Error - puppies not found - and solution  

Error - puppies not found - and solution

My reliable XL 2T reported "puppy not found" after more than a year of reliable operation. The error appeared just after starting a print, during the laying down of the first layer. Upon restart, the machine would boot then halt with the same error. Note that the error did not refer to a specific puppy, it was a general error. I followed the instructions that the console QR error code led me to. These suggested removing and wriggling all connections to the buddy board. These actions did not make a difference. Prusa Support were very good and suggested wriggling the connectors going into each of the tools. This did not make a difference even with the machine switched on.

Prusa Support then proposed a long shot. They suggested I print a new cable connector as in "Tutorial cable connector cover (XL)". The first improvement came when I removed the old cable connectors. After this, the machine would boot and operate normally. After experiencing this return to normal operation for a while, I then printed and fitted the redesigned replacement connector covers. This has solved the problem. If you get a non-specific "puppy" error, do try the new cable connectors. By the way, if you are not familiar with "puppy" it seems to be the Prusa term for "slave" as in "master-slave", where, I believe, the buddy board is the master and all the things that plug into it are slaves. That said, "puppy" is a much happier sounding word.