1 Topic by dpower

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Topic: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Folks,
   Received a brand new DaVinci 2.0 from NewEgg and boy was I excited. Took it out of its packaging and set it up... and that is where I immediately ran into problems. I cannot get the filament to load. First of all, I am no dummy when it comes to DIY and electronics and had done tons of video/tutorial watching on the 2.0 before I bought it so I had already learned how to load the filaments. But here is my issue: When they say to push the filament into the top of the extruder assembly, I cannot get the filament to advance past about 2 inches - way before the gears - therefore my compressing of the green 'release arms' as the manual calls them has no effect, I am not even reaching that point! I swear to God, it would seem that either the filament I am using is too big a diameter (which I don't think is possible because I am not only using the cartridges supplied with the printer, but also additional NewEgg-supplied cartridges. Or, looking up into the unit, the silver funnels at the end of the plastic guide tubes are too small or somehow off alignment with the black tube they pass into.
I did manage to get filament to load once by using wire cutters to really slim it down (trimming down the edges, not even slightly like the 45 degree snip they talk about) and the printer went and jammed (filament jam) right after it got past the trimmed down section.

So I am back to square one. I have sent in a support ticket to XYZ but they keep insisting that I am not loading properly or applying enough force - if I apply any more force I am libel to break the filament and/or printer! My gut is telling me that the silver funnels are out of alignment but I have zero way of knowing how to take that section apart. Has anyone experienced this? Does anyone have a solution or documentation on how I would disassemble that area? Or, should I try something completely different?

Please - desperate here!

2 Reply by licensed2hench

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

I had the same problem with my 1.0 when I first got it. There is definitely a trick to it.

Are you cutting the end of the filament at a sharp angle? You may have to do it a couple of times to get it right.
It needs the angle to be able to slide in between the extruder gears.
Double check that you are pushing the release arm hard enough. I have a 1.0 and it takes a lot of force too open it up

3 Reply by fr3d

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Yes, you have the cut the filament end at a sharp angle.  It makes a big difference.

4 Reply by pedro.dasilva

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Hi dpower

There should be a black lever on the nozzle heating unit (above the fan), it will let you unlock the unit in two parts. Check the filament entry bore, sometimes there is solid filament trapped in that location.

www.atdalitho.com

5 Reply by dpower

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Folks,
   I fixed the issue myself last night and I figured I'd post back and let folks know how I did it. I was indeed attempting to load correctly, had the filament cut right, etc. Originally when I received the printer I didn't know how to disassemble the nozzle/feeder combo (didn't know about the black lever to release the nozzle assembly) and couldn't find any supporting documentation. I got XYZPrinting on the phone and while they couldn't figure out what was wrong, they did send me documentation on how to pop out the nozzle assembly. Once I had that, it was pretty easy to figure out.
With the nozzle assembly popped out, I found I was easily able to feed the filament down through the gear assembly so I knew it had to be an alignment issue of some kind within the nozzle assembly. I also checked to see if the nozzle assembly itself was fitting correctly into its housing in the extruder head - it was and no wiggle either. That led me to suspect it was an issue on the nozzle assembly itself.

For the next part, its worth checking out the picture I've attached.

I could see two back feed holes on the top of the assembly (when the whole thing is together, this would pop into place right above the feed gears) - I'm assuming these black feeders are there for two reasons:
- Primarily as detectors to tell the system that the filament is indeed still feeding
- Also as a secondary guide down into the extruder head

Upon close inspection I noticed small marks on the outer edge of those two black feeders - evidence of my attempts to push the filament down when the unit was assembled - I realized that the filament was hitting that edge head on, therefore blocking the filament from proceeding down into the feeder gears. I then took a hex tool and loosened the 4 nuts (two on each) of the black feeders slightly, letting them rock back and forth off the circuit board by a millimeter or so. Once I popped the nozzle assembly back into place, the job of loading filament was easy! The feeders now rock sufficiently for the filament to move into the feeder channel and down into the gears!

I sent XYZ all my findings and basically asked them to forward on what I found to their QA/assembly departments. I think a tiny washer under all 4 bolts would permanently raise the nozzles away from the board sufficiently to allow clean feeding without any rocking at all and I may eventually do this.

Finally - a word of warning to any beginners, they say everywhere not to calibrate as it comes calibrated - mine was waaaaay off! Its worth running the calibrate first (doesn't change anything - changing is manual) just to see how level your bed is after unpacking.

Once the issue was resolved and 20 mins calibrating, I immediately produced an excellent print!

In terms of XYZ support I have this to say:
Pros:
- Very proactive about phoning when they say they will phone and getting back to me in a timely manner
- The device is nicely designed (once I knew how it came apart) for making adjustments

Cons:
- Their customer support (while they tried their best), couldn't speak very good English and the language barrier became a real issue at times especially when I was trying to explain what was happening
- The documentation on how to pop off the nozzle assembly should have been in the damn manual - I wouldn't have had to waste a day waiting for them to get back to me in the first place. Or in the very least, available on their website - I couldn't find anything there.

6 Reply by licensed2hench

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Glad to hear you got it working!
The "black feeders" are most likely the optical sensor that detects if filament is loaded. On my 1.0 it doesn't actually do much and I blocked the light with a bit of electricians tape so I can try translucent filaments (have not tested that out yet)

On the 1.0 the brass bushings that slide over the rails for the print table are loose. I found slipping a thin shim of plastic (Made from a clear plastic package) in the gap locked them into place in the build plate and really helped to stiffen it up. (Other people have used lock tight to glue the bushings to the build plate but when I tried it I just wound up gluing them to the rails - not recommended!).
This has made calibrating go so much faster!

7 Reply by dpower (edited by dpower 2014-10-03 01:57:38)

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

You know, seems like they have learned alot since the construction of the 1.0 and the 2.0... other than the issue I've had, calibrating was a breeze - just involved time tweaking the three wheels. Other than that, prints have been great. Already half way through my second massive object! Ive been downloading things off thingiverse and simply fitting multiple prints on one plate... the one lesson that I've learned since is, don't skimp on the plate cleaning and the glue application!

8 Reply by licensed2hench

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

Glad to hear it. smile

Random tips:

One thing that took me /forever/ to figure out, fill density affects top layer quality.
I was having issues with the "wicker" lines and gaps on the top layer of my prints. I kept assuming it was a slic3r setting, it turns out it is a bridging / cooling issue. To get a smooth top layer it needs support underneath it so the extruder has something firm to push the filament against. Between 30% to 50% infill density works for me.

Another issue I had was the melty "ice cream cone" effect on the tips of smaller prints.
Again a cooling issue. With the smaller prints the print head doesn't move away to allow the plastic to cool. (If you are using Slic3r the cooling logic makes this worse, slowing the print down to let the non-existent fan cool the plastic.) The fix for this is simple, just print 2 objects at once. So the layer on one cools as the head moves over to print the layer on the other object.
(I disable the cooling in Slic3r, without a fan to control it just slows things down for no reason)

Slicer tip: If you are using slic3r calibrate your extrusion multiplier.
github.com/alexrj/Slic3r/wiki/Calibration

Circle prints not quite round? Adjust your belt tension. There are some good videos on XYZPrintings web site that show you how to do this.


Happy printing!

9 Reply by AgentK

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

dpower wrote:


For the next part, its worth checking out the picture I've attached.

Any chance you still have that picture?  I think I am running into the same problem you did.  Please let me know if you think you can help.  Here is my issue - soliforum.com/topic/8062/filament-loading-issue-day-1-newb/

10 Reply by AgentK

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Re: New DaVinci 2.0 - cannot even load filament

I am all set, disregard....Thanks.