Well, nervous 'cause, as you righteously said, perhaps my expectations was those of a magical lamp... You know, when I was younger, I was more keen to screw with things: though now I'm a little old, or rather I feel that: and, besides, commitments are at door daily, you know. I bought this 'cause I had thought it had avoided to me the almost continous screwing I had to apply until recently to the now dead (after 2 ys) cheap i3 clone: but I was wrong. Or at least not so much right. Anyway, non invasive attempts are welcome, specially from a friendly one (and a more competent one than me): may heaven might put down a miracle thru science...
Ok, let's proceed.
P.s.: perhaps heaven would act also in making the producers more customer-friendly and careful with what they sell...
Ok, tried with another filament brand, a normal pla (not "plus") of a brand which at least went out nicely in the past: the filament pours out smoothly when filled in, but when printing it leaves the usual hairy trail, sticking to the nozzle but not to the bed (I varied the temperatures during the process: nz from 180 to 220, bd from 60 to 70: no progresses). Is this the normality for this printer, until upgraded to the custom firware? Or, it is there some special settings to put in Cura, besides the custom ones gotten from JGcreat?
In a way it might sound like you have a slightly warped bed. I know you said that you didnt want to modify the firmware but i feel that it is super important to do so as it would give you mesh leveling and help with the print sticking to the bed. And in the long run if you feel that you would like to sell it you can revert the firmware back to the original stock.
If you do the firmware upgrade and mesh level the bed you should go here and learn about smushing on the first level. But I would not suggest it on a non mesh leveled bed. The reason is that If you bed has a high point on non-mesh then it could possibly scratch the bed and the nozzle. I have done both recently and it was not fun but something happened to my level and i was printing at a .1mm and had to relevel.
Also another thing that could be causing the not sticking to the bed is to clean the bed. I currently just take a paper towel and rip it in half. Wet one and keep one dry. Then i wipe down the bed and use the dry one to make sure it is clean. I was having an issue with the stringing and prints not sticking and after i cleaned the bed it worked. Though i was pretty upset that it was not sticking.
I have only had this printer for nearly two weeks and I am been upset with it lots of times but usually it is simple things that I either forgot or didnt remember to do. Right now i am putting the printer through its paces and trying to run a a 12hr/+ print that takes up the whole bed. I dont want it to fail and i hoping it doesnt but then again i am a beginner and it will be a learning experience.
Ok, is the update anyway reversable, in case I feel to sell the printer as by stock (some rebuyers snubnose and seek to lower the price, if a item has been "modified"...) if I cannot sort out from issues?
> Sam "If the print is still not sticking, try loosening all four levelling thumb screws by 1/8th of a turn, and try again." This will bring us anyway to a by-eye tuning, 'cause we dunno how much really the bed has been raised/lowered using screws.
Anyway, personally: I thank both of you for the support so far, but you might convene with me anyway that modifies and tunings look to me very paradoxical, for a printer like this that has been credited to be, considered (again...) how very cheaper printers print out of the carton without any fuss nor probs.
yes it is not completely the golden egg that it tries to market as. But i feel that with the slight modifications it gets up there. The other printer that I was looking at was 200 more. Same frame and everything. But 200 cheaper and modifications that is easy for me to do then, to me, it is worth it.
Ok, provided that I could be able to modify it as direct drive sooner or later... Or that I will succeed in projecting my own direct mod with what I have now...
With the things not sticking it sounds like two things. Not a clean bed. And a warped bed that would make the nozzle too far from the bed. It happened with me also and was easily fixed with mesh leveling and wiping the bed
I'm printing right now, with cautious settings: I'll let you know as soon as it finishes.
Indeed, I confess to have a fuc*ed fear to screw the printer with the update: but I think that it will be done anyway. Provided thatthis may solve many of the issues of this printer.
If it had had been direct instead of bowden (and if the bed has been a common one, to be treated with sticking spray instead), this had been surely a great printer, even worthful of even 400-500 euros... (which had had been anyway way less than the cost for an average allegdly "top" fdm printer).
Settings: fine detail (0,2 mm) extr speed 170 (I had to increase it 'cause it flowed very scarcely: is this the one called "flow" in Cura?), speed 80, fan 55, extr 230° (pla+) bed 70°.
