1 Topic by wtang

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Topic: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

My Press arrived today! Order number 318xx from late November. I just unpacked it and it looks like Solidoodle has already implemented some design tweaks based on feedback/issues from early units. For example, in the forums, owners complained of the extruder wiring bundle getting caught behind the carriage during X&Y homing and normal printing. Some owners jury-rigged a solution with a rubber band or spring to hold the wiring bundle out of the way. Well, my Press came with this spring pre-installed. Also, there have been reports of the thin wires going to the extruder connector failing due to repeated flexing/pulling/bending during printing. Some owners jury-rigged a solution by zip-tying these connector wires to the extruder, to serve as a strain relief. Well, my Press came with this zip-tie strain relief pre-installed. The list goes on. My extruder fan has already been flipped to blow air into the extruder instead of sucking air out. The locking screw on the extruder drive wheel has already been tightened. These were known to be common issues with early units.

Is Solidoodle unboxing these later units in CA after unloading the cargo ships to make these mods before shipping them out to customers? Or has the Chinese factory already been instructed to make these mods before shipping the units to the US?  Since the ship with my Press was delayed and anchored off the coast of CA for a month (dock workers labor dispute) it seems unlikely that my Press was modified in China before shipping.

2 Reply by itscbj

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

That is just fantastic.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
- Mark Twain... maybe.

3 Reply by MLA

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Awesome! Let us know how it prints!

4 Reply by pshcims

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Can you take photos of the changes, particularly the zip tie solution?

5 Reply by Robny

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

....and a picture of the spring setup would be great also.

Thanks

6 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

I'm in the middle of my first test print right now.  I'm printing a low polygon owl from thingverse at 40% scale using all the default SoliPrint settings (95 bed temp, 230 extruder temp, 0.3 low res).  So far the quality of the print looks very good.  I can't post links yet because I'm a new forum member, but I have uploaded a video to YouTube showing the printing progress as well as close-up views of the zip-tie strain relief and the metal spring cable support.  Just go to YouTube and find my video.  It's video kKYkANZQZfM.

7 Reply by pshcims (edited by pshcims 2015-03-26 02:53:58)

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

I'm linking your video below for the benefit of others:

Your hot end is rotated. Did you do that or did it come that? It probably works just as well, but it's odd looking.

Also, did you remove the plastic cover (with Solidoodle logo) over the extruder assembly, or did it come without?

8 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Yeah, I took the clear plastic cover off the extruder.  It made it easier to feed the filament because I could clearly see where the filament tip was in relation to the drive wheel.  I ended up leaving it off for the print job because I figured it wasn't necessary and it would just trap more heat inside the extruder.

I noticed right away that my hot end is rotated and it didn't look right to me after I unboxed the unit.  Since it's my first 3D printer, I didn't know whether that was normal or not.  I looked at MacGyverX's photos and his hot end also looks slightly rotated, but not as much as mine.  Should I try to rotate it back into alignment?

To see the finished owl, go to the pbase.com website and add this to the end of the url:  /wtang/image/159546143/original.jpg 
Sorry for the inconvenience... it's just that I still can't post links yet.

9 Reply by pshcims (edited by pshcims 2015-03-26 03:43:29)

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

I would leave the hot end alone for now until it starts creating problems.

You'll want to leave off the plastic cover. It's just not necessary.

Your owl (http://m3.i.pbase.com/o9/24/77824/1/159 … _small.jpg) is very good for a first print. And you'll be able to post links soon smile

10 Reply by n2ri

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

is that a part cooling fan on left lower? wonder what issues the spring will cause pulling on other things like Belts etc

Solidoodle 2 with Deluxe kit cover & glass bed with heater. and 2nd board SD2 used not 3rd and alum platform not installed yet still wood. also need cooling fan installed to board. use Repetier Host couple vers. Slic3r also have all free ware STL programs

11 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Yes, that's the cooling fan on the extruder.  The zip-tie strain relief for the extruder cable connector loops through one of the mounting holes on the fan.  As for the pulling of the spring causing issues with the belts down the road, I think it should be fine because it's not a very strong spring.  It just exerts enough force to hold up the cable and prevent the cable from falling into the gap between the carriage and the back wall of the unit.  I can provide links to photos of the spring and the strain relief if anyone is interested.

12 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Also, the SoliPrint software is a steaming pile of ****.  I can't do a z offset calibration because it crashes right after printing the test lines and before I can select which test line came out the best.  I tried several times and even rebooted both the Press and my computer between some of the attempts, but it crashed every time.  I had to manually use the M851 and M500 g-codes to set the z offset and save it to the printer's EEPROM.  It also crashed once while moving the slider to change the Z axis.  On a positive note, it is very easy to use as far as loading an stl file and printing it... good for a newbie like me.  And SoliPrint also automatically z probes the bed at 9 different points right before starting a print job to calibrate the levelness of the bed.  Then it auto levels the bed by making tiny adjustments to z as the extruder moves around printing, basically compensating for a non-level bed.  My bed is about 3mm lower in the front compared to the back, and the auto leveling feature worked well.

