elephant foot, leveling bed, zsteps

[arttechuk]

Hi everyone.

Got myself a Hictop 3DP11 and i asked Hictop if they could send me the latest firmware and they sent me "Marlin_3DP08_3DP11_398.cpp.hex" i then used cura to upload it to my printer via USB.

i use simply3d for slicer.
nozzle diameter: 0.40
extrusion multiplyer: 1.00
extrusion width - manual: 0.40

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first layer hight and width 100%
first layer speed 50%

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default print speed 50mm/s

Everything seems to be good but the steps are a bit off in the printer i think.
when i print a 20 x 20 x 10mm test cube the results of the printed cube are 19.99 x 20.01 x 9.68

all my prints have a elephant foot and the layers look squashed so i tried changing the zsteps in the printer lcd screen from 0398.0 to 0403.0 and this seemed to make the dimensions better but every time i turn the printer off it reverts back the the 0398.0 settings.

I don't have any plans to make precision parts, but would like to know how to set the zsteps in the printer so they stay as i set them, also would be nice to loose that elephant foot because its far to wide even with first layer width 60% and hight 60% i still get a elephant foot .

and the last thing is the levelling, if i level the bed from the home axis then print, the print starts higher than i set it from the home axis by about 1mm resulting in curling up filament onto the tip and not printing to the bed, So i level it by starting a print then turning the printer off just as its started extruding then i level the bed and turn it on again ready to go.

would be nice to get some help on the above problems

TIA

[JoelR]

For your first issue, you would need to modify the Marlin firmware to either specify your exact steps or at the very least allow you to save settings to the EEPROM. Chip Luck has a good series of instructions in the firmware section of this forum: http://3dprintingforum.us/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=300.

As for leveling, you will need to either turn on auto-leveling (if that is an option for you but I did not like the results) or manually level your bed. Many tutorials out there to show how it is done, but essentially you move your hot-end to 0,0,0, set the proper bed height at that location using the adjustment screws, then move diagonally to the opposite corner, set that corner height, and continue to all 4 corners, multiple times, until you do not need to make any more adjustments. Highly recommend a glass bed top as well since the aluminum may not be dead flat.

[arttechuk]

Thank you very much for this JoelR i really do appreciate it.
This gives me some homework to get on with, but i must admit i do find it all a bit complicated and confusing witch is why ive had to ask for help.
I will see how i get on was kind of hoping i could just build the printer then use it lol

[LePaul]

Crazy talk (I felt the same way after assembling my Ultimaker Original....what do you mean "calibration"!)

[arttechuk]

Ok i installed Arduino 1.6.12 set the port and downloaded Marlin 1.1.0-RC7 and i couldn't see anywhere to change the axis steps so i just left everything as it was and tried to verify then upload to the printer, all seemed to verify and upload fine, But the printer would now only display 2 lines of blocks no text nothing, so i put the firmware back in that hictop gave me and it was up and running again, So i did some more research and found a site that had a configuration.h file all set for a hictop i3 but it was for the Marlin RC5 firmware so i downloaded the 1.1.0-RC5 and loaded it into arduino then used the configuration.h from the other site and i could see the axis steps line of code so changed it to "#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {80,80,403,98.6}" and then verified and uploaded to the printer and this time i had a working system again and my settings look good, So i did another
20 x 20 x 10 test cube print and now my results of the printed cube are 20.01 x 20.06 x 9.95 this is a lot better than the previous z hight.

i still have the elephant foot though and that's a shame because it ruins ever print i do.
if only the first layer would print 0.5mm inside then i would not have it.

My printer is 3DP11 hictop the aluminium frame with no auto levelling.
This one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131730987065? ... EBIDX%3AIT

Im happy i got the firmware in and the steps better than before i was sure i would mess something up and brick my printer lol.

Thanks for the help in this and if you do have any idea's on the elephant foot i would love to hear it.

Edit: o ya i have a 3mm glass bed and blue masking tape on it.

[arttechuk]

I've learnt so much over the last few days regarding my printer and thank F--k i have that elephant foot sorted mainly thanks to youtube, and now my prints look good from top to bottom over and out.

[Izzy]

What was the YouTube video that helped you out?

[rokhdrone1uk]

Hey all,

Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this.

But I've finally got my printer working, but for some reason.

The Skirt / Brim isn't add-hearing to the bed, the main part is but that is leaving me with a mess to clear before the print starts.

Anyone have any clues??

[Izzy]

What material are you printing, what adhesion are you using and what is the thickness of your 1st level, and the 1st layer speed?

[rokhdrone1uk]

What material are you printing, what adhesion are you using and what is the thickness of your 1st level, and the 1st layer speed?

Hi Izzy, I am using ABS, my Bed Temp is 95-100, Extrude Temp 245

I'm using LULZBOT PEI Sheet, which I've had no issues with before.

Primary Layer H - 0.1200

download/file.php?mode=view&id=1157
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1156
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1155
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1158

[LePaul]

Looks like...SImplify3D?

[rokhdrone1uk]

Sure is, I've have been using this since i got my Printer, never used any other software

[LePaul]

Neotko is quite the S3D guru

[Izzy]

I would try slowing down to about 45mm/s and trying the 1st level at 200um (0.2mm)

[rokhdrone1uk]

I would try slowing down to about 45mm/s and trying the 1st level at 200um (0.2mm)

Slowing down the print speed or movement?