Yeah, but z hop maybe enabled by default in Cura, as it is a comen thing to improve print quality and at the same time be invisible to you, because Cura is hiding the options by default, too.
I currently cannot test, as this system, which has no proper GFX card, can run FreeCAD without a problem, but for some reason fails running Cura do to lacking of 3d features.
I checked, not enabled. It wasn’t hidden, I looked for “z-hop” which didn’t show up, but “z hop” did show up, and it wasn’t enabled.
Just checked with the recent version. It indeed seems they combined and regrouped the z-hop feature and it now only appears once. All is now grouped under movement/retract and got refrased, which makes more sense this way, as z-hop only makes sense when doing a retract.
Well, then I have no idea what is going on with your z movement. AFAIR there is an option, which allows you to dump the last bed level data using a terminal. Maybe it is a good idea to perform three times the bed levelling procedure and dump each of them to get a compare. If the values are different all over the place your sensor is loose (which you would have noticed by now), you have a massively bend bed, which is unlikely or the sensor is just reporting different values for the same spot. I am not sure if there is a command in marlin to deploy and activate the sensor via serial terminal. That way you could dump values for one spot on your print bed, without dealing with a mesh and potential internal calculations.
You don’t think the printer is using the measurements from the BL Touch?
I think the measurements of the BL-Touch are off and result is those “massive” z movement.
Just to be on the same page. Can you stick some colored tape to the lead screw coupler to visualize the z motor rotation?
I never said they were “massive”. I have noticed that the z movement reduces as the print continues. I have heard that the file has adjustments to even it out as the print gets taller.
I took@Geit saying “massive” to mean the movements are much greater than he would expect to correct for printbed variations. I think he’s expecting the bed to be almost flat and, therefor, the movements of the Z axis, while printing a single line for example, to be relatively tiny.
@Peter , the z movement is normal with a BL touch if your bed is not very level. I have a BL touch and i noticed the same thing so found this on thingiverse Ender-3 V2 Dial Gauge Holder by mguyre - Thingiverse and printed it and bought this dial indicator https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016R3GLB0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Then i watched this video on how to use it. Ender 3 Bed Level with Dial Indicator - YouTube
After using this found it is MUCH easier to get your bed perfectly level very quickly. Before i never really knew how level my bed truly was.Along with the stronger bed springs i installed I never have problems leveling my bed any more. And the BL Touch z movements are pretty much gone for the layer.
If i do notice the z movements starting up again for a given layer then i know its time to check the level of the bed.
@Larry I downloaded & printed a similar dial guage for my Ender 5 Pro. The holder is a little sloppy, so I haven’t used it much. But what I really wanted to mention is that TH3D, who make & sell the EZABL system, also sell & recommend solid bed mounts, essentially eliminating the springs: [U]https://www.th3dstudio.com/product/cr-10solidmounts/[/U]. I guess the idea is that, once you have an ABL installed, you don’t need to care about the bed level, except loosely. IOW, the ABL will map the bed as it is with the solid mounts and adjust nozzle height accordingly during printing. I have no idea if this works (not having an ABL), but it is intriguing.
Although I have the dial guage, I’m really leaning toward the idea of using a feeler guage, which I’ve used for years for things like spark plugs. My thinking is that I can find the perfect guage that will just fit between the nozzle and bed, and it would be more accurate than using a piece of paper.
I agree about the gap distance between the bed and the nozzle. Using a piece of paper for that is guess work. But I found leveling the bed with either a piece of paper or a feeler gauge (because of the angle that it is used at can vary a lot), to be unreliable for leveling the entire bed sometimes. The dial indicator however (at least with the mount for the ender 3 V2 anyway) is very stable, easy and quick to use and extremely accurate.And the nice thing about this mount it just slips over the housing for the hotend but is very secure. And i went into tinkercad and modified it some so that it can’t move at all in the mount. I made my own back plate and added 5 mm block to it.
Unfortunately for me, the fan shroud for the V2 is quite different from my Ender 5 Pro. I think I’m going to have to make my own design for a guage holder.
Did you see this one? Ender 5 Dial gauge 8mm shaft by banuc - Thingiverse
I appreciate your input. When I first got the printer and did the leveling, the corners were lower than the center. I would adjust the corners and get to the center, and have to lower the whole bed. I would redo the whole procedure, and same result, corners lower than the center.
I printed a few things since installing the BL Touch, and the output is better. Better adhesion, better first layer print.
I notice that when I level my ender 3 pro manually I notice that my glass bed is just very slightly higher in the middle than the corners. I would like to put some stronger springs if that would help. I actually have my adjusting wheels fall off while it is printing sometimes. But it doesn’t seem to change much.
Hummm… Never had that happen before you must have your bed all the way up. That would be the only way they could fall off and it not affect your prints. I got the stronger bed springs because i was constantly have to level my bed because the stock springs are very weak so i got these from amazon [URL=“https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MTGXYLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1”]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MTGXYLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Now i can go for about 20 prints or more before having to re-level
The bed level screws are usually quiet short. You need to screw the wheels all in and then start levelling. I added new screws to my TronxXY and ANet as well, since after adding some washers, spring guides and glass bed corner brackets, which in total add around 2,5mm the screws became unusable short.
What? I haven´t levelled the bed of my printers for over a year now. As long as no one turns the wheels the levelling stays the same. Your print bed does not get any dents or deformations during prints.
I shall try screwing them all the way in and then levelling but so far levelling is not a big deal. I do check it and re-level every few days but I can see when the print is starting if it needs levelling.
Hummm… I can’t see how you can heat your bed up and then let it cool many times and not have to re-level your bed. Metal (and other materials) when heated and let cool many times don’t always go back to the exact same measurements (i’m talking about 100’s of a mm here, very small amounts) unless the metals are totally pure, which almost all metals aren’t (the ones that are are extremely expensive). That’s way the printers that don’t have auto bed leveling have bed springs so they can be adjusted when needed ever so often. I’m not saying your wrong. I’m just saying i don’t see how it’s possible unless your not heating your bed very much or at all.
The only time I heat my bed is when a print won’t come off but I just print PLA so far.
No, I hadn’t seen that one. I’m not sure which way it mounts (there’s only 1 photo), and it would be a pain to print because it’s hollow. I would probably modify it so I could print the frame portion as 1 print and the face as another.