Many hours spent just trying to get a decent test print
Hi super helpful peeps 🙂
I reckon I have spent about 20 hours now trying to figure out why I cant get a decent first layer. I have run the calibration wizard about 20 times, upgraded firmware, reset the pinda to the height of a zip tie (it was pretty close already anyhow), done 3 cold pulls and still no luck. Adjusting the z as it does a test print seems absolutely inconsistent - it starts out so thin, a few turns and the line thins further and leaves gaps in the print line, even further and it looks like the outsides of a straight line (maybe squashed too much?) Then I rerun the print starting from my last level and it's completely different again!
I note that all the youtube I have watched on others' doing their calibration, the z calibration seems to go from top down. Mine starts at the bottom and goes the top of the z axis, but also then grinds against the top for like 10 seconds - is this normal? Is there something else I can check? Its seriously sending me around the twist.
Thank you for your help,
Run the built in first layer calibration and how us the result *on the print sheet.*
Cheerio,
RE: Many hours spent just trying to get a decent test print
I note that all the youtube I have watched on others' doing their calibration, the z calibration seems to go from top down. Mine starts at the bottom and goes the top of the z axis,
This makes me wonder what you mean by Z calibration. Calibrating the Z-axis always raises the gantry from low to high until it hits the top and stalls out. So yes, the grinding sound is normal.
But that's obviously different from setting the correct live Z offset (aka first layer calibration). First, height of a zip tie has not been a good starting point for years, since the introduction of the SuperPINDA, which rather requires two zip ties as a reasonable starting point (1.5mm).vI put this little gadget on Printables to help position the PINDA: https://www.printables.com/model/57192 But obviously, it you can't print anything, this won't help you right now.
Anyway, if you get thin lines, your nozzle is too low. The inbuilt method for first layer calibration is quite time consuming and not necessarily easy to interpret for noobs, may I suggest something like this https://www.printables.com/prints/105404 which allows you to test 8 settings in one quick print.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- https://foxrun3d.com/
RE: Many hours spent just trying to get a decent test print
Thank you! I will definitely check those out. Appreciate the reply!
RE: Many hours spent just trying to get a decent test print
Thank you, I will do some more testing and report back!
RE: Many hours spent just trying to get a decent test print
I had the same problem and replaced the PINDA and problem went away.