Checklist for Extruder Change  

Checklist for Extruder Change

I seem to screw my printer/software up every time I change extruder nozzle size. There seem to be a lot of settings that aren't where I expect them.

Is there a checklist somewhere that would make this more reliable? Here's a first crack at one.

Please look at it and add/change/edit to make it more correct/useful.

1. Change the nozzle:

Move to mid X, mid Z extruder position. Power off, cool down, slide back cover of extruder up and off. Flip fan open to front. Unsnap pressure springs upward on gearbox. Unplug small white plug (temp sensor), larger black plug on top (heater power). Loosen two thumbnuts on left of extruder. Grab extruder by silicone sock, wiggle wires and remove it downward (don't drop). Insert new extruder/heater/sensor/sock unit upward through hole, directly below filament feed tube atop the extruder. Push it up snugly, with heater toward the back. Wiggle and guide new wires into groove to the right of fan, thin temperature sensor wires first, clip white plug into socket, then stiffer heater wires, clip black plug into socket. Make sure the wires are deep in the groove and don't interfere when you close the fan. Snap the extruder gearbox tensioner downward. Slide the back cover down into place.

2. Change the software: Power On

2.1 Tell the printer what nozzle you are using. This is in: Settings>Hardware (below Network)>Printhead>Nozzle Diameter (turn knob to select), Return Return Return

2.2 Update to the current PrusaSlicer if needed. When you replace the folder in your Apps directory with the new one, you will lose all your filament color info and any tweaks you've made. Update your firmware if needed. I only know how to make this work by copying the file onto the thumb drive and resetting, but it seems like it's supposed to be/become possible using Connect.

Change the PrusaSlicer profile. Choose the one for your nozzle size, printer model, and MMU.

There usually isn't one that matches, unless you're using 0.40mm, so then what?? Change the material feed rate, or is this done automatically? Last time, I did not and it was extremely under-extruding but only for the first few layers. Bizarre! And it wasn't unloading or priming filament, so something was wrong with the MMU setup.

If there is a profile matching your extruder but without MMU, use it but enable the MMU by....?? This may be under General>Capabilities, it's not under Single Extruder MM Setup where you might expect it.

Manually update your filament colors (I usually end up doing this multiple times, annoying).