1 Topic by jgilldev

  • jgilldev
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Topic: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

Hi Everyone,

My first post on here, I have been reading the posts on here for quite a while now and found them extremely helpful.
I am looking for an alternate solution to buying more parts from the solidoodle online store, as I am in Australia and the added cost of shipping and the time wasted waiting for parts to arrive is driving me up the wall. What I am really looking for are suggestions for suppliers for replacement parts from within Australia if possible in order to reduce the cost in both time and money for maintaining my SD2.

This has mainly come about because as of last night I was finally able to install a new hot end and the first time it was turned on the thermistor blew. As well as that the original print bed was found to have a warp in it which made accurate printing almost impossible, however the replacement print bed that I ordered didnt have the two screw holes in the centre to attach the heating element to the underside of the print bed.

I enquired about this to the solidoodle support and was originally told that they would send me a new hot end and print bed. However I received an email this morning saying that the new print bed I received is the new type that has superseded the original print bed that came with the printer (which was warped). This presents a problem as the screws from the original print bed do not appear to be the correct size or type to be able to attach the heater to the new print bed plate, and after checking the packaging, no new screws of appropriate size/shape were provided with the new bed plate.

Also, before they will send me any replacement parts I am required to repackage the newly purchased faulty parts that I had just received (after waiting for almost a month for them to even be shipped to me from NY) and ship them back to them before they would send me any parts to fix the printer...again.
This shipping time, combined with 8 to 10 days that is taken before the replacement parts are even shipped back to me, as well as the time taken for them to arrive back in Australia will keep my printer out of action for at least another month, probably slightly longer.

I understand that there is a procedure to be followed, I work in the IT support area myself. However there also needs to be a balance between procedure and customer service (IMHO).

OK, that was a bit of venting thrown in there, and I apologise for that. However my main questions to you all is this:

1. Can anyone direct me to either an Australian supplier or a supplier that does not take so long to ship parts(and if possible is cheaper) than the solidoodle online store?

If anyone could assist me with this I would be forever grateful.        big_smile

PS. I have attached images of the blown thermistor and two printer bed plates to show the difference. The solidoodle support person I was talking to on Skype was also sent copies of these files both during our conversation and attached to an email sent post conversation.

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2 Reply by MolecularConcept

  • MolecularConcept
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Re: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

I don't have anything helpful to say  but I too dislike their replacement protocol. They should at least  send out the new parts when they get tracking information for the return. That would cut the time in half at least.

3 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

The problem with the bed is that they changed from the resistor screwed to the bottom of the plate to a heated mat which doesn't need to be screwed on.  They didn't bother to ask what kind you had, or check the serial number to see.  It is also possible that they just haven't kept or produced a stock of the out of date parts to support older customers.  They are going to have to start a policy of sending out the mat as well to customers with resistors.

I suspect the issue with shipping is that the shippers are under the gun to get printers out the door and keep pushing off parts as a low priority.  One user here waited 3 weeks for a bed without ship notification.  John in support had sent it into the shipping queue twice  He finally had to get a manager, go to the shipping department, and stand there until the guy shipped the bed.

They have thermistors at BilbyCNC - https://www.bilbycnc.com.au/DispCat.asp … bCatID=101

4 Reply by jgilldev (edited by jgilldev 2013-07-25 09:13:06)

  • jgilldev
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Re: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

All in all I am actually very disappointed with the level of reliability of the service that is given to people that have already invested money into one of the three products that they sell. Hence why I am at the point of forgetting any reliance on the SD team and just turning to the SD community for better alternatives.

And thanks for the link IanJohnson, I will absolutely give that website a look and see if I can find both the thermistor and perhaps a new heater for the bed seeing as the one from my original bed is no longer able to be used (a fact that was not at all mentioned by the SD support person I spoke to I might add).

If anyone else has any suggestions or advice I would love to hear it.

Thanks again guys! big_smile

PS. Just as a quick side note I believe it was your write-up on getting the software setup and calibrating the printer that allowed me to get rolling with my SD2 after I first got it IanJohnson. So thanks for that too!  big_smile

5 Reply by solijohn

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Re: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

IanJohnson wrote:

The problem with the bed is that they changed from the resistor screwed to the bottom of the plate to a heated mat which doesn't need to be screwed on.  They didn't bother to ask what kind you had, or check the serial number to see.  It is also possible that they just haven't kept or produced a stock of the out of date parts to support older customers.  They are going to have to start a policy of sending out the mat as well to customers with resistors.

