1 Topic by joshvox (edited by joshvox 2015-04-02 23:35:38)

  • joshvox
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Topic: Bed calibration woes

Hello everyone,
How are you? I am a complete 3D printer newbie, so I apologize in advance if the answer to my questions is obvious. I have searched this forum for a week or so now and can't find a solution to the exact problem I am having.

I have been able to print a few cool things, but I have had a ton of trouble with my 1.0 AiO overall. I have actually spent more time working on it then printing in the week we have had it. I have read a lot in this forum about the problems I'm having and figured out that I probably needed to calibrate and level my bed. So I followed the instructions on the sticky in this forum. However after many, many auto calibrate attempts, I could never get a pass, always a fail. I'm thinking that my levels are apparently way out of whack because I get ERR messages consistently on the last two readings. I have never gotten anything BUT an ERR message on these two. So, for example my last calibrate was +229, ERR, ERR. Before that it was something like +150, ERR, ERR. No matter how much I raise or lower the screws I get ERR messages.

So I have looked around for a solution, and found that I may need to clean--so I cleaned. No change. Then I figured I should do the paper leveling method and then see if it would auto calibrate. Made no difference. Tried it again with the same results. I then just tried to print after doing the paper method (and just living with the two ERR messages) and the first thing it printed was a little uneven but ok, then the printer went back to its old habit of not extruding very much ABS, or extruding very uneven amounts of ABS. I then did a few more auto calibrates and got more ERR messages.

At this point I am out of ideas, and I can't get XYZ to call me back. I doubt they would be any help anyway. What do you guys recommend?

2 Reply by kev0175

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Re: Bed calibration woes

I have the AIO and it will not calibrate for me either.  I will do the manual method and if it is still a little uneven when it starts printing I will do little adjustments while it is still printing

Da Vinci  AiO with firmware 1.1.1 using xyzscan 1.1.18
E3Dv6 hotend with custom carriage with Borosilicate glass bed
123D Design and Simplify3D, Replaced PS with a Solidgear Flex320
Zerokart resetter,  Installed a Extruder Controller for higher temps

3 Reply by milehighdesign

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Re: Bed calibration woes

Best thing you could do at this point is load Repetier firmware.  You will have a whole new printer when you do. No more fighting to get a good calibration. Your prints will be way better as well not to mention running any media you want.

4 Reply by kev0175

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Re: Bed calibration woes

milehighdesign wrote:

Best thing you could do at this point is load Repetier firmware.  You will have a whole new printer when you do. No more fighting to get a good calibration. Your prints will be way better as well not to mention running any media you want.

If he flash Repetier then he will loose his scanner.

Da Vinci  AiO with firmware 1.1.1 using xyzscan 1.1.18
E3Dv6 hotend with custom carriage with Borosilicate glass bed
123D Design and Simplify3D, Replaced PS with a Solidgear Flex320
Zerokart resetter,  Installed a Extruder Controller for higher temps

5 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Bed calibration woes

kev0175 wrote:
milehighdesign wrote:

Best thing you could do at this point is load Repetier firmware.  You will have a whole new printer when you do. No more fighting to get a good calibration. Your prints will be way better as well not to mention running any media you want.

If he flash Repetier then he will loose his scanner.

If you call it a loss. Pretty much everyone agrees the scanner is junk.


You most likely have a bed frame that is warped. Eatch the process next time and visually confirm the nub on the head actually makes contact with the plates on the bed.

If it does and still fails then get acetone and clean each plate and the nub.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

6 Reply by joshvox

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Re: Bed calibration woes

kev0175 wrote:

I have the AIO and it will not calibrate for me either.  I will do the manual method and if it is still a little uneven when it starts printing I will do little adjustments while it is still printing

So do you have to the manual method often? Or does it print like it should most of the time?

7 Reply by joshvox

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Re: Bed calibration woes

milehighdesign wrote:

Best thing you could do at this point is load Repetier firmware.  You will have a whole new printer when you do. No more fighting to get a good calibration. Your prints will be way better as well not to mention running any media you want.

I am not familar with that firmware, however I don't want to lose my scanner even though it isn't very good (haven't tried it yet). Also, the printer I am working on belongs to the library where I work, so I am very hesitant to make changes like that.

8 Reply by joshvox

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Re: Bed calibration woes

carl_m1968 wrote:
kev0175 wrote:
milehighdesign wrote:

Best thing you could do at this point is load Repetier firmware.  You will have a whole new printer when you do. No more fighting to get a good calibration. Your prints will be way better as well not to mention running any media you want.

