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  1. #1
    Technologist
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    120

    Printer jumping / jamming - but only on the first layer!

    Hello all.
    My CTC 3D has developed an odd fault. No matter what I print, after a few seconds, the printer appears to momentarily jam in the X axis. Sometimes it continues printing - with an offset print and a corrupted display. Other times, the print continues but with the X-axis not moving (no drive to the stepper motor) or the printer resets and dumps the print job.

    It is worst when the printer is in the relative cold of the log cabin in the garden (10C or so), but even in the warmth of the house, it still happens.

    Anyone else ever come across this?

    I am thinking about installing Sailfish firmware, but if this is a hardware fault - maybe power supply or a dodgy stepper motor, I'll investigate this first. As the fault only happens on the first layer, I doubt this is the case. I can do large and complex prints without issue - other than this annoying fault!

    I used S3D to print and have not changed the settings particularly, so I don't think the slicing or print code is to blame.

    Many thanks in advance

  2. #2
    Technologist
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    120

    Jamming and jumping Fixed!

    So, as is so often the case, it was something quite simple.

    I found some posts relating to the original Flashforge printer and the failure of the loom to the X axis stepper motor. Turns out that my problem was 1 of the cores was failing and was going intermittently open circuit. This caused a high voltage spike on the power line, which messed up the main board and display. It was worse in cold weather, as the insulation flexed less and this concentrated the bending into a smaller area.

    To fix it, I have spliced in a length of deployable Cat5 cable. This is an ultra flexible, multi-stranded cable in a soft jacket, so is perfect for this application. I've also re-routed the cable so that it flexes along the entire length, not just the same 2-3 inches.

    If anyone is having similar problems, I would suggest you replace or check and repair this cable first.

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