I think I am done with Solidoodle

Elaborate Please ...........

I had to rebuild 75% of my printer; see picture below. If you quit now you'll never know where you could've gotten with more effort. I did all this and I've only owned this printer since September....

If you do want to sell it for certain shoot me a PM. Maybe we could work out sometning.

Well, we're here to help so why don't you list what's going on and perhaps we can solve it. I can assure you we've all been through the annoyances of owning a Solidoodle. Some folks get luckier than others, but if you stick with it you'll learn more than if it just worked. It sucks to hear that because you just spent $600, but I think Ggilasky put it well: a roll of Stratasys filament costs $300, and a Solidoodle costs $600.

I was in your shoes a few months ago so don't think for a second I don't get the frustration. But just remember that you have the privilege of manufacturing in your home now and manufacturing has never been easy.

connection issues are a real problem with Solidoodle and most similar printers using the background programs like Python etc to do a virtual printer Serial Com port through USB (plug and play but without much hardware detection). and that is multiplied every time you 'add new hardware' while not having the 3D printer connected and active in RH. most of us had to go in and make a high number com port for the 3D printer since any new hardware just selects the 1st UN-used com port to install on. most times stealing the 3D printers com port. mine is com 12 next time its gonna be 18 or 24 if I can get puter to use that high a number. since my laptops have enough ports/sockets of all types to possibly have 24 devices connected at once plus some devices assign permanent ports to them when installed (but you guessed it NOT SOLIDOODLE ARRGH). PDA sync devices and any serial type device are the worst at this. and Solidoodles techs dont know this much at all. as I banged my head and theirs against the wall for near 2 full weeks 247 til I found how to trouble shoot it myself and I have posted this info many times on here just search connection topics. its as usual, simple once you understand it. just dont add new stuff lots or at all without having the Solidoodle plugged in and connected in RH. so its port is seen as in use even if not printing. just like you cant find a 3D printer in printer list or device manager, neither does the hardware wizard.

>>Example, I asked for someone to list their settings so I could match it against mine - nothing other than people telling me that I should get a list of settings from someone.  It's not really the community's job to deliver customer service though.

Add me to the list of people who were frustrated just like you but stuck it out and I am now getting good prints.  Heck, I even built a mini kossel with self sourced parts too.

Anyway, asking someone to "list their settings" is not a specific enough question for you to get a constructive answer.  What, specifically, did you want?  Repetier settings, slic3r settings, esteps, etc?  Even within repetier, there are several different tabs of settings.  However, a lot of them are computer specific, so if I posted my and you tried the same com port, there is no reason other than dumb luck that it would be the same for you, so that doesn't really help.  But to address your connectivity issues- does it connect at all and does it home all axis correctly when given the command?  This is the place to start.

Also, I saw that you don't have a heated bed, have you added that yet?  Are you trying to print ABS or PLA?  IMO, the printer is a paperweight if you are printing ABS without a heated bed.  I have printed PLA without a heated bed but even that is much easier with a 60 C heated bed. 

Anyway, if it doesn't work out for you, check back in a couple years and hopefully it will be a little easier with newer printers.

I think everyone who has a solidoodle experienced the same things.  From what I've observed through this forum and online news and reviews of this and other printers, I feel SD owners are in a weird spot.  On the one hand, it's not even close to the best, or even a good printer out of the box, so that's really bad   !!!BUT!!!    On the other hand, it does give us the hands on experience to modify and repair a lot so the experience we get from that is priceless.  Whenever we see an issue in a print we now know exactly what to look for instead of freaking out and wondering what to do.  This printer can be made to print incredibly, it just takes work on our part.  Not to mention The hands down best research and support team in existence (this forum, not SD LOL =P )  Either way just breathe, have patience, and post or pm anyone at any time, the longest I've had to wait for anyone was a day, but you will always get help here.  If anyone should know its me ... lol

+1 as well.
3D printers are CNC machines. there are many mechanical adjustments firmware adjustments and software adjustments to be made. The machine is only as smart as the operator. it will do what you tell it to do even crash the print head into the wall of the printer into a pert or into the bed if you set it that way. The machine will tell you what it needs if you know how to observe and listen. I have had my machine for 6 months . I am almost to the point of doing some upgrades to make it better.
Sometimes I have fun with the machine and sometimes it causes frustration. Anyone can hit a start button but it takes understanding to set up and maintain a cnc machine. Personalty I want to know the what is under the hood and how to make adjustments.  I want to see numbers I can change to just a  choice of smal medium and large or thin medium and thick.   There may be a day when a $600 printer will print well right out of the box with the push of a button.  But where is the fun in that and if all you know is how to push the start button what does one do when something goes wrong.
Tin