1 Topic by accusedmonk

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Topic: Bad board or power supply?

The other day I was printing a cover with Ninja Flex for a co-workers radio on his Harley.  It was a 7 hour print, the longest I've ever let it run for.  I was monitoring it the entire time since things go wrong so frequently I don't trust it.  Well about 4 hours in, all the fans would turn off for a few seconds then back on.  The lights started heavily dimming.  Beyond that it was fine, no shifts in the print, no fluctuations at all on either bed temp or hot end.

My first thought was the power supply of course.  Still had the stock one and since I upgraded to the E3d I figured it finally was crapping out after a month.  I had a 460w psu from a computer laying around with 33a available on the 12v.  I unsoldered the plug for the old power supply and soldered it to the 12v from the psu.

I haven't noticed a change, well it seems to be getting worse actually.  Apparently the fans were off enough in my last print to cause my first clog, at the very top of the heat sink of the E3d, not even in the barrel.  I'm trying to melt that out in my oven at the moment.

I measured the psu while drawing power with the printer and it only dropped 0.1v from 12.3v to 12.2v.  I figured if I didn't have enough power in the supply I would see a substantial voltage drop.  Is there anything on the board I can test?

Bowden SD3, Rumba, E3D hotend, Mk5 with RtRyder changes, Direct drive Y axis and bearings, GT2 pulleys and braided fishing line, Lawsy linear bearing conversion, M3 Z screw.

2 Reply by wire10ga

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

Do you have cooling on your PCB?  Maybe it's getting too hot.

SD2 - Glass Bed, Fans on PCB and Y motor, Custom enclosure
Slicer - Simplify3D

wire10ga's Website

3 Reply by accusedmonk

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

I do not have a fan, but I've never had any symptoms of heat.  After that first time of it cutting the fans off and such, it does it now immediately after starting a print.  It does it as well with the bed off and the leds unplugged.

Bowden SD3, Rumba, E3D hotend, Mk5 with RtRyder changes, Direct drive Y axis and bearings, GT2 pulleys and braided fishing line, Lawsy linear bearing conversion, M3 Z screw.

4 Reply by michael.t.albers

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

Here in North Carolina, during the summer months, we get a lot of brown outs and an uneven current flow.  Do you have a back up battery on it?  When the power dims, the back up power supply will often kick in to even out the fluctuations.  That may solve the problem.

5 Reply by accusedmonk

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

I have it running with a computers power supply, it should definitely be getting a steady DC stream from that.  I measured the voltage from the supply while the printer was going and it was a steady 12.3v.

We've had the power go out a couple times but I've always unplugged the barrel jack. I leave the USB in.

I'm trying to think what would make the fans turn on and off.  My guess is there is something possibly shorted out.  It only does it when it's extruding I've noticed. I can move it all around, heat everything up,but right when it starts extruding for a print it does the fan and light dance.  I can extrude manually fine.

Thanks for the ideas so far guys!

Bowden SD3, Rumba, E3D hotend, Mk5 with RtRyder changes, Direct drive Y axis and bearings, GT2 pulleys and braided fishing line, Lawsy linear bearing conversion, M3 Z screw.

6 Reply by wire10ga

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

Maybe a bad solder joint on the PCB? or the traces of the board can not handle the current?

SD2 - Glass Bed, Fans on PCB and Y motor, Custom enclosure
Slicer - Simplify3D

wire10ga's Website

7 Reply by accusedmonk

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

I was thinking a bad joint myself, well hoping it's just that.  I remember another member mentioning the design wasn't quite made for the current we put through it.  I'll take the board down and see how it looks soon.

Bowden SD3, Rumba, E3D hotend, Mk5 with RtRyder changes, Direct drive Y axis and bearings, GT2 pulleys and braided fishing line, Lawsy linear bearing conversion, M3 Z screw.

8 Reply by accusedmonk (edited by accusedmonk 2014-07-22 04:59:07)

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Re: Bad board or power supply?

Just a small update, I have it back up and running after the clog now.  I did a little bit more testing before starting a print.  I turned the bed on, let it warm up.  I heated the extruder and pushed some filament through fine.  The lights started flashing a little bit after I turned the bed on, just before I heated the extruder.

While everything was on and up to temp, I moved the head around using the manual controls.  The fans died moving in both the X and Y directions.  The Z movement had no effect.  I felt the mosfets and they were barely warm.  Is this any better clue for a diagnosis?

I'll probably order another board in the future.  I have yet to double check the board, hopefully that will give me something definite if anything.

Update of the update...  Well I found the fan dying culprit.  One of the wires broke off, every time it would go far enough left it would cut off.  I'm going to invest in some better wiring.  I had heat shrink on it but it was still too small. 

Happy printing all!

Bowden SD3, Rumba, E3D hotend, Mk5 with RtRyder changes, Direct drive Y axis and bearings, GT2 pulleys and braided fishing line, Lawsy linear bearing conversion, M3 Z screw.