Nothing but garbage prints so far  

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

Your Z-Height is likely off. Go to Menu->Calibration->First Layer Cal and follow the procedure. There are some pictures in the manual how the lines should look like. You need to adjust down and squish the first layer more.

If that does'nt work reliably, there is some extrusion problem... clogged noozle etc...

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

This section from the manual was the break through for me. Very minute adjustments of the PINDA height to find the the sweet spot (read as accurate spot I think) Hard to make the fine adjustment with the the threaded probe.Moved it by the thickness of a fingernail at a time. Hope it helps.

6.3.10.2 Check probe height (kit only)
If the first layer seems inconsistent between multiple prints, the probe might be
too high. Lower it slightly. Loosen the M3 screw on the probe holder and gently
push the sensor to adjust the height and tighten the M3 screw again.. Then try
again Calibrate XYZ​. Keep in mind, the probe must always be higher than the nozzle tip,
otherwise it will catch on prints.
Pict. 13 - Probe response diagram.
Now you are done!

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

my first z live setting was like this just kept at it till it was perfect my magic number was 956 on the live z

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

What's causing this? Better yet, how do I fix it?

Your Z height is way too high.

Fix it by moving the live Z down. A lot.

"Down" in this case means a larger negative number.

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

As others have said your z is way too high, you probably have to go down like 0.1mm or so.

Re-run the zig zag calibration and put your eye perfectly level with the bed and watch the nozzle go back and forth. You don't want it to just stick, you want it to actually compress the plastic slightly and squish it. Keep lowering it until it looks like the image below. You are currently at the top part of the image where it is dropping to the bed and sticking but not being squished (You can tell this because the corners don't stick well and your square doesn't have the lines squishing together)

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

Getting that first Z layer can be hard.

I messed with things and it took about 20 attempts to get it right this time.

0.02mm high and it don't stick.
0.02mm low, and the corners drag/peel due to over extrusion. Take a picture of the bottom surface of the little square on the leveling test. Much can be told about that. (Also the top)

Round ridges on top, z too high.
Rough lines at the sides, z too low.
Should be rather smooth across the top, and glassy on the bottom. (Almost no extrusion lines, and only feel it with fingernails)

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

It can be frustrating, but keep at it.

When I calibrate I run my finger over the filament as it is being layed down. If it moves, keep dialing Z down until it starts to stick. Then, dial down much more slowly. Keep dialing down until you get a well smashed line as in the pictures above. Once you get it, you are good to go.

But, the frustrating thing is that you will have to do this again when you switch from PLA to ABS or PETG or visa versa. The PINDA probe with thermistor is supposed to keep us from having to live Z every time we swap filaments, but it has not worked out quite yet. Seems there are some firmware tweeks that still have to be made.

Good news is, once you get a hang of setting your live Z, it usually only takes one or two passes the next time you need to set it. You become a pro at it pretty quickly.

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

But, the frustrating thing is that you will have to do this again when you switch from PLA to ABS or PETG or visa versa. The PINDA probe with thermistor is supposed to keep us from having to live Z every time we swap filaments, but it has not worked out quite yet. Seems there are some firmware tweeks that still have to be made.

The PINDA isn't doing it's temperature calibration properly, that's true, but different filaments do require different z-heights. PETG doesn't get squished down as much as PLA, for instance. I've found different brands to have varying levels of stickiness, requiring live-z tweaks.

Having said that, sometimes I'm really diligent and sometimes I'm, well, a bit meh about how perfect the layer is. My biggest hurdle was becoming brave about dropping the nozzle lower and lower. The removable bed is great because if you muck up and damage the pei it's infinitely easier to flip over or replace than taking off the pei sheet from my older mk2.

Tip: grab a bright flashlight, put yourself and the light at eye level with the nozzle and shine the light on the at different angles, really helps see what's going on.

Re: Nothing but garbage prints so far

wait until the firmware is fixed or you are only going to drive yourself nutz check the forum about

the major issues with the firmware, PINDA , Mesh Bed Leveling which effects the z layer .