I use Octoprint to send print jobs to the printer, that is OP’s sole job is sending print jobs. The print was only 20mm high and the same level across the entire print. It was about a 9.5 hour job. Somewhere around 9 hours into the print from what I configure the BLtouch errored and caused Octoprint to shut down communication with the printer. This happened over night and there was no message on OP but it had lost connection to the printer and the Bltouch was blinking which normally means it had a problem. Not sure why the Bltouch would even be doing anything during a print job after the initial bed leveling. This is the 1st time this had happened. The printer itself still responded to commands from the console.
I have had that problem before. Took me a while but finally figured out that the wires that go to the hot end was causing intermittent interference on the wires going between the bltouch and the main board. I ended up buying this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HE0PDG4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and placed the bltouch wires inside it and ground one end (the one in the main boards compartment) and never have had the problem again. Your problem may be different but that’s what i ended up doing to fix it.
Good solution @Larry . I’m really glad you pointed out that you only grounded 1 end of the sleeve. Too many people make the mistake of grounding both ends of a shield.
Yea then you get a ground loop and that would not work to well ? I used some heat shrink on the end i didn’t ground so that the shield couldn’t touch the metal frame of the printer just to make sure that couldn’t happen as the hot end moves around a lot.
I have the wires to the BLT in a sleeve but it isn’t metal like the one you linked. If it keeps doing it I will order some of the stuff @Larry mentioned and give it a try. Been having some other strange unexplained issues that I’m thinking has something to do with Octoprint. All seems to be happening since the last update. Right now I’m printing off the SD card to see if that has any effect.
Ordered the sleeve @Larry suggested but the shipping times wasn’t so great so while I was waiting I ordered a twisted cable, my 1m cable was a little short anyway, ordered a 2mm one. I have had it on the printer for about a week now and 9 out out of 10 times the BLtouch works as it should. Right now I think the shielded sleeve is lost in the mail somewhere the last update was Jan 5th with no movement since. Once it gets here I’ll install it over the twisted wire and ground it.
Seems to me these BL Touches are more problem than they are worth. I’m fine with manual ib an Ender 3 pro.
I have to say I’m not experiencing these issues with my BL Touch. Yes, I had a connectivity problem with the Z Min wire, but that was a physical issue, not electronic. In fact, I just bought a Creality flexible metal PEI coated print bed, which is obviously much thinner than my glass bed, and my 1st 20mm, 1-layer square test print came out just fine, with zero adjustment on my part.