SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Can't print for more than an hour

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T18:13:25Z

IanJohnson wrote:

The right video is this one- http://vimeo.com/55528973

It is ironic that the video, recently released by Solidoodle, shows the old hot end, with no reference to the newer hot end.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T17:03:33Z

Ian: your video was very helpful! I wish I had known to view it before I invented my own way to disassemble things.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T16:40:58Z

The right video is this one- http://vimeo.com/55528973 Scroll up to the top of the page, they have other videos. The key to that method is the tweezers with grooves at the tip. Without the grooves it is really hard to keep the bolts for the mounting plate from spinning.

If you cant unscrew the mounting plate and pull the hot end out the front, then follow this video I did - http://youtu.be/nQohJtS4wrE

You don't have to leave it in the printer, just take out the screws holding it onto the motor and leave the motor behind. As for the too short heater wire, you might be able to get some slack by freeing it from the rest of the bundle. You will have to tape the other wires back up when you are done, but you need to get kapton anyway to put the thermistor on the new hot end. They should add the need for tape in the description in the store. It is good to have Kapton on hand anyway, it's like duct tape for 3D printing.

If you separate the heater wire from the rest to make it reach, it will work for now but you should demand that they send a new one with the wires the right length. The wire will eventually fail if it is allowed to move around and not taped down with the others.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T16:25:24Z

Jon , I just looked at your picture and it appears you and I have the same replacement nozzle. the blacker one that almost looks like it has fiberous material instead of wood.

the other nozzle you have there looks like my original one as well.

I really think there is something wrong with these newer nozzles. I plan to rebuild my old one sometime next week and leave my printer settings alone and see if it goes back to working properly with the original nozzle.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T16:07:39Z

Thanks for your offers of assistance, but you are all wrong.

The video shows what to do if you do not have to replace the peek. The part that they sent me included the peek. Since that is their recommended spare part, and since I paid for the entire assembly, I figured I should replace it all.

I had to disassemble the jigsaw almost entirely. What a HORRIBLE design. It might not be that bad to mess with when creating from scratch, but when everything is attached via the wiring harness, and all work must be done within the printer itself, it is very annoying. You have to turn the printer on its side to do the work. I only had to do it four times (although one screw seems to have gone missing).

Then I noticed the next thing that is pissing me off. Look at the picture. The wires are not long enough. Their replacement parts will not work with older printers. That is, I'm out $80, and have just wasted an hour, and now the printer will not work AT ALL, rather than not working reliably.

More than half of my emails and Skypes to Support are simply ignored.

Two printers, none of them working, and no way to make progress.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T15:51:57Z

http://vimeo.com/55528973

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T15:51:48Z

jon_bondy wrote:

I'm trying to replace the old hot end with a new one (on the printer without the wiring problem). I am beginning to think that I have to remove EVERYTHING, disassemble the jigsaw, and then reassemble everything.

you only need to remove the 2 nuts under the carriage and 1 bolt in the front to remove/replace it. unless you have filament still stuck in the top, then you need to disassemble it.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T15:25:49Z

There is a video of replacing the hot end on their vimeo account. I dont have the link in front of me but I think its on the solidoodle wiki page.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T15:17:05Z

I'm trying to replace the old hot end with a new one (on the printer without the wiring problem). I am beginning to think that I have to remove EVERYTHING, disassemble the jigsaw, and then reassemble everything.

I am becoming increasing infuriated with Solidoodle. They send out the parts with no instructions, and with no kapton tape (which I believe I will have to replace). This is in no way a commercial product. It is not even a kit. It is a puzzle for which we pay hundreds of dollars for the privilege of deciphering its arcane and absurd design.

Yes, I am pissed off. Two Solidoodles, and neither of them work.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T13:10:55Z

Jeffrey: if your theory were correct, how would I prove it? Compare the parameters displayed at the top of a gcode file with those in Slic3r? Can you demonstrate this in some way?

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T13:06:54Z

Throw out all of you Repetier Host settings and manually build those profiles...(there is something going on with my system also)...It won't retain the settings and other settings are hanging in memory and being re-used even if I select different settings to slice/print by. USE A MANUALLY CREATED "NOT LOADED" slic3r profile....I am going to try older versions of RH (I don't think it is a bug with slic3r, but more likely a bug in RH memory handling...) <-----this could be caused by my system config as well...but very unlikely.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T12:16:16Z

lobosolo wrote:

which nozzle does your machine have ? my machine was #280 and had the nozzle with lasercut wood for a stopper. is that what you have or do you have the black fiber stopper ?

The horizontal piece between the hot end and the clear plastic jig saw is made of wood on both of my printers. They were manufactured in September/October, I believe.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T12:12:49Z

wire10ga wrote:

I thought the problem was it clogging up?

I think it did clog once, but more often than not, after things stop working, if I heat the extruder and push on the filament and click on the extrude button, it works again. If that fails, if I remove the filament, cut the last 4 inches off, and reinsert the filament, all is well.

Even the clog could have been a misunderstanding on my part. It is possible that I tried to push the filament in after it stopped working, and the bottom inch of filament snapped off, simulating a clog.

At this point I am just confused.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T12:10:31Z

cmetzel wrote:

Why would bad filament make the hot end temp drop? This is something electric for sure IMO.

My original machine suddenly stopped heating up: that might be electrical.

My second machine claims to have consistent extruder temperatures, but even with this, the extrusions are unreliable.

I think that something goes wrong, for a moment (drop in temperature, change in filament diameter or composition) and the filament hesitates in the extruder. The extruder digs a divot in the filament, and then all is lost.

Re: Can't print for more than an hour

2012-12-22T01:02:31Z

jon_bondy wrote:

Strangely, this black is the tail end of a reel that I printed with for two months on the other Solidoodle. Something else is going on here, that we are missing. Some other variable. Unless the quality of the filament changes drastically from one end of the reel to the other.

which nozzle does your machine have ? my machine was #280 and had the nozzle with lasercut wood for a stopper. is that what you have or do you have the black fiber stopper ?