13 Reply by MacGyverX

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

The heatbreak is keyed. (It has to two flat spots that mate to the extruder chassis). If it is offset, The heatsink part would not sit correctly as there would be a gap. Unless the heatbreak is fine and the heater block is not what's square. If it came out of the box like that, They 'maybe' thats some kind of improvement? Maybe they found out that the heater block is not bored true? Or the heatbreak is not bored true? Or it's loose and it shifted during shipping? Or another case of QC not giving a crap.

SD Press - v1 (Pre-order) / RAMPs /w DRV8825's / Cyclops (25w) / Dual Bowden / Mk8 Gear / MK2b PCB Heat bed /w custom replacement Z / PEI Bed
SD2 / E3D v6 / Direct Drive / Mk8 Gear / RAMBo v1.3 / PEI Bed / Anti Z backlash mod / Ikea Expedite enclosure.
Both Driven by Octoprint (devel) via a RPi B+ / Neopixel status alerts / GPIO Controlled SSR / (SD2) 450 Watt PSU for remote power-up/shutdown.

14 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

MacGyverX wrote:

The heatbreak is keyed. (It has to two flat spots that mate to the extruder chassis). If it is offset, The heatsink part would not sit correctly as there would be a gap. Unless the heatbreak is fine and the heater block is not what's square. If it came out of the box like that, They 'maybe' thats some kind of improvement? Maybe they found out that the heater block is not bored true? Or the heatbreak is not bored true? Or it's loose and it shifted during shipping? Or another case of QC not giving a crap.

Thanks for the info!  Wow, all these new words/terminology (heatbreak, heater block, etc.) that I have to Google.  :-)  Lots to learn.  I'll gently twist the heater block to check and see if it's loose.  If it is loose, do I just twist it to tighten it?  Or is there a set screw that I have to tighten?

15 Reply by MacGyverX

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Well if it's printing okay and it does not move when you touch it (Cold of course). Then this is a classic case of 'If it ain't broke- Don't fix it'. The offset won't hurt anything. It more of an aesthetic thing then an function thing.

If it does move when you touch it, Then loosen the two knurled M3 screws turn the heater block, then retighten the screws. The outer heatsink should sit completely flush to the inner heatsink.

Once again, If its not loose in anyway- Just leave it.

SD Press - v1 (Pre-order) / RAMPs /w DRV8825's / Cyclops (25w) / Dual Bowden / Mk8 Gear / MK2b PCB Heat bed /w custom replacement Z / PEI Bed
SD2 / E3D v6 / Direct Drive / Mk8 Gear / RAMBo v1.3 / PEI Bed / Anti Z backlash mod / Ikea Expedite enclosure.
Both Driven by Octoprint (devel) via a RPi B+ / Neopixel status alerts / GPIO Controlled SSR / (SD2) 450 Watt PSU for remote power-up/shutdown.

16 Reply by dylantep991

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

I also have a press with these design changes. Have you checked to see if your trimpot is already adjusted? I haven't checked yet

17 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

dylantep991 wrote:

I also have a press with these design changes. Have you checked to see if your trimpot is already adjusted? I haven't checked yet

What was your order number?  Did you receive your Press recently?  It might be from the latest batch from the most recent cargo ship.  I'm still curious if these design changes happened in the Chinese factory or if Solidoodle made these last minute changes here in the US before shipping out to customers.

I haven't checked my trimpot voltages yet.  I don't seem to get wavy lines when printing so maybe my extruder trimpot setting is OK.  But I may open up the bottom of my Press and double check the trimpots with a multimeter when I have some time.

18 Reply by trayracing

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

Is your extruder fan set to blow air into the extruder? (SD support says it should be.)
Hard to tell from the video.

19 Reply by wtang

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

trayracing wrote:

Is your extruder fan set to blow air into the extruder? (SD support says it should be.)
Hard to tell from the video.

Yes, my fan blows air into the extruder.  That was one of the last minute design revisions Solidoodle made.  The earlier units that shipped had fans that sucked air out of the extruder, and some owners manually flipped the fans themselves.  I think an easy way to tell at a glance is to look for a sticker on the center of the fan.  If you can see the sticker, it's blowing air out.  If you can't see the sticker, it means the sticker is on the side facing the extruder, so it's blowing air into the extruder.

20 Reply by dylantep991

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Re: My Press arrived... and it has design changes

wtang wrote:
dylantep991 wrote:

I also have a press with these design changes. Have you checked to see if your trimpot is already adjusted? I haven't checked yet

What was your order number?  Did you receive your Press recently?  It might be from the latest batch from the most recent cargo ship.  I'm still curious if these design changes happened in the Chinese factory or if Solidoodle made these last minute changes here in the US before shipping out to customers.

I haven't checked my trimpot voltages yet.  I don't seem to get wavy lines when printing so maybe my extruder trimpot setting is OK.  But I may open up the bottom of my Press and double check the trimpots with a multimeter when I have some time.

my order number was 309xx. I was printing fine but all the sudden I started getting wavy layers, not sure why.