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Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 21st, 2018, 8:45 pm
by brianmix
Hello,

I'm at my wits end my Hictop 3DP12 wont print.

When printing the motor on the extruder just moves forward one tooth's distance and back one tooth's distance back and forth.

The nozzle is up to temp and not clogged I can push filament trough it fine.

I have replaced the motor, the wires, and the controller board. Using the move axis-extrude nothing happens even when hot.

It must be a setting someplace I'm missing.

Help,
Brian

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 8:04 am
by Roberts_Clif
I have two Hictop 3D Printers and have upgraded them the the max above ~ 3DP17

You may need to adjust your stepper motor V-Ref current,
Settings for My 3DP12 V-Ref current below for a 24 volt supply
X, Y, E0 and E1 = 0.395v // Only Date on Steppers - it has 6.2 ohms
Z Dual Stepper = 0.710v // 42SHD0026-20B Steppers

for a 12 volt supply
X, Y, E0 and E1 = 0.695v // 24HD4027-01 Steppers
Z Dual Stepper = 1.396v // 24HD2037-01 Steppers

Lets start with what filament are you using for your print. This filament has a temperature requirement for printing.

PLA ~ 190-220
ABS - 220-250

What slicer are you using if it is Cura 15.04.6 then Attached are my Cura profile presets. Included are 1.75 and 3.00mm filament.
I have the Nozzle Temperature set at 198C
Cura 15.04.6 Profiles for 0.4mm nozzle.zip
(27.95 KiB) Downloaded 484 times
With the LCD heat the Nozzle to the desired Temperature,
With the LCD try Extruding the filament
LCD Rotary know (Click)
Select Prepare (Click)
Select Move Axis (Click)
Select Extruder (Click)
Select 10mm (Click)
turn to Plus to extrude
turn to Minus to retract

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 10:45 am
by brianmix
Really good instructions. What pins do I check the stepper current? And your numbers are volts, do you mean amps?

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 3:15 pm
by Roberts_Clif
The voltage is measured from the trim-pots metal top adjustment.
image.jpg
image.jpg (7.68 KiB) Viewed 17289 times
I have placed a red arrow pointing at the pot adjustments below.
Controller V-Ref Adjustments.jpg
They are labeled R1, R2, R3, R5 and R6 on Base V1.3, MPK_V1 and MPX.3.
R1 is X
R2 is Y
R3 is Z : Double stepper higher V-Ref
R5 is E0
R6 is E1

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 3:33 pm
by Roberts_Clif
I have found that a Heat-sink is desirable on these controllers as the mosfets get hot.

I added a TO220 Transistor mounting kit and added an aluminum bar, along with a controller cooling fan.
mounting.gif
mounting.gif (8.41 KiB) Viewed 17278 times
Controller 2.jpg

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 5:56 pm
by brianmix
Ok, measuring across these pins on the POT
I get 0.65 to 0.68 on all of the pots???

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 5:57 pm
by brianmix
I'm using 1.7mm PLA .4 noz. and it oozes fine when pushed manually. I'll try your settings next

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 6:19 pm
by brianmix
Your settings no joy. Trying to move extruder with Move Axis control, nothing. Will try swapping some motor connections.

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 6:21 pm
by Roberts_Clif
brianmix wrote: December 22nd, 2018, 5:57 pm I'm using 1.7mm PLA .4 noz. and it oozes fine when pushed manually. I'll try your settings next
Don't you have The 24V 3DP12 3D Printer, the X, Y and E's should work with a lower current. This will allow for a longer lifespan and cooler running.

I had my First 3D Printer 3DP11 the extruder motor was turning in the reverse direction. Be sure to test this using my previous post instructions.

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 22nd, 2018, 6:30 pm
by Roberts_Clif
I also have Chip Lucks Marlin Firmware updated for all Marlin 1.1.X versions you can read his original post here

He has a lot of good posts you should read on our 3D Printer.

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 23rd, 2018, 7:23 am
by Roberts_Clif
brianmix wrote: December 22nd, 2018, 6:19 pm Your settings no joy. Trying to move extruder with Move Axis control, nothing. Will try swapping some motor connections.
The temperature of the Nozzle need to be 170C or better before the extruder will get power signals and is capable to movement.
It is a safety feature for no-cold extrude, which can damage the extruder components...

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 30th, 2018, 8:13 pm
by brianmix
WORKING!

Was a bad stepper. First print not so nice a few blobs?

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 30th, 2018, 10:00 pm
by Roberts_Clif
The Blobs could be caused by the Smooth rod holders.
The metal brackets that hold the Z steppers are too thin and allow movement in the smooth rods.
The X and Y belts could be loose and allow play causing the blobs.
These will also leave wavy lines on the X and Y edges.

Post a picture of your first print. Will look see if you can determine thew cause.

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 31st, 2018, 1:16 pm
by brianmix
OK, here it is. I used your setting Hictop 1.75 Profiles 20.ini
FirstSide_1281.jpg
The attachment FirstSide_1281.jpg is no longer available
Printer was set up on a card table, not sure if that was the most stable spot.

Thanks,
Brian

Re: Extruder wont extrude Hitop 3DP12

Posted: December 31st, 2018, 4:43 pm
by Roberts_Clif
brianmix wrote: December 22nd, 2018, 5:56 pm Ok, measuring across these pins on the POT
I get 0.65 to 0.68 on all of the pots???
Double check and make sure Cura is set for 1.75mm filament.

Your extruder is under-extruding this could be because the filament is binding or getting tangled, the extruder gear is miss aligned,
the extruder spring tension is incorrect, or the Throat PTFE tubing has clogged causing a filament restricksion or you are
over/under driving the stepper causing it to miss steps.

Isn't your power supply 24 volts. If so your V-Ref settings could be over driving the steppers. Refer to my post above for approximate settings.
The Z-Axis has dual steppers in parallel that mean you will need approximately twice the V-Ref current to operate.
Unless they changed the electrical wiring since I bought my 3DP12 and wired the steppers in series then the V-Ref will all be the same.