PM Sent

PM me if you still need help.

Oops, forgot to go to next page or I would have seen above reply.

Already got some printed and going out Sat. (time permitting)!

Printed in PLA plus, came out very nice.

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Got tired up jamming up my hands trying to punch down these Stern IDC (077-5216-01 / 077-5216-00) connectors, so I designed a little jig. I'm not super good with 3D modeling, so it took a few iterations to get there.
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I am prepping my games for NWPAS and made keychains to help the techs find mine easier.

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Great job! This is what I love about 3D printing, creating those one off items that make life a little easier. I also enjoy seeing all the interations side by side to get an idea of the work and thought that goes into a project like this.

I have a Comet that I am working on. The head has a wheel-of-fortune type thing which spins. It has lights all the way around it.

I have heard some discussion about using colored lights, but it seems like its not very bright so I was thinking of a small reflector. It would press into the hole and surround the bulb, painted silver it would reflect more light onto the wheel.

I whipped up a quick idea of it but before diving into printing I was wondering if anyone had tried it and found it useful or basically unnoticable.

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I see that Creality is having a sale of $500 off for their laser engrave. $1200 and its yours, seems like it could be fun but I just have no idea what I would use it for.
https://store.creality.com/products/falcon2-40w-laser-engraver-cutter

Does any one have or know a link to a trough inlay for a data east pin? In my case Tommy.

I've been doing similar

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These actually look awful in close up without any cleanup!

They don't look like that in reality

I've noticed that photos really highlight the imperfections in the top layer, but they never look that exaggerated in person.

What printer? I'm curious if it supports ironing

It's a Flashforge Adventurer 3. It does support ironing, and I have used that on some larger prints. As these were only printed with a 0.4mm nozzle in Fast mode they took less than 12 minutes each on average (most of the time taken up with changing the filament). Seeing as I'll be giving them out to people who donate machines to a couple of comps I'm running I didn't go for perfect quality. (Although I am mightily impressed with the luminous Godzilla Key)

My friend who has a Creality printer is always amazed at the quality of the prints and is considering switching.
The major downsides of the Adventurer are the small print size 150x150x150mm and relatively slow print speed, but ease of use, quality of print and ease in changing nozzles, filament and print bed more than make up for them - especially when coupled with the price.

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Please don't buy one of these. Any open frame laser from any brand material for safety of you and those around you.

Please come join us in the laser cutting thread if you're interested in laser cutting and we'll help you out!

I was curious - it seems pretty pricey! I have a Glowforge I paid $1400 for which has its own downsides, but at least is enclosed

Yeah these "cheap" diode lasers are really scary without an enclosure.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled 3d printing content....

Have an empty system 11 cab that is slowly become a game. You’d think something as simple as the backing retainer for the credit button would be available.

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That looks a little rough, what's going on?

Made it using Sketchup and I don't think it likes circles. At least, not ones that are 11mm big. It also goes inside the cab where no one will ever see it, so I'm more worried about function vs form.

Thanks, was just curious. Didn't mean to sound negative, hope it didn't come across that way.

No worries. I need to look at my z hop perhaps.

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Anyone have issues with certain colors, or PLAs gumming up mid print after hours of being ok?
I have 2 ender 3s and I'm having issues with black, and Grey starting out fine, great print, then wake up to find them real rough feeling, and no pla coming out of the nozzle.
Haven't had this issue with most colors, just the Grey and black, and all from the same supplier.

That's very odd.

My first gut says partially blocked nozzle. I'd try swapping the nozzle or running cleaning filament through it.

Are the black and grey the same brands of PLA or different?

I've never narrowed it down to one color but I've definitely had rolls that just don't print nicely. I spend all this time trying to fix my printer and then try changing to another roll and it works. Similar issues with the finish coming out really bad or clogging up the nozzle. I always assumed it was because the filament had taken on water but I've never been able to figure out what the actual problem was.

Why not try upping the temp by about 5 degrees? Maybe there’s just something about those rolls being on the higher side of melting temp tolerance, and they need that extra little heat to finish the print without jamming.

Tried that with no change, same issue. I'm guessing maybe just bad PLA.
And yes, they are all the same brand.
I know this, on a long print, that is Hella frustrating.

Yeah, I’ve been there. Sucks to have prints fail late in the process. Good luck sorting it out.

You might have an extruder heater or temp sensor going south intermittently. Telltale sign (on my Ender 2 anyways) is a click-click coming from the filament drive as it struggles to push filament out of an extruder that's hot, but not hot enough. I've had this happen twice over the years. I just buy an entire new extruder since they only cost ~$20, then everything is new.

I have a temperature meter and when I checked, instead of 215, I was about 40 or 50 degrees lower (if I remember correctly).

That is a Cyclone. The bulbs that go around the wheel are not meant to illuminate the wheel....they are just for looks. They are seen directly through the translite.....meaning the translite actually has transparent holes in it so you can see the bulbs directly. I really cannot imagine anyone not thinking the bulbs are bright enough....as you are looking directly at them.

If you are having trouble seeing the wheel during gameplay, I would expect your game has some other issue.

PS: Getting, color matching, LEDs to match the color of those lit sections on the translite around the wheel does look nice.

That "click click" at wheels is exactly what I'm dealing with. That starts happening right before it begins failing. So my sensor, and head unit are losing temp... that makes good sense. Ty for that info!

