Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
Hello all,
I have my Mk4 plugged into a smart UPS, which I can turn off and on via my Echo or app.
Does it hurt anything to leave my Mk4 powered on and sitting idle?
Alternately, does turning power on and off to it abruptly (when it's not printing) hurt anything? I assume not but it couldn't hurt to ask.
Thanks!
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
I would make sure there is a delay before switching off that allows the hotend to cool down to prevent it causing damage to the extruder parts when the fan gets cut off.
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
Sure. I just mean, like, if I start a print at night before I go to sleep, and then check the camera in the morning and it's done (and it has been done for hours), turning off the power - not the microsecond the print finishes.
Agreed. Leave the printer running until the fans stop then it's fine to turn it off or not as you please, the printer uses very little power when idle.
Remember: If there is filament loaded and left for a while it will need drying before the next use.
Cheerio,
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
Well, that leads me to my next question - when you say it uses very little power when idle, does it make sense to just leave it on all the time?
Thanks for the reminder about drying it if needed.
Agreed. Leave the printer running until the fans stop then it's fine to turn it off or not as you please, the printer uses very little power when idle.
Remember: If there is filament loaded and left for a while it will need drying before the next use.
Cheerio,
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
I haven't had any problems in years of leaving printers on for extended periods or shutting them off via Echo-controlled smartplugs. I suspect most of the time I turned them off remotely the hotend was cooled down but I have also turned printers off manually right after a print ended, with no apparent negative effect.s
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
I generally wait until the hot end has cooled. Once the fan stops I turn the printer off. I never leave mine on and sitting idle.
RE: Will it hurt anything if I leave my Mk4 powered on and idle? Alternately, does remote power on and off hurt anything?
I use a remote control plug to turn it on/off, no problem. Leaving it on all the time? I haven't had problems leaving it idle for hours. The Z axis is held/locked, it will be warm but not a problem from what I see.