D3D Operation

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Operation

Operation Checklist

  • For 120 or 240 operation, there is a switch on the power supply for running either from 120 or 240 house power.
  • When the machine is plugged in, make sure that you can hear the extruder fan.

Safety

  • If printing ABS or other plastics that emit fumes, use the 3D printer in a well ventilated area or with a fume hood so you are not breathing the fumes.

Troubleshooting

When there is an issue with the printer, one of 4 sources:

  • Wiring issue
  • Connector issue
  • Component issue
  • Software issue
  • Operator issue

First, is the machine plugged in and is there power in the outlet that the machine is plugged into?

Determining Whether It's a Bad Component or Just Bad Wiring

The most important thing to determine first, assuming that the issue is not an operator issue - is whether the issue is due to a bad connection or a bad component. Since the inner workings of components - and charged electrons inside wires - are both invisible n- the solution to an issue may not be visible immediately.

It is thus important to isolate whether the issue is a component or wiring. To check wiring:

  • Reinsert a connecter to make sure it's plugged in
  • Check the polarity of a connector - or whether the orientation of the connector is correct
  • Observe for any damaged, exposed, or broken wires
  • You can replace a wire with another wire from another part of the machine that you know is working and try again. When disconnecting wires, turn the power off
  • If the fault is a component - try replacing that component with another one or a spare

Motion of Axes is Not Correct

  • This can be fixed by unplugging stepper motors from the RAMPS controller and reversing them.
  • In cases where stepper motors do not move at all or they jump around, the two middle pins may nee to be switched on the connector. In general, the outside wires should match on the RAMPS connector and on the stepper motor, but some stepper motors may require that the inner 2 wires need to be reversed.
  • Direction of motion - The current wiring convention for typical wiring sets is at D3D_Controller#Wiring - on page 3 of the document. Note the X Bottom-Y Top- Z Right for the orientation of the belt catcher, which determines which way the axes will move. Pay attention to the orientation of the machine shown on Page 1 of the document. Note that the extruder faces away from you, the x endstop is on the left, and the Y endstop is at the back on the left side. This was, D3D Marlin will work right out of the box, no messing with the firmware required. Note also the further details of motor, extruder, and endstop orientation found on page 1 of the working doc at D3D_Marlin#Working_Doc.

Software Issues

The official code for controlling D3D is at D3D Marlin - this works for machine orientation described in the last section. The main points to note are that:

  • Configuration_adv was modified for the second extruder to run the second y axis.
  • Configuration.h - bed area must be set, bed probing must be set for 3 point, and Z offset from extruder is zero, so that an effective calibration procedure can be used. THe x and y offset of the probe must be __ and __ for a typical machine.

Repair

Change Log

D3D Operation Change Log. This log notes changes to D3D Operation wiki page - that apply to successive iterations of the machine. Only current D3D Operation versions will be found here, such that up-to-date content is easy to find. Since this page will be updated continuously, we still want ready access to older content - without having to comb through the Page History. Thus, main changes will be noted in the Change Log - such that people can still access older documentation easily. This is done to avoid creating new pages covering D3D Operation as the machine evolves.