my stock 1.0a would print some pla, just had issues at really long prints and some colors, since modding mine with a heatsink and moving the fan lower and blowing out i have printed a 15 hours print in pla without issue, never had an issue since in fact.

Was then your mod the same as the scobo's one?

scobo wrote:

Is it one of newer Da Vincis you have ?
Mine's one of the older 1.0 models, had it just over a year.

A 1.0a a few months old.

Good to know that the newer models don't require modding then.

Is it one of newer Da Vincis you have ?
Mine's one of the older 1.0 models, had it just over a year.

A 1.0a a few months old.

This stuff ..... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191248619347? … EBIDX%3AIT

Ok.

scobo wrote:

Strangely enough, I also finished a 6 hour print last night.
So yes, with the right mod and extruder temp, a stock Da Vinci extruder can print PLA no problem.

My extruder is stock with no mods whatsoever.

Is it one of newer Da Vincis you have ?
Mine's one of the older 1.0 models, had it just over a year.

Strangely enough, I also finished a 6 hour print last night.
So yes, with the right mod and extruder temp, a stock Da Vinci extruder can print PLA no problem.

My extruder is stock with no mods whatsoever.

They are held in place with thermal paste.

Is thermal paste that one applied with a little hotend gun or a paste that resists high temperatures?

I took off the 4 small heatsinks in order to try a single larger heatsink which didn't work.
I put back just 2 of the small heatsinks out of curiosity and I can still print all the other filament types no problem. I guess 4 heatsinks was overkill.
So I still have 2 of the heatsinks shown in the picture positioned right next to the feedtube as in the picture. The 2 furthest from the tube are not required.
They are held in place with thermal paste.
Moving the fan is very easy, just remove the screws, remove the metal bracket then replace the fan as in the picture.
I can confirm that I print ABS and PLA at 230°C and use 60°C bed temp for PLA.
For ABS, I use bed temp of 60°C on small prints but increase this up to 90°C for prints that cover more of the bed.
The only reason I use 60°C for PLA is to save having to re-level the bed when switching filament type.

Ok, all it's clear. Thanks.

I've posted quite a bit about using additional heatsinks to print PLA but here's a summary of my experience so far.
I added a couple of small heatsinks located either side of the feedtube and moved the fan lower so it blows directly across the feedtube.

I recently removed the 2 heatsinks furthest from the tube and the mod still works.
I've been able to print PLA great plus all the types of filament in my signature.
This is an extremly quick and easy mod but it makes a huge difference to how well the Da Vinci copes with other filament types.
Mark is dead right, PLA is prone to swelling within the feedtube just above the nozzle so the key is preventing heat-creep by focusing cooling around this area.
I find I need to increase my extruder temp for both ABS and PLA to 230°C to get the best results.

Why did you move the heatsinks? Where did you move them? (As I see in the picture there isn't much space to move away the heatsinks)
Are the heatsinks pasted with termal silicone?
Is it easy to move the fan?
Could you confirm that you are printing ABS and PLA at the same extruder temperature (230º)? What about bed temperature for PLA?

Thank you.