Does anyone have a file for the speaker panel brackets for Data East machines?

MrBigg you need to post an image so we can see the end result to diagnose anything. I have several colors of hatchbox that have no issues. I once had the idea colors had an issue in prior printing at some point but sometimes it's a matter of dialing in properly. Usually best to print lower temp if possible with no jamming.

This looks new and cool.

Good deal that was (likely) it. I never bothered to determine if it's the heater or the temp sensor (likely is) conking out, if I'm digging into the controller to make wire connections, might as well just replace the whole assembly for $20 and call it a day.

Replacing the entire head is pretty easy mechanically, but running the wires back into the controller is a bit of PIA. I'm going to install WAGO level nuts or the like the next time I replace, but I need to make sure they can handle the current first (WAGO is 20A, UL listed). Snip the existing wires and add the connectors. Then when I go to replace the extruder again it will be a ton easier.

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That looks incredibly cool. Unfortunately it looks like there will be some big barriers to getting this tech to the hobby/consumer level (need a press and a sandblasting booth) but those can always be overcome.

I know this model is up on thingiverse, but I haven't tried it - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5363040

Which replacement kit did you buy, and where did you get it? There are a ton of options, and most look as cheap as the original.

I'll take a look but it wasn't anything fancy. Got it on Amazon. I sort of consider these as an expendable item, replace every couple of years.

I remember once I tried to replace just the hot end itself, couldn't get the filament tube out to save my life. I said to myself "I ain't doing this again. ", and have gotten the entire gizmo ever since.

Edit: I bought this. I made and error on my original post. I mentioned I had a End 2, I actually have a Ender 3

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Well I will give it a try. Thanks.

What do you guys do with your old Printers if you are upgrading or replacing, throw away, give away, sell or keep it? My Creality CR-10s is showing its age, time for something new.

Depends on your situation of course. If you can get decent money for it and need the cash selling it is always helpful to fund the new printer, but I got my first printer as a hand me down from my brother and ended up passing it along to someone else eventually. I think a lot of people are interested in 3d printing but feel intimidated or think it's too complex to start so gifting them a printer is a great way to get them going.

You could always check if the local library or a school wants it too.

I hated my Ender 3 so much I relished in throwing it directly in the trash. Probably won't do that again, but it was a total piece of junk. When I upgrade away from my Prusa MK3, I'll probably give it to one of the kids at the high school

My Prusa MK3S+ went to my son when I got my Bambu X1C. I thought about keeping it for running parts but I keep trying not to do 3D printing in volume as I really don't need another hobby.

I put my three ender 5's on craigslist, then told my intern co-worker that I would take $500 for all three. $165 per printer that's been upgraded with parts is a goldmine to an engineering student. My 2nd Bambu comes Thursday.

I had intended to use my Anycubic Vyper to run random parts when I got my X1C but honestly never wanted to go back to it. I asked several friends and was able to give it to a buddy to use it. I just added a P1P to the mix for TPU parts as it didn't make sense to go back to a machine that would take 5X the time to print. He is happy so all good.

All right, I’m going to do the Bambu as a business expense. What is the model everyone’s happy with? The X1C? I’d consider doing multicolor stuff so I suppose I’ll get the additional filament enclosure too.

P1P is great! The fancier screen and LiDAR aren’t necessary. If you plan to do more exotic materials, then choose X1C. But for standard PLA and TPU etc, P1P is fantastic. I also have the AMS despite rarely doing multicolor; it’s just great for auto switching when a roll runs out and for dry storage and fast selection of other filaments.

I have the X1C and highly recommend it. I started with one AMS unit, have added a second, and have my eye on a third (up to 4 are supported for 16 spools of filament).

I've been happy with the enclosure for the minimal ABS things I print, but if all you will ever do is PLA, PETG, TPU, then it is not necessary. However, I'm assuming the X1C is quieter than the open P1P. I have mine in my home office, and I can certainly tell a large difference when I open the glass door versus leaving it closed while the printer is running.

Another tip is to modify the filament settings where applicable so the fans never rev up more than 50% (where the noise level becomes noticeable). I believe I posted how to do this previously in this thread.

Thanks guys.

I’m about to kick off some research, but are the print speeds about the same for the P1P and the X1C? There are 2 main things I’m looking for: larger print volume, and the speed without sacrificing quality.
I’m doing a lot of 40/50 hour prints on the Prusa and when it has an issue, that whole time is wasted.

I had a serious problem a few weeks back where the filament got all twisted around the power and Thermistor wires, but I didn’t notice at first. Eventually it just won’t print because the thermistor wire eventually became completely severed. The power soon followed, and when I went to replace the thermistor, I couldn’t get it out without damaging the hot end, so had to order a new one. I doubt the Bambu would never be susceptible to such an issue, but it’s made
Me think twice about relying exclusively on the Prusa when there are faster options out there.

Prints are same speeds. Just d/l Bambu Studio, import your STL files, then generate GL code with desired settings to do comparison against Prusa. In my experience Bambu is 2x to 4x faster depending on model.

Not to mention no more manual filament changes for multi-color prints, so they can be done unattended.

Here is one example using one of my more complex mods with the same exact settings (layer height, walls, top/bottom layers, infill, filament, etc.) On the Prusa MK3S+ the print time is 14h39m. On my Bambu Carbon X1 the print time is 4h40m (over 3x faster).

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