Theory about extrusion and clicking  

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

Where I live now my line power is very stable at 120 to 120.5 volts 60.0 hertz and (knock wood) my PS has been fine since I built the printer Oct 4th.

Where I used to live it went from 103V to perhaps 111V on a good day and line frequency varied between 57.8 to 62.3 hertz. it was an island where power was generated locally via a WW2 surplus vintage Cooper Bessimer 2600 hp generator. To get computers to work there I had to use the island power to charge a bank of 40 old 12 volt car batteries and take that stable DC voltage and convert it to stable 120 volt AC this was back in the 1970s so not that long ago.

My point is not everyone even today has 120 volt power in the usa and I would bet that if the PS is ok at 120 it might not be at 112 volts.

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

My point is not everyone even today has 120 volt power in the usa and I would bet that if the PS is ok at 120 it might not be at 112 volts.

So if I follow what you are saying, do you think adding some form of power conditioner in line would be in order?
Also, do you think power issues could be the problem that is affecting a lot of people's extrusion?

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

it is worth thinking about.
Where I live now the power is fine (well ice storms in the winter might knock me out for a free days ) rock steady near 120 volts; but if a volt meter showed less that 109 during part of the day I would worry a bit about switching power supplies designed for 120/240 and I would look at replacing them with a larger meanwell

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

Long ago I worried about power quality in the area I lived and researched using a line conditioner over a high-quality UPS. At the time, my understanding is that most inexpensive UPSes only provided power but not line conditioning, so to protect against line fluctuations, a line conditioner was necessary. A quick google search indicates that the MK3 operates below 300W, so a small-ish line conditioner for under $100 could be used both for the printer and, given sufficient capacity, other equipment. This might be a better solution for anybody with multiple devices. Is there any reason a unit like the TrippLite 600W unit couldn't be used?

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

[...] this was back in the 1970s so not that long ago.
I'm still coming to terms with the 1990s being a long time ago. You are not alone.

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

Bob re the trip lite unit you linked this is the critical part. it looks like it will be fine if you are dealing with low voltages in the 110 range as thais within their 13.4% low voltage boost to get you back to 120 volts that makes the Prusa PS happy if you are in an area with brownouts s low as 85 Volts that 13.4% boost is not going to get you back very far
AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE REGULATION (AVR): Monitors incoming AC power and keeps equipment working through brownouts and prolonged overvoltage conditions. Corrects undervoltages as low as 85V and overvoltages up to 147V. Boosts input voltages below 102V by 13.4%. Reduces input voltages above 130V by 10.4%.

Re: Theory about extrusion and clicking

After I built my MK3 it ran great for a few months. Then I ran into the clicking extruder problems and extrusion issues that many others have had.

I am experiencing what I believe you experienced. Printer worked fine for a month or so, then stopped printing well one day (and the extruder started clicking every once in a while. I also noticed that my motors were very cool during almost all operation.

Would you be able to describe some of the issues you ran into?

Some of mine have been

Extruder Clicking

First layer not sticking to print bed like it is allergic to it

Extruder will stop/start extruding during print which looks like small horizantal holes in a print

Edges near turns not adhering to print bed correctly

Many more

I have tried replacing everything the filament touches after the hobbled pulley, including;

Nozzle

Heating Block, Thermistor

Heater Cartridge

E3D heatsink

E3D Heatbreak

teflon tubing

The only thing I have not replaced is the Hobbled Pulley, The Extruder Motor, an official prusa heatbreak (apparently there might be a difference), or the PSU itself. Really those components, or the software, are the only things left I can think of that might be causing my printing woes. I tried re-flashing the firmware as well, just to be sure.

Thank you kindly