Now the display has given up: I had to turnoff and reprise (which didn't worked: so I had to print it again...). This cannot be beared, sorry. It was at 25%!!! F@ck!!! The display blackened and just some icons was visibile. Is the display upgrade meant also to solve such problems?
You can upgrade the firmware on the LCD also and can revert it back just in case not sure if it will solve the problem but it updated everything the first time around.
Question, When you flashed the firmware did you unplug the LCD cable? it has been known to cause problems if you dont.
not sure about your PLA. but the stock that was in the box i printed with a 60 bed 180 nozzle (was to reduce stringing) 40-60 print speed. 80 is fast, like really fast. the faster you go the more heat you need. if the printer cant melt pla fast enough with a speed then it will under-extrude. also make sure your printing profile in cura is set up with these settings. https://jgaurorawiki.com/a5/printing-profiles
I do have a post started with my settings if you want to look.
Hi there. Ok, perhaps finally I was successful to have it working optimally, and still yet without putting hand on it as for upgrading (perhaps I'll do it someday, once I'll be more familiar with the printer and I'll exclude all hypotesis of malfunctions due to my negrligence...). It is jusy matter of tuning the options, and some hair spray on the table...
Anyway, I see that sometimes, specially on the top right corner, the printhead looks like as it were keen to undergo some "centripetal force", becoming apt to eskew to lines out from the furrow and towards the inner part of the model.
The pla in the box was a pla+, which is advertised to require more than 200° to melt usefully. The plate is at 60° currently, and I'm using another brand's pla+. So far I wasn't successful to print a normal pla, which should melt at 180° (perhaps yours it a normal pla?). I hope I could get asap a batch of some 3-4 rolls of Filoalfa pla+, actually one of the best filaments out here, instead of using these cheap ones.
@Matt The temperatures sensor calibration on the A5 stock firmware is poorly calibrated. I normally use PLA at 200-210C, but on the A5 stock firmware you will need 215-225C.
Hi Sam. Yes, I've readed that it is an issue solved through firmware update, along some others: though it isn't specified what other major problems might be solved by changing it.
Comments
I normally do PLA at 208C with firmware 1.1.8C. If you're on stock firmware I would suggest 218C.
For bed, 65C works well for both firmware.
If you do the firmware upgrade and mesh level the bed you should go here and learn about smushing on the first level. But I would not suggest it on a non mesh leveled bed. The reason is that If you bed has a high point on non-mesh then it could possibly scratch the bed and the nozzle. I have done both recently and it was not fun but something happened to my level and i was printing at a .1mm and had to relevel.
Also another thing that could be causing the not sticking to the bed is to clean the bed. I currently just take a paper towel and rip it in half. Wet one and keep one dry. Then i wipe down the bed and use the dry one to make sure it is clean. I was having an issue with the stringing and prints not sticking and after i cleaned the bed it worked. Though i was pretty upset that it was not sticking.
I have only had this printer for nearly two weeks and I am been upset with it lots of times but usually it is simple things that I either forgot or didnt remember to do. Right now i am putting the printer through its paces and trying to run a a 12hr/+ print that takes up the whole bed. I dont want it to fail and i hoping it doesnt but then again i am a beginner and it will be a learning experience.
yes it is not completely the golden egg that it tries to market as. But i feel that with the slight modifications it gets up there. The other printer that I was looking at was 200 more. Same frame and everything. But 200 cheaper and modifications that is easy for me to do then, to me, it is worth it.
https://jgaurorawiki.com/a5/firmware
It is easy but just takes time
Clean the bed with water and a clean cloth.
With the things not sticking it sounds like two things. Not a clean bed. And a warped bed that would make the nozzle too far from the bed. It happened with me also and was easily fixed with mesh leveling and wiping the bed
https://jgaurorawiki.com/a5/lcd-firmware
Question, When you flashed the firmware did you unplug the LCD cable? it has been known to cause problems if you dont.
not sure about your PLA. but the stock that was in the box i printed with a 60 bed 180 nozzle (was to reduce stringing) 40-60 print speed. 80 is fast, like really fast. the faster you go the more heat you need. if the printer cant melt pla fast enough with a speed then it will under-extrude. also make sure your printing profile in cura is set up with these settings. https://jgaurorawiki.com/a5/printing-profiles
I do have a post started with my settings if you want to look.
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