3D Printer Club

[Rover4444]

Elegoo have announced they're open-sourcing the RFID tag system they're using on the upcoming filament switcher for the Centauri Carbon.

ELEGOO RFID Ecosystem Feedback Solicitation

With the development of the ELEGOO Automatic Filament Switching System, which is highly anticipated by users, we have ushered in a new era of intelligent filament management. During the R&D process, one core feature has demonstrated immense potential—not only enabling automatic filament...

www.elegoo.com

GitHub - ELEGOO-3D/ELEGOO-RFID-Tag-Guide: This document details the data structure and content format to be used on RFID tags for ELEGOO's FDM 3D printing filament spools.

This document details the data structure and content format to be used on RFID tags for ELEGOO's FDM 3D printing filament spools. - ELEGOO-3D/ELEGOO-RFID-Tag-Guide

github.com

Now if they'd only do the same for their firmware

 

[silentbogo]

Now if they'd only do the same for their firmware

I'm pretty sure it ain't gonna happen. Their official sources stated that their firmware is "not Klipper-based", but for that price I highly doubt they had R&D budget to develop their own solution. Just by looking at it I smell BS.
Plus, their Web-UI looks suspiciously like that castrated Creality version of Fluidd. I suspect they don't wanna release the source code, primarily because they are afraid competition will steal that "one SoC" solution (though it's not really a secret and Klipper can use native Raspi GPIO since forever, and there are open-source python libraries for interfacing TMC drivers via UART/SPI). I'm sure 99% of their code is just regular klipper, then the config is adjusted to use native GPIO, and frontend is replaced with cut-down Fluidd(by the looks of it - taken straight from K1 series), so you'll never be able to get to firmware innards in a conventional way. That's why they don't have "root" option in menu like Creality printers, which will prevent you from SSH-ing into it and checking how much of their code is mis-licensed or misappropriated.
I still like the hardware, but after several months of occasionally glancing into Elegoo Centauri series software and technical side I realized that I buying K1 SE was probably a much better decision.
And for current or future Centauri/Carbon owners - gotta press for root or open-source firmware, cause a banal belt replacement, overheating drivers, or glitchy strain gauge(bed leveling sensor) will make your life a nightmare.

 

[Kwadratowicz]

So Prusa core one is better than qidi plus 4?
I've got 2 printers that I'm modding and are not working and I'm looking for something that will work, and won't need input that was needed with cheap chinese printers.
I'm a Little bit outdated last printer was ender 3 and it was fun to mod, but i can buy something to max 1000 euro.

 

[Fokker]

Prusa Core One is smaller build volume, lower nozzle temperature, no active chamber heater, and more expensive to name a few. I like what Prusa does, but their costs/features are pretty much perpetually behind the curve now. I've been looking over the fixes for the Qidi Plus4 and with the changes to the chamber heater, I'll probably be getting one as my next printer so I can print stuff like PPS-CF.

The chamber heater issues the Qidi Plus4 had shouldn't even be an issue for you since you won't be using 120V.

 

[Fokker]

Well, it looks like my bed is much better off now. I might try addressing the low spots with some Kapton tape on the magnetic backer, but the over all spread is 0.148 which is decent.

 

[silentbogo]

Well, it looks like my bed is much better off now. I might try addressing the low spots with some Kapton tape on the magnetic backer, but the over all spread is 0.148 which is decent.

Don't bother, it looks fine. The whole purpose of bed mesh leveling is to compensate for that, and not just to show you that your hotbed is uneven. The importance of the "perfect" first layer is overrated by most 3D printing "gurus". It just needs to stick to the bed and not have "holes". Basically my rule of thumb - get an overall margin of less than the smallest layer height printable on the machine(e.g. less than ±0.12). With textured print surface it's even less important. Though, I don't print toys. Most of my stuff is for work and purely mechanical/utillitarian, so "perfect looks" is somewhere at the bottom of my priority list.

 

[de.das.dude]

Well, it looks like my bed is much better off now. I might try addressing the low spots with some Kapton tape on the magnetic backer, but the over all spread is 0.148 which is decent.

View attachment 404454

i just went to a glass bed. solved everything ez pz. better than getting a bl touch and fiddling with it. Cheaper as well!

 

[Fokker]

i just went to a glass bed. solved everything ez pz. better than getting a bl touch and fiddling with it. Cheaper as well!

I prefer a flex plate for removing parts. Glass has been more of annoyance than it's worth in my experience.

 

[de.das.dude]

I prefer a flex plate for removing parts. Glass has been more of annoyance than it's worth in my experience.

glass has been so far the easiest for me to get parts off. I just let it cool down, and it comes off on its own!

 

[silentbogo]

glass has been so far the easiest for me to get parts off. I just let it cool down, and it comes off on its own!

I find glass to be more pain in the ass. Textured PEI is wa-a-a-ay easier and needs no adhesive. Glass also flexes, and also has weird alignment issues(especially with stiff clips).
...also it explodes

 

[PLAfiller]

I find glass to be more pain in the ass. Textured PEI is wa-a-a-ay easier and needs no adhesive. Glass also flexes, and also has weird alignment issues(especially with stiff clips).
...also it explodes

Yep, first thing I did when I was gifted a very old 3D printer was order a magnetic base + PEI sheet for it. Never looked back

I also bought a sheet of G10/FR-4 as Maker's muse swears by it on his youtube channel, but kids destroyed it and I never really tested that as a surface.

