z axis failing after adjusting belts
Hey everyone,
First time playing with a 3D printer here. IOW, absolutely newbie asking.
I assembled the MK3, it passed the self test, XYZ calibration, first layer calibration and I even printed the whistle after doing some live z adjustments. . I knew that belts needed to be in the 240 +-40 range so I checked how were mine after the assembly. I got them at 285 and 293. So my next step was to adjust them.
I unplugged the printer, followed the steps to adjust the X belt first. I then turned the printer to its side to adjust the Y belt. Once done, I turned on the printer and did the self test. I now have 270 and 273. I was happy. I then thought, I moved the printer so I should do the XYZ calibration. That is when it failed since the Z axis does not move as before.
This is what I see when I try moving the Z axis. Using Settings --> Move Z axis I moved all the way up. I slowly started then to go down and mid way (aprox middle of the rod) one side moves while the other side makes some kind of noise (resistance?) and fails to move. I'm 100% lost how to fix this. Any help on how to troubleshoot this is much much much appreciated.
I can upload a video if that helps.
Thanks,
Gaston
Re: z axis failing after adjusting belts
I ended up releasing the tension on the X belt and now the Z axis can move better. It passed the XYZ calibration. However, as it moves closer to the bottom, the right rod/bearings of the Z axis makes some "sandy" noise. Did I break the bearings of the right rod? When it was doing the 9 points calibration, it failed since it was not able to move the Z axis on the right side up and it was making that noise like crushing sand. This hobby......spent all weekend on this printer ...... 👿
Note: As I go higher, the noise is not there. Hope the bearings are still ok and it's easy to fix.
Guidance appreciated
Re: z axis failing after adjusting belts
Latest update. Embarrassing to say this but might help others in the future. When I turned the printer to its side, the rod that was already oiled from the bearings, picked up some dust from the table. When I recorded with the video I could see some things as I zoomed in. I cleaned up the right rod with a paper towel and the sandy noise is 99% gone. Z axis is moving fine again.
It failed now in the xyz calibration while trying to find the points. I give up for now. This test passed so many times so no idea what went wrong. Will get back in the week.
Thanks for reading
Gaston