Very new to 3D Printing, Picked up Turnigy Fabrikator and its acting up.

[Richey]

Hey folks,

I picked up a brand new Turnigy Fabrikator Printer (not the mini) at an auction I go to often. Got it for an awesome price and figured it give it a go. I brought it home and assembled it without problem. Super fun little machine. One thing I realized very quickly is that there is hardly any info out there on them. HobbyKing supplied them a little while back and made a video series about them, but thats about it. Turnigy doesn't even appear to sell parts anymore. After a few successful small prints, I ran into some technical difficulties right after the printer warmed up in preparation for a print. As soon as it heated up the digital display went blank, as if the contrast had been maxed out, but I didn't touch anything.

I would love to see if I can get the thing fixed, and if not, I guess ill be trying to sell it for parts. Its been a lot of fun up to this point so it'd be a shame to throw in the towel. Also, I have very basic knowledge about the topic, so if anyone has any advice, explain it to me like i'm 5.

Thanks a million.

First pic is when it was first built and working fine, last one is the error im getting on the display
IMG_2989.jpgIMG_3155.JPGIMG_3154.JPG
I dont know why the last two are flipped.

[noiseboy72]

The good news is that virtually all these machines use a similar driver board - and usually the display as well. Therefore, it will undoubtedly be fixable!

First things first. Check all the wiring first. Make sure the power supply connections are nice and tight and also check you are getting the correct voltage - normally 24V.

See if there is a reset button. If so, try a good 3 second press - or press it while powering on. Depending upon the board, this will do a factory reset - or at least a software reset.

Try a different print file, as this could have an error. What software are you using to slice your models with?

[Richey]

The good news is that virtually all these machines use a similar driver board - and usually the display as well. Therefore, it will undoubtedly be fixable!

First things first. Check all the wiring first. Make sure the power supply connections are nice and tight and also check you are getting the correct voltage - normally 24V.

See if there is a reset button. If so, try a good 3 second press - or press it while powering on. Depending upon the board, this will do a factory reset - or at least a software reset.

Try a different print file, as this could have an error. What software are you using to slice your models with?

Thanks. Ill try those reset procedures when I get home. I checked the wiring and everything seems to be in order. I previously tried holding down the reset button while the machine was on, but not while turning the machine on. I dont have the machine hooked up to my computer, ive been uploading models via SD card, so with the display not working I cant try to print another model. Ive been using Cura for slicing.

[noiseboy72]

Worth printing from USB and seeing if it works. I doubt it will TBH.

You should however be able to connect to the machine and view the control panel. This will tell you if it's a display fault - or the main board. If you cannot connect, suspect the main board, but check you have the correct drivers etc. for the printer first.

[Richey]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was able to hook it up to my computer, and the display turned on just fine 100% readable. Strangely enough, when i turn the printer on as well, the screens contrast becomes overexposed and difficult to read, but if I look at the screen from a high angle I can barely read it enough to get the printer to heat up and operate as normal. I tried printing, but it wasn't recognizing my SD card, so im going to have to see if I can find a new SD card. I dont know how to print from my computer, it seems that this printer isnt sold anywhere anymore and I cant find any drivers, or maybe I just dont know what program to download to print from because I didnt see a print option form Cura. The display when hooked into my computer is showing an error: MINTEMP. Not sure what that means. Ill post a picture.
IMG_3204.JPG

[noiseboy72]

I notice That Hobby King have spare parts available at the moment, including a spare main board and PSU. I would be tempted to stock up on a few parts and see if a new main board cures the problem.

[Richey]

I notice That Hobby King have spare parts available at the moment, including a spare main board and PSU. I would be tempted to stock up on a few parts and see if a new main board cures the problem.

All the parts ive seen are for the Fabrikator Mini, this is the full size one.

I actually managed to get it to start printing...kind of. it will start the process, but the filament feed motor is not working now. Its so odd that it would just stop, I even went into the axis adjustment and the feed motor wouldnt respond to adjustment. There are 4 colored wires coming out of the motor, they are Blue, Red. Yellow, and green. Any idea as to which wires I could put to a power source to check if its the motor thats not working?

[noiseboy72]

My bad on the Mini bits, sorry about that!

Stepper motors need phased power to all 4 wires. I doubt very much if the motor has gone bad, as they are very reliable.

I've found this thread :https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...inter-thoughts regarding the printer. Having had a scan through, it's as I thought, your printer uses a pretty standard board, but you would need the firmware. I guess the people who posted on this thread might well be able to help with that.

They mention issues connecting the USB and internal power at the same time and also that the regulator on the board goes bad - which would explain at least some of your problems. Sounds like it's a good solid machine though, so worth tinkering with, even if you end up replacing the main board.

[Richey]

My bad on the Mini bits, sorry about that!

Stepper motors need phased power to all 4 wires. I doubt very much if the motor has gone bad, as they are very reliable.

I've found this thread :https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...inter-thoughts regarding the printer. Having had a scan through, it's as I thought, your printer uses a pretty standard board, but you would need the firmware. I guess the people who posted on this thread might well be able to help with that.

They mention issues connecting the USB and internal power at the same time and also that the regulator on the board goes bad - which would explain at least some of your problems. Sounds like it's a good solid machine though, so worth tinkering with, even if you end up replacing the main board.

Thanks a million! That thread had the answers to all my questions! Thank you!