House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
Power requirements for the XL? EU vs US?
If the XL has has the full bed at full temp, with one or two extruders pulling power as they heat up or print, along with the motors - what kind of power draw are we looking at? How may plugs?
I forget what a typical office/house circuit is set for by how many XLs turning and burning can we run at a time?
What kind of XL, Mk3, Mini would be safe? Assume a computer or two and some lighting. I also run a filament drier.
I’ve run a ‘room’ and two minis and a Mk3 at the same time with out issue, but the people who built this house were electric bugs which WAY over powered it (lots of circuits). Will older houses start to have issues?
Not planning on a printer farm, but maybe a ‘harden’….
RE:
The power requirements are listed in the XL Handbook on the Product information page.
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
Let's count together the worst case scenarion for 5 head version, which has 3 power supplies. Let's say the same 3x 240W power sources are used. Due to efficiency, they are used at a maximum of 80% of the written power, so it is (3 x 240) * 0,8 = 576 W, which is still very low.
For example it is 2-4 times less than regulat microwave oven or electric kettle or low-end gaming PC.
In other words at 240V it will pull under 2.5A and at 110V under 5.5A. So in theory, each of my standard UK domestic 13A outlets would drive 5 XLs.
Cheerio,
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
The Xl pulls 10 amps at 110 volts. This is for the five head unit. If you check your breaker box you probably have 25 amp breakers supplying several outlets. Find the outlet you want to plug the printer into. Kill power to it and find out which outlets are on that breaker. You can probably run a XL for 10 amps, MK3 for 3.5 amps, and two Minis at 2 amps each for a total of 18 amps. I hope this helps.
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
I am planning on putting my XL on a dedicated breaker. Not needed, but it will help me measure power usage.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
From experience, I would check an operating machine using an Amprobe or other ammeter.
It's my experience that in real life, devices will frequently pull far less current than implied by the rating plate.
RE:
For reference, my single head beta XL machine draws up to 490W when starting a full bed print with latest firmware.
Peter
Please note: I do not have any affiliation with Prusa Research. Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage…
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
Glad to hear you have one Peter, I hope you get a ton of fun out of it. If anyone deserves the privilege it's you, your posts kept me sane during my MMU days.
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
Glad to hear you have one Peter, I hope you get a ton of fun out of it. If anyone deserves the privilege it's you, your posts kept me sane during my MMU days.
Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Yes, it arrived last Christmas eve and has been printing almost non-stop since.
It has been mostly fun, but as with all beta tests, there have also been a few not-so-fun moments.
Overall, it really is an excellent, solid printer with plenty of potential.
Peter
Please note: I do not have any affiliation with Prusa Research. Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage…
RE: House Electrical system capacities for XL (and multiple printers)
490W with full bed on? That sounds really reasonable. Wonder why they had so much issue sourcing power supplies. Getting more excited!