I will say that I am very happy with my bed level sensors. But I have spent waaaay more than a couple of hours on them. For one thing, you need a mount, then there’s the firmware edits to enable it (which is easier than it sounds). Then there’s getting the XY offsets about right, and the probe pattern you like. Then there’s the fiddling with the physical sensor to get it at about the right height. Then there’s adjusting the Z offset to get a great print. But after that, the only thing I ever change is the Z offset.
I have an entirely different hot end (E3D v6 knockoff), or I would give you my files and settings. If I were you and you wanted to do a sensor, I would try to get @erik to give you his mount, settings, and buy that sensor he’s got: https://www.v1engineering.com/forum/topic/my-tmc2130-build/
The BL Touch is nice (the authentic one is, at least). But It really only works well for me because I have such a vertical hot end.
Finally getting around to the sensor homework here. Do you think the IR sensor would work OK with the PEI covered bed? I saw a Tom’s3D review that makes me think otherwise. I’m leaning towards the BL Touch purely because its mechanical.
Well, I don’t know, last time I did install one it did only take me a couple hours, including wiring. It was just two weeks ago
All my probes are actually using the nozzle itself to mechanically sense the bed, so basically I have no XY offsets, no fiddling with the sensor (well I just need to turn a screw, which takes litterally 10 seconds to get right).
Tweaking the firmware with the probe points, speeds and stuff takes almost no time when you know where to put the figures and when you know what your printer can and cannot do, but I guess it takes more time when you are not really used to firmware mods
In any case, my point was more to say that the time you’ll spend setting up the autolevel will be nothing/well worth it in the long run, compared with manual probing
I have one printer that’s using the inductive sensor on an aluminum bed with PEI. It is right. On the edge of either missing a detection or running into the print. The range just isn’t quite big enough.
I’ve had two BLTouch sensors. The first was a knock off and it worked but was off by quite a lot each probe. I’m not sure if I bent it or what. I probably broke it while setting it up. Some things I learned with the 3D Touch sensor:
The set screw isnt for you don’t touch it.
The height the manual suggests is where you should install it. Spend the energy getting it close to that first.
Be careful with the wiring. Installing it backward might let the magic smoke out. I didn’t wire it backward, but I know a guy that did
The real bltouch (it says smart on it and its got a plastic pin) has worked perfectly though.
I recommended Eriks build because he’s got an envyable mount and seems to like it. The fact thats it’s not mechanical is a good thing. There’s no way to bend the pin on a warped print.
Usually you put an intermediary surface between the heat bed and print bed. That PCB moves quite a bit when it heats up. My printer has a glass surface above the heater bed.
This is one of the things that I’m assuming is getting me here. Even if I preheat the printer for an hour or two it seems that it always needs a bit of fine tuning before printing. Perhaps this is normal. I’m hoping the BL Touch will I’ve me more instant print reliability.
I have yet to do the required research but I’m wondering if it needs to scan/calibrate before each print or does it just do it once, store the results and then I only need to redo it if things get weird on me again?
I have never used a probe but I hear good things. Best of luck with that.
I just printed a new Z assembly for my MPCNC. I will have two that I can swap out. One with the DW660 and the other with my laser module. It will be easier to swap that way.
Anyway I wanted to share some pictures of how the print went because the Raft I use makes it really easy to get a good clean defect free print. In other words I am going to advertise the merits of using a raft. First off I am using Cura as my slicer and my 3D printer is one of the lulzBot Taz 5 that my office owns. (since I dismantled my own FDM printers to make a MPCNC. ) I could extrude with two materials on this machine but in this case I just used PLA for both the raft and the parts since that is what most people with do with a single extruder machine. However I usually will use a cheap filament for the raft and a separate good filament for the parts.
In this first picture you can see the entire print on the bed and the bed liners I use instead of PEI. They are not big enough to cover the entire print bed so I have several bed liners cut up to fill the entire print bed. I point this out because the seems between these liners can pull up a little after several months so the bed isn’t 100% level. But that doesn’t cause me any trouble.
[attachment file=76337]
Next few pictures show how easy it is to remove the parts from the raft. All I have to do is bend the raft and the parts pop off. To get the raft off the print bed I have a strong paint scraper. The raft pries off really easy after I get the scraper under a corner.
[attachment file=76338]
In the end I have clean parts and clean break away lines on the old raft. The top of the raft is supper smooth so the parts can stick easily while printing but not when they need to break away.
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This last picture is the underside of the raft. It shows the initial raft lines are wide with spaces between them so they don’t knock each other loose.
[attachment file=76340]
My last bit of a sales pitch on the raft idea is to address wasted plastic. I was trowing away a LOT more plastic from failed prints before I started using a raft. I like the raft because it makes it easy to get good adhesion for the parts. It is easy to remove from the bed and to remove the parts from the raft. I have a lot fewer failed prints. My bed is not 100% level but it doesn’t matter.
I am willing to bet that I couldn’t even lay down a raft on my print bed. There is something in the middle section that just isn’t right and it makes a big difference on the first layer. I an get a great extrusion laying down and then it just tapers to a stop and picks up when it’s back to the “good” area. It’s noticeable by touch wen wiping the bed down but not by eye or by straightedge.
I actually have been toying with the idea of ordering a new bed and PEI sheet (or just trying the painters tape without PEI). I do need to do some rewiring on the board anyway…
But I’ll wait. One variable at a time. It will never hurt to the have the probe.
That’s impressive by the way - the ganged print. Once I have more reliable operation I’ll definitley have no reason to not do big prints like that…like maybe a whole batch of MPCNC bits for the standalone laser. Still haven’t quite made up my mind on that one yet…standalone or Z axis swapping. If our postal system wasn’t on rotating strikes right now I may have already placed my order for another board, steppers and a spare heated bed.
I ditched PEI a long time age after having all the same issues as you. I went with borosilicate glass and purple school glue. No issues ever since. It’s the aluminum bed that warps in the center.
Leveling takes a few minutes if I ever need to but I found the best way. Will have to post that later. But I haven’t touched the leveling in a really long time.
I looked at the whole probing thing and thought it more trouble than it’s worth. I could be wrong though.