If he flash Repetier then he will loose his scanner.

If you call it a loss. Pretty much everyone agrees the scanner is junk.


You most likely have a bed frame that is warped. Eatch the process next time and visually confirm the nub on the head actually makes contact with the plates on the bed.

If it does and still fails then get acetone and clean each plate and the nub.

Ok, the nub is not making contact with the left front plate for sure, and it's close enough on the right front that I can't tell for sure. So this seems to be my problem. So do I need a new bed? Or can I just use the paper method successfully? If I should be able to calibrate using the paper method then I have another problem because as I said I have to troubleshoot nearly every time I start a new print.

9 Reply by kev0175

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Re: Bed calibration woes

joshvox wrote:
kev0175 wrote:

I have the AIO and it will not calibrate for me either.  I will do the manual method and if it is still a little uneven when it starts printing I will do little adjustments while it is still printing

So do you have to the manual method often? Or does it print like it should most of the time?

Once I do the manual method after that she's good to go. I don't have to do that method very often.

Da Vinci  AiO with firmware 1.1.1 using xyzscan 1.1.18
E3Dv6 hotend with custom carriage with Borosilicate glass bed
123D Design and Simplify3D, Replaced PS with a Solidgear Flex320
Zerokart resetter,  Installed a Extruder Controller for higher temps

10 Reply by bevo09

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Re: Bed calibration woes

Hi I had the same problem, but I did sort it.
I downloaded the calibration app for from Amazon app store it does cost, but not much and it saves so much time.
Only runs on android though there is a pc ver which I could not get to work properly, the app works great every time. You simply enter the numbers form you display in and it tells you how much to to turn the screws..............simple!
Once that is done follow the instructions on here and you should be sorted, unless like me your table is not flat!
My table was bevelled with a .2mm high spot in the middle so I had to choose the placement of my prints on the table, bit of a hassle but with no response from support this was the work around to get some prints done quickly. After 3 days I sent the machine back to the retailer (ebuyer) and they replaced it with a new one which is working fine apart from the scanner which I can not get to work at all. When all said and done the Da Vinci whilst looking as cool as you can get, it is a cheap machine that will give ok results which for some of the work I want to do is not good enough on the resolution (tiny gear wheels) So I have ordered the Ultimaker 2 which should be delivered today. I will either keep the Da Vinci as a standby or send it back again for a refund as he scanner does not work.

Hope that helps

11 Reply by joshvox

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Re: Bed calibration woes

bevo09 wrote:

Hi I had the same problem, but I did sort it.
I downloaded the calibration app for from Amazon app store it does cost, but not much and it saves so much time.
Only runs on android though there is a pc ver which I could not get to work properly, the app works great every time. You simply enter the numbers form you display in and it tells you how much to to turn the screws..............simple!
Once that is done follow the instructions on here and you should be sorted, unless like me your table is not flat!
My table was bevelled with a .2mm high spot in the middle so I had to choose the placement of my prints on the table, bit of a hassle but with no response from support this was the work around to get some prints done quickly. After 3 days I sent the machine back to the retailer (ebuyer) and they replaced it with a new one which is working fine apart from the scanner which I can not get to work at all. When all said and done the Da Vinci whilst looking as cool as you can get, it is a cheap machine that will give ok results which for some of the work I want to do is not good enough on the resolution (tiny gear wheels) So I have ordered the Ultimaker 2 which should be delivered today. I will either keep the Da Vinci as a standby or send it back again for a refund as he scanner does not work.

Hope that helps

I would be happy to use the calibration app, however since I have two of the three values not getting any readings, that isn't going to help me. I am trying again today to print after having done just the paper calibration method. I have also ordered a different color of ABS so that I can see if I just have a problem with my cartridge--I have seen a few threads on here where it is mentioned that the cartridge which comes with the machine has been faulty.

12 Reply by barry1685

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Re: Bed calibration woes

You don't need to run the auto calibration at all before you do the manual calibration. I don't know why people think that. Auto cal sucks. All you have to do is print a demo of something on the samples, then when the extruder starts extruding turn off the printer. You want to do your manual calibration towards the center of the bed because the outer corners warp upwards. I find that a semi thick business card works best, not the cheap business cards. Start with the front calibration and work your way around the bed clockwise and do it a few times until the tweaks are minor. You should be able to barely move the business card with the extruder nozzle.