I suspect the issue with shipping is that the shippers are under the gun to get printers out the door and keep pushing off parts as a low priority.  One user here waited 3 weeks for a bed without ship notification.  John in support had sent it into the shipping queue twice  He finally had to get a manager, go to the shipping department, and stand there until the guy shipped the bed.

They have thermistors at BilbyCNC - https://www.bilbycnc.com.au/DispCat.asp … bCatID=101

If we were to issue a free replacement to a user with the old bed, it would be with the mat. The mats are far more reliable. Shipping times in parts aren't as bad as they used to be. The backlog is almost done with, so people shouldn't have to wait anymore.

Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.

6 Reply by jgilldev

  • jgilldev
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Re: Thermistor on a new hot end blew first time it was powered up

solidoodlesupport wrote:
IanJohnson wrote:

The problem with the bed is that they changed from the resistor screwed to the bottom of the plate to a heated mat which doesn't need to be screwed on.  They didn't bother to ask what kind you had, or check the serial number to see.  It is also possible that they just haven't kept or produced a stock of the out of date parts to support older customers.  They are going to have to start a policy of sending out the mat as well to customers with resistors.

I suspect the issue with shipping is that the shippers are under the gun to get printers out the door and keep pushing off parts as a low priority.  One user here waited 3 weeks for a bed without ship notification.  John in support had sent it into the shipping queue twice  He finally had to get a manager, go to the shipping department, and stand there until the guy shipped the bed.

They have thermistors at BilbyCNC

If we were to issue a free replacement to a user with the old bed, it would be with the mat. The mats are far more reliable. Shipping times in parts aren't as bad as they used to be. The backlog is almost done with, so people shouldn't have to wait anymore.


The problem is that I ordered the bed plate(Aluminum Build Plate SD2 - SD-1022) from the website which shows it still having the screw holes in the centre of the plate, which is also the reason I ordered that particular part and not the new type(Aluminum Build Plate+ Heating Element 6" x 6" - SD-1041). Because of this change-up I am now stuck with a new build plate and no suitable heating element to attach to it as the new plate did not come with the new heating mat, and no notification of change or notice that the 'old style' of build plate was being discontinued was given.

I would be happy to accept one of the new heating mats and install it on my printer if they are the new standard. However I think that this information also needs to be disseminated effectively and perhaps remove the image of the old style of print bed from the online store to avoid other people going through the same confusion and frustration that I have.
As you can see from the attached photos of my original post in this thread, and if you look at my order(Order ID: #12298) you can see that what was ordered is not what was received.

As for the return policy, perhaps a slight change so that in certain circumstances where the fault is evident to be with the supplier/manufacturer the replacement parts could be sent out without needing to get the faulty parts back.
Or if that is not an appropriate solution if the replacement parts could be shipped once a shipping/tracking number is provided by the customer showing that the faulty parts are on the way back to NY?

For international customers such as myself and many others, having to send the faulty parts back prior to any replacement parts being shipped adds a significant amount down time, as well as having to ship the faulty parts that we have already paid for(both parts and shipping) back to you at our own cost, makes the entire process of using Solidoodle's online store or utilising the warranty more costly in both time and money than it is to go elsewhere, even if it does require more tinkering to get it working that way.
For customers such as myself that encounter these sorts of issues, the warranty that the printer comes with, which is also one of the selling points listed on the website is basically pointless. If anything it would make us reconsider purchasing this product as any support that could possibly be given is made much more expensive in both down time and money. Leaving us with the choices of

1) Either we find a different printer that meets our requirements

                             OR

2) We purchase a Solidoodle printer with the intention of sourcing replacement parts from a more accessible supplier from the start and not using the Solidoodle online store or warranty whatsoever. (which would have the side-effect of reducing repeat patronage)

From a business perspective neither of those options are good ones as repeat business and consumer confidence in the products and services is critical to the long term success of any business venture.


As a side note and possible suggestion to save both yourselves and your customers time and frustration, something I noticed when dealing with the support team is that there is no reference/job ID number given when a new issue is logged. To save customers having to repeat the entire problem and all related information each time they contact the support team  and also give the support team a quick way to reference previous calls when dealing with these sorts of issues, supplying the customer with some sort of job reference ID would be a good solution.
As I said that is simply a suggestion as it is a system that we have employed within the customer service area of the company I work for.

I have tried to be as constructive in my observations throughout this entire process and hope that you may be able to gain some ideas from them. Also so as not to get too far off the original topic, any assistance you could provide me with regards to the issues I am having would be greatly appreciated.
If you need any other information please let me know and I will be happy to oblige.

Thanks for your help. big_smile