New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
Hi,
I received a new Prusa i3 MK3s yesterday, it's my first 3D printer. I had no problem setting up a software toolchain allowing me to send stl files to gcode on to an Octopi server, but the hardware has been a constant headache.
First, it kept failing to calibrate before a print on the back-middle corner (the 8th Z point) despite passing the self-test out of the box (the print surface was slightly ajar but it had arrived that way and I wasn't sure what to do about it, this may have been the issue), so I updated the firmware and tried to re-run a full calibration, and it kept digging in and scratching the heatbed (it may be damaged now, I'm not such how much scratching is a problem), until I tried to lower the Pinda probe (which took quite some research for what was supposed to be a pre-assembled model, I didn't see this listed anywhere in basic troubleshooting steps). That allowed it to finish calibration, but now whenever I try to print anything, it just drags the filament all over the print surface, nothing gets anywhere close to sticking.
I'm not really impressed so far, wasn't looking forward to spending the whole weekend figuring out whether I can return this or if I can make what was supposed to be a pre-assembled printer work properly, and the live chat support link only loads on my phone and not on any of my desktop browsers which makes waiting in the queue agonizing.
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
You paid for a printer that has full support. Be sure to take advantage of that. If you experience any problems, log into the Prusa online store and contact them via chat. Don't be shy about using support. Be sure you're not blocking the chat function on your computer using PiHole or other ad blockers. (Sorry, not sure from your post if you actually got to spend time with support in chat.)
I can say that my pre-built Mk3 was ready-to-go out of the box. Of course, things can happen in shipping. Support tends to be very responsive and quick about getting replacements out, unlike most of the lower-cost printer manufacturers. I'm still awaiting a replacement bed thermistor for my Artillery Sidewinder that was promised "on a priority basis" after a month when the bed cabling wore through in 15 days.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
Thanks -- support was really helpful and I'm a little less worried. Poor initial experience, but they really are good.
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
@axfelix
You have nothing to worry about. My farm is at 9 printers right now. All of the Prusas work perfectly.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
I'm afraid I'm still having a challenging time -- I've had some successful prints, and when it works it's great, but I've yet to successfully print using the silver PLA that was shipped with my printer without using a gluestick, which this forum leads me to believe is unusual; it simply won't stick otherwise. Other filaments seem to with better. I'm cleaning the sheet as best I can but I feel like I'm missing something.
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
How are you cleaning it?
RE: New prusa, pre-assembled, very unimpressed, nothing is working
I suspect you do not have your Z level perfect. The only other thing is bad print sheet. Can you posts a first layer test image?
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog