Just from what has been described, the cause could be any of these suspects from most likely to least likely
Power Supply (as is usual with electronics; start by testing for a reliable 12v output with a multimeter)
Thermocouple (Bad readings may confuse the PID controller)
Heater Band (A defective band may heat poorly and inconsistently before dying)
PID Controller (If all else fails...)
Before you start thinking about replacements, troubleshoot the unit.
My first recommendation is to set the voltage and current values on the stall board, since motor draw is a major factor here. Follow the instructions to zero the pots and adjust them to the correct values.
If that doesn't help, try autotuning the PID (also in the instructions). This tells the PID how quickly the heating band can heat up the nozzle, allowing the PID to accurately predicts the correct amount of power to use in order to reach the desired temperature.
It is also important to consider the environment you are using the Filastruder in. While the heater band should be sufficient in most cases, a cold room will obviously slow its heating and require a greater change in nozzle temperature to reach desired temps.
If the unit is on a crowded electrical circuit (lots of appliances or a couple heavy ones), try connecting to a less crowded one. Current-hungry devices drop the AC voltage quite significantly, so the power supply might not be able to create an adequate DC voltage.Of course, these are just general points for PID controlled heating circuits competing with current heavy devices. Tim's the expert, so he may already know what's wrong and how to fix it.
Make sure SESTOS is at default settings (look up the manual here on forum i posted while back)
Once you start turning the motor (after 30 minutes preheat) expect melted plastic inside to come out as watery drops until pellets behind it push them out.
Correctly positioned heater band and good insulation will make temperature stable and provide consistent diameter.
]]>worrying update:
I left it for a while, and it finally got up to 190. I turned on the motor, and it was jetting out super thin spaghetti. While running, the temp dropped to 170ish. I run it for a few minutes, turn off the motor, and the temp now reads 230! I checked the temperature with a IR thermometer, and the surface of the nozzle was at roughly 210.
What do?
Resecure your thermocouple, if you ran the thermocouple wire under the insulation maybe make sure it hasn't melted away the insulation and grounded the thermocouple anywhere along the pipe.
]]>Power Supply (as is usual with electronics; start by testing for a reliable 12v output with a multimeter)
Thermocouple (Bad readings may confuse the PID controller)
Heater Band (A defective band may heat poorly and inconsistently before dying)
PID Controller (If all else fails...)
Before you start thinking about replacements, troubleshoot the unit.
My first recommendation is to set the voltage and current values on the stall board, since motor draw is a major factor here. Follow the instructions to zero the pots and adjust them to the correct values.
If that doesn't help, try autotuning the PID (also in the instructions). This tells the PID how quickly the heating band can heat up the nozzle, allowing the PID to accurately predicts the correct amount of power to use in order to reach the desired temperature.
It is also important to consider the environment you are using the Filastruder in. While the heater band should be sufficient in most cases, a cold room will obviously slow its heating and require a greater change in nozzle temperature to reach desired temps.
If the unit is on a crowded electrical circuit (lots of appliances or a couple heavy ones), try connecting to a less crowded one. Current-hungry devices drop the AC voltage quite significantly, so the power supply might not be able to create an adequate DC voltage.
Of course, these are just general points for PID controlled heating circuits competing with current heavy devices. Tim's the expert, so he may already know what's wrong and how to fix it.
]]>I left it for a while, and it finally got up to 190. I turned on the motor, and it was jetting out super thin spaghetti. While running, the temp dropped to 170ish. I run it for a few minutes, turn off the motor, and the temp now reads 230! I checked the temperature with a IR thermometer, and the surface of the nozzle was at roughly 210.
What do?
]]>Recently, my struder has failed to get up above 170. Then, when turning the motor on, the temperature (or at least the temperature readout) drops as low as 110 while extruding.
Is this most likely to be a power issue?
Thanks.
]]>