You know, I’ve known about the Printer Start and End G-code for a pretty long time, but I wasn’t aware that there is Start and End G-code for each extruder. Good find @Lowteck. It could be a game changer. And, since the value really shouldn’t change much, it won’t hurt to have it in the Machine Settings.
I’m not so sure about Duplication and Mirror Modes. As far as Cura is concerned, when printing in Dupe or Mirror modes, the printer only has 1 extruder. It could be E1 or E2 (I think). Think about it: if both extruders are in use at the same time, how could they possibly be used as independent (IDEX) extruders?
I am not really sure what would happen if a model was set up to use both extruders and then sent to the printer when it’s in Duplication or Mirror mode. That might be an interesting experiment though.
I used that trick for the Geeetech printer to set the extruder I wanted to use.
I have had a fit last night and a short time today. I had a lab test today at the vet hospital. I have two doctor video appointments this month. Anyway the filament I was raving about would not stick to the bed. So after I got home I washed the bed and put the filament in the toaster oven on dehydrate for a couple of hours while I watched csi and the news. Testing it now. First test was spaghetti.
I have been pulling my hair since Wednesday. I have not been able to print anything. Biggest problem is filament will not stick. I took the printer apart and put it back together and that solved the leaning and wobbly gantry, thank goodness. But still would not print. I have leveled the bed I bet a dozen times. I took a new spool and placed in on E1 and set up everything to that extruder. After seeing the new filament not extrude, not stick and slide when it did extruder. I checked the documentation on the filament and it was petg not pla. It was green and I did want to use that color. Oh well. I set the data to use petg but it still did not help. I went back to an old filament and settings and it did lay down, but was not pretty. At least after 3 day, I have made progress. Hope more tomorrow.
I was referring to the numbers that I used on the other printer. 70 for the bed temperature, and 230 for the nozzle temperature. I was watching a video today which the person, I had not seen one of his videos before say he used the glue stick and then washed the table with alcohol. before doing his prints and got good results. I washed my bed with alcohol and put the petg filament back into the E1 nozzle. I took a print of a small Christmas tree that came out very well with the old ?orange?, really pink or skin color. It did two very nice trees. So today with the green petg, I overrode the temperatures and tried a print. Nothing! It did start a skirt for about 20%. It was stuck very well on the bed. I cleaned it up and started again. It did not do a thing until I took the filament in hand and pressed into the extruder. It did a perfect print while I was pressing but skipped while not. So, what is this telling me. I had the flow rate at 200%. The extruder is not doing its job. I have, until company came by searching for the video where the person took the extruder apart, and did some sanding on a part. Nothing to loose, everything to gain.
Its a rendering I did to be an old radio/TV vacuum tube, or chamber. being fired up. Like my name lowteck. The newer version, I could not find, has a lightning spark striking the top cap.
I finally found the instructions on how to take the extruder apart. Its not a video but picture instructions. I will have to build my courage and try it. Or maybe take the filament to the other printer. If it doesn’t work there then I will conclude its the filament. If it works there I will do the things for Christmas there except multi color. I will have to order green pla filament.
@Ender5r Did you ever get your nozzles you ordered, and if so were they all 0.4 mm or a mixed variety like they have on Amazon? I am still waiting on mine. You also made a statement that in your package you got 4 additional nozzles, I only got one.
Yes, I did get the 0.4mm “all metal” nozzles. I just installed 1 in the left extruder today and printed some 20x20mm test squares with it. It’s now printing a Mason jar plastic lid holder.
Regarding the nozzles that came with my printer, you have to remember I got the printer during the KickStarter campaign, so it may have included bits and pieces that are not included in the current retail packaging. I got four 0.4mm nozzles, two 0.6mm, and two 0.8mm. I also received a couple of extra ribbon connector cables.
A vacuum tube (or, as Brits would say, “valve”). Nice choice.
If I gave the impression I was somehow upset, I apologize. I was not at all upset; quite the contrary.
My nozzles took a few weeks to arrive.
However, I’m having trouble with the 1st one I tried. It starts out OK on a print but, after a number of layers, it stops the filament from feeding through. I presume it’s some kind of heat blockage, but I haven’t isolated the cause yet. I just put the regular nozzle back in and I’ll try tomorrow to see if the blockage issue disappears.
I think I have made a mess of my bed today. I have discovered that every time you lift the surface plate off the bed you need to re-level. I needed to lift after a print, so I decided to clean the plate. I took it to the sink and gave it a good wash and scrub with steel wool. No problem to this point. I dried it and placed it back on the bed. Then I put some acetone on the plate. It turned the bed white where it was the on the longest. I did at this point order a glass plate and another like the original.
I had been trying to print the little ghosts from thingversrs. They would print about a dozen lines then one of the 8 spots would break lose on one of the prints. I am using the duel head mode. One or the other or both would keep breaking lose and there fore I would stop, clean the print off and lay a new layer of magigoo or the purple stick and try again. I finally lowered the model on cura’s table until it was only four then it would print. Got 4 printed and then I enlarged it to 150% and tried a full print again. Same thing. That is when I decided to clean the plate. I was using white on E1 and glow in the dark on E2. Discovered the glow in the dark really doesn’t glow as bright as they show. I had intended to replace the switch plates with glow in the dark plates. I guess that is off the table. I learn a little bit every day about 3D printing, need to learn FreeCAD, but I keep it on the back burner.
Small hint: when mentioning thingiverse models, it’s best to include a link to the specific model and/or photo(s) of the model. There are quite a number of ghosts there for example.
While looking for this link I found another which would, I think, been easier to print.
Thanks for the pointer (hint), I will keep it in mind.
Here is the other one, the one I think would be easier to print, I may even try one.
I got up to a surprise this morning. I went to bed with a 150% model printing. It finished ok. The bed however was a different story. It was spider webbed with raised lines, at first, I thought it was filament. I was wrong, It is raised lines in the bed. Most emanating from the scarred section in the middle from a brim where the nozzle was not fastened and dropped down. I, at first, thought was just filament but it is scratches in the bed, with some filament embedded. That is why I cleaned the mat yesterday. From thoughts, I think there are several mistakes which caused the problem. One, I took the mat off the bed hot. Two, I put cold water on the hot mat. Three, I scoured with steal wool, not sure that was really a mistake. Four, I put acetone on the mat, that turned it white and could have dissolved the glue that the two part mat, the top surface and the metal bottom surface. I am glad I ordered a second mat to fit and a glass surface.
I tried a 200% ghost this morning and I could not get it to stick to the bed. Eight days of waiting will be torture. I guess I will do some studying on how to learn how to take a model and make a two color print.