1 Topic by KevlarGorilla

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Topic: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

Hello all,

I got my E3D v5 and installed it, but I still need to print out a better holder so it can attach more rigidly to my mk5 extruder and replacement carriages. After securing it with some wedged tape and running a thin wall calibration cube, I'm getting a bad pattern, and patterns of holes in vertical walls if the layer thickness is thin enough. I didn't get these before.

On the left is 0.30mm layers, and the right is 0.15mm layers.

I know that the extrusion width is usually 1.4 times the layer thickness with the 0.35mm nozzle.. does that change with the 0.40 nozzle of the E3D? I returned my speeds back to the stock recommended default Repetier values for testing. Is this an extruder stepper issue? Am I missing a setting?

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-SD3, E3Dv5, boz's E3D extruder, ABS from Sainsmart, mirror bed + dried hairspray + ABS slurry
-KevlarGorilla's 8x bearing threadless ball screw, 2n2r5's spring'd bed stabilizer
-fts_ltx's x-carriage, lawsy's v5 y-axis carriages, 2n2r5's beltless drive
-Overhead filament holder on 8mm rod, custom fillament feed, paeltz's simple enclosure, mini heater (opt)

2 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

Looks like you are under extruding.  Shoot for .48 wall thickness during calibration.

Also looks as though your E3D isn't holding firmly in place and is moving around in the MK-5 while it prints.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

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3 Reply by Boz

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

It could possibly be moire.  See this link for more info of when it happened to me.

4 Reply by KevlarGorilla (edited by KevlarGorilla 2014-03-13 13:40:16)

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

I upsized my extrusions to 1.6 times the layer thickness, and it solved most of the hole issues. Printing a better bracket will help the rest, I think.

My Google-fu is lacking; how do I upgrade to DRV8825 stepper drivers? A few posts say I don't need the chip itself?

-SD3, E3Dv5, boz's E3D extruder, ABS from Sainsmart, mirror bed + dried hairspray + ABS slurry
-KevlarGorilla's 8x bearing threadless ball screw, 2n2r5's spring'd bed stabilizer
-fts_ltx's x-carriage, lawsy's v5 y-axis carriages, 2n2r5's beltless drive
-Overhead filament holder on 8mm rod, custom fillament feed, paeltz's simple enclosure, mini heater (opt)

5 Reply by Tomek

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

Is your nozzle size the same?

Perhaps you upgraded from a S2 that (in the old versions) had 0.35mm nozzle, and did not update your software to reflect the 0.4mm of the E3D?


Just throwing that out there. To upgrade to DRV8825 stepper drivers you need to get pololu-style DRV8825 steppers. If you have the Printrboard, and not the Sanguinololu, I don't know if it's possible.

6 Reply by KevlarGorilla

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

I have a Solidoodle 3 with the Printrboard Rev E. My old setting with the old nozzle was 0.35mm, and I updated it to 0.40mm with installing the E3D. I also just updated the extrusion width, and things are a bit better now, but I'm getting moire like Boz shows.

I need a guide to install the DRV8825 steppers/drivers for my setup. Where can I find one?

-SD3, E3Dv5, boz's E3D extruder, ABS from Sainsmart, mirror bed + dried hairspray + ABS slurry
-KevlarGorilla's 8x bearing threadless ball screw, 2n2r5's spring'd bed stabilizer
-fts_ltx's x-carriage, lawsy's v5 y-axis carriages, 2n2r5's beltless drive
-Overhead filament holder on 8mm rod, custom fillament feed, paeltz's simple enclosure, mini heater (opt)

7 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

KevlarGorilla wrote:

I have a Solidoodle 3 with the Printrboard Rev E. My old setting with the old nozzle was 0.35mm, and I updated it to 0.40mm with installing the E3D. I also just updated the extrusion width, and things are a bit better now, but I'm getting moire like Boz shows.

I need a guide to install the DRV8825 steppers/drivers for my setup. Where can I find one?

Unless your a wiz with a soldering iron you really can't upgrade that stepper.  The older Sang boards you could just plug in a different driver.  You can smooth out the Moire some by adjusting the VREF for the extruder motor.  Otherwise you could upgrade to a geared extruder like the Bulldog.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

8 Reply by KevlarGorilla

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Re: Got an E3D - Thin extrusions makes a pattern on vertical walls

Thanks, that was what I was looking for. I'm glad I didn't buy and wait on some driver chips, only to have to wait on a new controller board too.

The only quote I could find about Vref adjusting was this one:

adrian wrote:

The other thing, just looking at your prints in general, is I'd hand-adjust the extruder VREF. Its been covered a few times, but nutshell version of how *I* do it is; set your extruder to extrude 60mm/min in RH. Then extrude 120mm's, giving you 2 minutes of adjustment time. Then adjust the VREF trimpot on your extruder up and down in tiny increments until you can get the smoothest possible rotation of the drive cog... marking it with a vertical line in sharpie on the motor spindle can help make this even easier.

The extruder now is very quiet. Time to do some calibration prints.

-SD3, E3Dv5, boz's E3D extruder, ABS from Sainsmart, mirror bed + dried hairspray + ABS slurry
-KevlarGorilla's 8x bearing threadless ball screw, 2n2r5's spring'd bed stabilizer
-fts_ltx's x-carriage, lawsy's v5 y-axis carriages, 2n2r5's beltless drive
-Overhead filament holder on 8mm rod, custom fillament feed, paeltz's simple enclosure, mini heater (opt)