Ender 3 Pro configuration

Veti

first check that your probe/endstop triggers using
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M119_Get_Endstop_Status

then see
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Test_and_calibrate_the_Z_probe

NoSkillzEngineer

@veti said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

first check that your probe/endstop triggers using
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M119_Get_Endstop_Status

then see
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Test_and_calibrate_the_Z_probe

I suspect it has to do with the calibration of the z probe because it homes perfectly, the z end stop is at the top for this reason and I use the BLTouch strictly just to mesh the bed.

It is when I try to mesh the bed with the DWC that it just drives right into the bed, it did the first time, now I know it will happen as I tell it to stop 50 or 25 mm away from the bed, wait there for a couple moments, then go to the bed mesh. I am going to recalibrate the z probe after I watch this OpenAI live symposium:)

baesjerker

Hi guys. Back again with some more issues.

On the stock Ender 3 Pro board I never encountered stringing. Not once.

Now I have extreme stringing issues and blobs all over the place.

What I have done so far:

Calibrated extrusion.
Tried different extrusion distances.
Tried different print speeds.
Motor mA from 500- 900.
Changed nozzle. (Not clogged)
Changed tubing. No difference capricorn/stock.
Changed couplings.
Tried temps from 190-220.
Used 4 different PLA filaments from 3 different makers. Green, red, black and white.
More/less tension on x and y belt.

Edit: My wild guess is that this is something slicer related.
Edit 2: Cura = Extreme blobs and medium stringing. Slic3er = No blobs, but extreme stringing.

Phaedrux

We'd need to see your config.g and your slicer profile to get an idea of what to change.

Try this cura profile. https://www.dropbox.com/s/2nk6szy3ag97lsj/Ender3Profile.curaprofile?dl=0

baesjerker

Hi. Thanks. My setup is based on the settings @PaulHew posted earlier. I have only changed motor mA, z height and the heaters resistance.

M305 P1 T100000 B4138 R4700

I will post my Cura profile first thing in the morning.

I will try that profile.

baesjerker

@veti with my “cheap” multimeter the two motors match up. They’re roughly the same.

baesjerker

@Phaedrux Which Cura version do the profile come from? I get a "Sucsessfully imported Cura profile" but it doesn't appaer in my profile list. I am trying to upload my Cura profile, but I only got iCloud.

Edit: Didn't know version 4 was out. Updated to 4 and I was able to import the profile. Test printing now.

baesjerker

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Y_DvW1XYmBW7zMpCKuLv6_RJBqDAOi8L Here is my last profile.

dc42

In my experience of printing PLA, blobs are caused by insufficient retraction distance, and stringing is caused by extrusion temperature being too high or retraction being too slow.

Why did you choose those thermistor parameters?

baesjerker

@dc42 I found a video on YouTube. He used those settings. When I tried resistance settings @PaulHew uses, the hot end and bed didn’t get hot enough. What do you think would be best to use here?

dc42

@baesjerker said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

@dc42 I found a video on YouTube. He used those settings. When I tried resistance settings @PaulHew uses, the hot end and bed didn’t get hot enough. What do you think would be best to use here?

Have you tried this: M305 P1 T100000 B4148 C2.117e-7

baesjerker

@dc42 said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

M305 P1 T100000 B4148 C2.117e-7

I will try right away. Thanks.

baesjerker

With those settings the extruder motor is skipping and the black filament i am using now seems to be really thin looking.

NoSkillzEngineer

@baesjerker Make sure filament is Dry, filament is extremely hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air EASILY. Best to make a dry box for it, I use I think tupperware containers, large ones (10 or 20 gallon) They are air tight, then I throw an Evadry (Amazon or Costco I think also sells them) reusable humidity absorber in there will my filament. If there is any moisture in your filament, due to the temperature of the nozzle during extrusion, the water instantly boils and creates bubbles, blobs, air gaps and all sorts of seemingly impossible and inconsistent problems that are a friggin nightmare to try to diagnose/troubleshoot. As a direct result of that, some of the things you could be changing could be bringing you further away from dimensional precision and worsen your print quality. A word of advise: Keep a ledger, document EVERY change, no matter how small. If you do this, reverting to old settings is effortless and there is no possible room for error. I make this easier by simply commenting out code and adding lines, instead of changing values. Just....don't forget to add comments so YOU know which settings are for what.

Assuming your filament has been properly dried (24 hours at the very least) then recalibrate your extruder. Don't even attempt this without a quality caliper, at the very least.

What are your Travel Speeds, your non-printing speeds, set to?

What is your print temperature?

DC42 is right, retraction settings are important because pla is known to ooze and you must relieve the back pressure on the nozzle and get it away from the heat of the nozzle enough for it not to come out while moving to the next print coordinate.

Temperature is equally important, however, if the temperature is too high, the filament is more of a liquid and retraction won't do a damn thing. Travel speed (non-printing moves) should also be as high as you can without creating skipping or overtravel because the the faster the nozzle gets to the target coordinate, the less time the nozzle has to ooze. Change temperature first, then travel (non-printing) speed. I usually go overboard and go with like 300-800 but make sure it's north of 250. THEN retraction speed, then retraction distance. You want retraction speed somewhere around 30-60 depending on how dialed in you are (usually), if I'm wrong about this, someone correct me.

