Update: Mopping up
Today I have been working on mopping up some tasks which need do in preparation for creating the cable looms. This latter task is now a little delayed as I've decided to make the stepper motor cables with shielded cables, just because I don't like the amount of noise which they're pumping out.
Today, I have carried out a number of preparatory and remedial processes.
Installed the ESP01 WiFi module into the TFT35 screen. I had had a number of aborted attempts at this previously (it's more than a little arcane) but this time I have managed to get it working. In practice, I may not use it that often but it could be useful in some circumstances. It does seem very basic, but it does mean that I'm not tied to a cable.
I also decided to replace the IGUS bearings on the X axis with traditional roller bearing ones. While I had the carriage apart, I also replaced the heater block, throat and nozzle.
I also upgraded the X axis belt to a high quality Gates one as I'd been planning for a while.
Another task was to look at locking the adjustment screws for the bed height. I know that some people replace the thumbscrews with locking nuts. I took a different approach and retained the new thumbscrews, but added the Anet originals below to act as locking nuts. It seems to work very well. If I want to adjust, I can back off the locking nuts and adjust as normal. It looked a little touch and go as to whether there would be enought clearance above the chassis for this arrangement, but in practice it was fine.
In the picture you can see the enhanced springs and thumbscrews which I'd already installed and then the original Anet screw below fulfulling its new purpose.
Another task I'd planned today was to design some cable tie bases which would lock into the V slot extrusion. In fact, I managed to find a design on Thingiverse which was precisely what I had envisioned. So, I slightly modified the design to be a little better fit and also designed a simple tool to make installation and removal very simple indeed. I can just push the base in, slide the tool over the top and make a single 90° turn to lock it firmly in place. A cable tie will then slide easily inside.
Another task I carried out was a simple lubrication of the Z axis screws as they were starting to make a slight squeaking noise in some cases. A quick spray of some PTFE lubricant seems to have done the trick.
A final task was to remove the Mk1 version of my light bar and move to the Mk2 version. This version has the diffuser in two parts which meant that I was able to use hot melt glue to hold the LED strip in place and then slot the cover over the top.
Just found your blog, and following closely as I have an A8 Plus. It’s currently standard and I’m having a lot of problems with print quality. Hopefully I can use your knowledge to improve my setup and prints.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. The work is still continuing and I plan to make another post this evening.
DeleteWhat problems are you seeing? There are lots of foibles with the standard machine (let's face it, they're very cheap).
Yes, they are really cheap! Prints used to be more successful and I'm not sure what I have done, but I think my Cura settings are incorrect (following a move to a new PC). I'd love to know what slicer settings and start / end gcode you are using. It doesn't seem possible to attach a photo here but I can send you photos of my 3D benchy and calibration cube.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say what the problems were. A lot of stringing, underextrusion (I think) and uneven vertical surfaces. Prints generally look very messy. Plus, working models with hinges are always fused together, so not very accurate, I assume, or resolution not fine enough.
DeleteMy settings won't really help a huge amount as I'm really too far away from standard.
DeleteI would suggest running the standard calibrations and tests to narrow down the problems. Stringing and uneven surfaces sounds as if it could be temperature related. One of the problems I've encountered is the thermistor not being well installed in the hotend and temperatures getting too high. Certainly check that.
Teaching Tech has just released a superb walkthrough on YouTube on calibration, so I would suggest looking there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3r921DBGI
Before you do much else, I'd suggest working through these stages to give you a good baseline to measure against.
Thanks. I also found that video, so I will be working through the steps outlined there. And I'll check the thermistor as well, and check over the whole printer to make sure it's all square and there's not some underlying issue which is exacerbating the problems.
DeleteWhat is your current recommendation for x-axis bearings? I'm getting a squeak from somewhere, and I think it is the x-axis, rather than z. Though I will lubricate both just in case.
I have reverted to standard linear bearings on all axes now. I would say that the quality of the bearings and rods were one of the biggest failings in the standard printer. If yours is the same as mine, I would check the state of the rods too. They're clearly not hardened and mine developed gouges from the bearings, causing squeaking and jamming.
DeleteIf you're replacing the bearings, I would suggest doing the rods at the same time otherwise the new bearings will eat the standard rods.
I'm sure you're aware that there are lots of cheap fakes around (the majority in my experience). So, I would suggest buying from a known good specialist supplier rather than a generic shopfront (Amazon, AliExpress etc). Not that they won't necessarily have good ones, but you'll have no easy way to sort the wheat from the chaff.
For the rods, if you keep the standard mounts, then you can accommodate longer X and Z ones without too much of a problem, but you'll need to cut the Y ones.
I assume you've read my page on this: https://a8plusupgrades.blogspot.com/p/enhancements-replace-bearings-and-rods.html