Yet Another CTC Newbie - 2 1/2 questions.

Hello All,

I have had my CTC printer now for about a month and have absolutely loved. It has come with a lot of challenges, but thanks to the many other users on this forum it has been very enjoyable.

I am at a point now that I have a few questions that I hope you can all answer:

1- There is an LED on the underside of the build plate that will occasionally flash RED. What does this mean?
1a - Is there a "bible" on the CTC printer outlines what the various LED on the printer signify? I would like to assume green means good, but with this printer I realize one cannot assume ANYTHING.

2- I have found that my aluminum build is not actually level. It has a dip in the middle. Slight, but it is affecting my prints. Is there an easy way to correct this? I am guessing no, so I have the following options :
- Glass : I know, I know..its great, but quite frankly I don't want to deal with the glue, etc. so pretty low on my list.
- PEI: I have a sheet at .76mm (.003 inches) that I can use, but am not sure it would be useful to place on top of my existing NON-FLAT aluminum plate. True?
- Get a new aluminum plate that is flat like this one: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/6-mm-...544402743.html and use the PEI on top of that?
I really want something that will last a long time with little EXTRA work as possible (no tape, glue, abs juice, etc).

3- I am thinking of going to .3mm nozzles. Does anyone have a good source for them that will work with CTC? A source for .4mm nozzles will be helpful also.

Looking forward to the responses.

Hi there, glad you are enjoying your printer! I got mine a few weeks ago, but have been printing for some time on other printers.

The LED on the build plate indicates when it is heating. You no doubt have also seen the LEDs on the limit switches as well.

Can't comment too much on the build plate. Mine is flat to within 0.05mm, so good enough. Glass would be your best option, but clip it, not glue it, as otherwise it will just follow the dip in the plate underneath. Mini bulldog clips - a couple on each end will be enough to hold it into place and don't take up too much build space.

Most of the nozzles you see advertised will fit, as it is a standard thread and it's not too fussy about thread length. You may need to tweak the height by taking off the fan on the front of the extruder and nudging the tube up and down. Stainless steel nozzles last longer and allow you to use a wider range of filaments. Worth the extra money.

Hi there,

I had/have the same issue with the build plate not being flat. I use a 2mm glass plate with small metal clips to hold it in place. I only use hairspray on the glass (Strong hold) and it works great as long as you are sure to pre-heat the plate properly.

Attachment 9395

Another thing to watch out for; the Thermistor on the heat plate is wrong. The use a 66K thermistor instead of the 100K the controller expects. Replaced mine with a 100K SMD and works like a charm now.