Finally got to test my new replacement printhead kit
Posted: August 4th, 2018, 3:46 am
I have been printing fairly well for the last few weeks. Finally had the print bed dialed in so that all I needed was to give it a nice alcohol rub before printing and everything came out great.
Until tonight. For some reason, the print I started came loose from the bed, and what was supposed to be my first commissioned job in months turned into the PLA blob from hell. It was so bad, PLA was coming out of the top of the fan enclosure (fans are ok).
Rather than spend hours on disassembly and cleaning, I decided to clip the printhead wires and replace the unit with the replacement kit I got from Hictop sometime last year (promotional gift). The process was simple enough (even though there were no instructions that I could find). Just clip the 4 wires to the printhead (2 white thermistor wires, 2 read hot end wires) and crimp connectors to the stripped ends. Since I know a bit about wiring and electronics, I knew how much to strip.
My only real complaint is that this would have been much easier with a proper crimping tool and wire stripper, but the needle nose pliers they supplied worked well enough. Also, the bowden tube was stuck in the old print head, so I had to cut it off, losing ~3/4 inch (not that it seems to matter). They also provided a replacement for that.
Until tonight. For some reason, the print I started came loose from the bed, and what was supposed to be my first commissioned job in months turned into the PLA blob from hell. It was so bad, PLA was coming out of the top of the fan enclosure (fans are ok).
Rather than spend hours on disassembly and cleaning, I decided to clip the printhead wires and replace the unit with the replacement kit I got from Hictop sometime last year (promotional gift). The process was simple enough (even though there were no instructions that I could find). Just clip the 4 wires to the printhead (2 white thermistor wires, 2 read hot end wires) and crimp connectors to the stripped ends. Since I know a bit about wiring and electronics, I knew how much to strip.
My only real complaint is that this would have been much easier with a proper crimping tool and wire stripper, but the needle nose pliers they supplied worked well enough. Also, the bowden tube was stuck in the old print head, so I had to cut it off, losing ~3/4 inch (not that it seems to matter). They also provided a replacement for that.