 

[silentbogo]

At my friend's print farm I think the only 2 remaining printers with glass bed are the large-format ones simply because nothing else works.
One is a 500x500 beefy boi which we still hadn't had a chance to rebuild: it's cartesian, uses expensive ball screws on all axis and beefy 3030 extrusion frame, but totally ghetto custom electronics which includes vintage rarities like 8-bit Marlin brain (Mega2560), a DIY touch probe with servo motor (ever since BLtouch came out these were trashed/discarded immediately almost by everyone), an outdated Reprap Discount Display with actual physical buttons instead of an encoder, and some outdated motor drivers which aren't even sold anymore.
The other one just went online, with humongous bed size of 800x500mm! Added Manta M5P with toolhead board, removed endstops in favor of sensorless homing, and a BLTouch probe for bed mesh leveling. We tried a more expensive BTT probe, but for some reason it died after 1 week. I also have a BTT Eddy probe (which is going to be a huge helper on such a large bed), but I'm not sure if it's going to work with that super-thick glass. Hotbed has 4 silicone heating elements, and a custom-cut 10mm glass slab. Maybe we'll try a new creality Lidar probe, once I get my hands on one.

Everything else, including 300x300 and 400x400 printers uses textured PEI sheets. Definitely saved a shitton of time and hassle comparing to non-textured glass and our favorite "Dragon Glue" .

Maybe in a few days once I get to his workshop, I'll make some pictures/videos.

 

[Mrgravia]

I tried using a magnetic bed + PEI with my old ender 3 v2 and always had issues with it being level. Had to switch back to glass in the end.

But that's cool, as i've got an Elegoo Centauri on order that should get here next month. Larger, faster and hopefully easier to use in the long run.

 

[Mindweaver]

I picked up the Creality CFS and adapter for my K1C. I haven't installed it yet but hopefully soon.

 

[Kwadratowicz]

I'll probably be getting one as my next printer so I can print stuff like PPS-CF

Thanks for reply, after carefull consideration I've bought voron 0.2 r1 kit.
Prusa was fine but it has closed source in some areas, and qidi don't have quad gantry leveling which was for me dealbreaker, and voron 0.2 r1 don't have it too, but with small overall build it has for now everything I need (and I don't know what I need )
And I will see if voron is for me. (Qidi has pricy parts, prusa too, that's why I'm going voron way for now too).
And I hope that I will get back to use 3d printers, cause cr-10 and ender 3 needs new printer to make them running .
And And I hope that voron 0.2 r1 will be great to print from abs.

 

[SN2716057]

Hello all,
Does PLA need to be dried too?

 

[Kwadratowicz]

Does PLA need to be dried too?

Yes, it's higroskopy material, if when You print You hear popping sound it means that the moisture in filament is evaporating and can make Your printing experience less enjoyable.
I think if I remember correctly that if the PLA is moisturized it is brittle, and is easy to break.

 

[SN2716057]

I'm currently saving all spools in an airtight bag with sillicone gelpacks. I hope that would've been enough but some of the bags started to inflate again. So I'm looking for a better storage solution.
I've read that you could use an oven on very low heat to dry PLA or one of the dozen fillament dryers. Recommend away

 

[Kwadratowicz]

45-50C is recommended for PLA drying, and watch out for higher temps, cause glass transition (said by google) is around 60C with PLA, and with that heat You could damage Yours Spools.
Ps Try printing without worrying, and if it is problematic then try drying the filament.
I think I've got Sunlu FilaDryer S2 but it's not ideal, cause if You want to dry Your filament I'm setting it to dry, and after hour or 2 I'm opening it and rotating the spool(and I'm doing it few times). And I'm a little out of touch, cause last time I was using it was like 1-2 years ago, I'm just returning to 3d printing.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Yes, it's higroskopy material, if when You print You hear popping sound it means that the moisture in filament is evaporating and can make Your printing experience less enjoyable.
I think if I remember correctly that if the PLA is moisturized it is brittle, and is easy to break.

Can confirm. I accidentally left a spool out for a few days and it completely shattered in my printer's bowden tube.

 

[PLAfiller]

I'm currently saving all spools in an airtight bag with sillicone gelpacks. I hope that would've been enough but some of the bags started to inflate again. So I'm looking for a better storage solution.
I've read that you could use an oven on very low heat to dry PLA or one of the dozen fillament dryers. Recommend away

First part was exactly what I was doing, because it was easy I didn't want to deal with the oven, but a very good friend of mine did. Eventually I bought a dryer and connected it with the 3D printer, will post a pic after work today. I bought this one: FixDry NT1. There were overwhelmingly positive reviews it's a great budget filament dryer. And for the most part it is. My only complaint are the rollers where the filament is resting. They roll fairly difficult and I don't understand am I the only one that this makes impression on? Like I can literary use a product right after a review and find something the reviewer never mentioned )

EDIT: after work here's my dryer:

 

[SN2716057]

I found some ideas using an Ikea box to make a cheap dry box and storage container. Money is tight atm so I need to improvise, adapt, and overcome

Thank you all!

 

[Fokker]

I got the Polymaker Polydryer for drying filaments other than PLA. I like the fact that you can swap storage boxes on it and they have a hydrometer with desiccant in each. It makes keeping filaments stored and mostly dry much easier.

 

[Kwadratowicz]

Finally parts for Voron 0.2 r1 are here from china, but the custom control has made a little mess inside the package, fortunately nothing seems to be broken .
Some parts are just moved from their cutouts and shoved somewhere else.
I hope nothing is missing
(it was first package that was in China custom control, and later in Netherlands custom control.)

 

[jak_2456]

My Ender-3 Pro is giving me problems. Whenever I try to print something big, it gets about 35% done before the filament breaks and it stops feeding. What should I do?