Mugshots of my latest offender

[analog_banana]

I had a go at printing this ezstruder top mount.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:119198
It kind of worked...
I still get problems on the left side of prints..
Could this be a belt / dellta arm thing?

The print actually got better further up - see the ??arrow on pic
I don't know if the curcumstances changed,
or if it just took a while to get a stable column to keep layering on top of..

What I do know is that at a certain point I still get debris building up that
catches on the head and starts a chain reaction of faliure/interference.
I am using lift and retraction (.3mm lift, 5mm retract)

[mhackney]

I'm guessing you are using Slic3r 1.0.0RC2? I have printed 4 of these things successful - all using KISSlicer. I've *attemted* to print 4 more using Slic3r 1.0.0RC2. I see artifacts like the "??" you show on almost very thin cross section "pillar" (like my fly fishing reel for instance). I have not tried an earlier version of Slic3r on this but I have been underwhelmed with Slic3r and the odd artifacts it leaves. In addition to those, I see consistent gaps in concentric top/bottom layers, odd infills, etc.

[analog_banana]

Cor - it's like every step I've taken is wrong.
In the meantime I have to figure out how to get my hotend and bed voltages up form 10 to 12:
http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... ps+voltage

then I'd better look into KISSlicer.
Gotta hand it to Gene Simmons, he really knows how to diversify his brand...

[mhackney]

Go for the free version of KISS. The developer has gone AWOL for a few months and the future is uncertain. Hopefully Slic3r will get it together and we can move past this. I've had nothing but problems with the newest release - crashes every 2-3 runs (on Mac OSX), very odd perimeter blobs (see my build thread post), horrible first layer blobbing, the thin post problem we discussed above, top and bottom fill gaps, internal fill gaps, and the list goes on.

[Eaglezsoar]

Michael has posted his KissSlicer settings at http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1452

[mhackney]

Michael has posted his KissSlicer settings at http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1452

Oh yeah, that too! thanks Eagle!

[int2str]

I've printed this exact mount with Slic3r without problems.
And judging by the pictures there is something much more seriously wrong.

Different slicers can't do magic and there's no need to be superstitious about it.

[mhackney]

int2str, respectfully, I disagree. I've had nothing but problems with this version of Slic3r and, although no expert, I do know what I'm doing. Under as nearly the same slicing conditions as I can muster, this version of Slic3r always yields inferior results and KISS always comes through. I do, even though it is frustrating, continue to attempt to use Slic3r. The 4 of these EZstruder mounts I printed in Slic3r RC2 were not as bad as banana's but they showed very similar under filling of the pillars - and I see that on my designs (fishing reel) too.

[analog_banana]

Well It can't hurt to try both, and I will.
in the meantime I've discovered something may be wrong with the PSU...

[mhackney]

int2str, just curious, which hot end are you using? I'm using a stock hot end now but switching to an E3D in the next day or 2. That may have a big effect.

cheers,
Michael

[int2str]

int2str, just curious, which hot end are you using? I'm using a stock hot end now but switching to an E3D in the next day or 2. That may have a big effect.

Now I will respectfully disagree
I've gotten great prints with both the stock hot-end and the E3D that I have now.

I've tried Slic3r, Kisslicer, Cura and Simplify3D. Given similar settings, the print quality seems to match. There are differences in retraction, speeds, tool path etc. of course. But the basic print quality remains the same. One slicer is not magically better than another when it comes to rough print quality. All prints that analog_banana has shown in various threads on here seem to have fairly significant problems that are beyond differences in slicers.

That is why I would not want to distract him right now and have him stick with SeeMeCNCs default recommended slicer (Slic3r) and help him hone in on his mechanical/setup/filament issues that I would suspect much more, rather than the software used.

Just my opinion...

[Eaglezsoar]

Michael and int2str, you are both right but I feel Analog has several hardware / alignment problems and interjecting new slicers is just going to
confuse him even more. I also have had problems with the new Slic3r but nothing anywhere close to what I see in the pictures Analog is sending
to us. Can we get the mechanicals solved such as why is one side always worse than the other sides. etc. It is much easier for us to troubleshoot
if he stays with one slicer and keeps sending us pictures. With his power dropping to 10 volts I think one of the first things he should do is to get a power supply
where the rails don't sag that far. After replacement and the voltages are stable we need some more pictures. Then power players like yourselves can
better determine what is causing the problems that do not change such as the one sided crud that is always on the same side. Referee time out...
Edit: Analog Banana, it is easier for us if you don't create so many threads; it is too difficult to look back and see the past history.

[int2str]

I feel Analog has several hardware / alignment problems and interjecting new slicers is just going to
confuse him even more.

That's exactly my point :p

[Eaglezsoar]

I feel Analog has several hardware / alignment problems and interjecting new slicers is just going to
confuse him even more.

That's exactly my point :p

Understood that is why I said you are both right and both make good points. But can we get back to why
we are here, to help Analog, and for everyone to learn from the experience. There is only one thing important here
and that is to get Analog's printer printing again, if we lose sight of that then we are all just wasting our time.

[analog_banana]

My approach so far has been to try and use as many stock and standardised components / software and settings.
So, for now, I will stick to slic3r.
Hopefully this means I have more in common and more points of reference to other users, thus providing a wider knowledge base
and more accurate testing.

UK rostock maxes have the following non standard variations:
Uncoated Melamine
Different Electronics (Ramps 1.4)
Maybe a different PSU?

Now that I know I have a PSU problem I will stop posting on this thread and continue my struggle here:
http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=4129

[mhackney]

No worries int2str, in this case I agree that the severity of the artifacts are more than slicer problems. Very odd artifacts though given their regularity and then correction. It always make sense to start with the simplest problem and work from there - in this case the power supply seems faulty. But if that were leading to skipped stepper steps, the irregularities would be skewed. I'll be very interested to see what is causing this.

I'd be interested in your evaluation of Simplify3D. I've been sitting on the fence about it but the ability to change slicing parameters for different regions of the STL is very compelling.

cheers,
Michael

[analog_banana]

I'm supposed to be closing this thread, but I think simplify 3d or some custom code would be great for this:

I would love a test print that cycled through a large 2d matrix of test settings, IN ONE PRINT!
printing a grid of test objects e.g.:


<---Temp200<---Temp210<---Temp 220<---SPEED+20--->Temp 230--->Temp 240--->
<......................................................................A.............................................>
<......................................................................|.............................................>
<---Temp200<---Temp210<---Temp 220<---SPEED+10--->Temp 230--->Temp 240--->
<......................................................................A.............................................>
<......................................................................|.............................................>
<---Temp200<---Temp210<---Temp 220<---DEFAULT_--->Temp 230--->Temp 240--->
<......................................................................|.............................................>
<......................................................................V.............................................>
<---Temp200<---Temp210<---Temp 220<---SPEED-10--->Temp 230--->Temp 240--->
<......................................................................|.............................................>
<......................................................................V.............................................>
<---Temp200<---Temp210<---Temp 220<---SPEED-20--->Temp 230--->Temp 240--->

Or maybe a kind of clock wheel with a bigger array of varied settings
Print this once - pick the best looking print in the array,
dial the settings of the "hero" print in to your code generator
and keep breeding prints like this till you have optimised your machine.

This is analogous to the kind of "test strip" that traditional Photographers would make when producing prints,
just in a multidimensional matrix.

I can code, so once I have my machine running this is the kind of project I look forward to working on