, I have been told that I have firmware 1.1.g (shows as 1.1.6 on LCD) and it still does the calibration routine before each print.  Not willing to jump to 1.1.I quite yet.

With regard to manually setting the Z offset, exactly how do you go about it?  This is how I assume it being done; 
1) allow the printer to start to print the first layer,
2) turn the printer off,
3) manually adjust the bed at three locations on the bed to get the desired .2mm clearance between the extruder tip the and bed.

Is this how you do it?

11 Reply by Ovrclck350

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

1.1.i doesn't, but even with G after the calibration was "on," it stopped auto leveling.  It leveled like the first 2 or 3 times and then stopped.

Interestingly enough, I leveled the other day and it was "out."  I popped the table down a few times and let it spring back and then it leveled out PERFECTLY--75/75/75.  So the table itself does NOT repeat 100% of the time.

12 Reply by oscahie (edited by oscahie 2014-08-19 22:27:49)

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

arpuffer wrote:
skestes wrote:

How have you disabled auto leveling? Does this Zero out the stored offset or simply direct the printer to ignore it?

Even when I level the bed with respect to 'Home' the printer wants to add it's own (and very very wrong) Z-offset. This has led me to the process manually setting the extruder .038mm above the plate when Z=0 and then to add a -3.45mm offset in slicer .


So auto-leveling (part of the pre-print routine for every job) was in the original firmware, but I've had versions 1.1.g and 1.1.l since then and this feature no longer exists.  That being said, when I run the calibrate routine, the z offset is about 4x the desired value of 0.2mm.

Instead of using slicer to fix the offset, I let the printer believe whatever it wants since the last calibration.  I then manually adjust the height using a feeler gauge in between the nozzle and the bed.  From this point forward, there will be no more automatic leveling, only manual.

I am currently talking with customer support, because this is a pretty serious defect--I'll update if they have anything interesting to say.

This is exactly the same thing I'm noticing on my new printer with 1.1.1J. The bed always starts off way too low (1mm or so the nozzle), which results in filament sticking issues and in a quite bad first layer. If I adjust the Z height using the manual method (machine off + paper sheet), then the next time I run the calibration check routine the printer seems to think that the bed is too high and proceeds to apply some offset of its own, so again the bed is placed way too low. The only way around this seems to be compensating with a negative value in slic3r's Z offset.

Did you hear back from customer support? do they at least acknowledge the issue?

13 Reply by Dr. Bogger

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

oscahie wrote:

If I adjust the Z height using the manual method (machine off + paper sheet), then the next time I run the calibration check routine the printer seems to think that the bed is too high and proceeds to apply some offset of its own, so again the bed is placed way too low. The only way around this seems to be compensating with a negative value in slic3r's Z offset.

Did you hear back from customer support? do they at least acknowledge the issue?

That is why you don't use the calibration after you do a manual leveling.

And customer support don't seem to care about this issue, as I have told them a complete solution to this issue, but it requires firmware editing, which I cannot do.

14 Reply by garthok (edited by garthok 2014-12-07 01:28:34)

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

My printer needed calibration after a firmware update, I guess it reset the offset after an update.  anyway, I did not notice until I had started a print and the nozzle somehow started dragging the entire print job with it gunking up the nozzle and sensor.  I had to scrape burned plastic off the sensor to get it to detect the print bed before I could calibrate, after a successful calibration, the bed is too low for small parts to stick to the glass reliably.

I guess the point is you may have to clean the sensor tip, and the vendor needs to resolve their offset issues.

edit:
Just installed firmware 1.2.3, ran calibration and it looks like it is printing noticeably better.  Offset looks correct.  printing a test now.

15 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Da Vinci 1.0 Bed levelling +999 issue

For all you guys fussing around with autocal, stop it. Just don't use except once to get a pass value which the machine will store and remember. Never ever run auto cal again. Instead follow this procedure to the letter and save what few hairs you have left along with your marriage/relationship.

http://www.soliforum.com/topic/8408/bed … beginners/

To be honest most printers on the market except very high end ones all rely on manual leveling. Even the high ends ones that auto level still do it wrong. It will be either too high or too low based on your layer thickness which the machine does not know during the level routine.

So just don't use the auto function it is useless and was just an add in to boost sales hype. Just follow the above procedure and you will find it much faster and easier.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.