Strange Noise from i3 Mk3 - General discussion, announcements and releases

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

Area51 — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 14:31:16 +0000

To reduce resonance noise from the printer, take a look at this thread Best $7 buck improvement you can make.

The heavy base plate will act as a sound low pass filter.

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

egar — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 14:13:17 +0000

When I moved my MK3S+ to a Lack enclosure, it noise got much louder. The light-weight Lack enclosure is acting like an speaker cone, transmitting those sounds through a larger surface. Not that it is all that loud from a decibel perspective, but the tone/pitch is such that it does pass through walls with surprising efficiency.

I had read of others isolating the printer from the surface it sits on by using concrete pavers and sorbothane pads. Not having either, I took some of the closed cell foam padding that was around my MK3S+ stepper motors in the Prusa packaging. I cut some 50 mm x 50 mm squares from this material and placed under each printer foot. This worked fantastically, I cannot believe how much quieter the printer is -- almost silent. The loudest sound is now the cooling fans.

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

mpeill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:54:43 +0000

Reading further on the web, it seems the above posts are right. The stepper motors move in very small micro-steps, so to move a reasonable distance have to step many times very quickly, in fact so fast that the waveform from the drivers to the motor has a frequency in the audible range. That, along with magnets in the motors, and you've got yourself some small loudspeakers.

So, bottom line, it's normal and nothing to worry about. I've now had my printer for a couple of years, printed through a dozen or so 1kg PLA spools, and the printer is still printing as good as new!

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

EichmannCharity — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 09:13:46 +0000

My printer is having the same problem as yours. Have you found the solution yet?

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

beverlywalker234 — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:13:36 +0000

Come on, check that your device is connected safely?

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

Sembazuru — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:33:49 +0000

There is a Youtube channel that I enjoy where some guy named Paweł Zadrożniak (Polish, I think) has a lot of videos of songs that he covered with his Floppotron musical instrument. Here is his Floppotron playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oym7B7YidKs&list=PLNU8fSoY0vesEhVv1ErMBrhGMr9r464To

Enjoy!

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

mpeill — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 17:34:00 +0000

I’m glad to hear it, panic over. Thank you.

I guess if I print an infinite number of shapes, at some point the motors will play Beethoven’ symphony no. 5

😀

RE: Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

Zachary Lance — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 17:08:41 +0000

They are the stepper motors they can oscillate and make a musical sound , my mk3s does the same. Ive attached a fun link showing that they can produce music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLpf4ZZPJYY

Strange Noise from i3 Mk3

mpeill — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 17:03:43 +0000

I'd like to know whether the noise during printing from my i3 is normal or not. Obviously there is the whirring of the stepper motors on x, y, z planes at various stages through the print, but I also get an almost musical sound at some points during the print. I've attached a rather poor recording of the sound, and would just like someone to verify that this is normal, or do I need to be concerned or lubricate something.

Attachment removed