You want retraction distance as small as possible, but with bowden I've found 4-10mm the typical range (but depends entirely how long the tube is, or even the type of filament).

Do you have

https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M572_Set_or_report_extruder_pressure_advance

In your config? I don't recall what mine is set to, there is a thread here about an in-depth analysis of pressure advance.

What filament are you using out of curiosity? What brand?

Everything comes into play and every variable must be flawless in order to get the results you're looking for. Start eliminating variables. carefully and methodically. It's time-consuming, yes, but we're working on automating additive manufacturing, standardizing 3D printing.

baesjerker

Thanks for the tips. I store my filament in a closed box, but I do not have evadry. Could Silica Gel work as a substitute? I have a high quality calliper. Travel speeds are based on the Cura profile @Phaedrux posted yesterday. I think it was 120 or something.

Thanks for that one @Phaedrux. It actually removed a lot of the stringing issue. Now it’s so much better.

I have tried temps from 180 and up to 220. Results is almost the same.

I will try some more settings in Cura. Trial and error.

I have filaments from PrimaValue (green), Addnorth (transparent), Polymaker (red) and NinjaTek (white). I also have a no brand local black one.

No I don’t have extruded pressure advance in my Config. I will check it out.

NoSkillzEngineer

@baesjerker said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

Thanks for the tips. I store my filament in a closed box, but I do not have evadry. Could Silica Gel work as a substitute? I have a high quality calliper. Travel speeds are based on the Cura profile @Phaedrux posted yesterday. I think it was 120 or something.

Thanks for that one @Phaedrux. It actually removed a lot of the stringing issue. Now it’s so much better.

I have tried temps from 180 and up to 220. Results is almost the same.

I will try some more settings in Cura. Trial and error.

I have filaments from PrimaValue (green), Addnorth (transparent), Polymaker (red) and NinjaTek (white). I also have a no brand local black one.

No I don’t have extruded pressure advance in my Config. I will check it out.

Pick a filament and stick with it for now so there is less variation. You are looking for consistency, stick with Polymaker for tuning, in my personal opinion and experience.

Evadry is silica dry beads, but in a thing that you can remove, plug into an outlet (it is supposed to get hot), it cooks out the moisture, and then you throw it back in the dry box. Worth every penny, I have six or seven of them around the house, three in older cars, one in the gun safe, one in a chest with documents and photos in it, and two or three in filament dry boxes. They really are so unbelievably convenient and quite very good.

With PLA, I'd recommend no more than 210. I'm typically at 190-205 range, but the cooling of the filament must be improved on the ender cuz it's crap.

120 for travel speeds are nowhere near high enough, again in my personal opinion and experience. I don't typically have overtravel issues (although I'm going to verify this with an indicator within the next two weeks). You can easily double that number without a single issue, in fact, I'd highly recommend it.

I activate the visibility of quite a LOT of settings within Cura, I control as much as I possibly can. For example, extrusion width, wall thickness, number of perimeters, connect infill lines, initial line width, infill/perimeter overlap, et cetera, et cetera.

I get high dimensional precision with a low-end printer because I take a tremendous amount of time tweaking and tuning each and every variable I can, even taking into account the compression and elongation of the thermoplastic from the extruder to the time it comes out of the nozzle. I set the XY & Z steps per mm way before plastic is ever even introduced or a heater is turned on. That way, I know the machine is accurate and I can focus on extrusion.

As of right now, my extruder steps per mm for my Ender is 94. Then the microstepping value is handled by another code entirely.

I tend not to change my steps per mm until I am absolutely certain it is not extrusion based as I try to come to my steps per mm as carefully and precisely as I can. 90% of the issues you'll encounter will usually be a result of improper slicer settings. That is why I tighten my stuff that little bit more, use solid mounts, assemble on granite, measure everything, and ultimately, why I get the results I get.

I haven't touched my printer in a while but when I finish, I'll upload my my config and slicer settings both here and on github, along with my start and end G-Code:)

Phaedrux

@baesjerker said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

Thanks for that one @Phaedrux. It actually removed a lot of the stringing issue. Now it’s so much better.

Glad that's improved it for you. That Cura profile is based on the Cura profile that comes with Cura as well as some modifications to make it closer to the profile used for the demo gcode files that come on the Ender SD card as well as some tweaks of my own. It's produced some very clean prints for me.

Did you also make those changes to the config file speed settings?

baesjerker

@noskillzengineer great. Thank you for explaining everything in more detail. I will try to up the non printing speed and check the results. Looking forward to check out your settings.

baesjerker

@phaedrux i printed out a hero me fan duct yesterday and there was almost no stringing.
So it helped a lot. No, I didn’t change the speed in the config. What do I change there? Match the Cura profile? Thanks.

dc42

@baesjerker said in Ender 3 Pro configuration:

With those settings the extruder motor is skipping and the black filament i am using now seems to be really thin looking.

What extruder motor does your printer use, and what extruder motor current have you set in M906? From another post I see that your extruder steps/mm is very low, indicating that you have an ungeared extruder. With that type of extruders, it's usually necessary to run the motor close to its rated current to get enough torque when printing PLA. OTOH if you run it too high, the heat from the motor reaches the filament and softens it, which can also lead to problems.