Newb conceding defeat and in need of help ender 3

Hi everyoneI could use some guidance. So i am 48 and decent technical knowledge this is my first 3d printer the ender 3. I thought we were good and i would probably print from the memory card 99% of the time. So mine shows up and the screen is broken :(So i try to connect to it using my laptop and my backup laptop with no success. Tho i did get it wake up once or twice i think cuz it got noisy after the connection attempt. So basically Windows says its connected (my device manager pic attached i thiink its connected?) but Cura and Pronterface and a couple others ive tried always give the same message - The printer is not connected- So im begging for some advice on well one that the machine will work and is connectable without the display working? And second whats the best way to connect any advice i can get on getting these two to talk to each other? Thanks in advance :) and ill be lurking and reading.RobertR728

I don't like the control solution on your printer. And since you said you were good with the technical stuff and possessed a level of maturity about you, I wanted to suggest a nice DIY upgrade for your ender 3. I am a big fan of MakerBase (MKS) electronics. I recommend you invest in something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MagiDeal-TF...:pf:0&LH_BIN=1
That is not my ad but the cheapest I could find the touchscreen and gen L board together. Everything is better with a color touchscreen. I have this setup on all my printers..

https://i1050.photobucket.com/albums...%20station.jpg

short video of using the touchscreen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veQp-ANKWKE

pinout and wiring diagram for the MKS GEN L board are right here: http://www.robotrebels.org/index.php?topic=769.0

Awesome thank you for the advice on the screen. And thank you for the pinout. turns out the main board and the replacement were bad. Second replacement works and i can print from the screen.
I will post back after i try to communicate with the printer with and without the screen to see if it should have worked for me.

Thank you again
RobertR728

it's not connected.
3d printer software loads some weird com ports - but if the printer was actually connected you would have an actual com port number next to the entry.
And I can't see one.
Sometimes you need to load several 'driver' packages from different websites, before it will work.
should be and ender 3 wiki around somewhere which would have all the relevant info.

try this: https://creality3d.wiki/ender-3/start

TY for the link i will definitely read thru it. its my first printer and my screen was broke and it wouldn't connect. the drivers did give a virtual com port to USB interface.
i didn't know if connection was/is possible with a broken screen.

Turns out that the replacement MB was also defective and the replacement for the replacement fixed the scree. tho i haven't tested yet to see if i can communicate to it now that has a functioning screen..
I knew it was possibly a broken printer cuz someone returned it but the seller sent me all the parts to fix it for free. and the price (139$ shipped)i couldn't pass on it.
Probably not the smartest idea for a Newb to buy a broken one to start off with but its time for me to enter this oh lets call it a hobby for me anyways.
Nobody has ever accused me of being smart ? and in the end ill learn and i like to tinker.

Well as one who has purchased 2 broken 3D Printers from E-Bay for a greatly reduced price, where the original purchasers could not get them working.
I commend you. As one who has always been able to assimilate information quickly, knowing how to find information required to complete a project.

Welcome to this New Innovation of 3D Printers. Read all the post there is lots more information on the forums to make that very 1st perfect 3D Print.
Started reading the forums for over two year now. Helping others with the knowledge I have learned to get their 3D Printers into best working condition.
While learning at a highly accelerated rate myself. An Have learned more real life 3D Printer knowledge in this time than most could ever teach.

So Stick around, learn an share your knowledge with the rest of us as we help to expand the very innovative new technology of 3D Printing.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I am very happy with everyone i have spoke to thru the forums has been incredibly helpful and nice to me. I have found my home source for 3D printing info. It will be the first place i start searching.

Having bought the Ender3 on a spur of the moment because of the price. i realized it is more difficult than I thought so it already interests me. How nice it would be to have a small one to tinker at work.

So back oline shopping and enter the MPMniiDelta open box for a great price too. So ive had my Ender3 for a week now and already bought a second printer. I really need this to be successful fir my wife not to kill me for yet another hobby :)
But if i can get her printing i might make it out alive

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RobertR728

...ill learn and i like to tinker.

---

So then fix your broken screen. I am glad you got it half woking but the colors are still broken and so is the touch feature. I mean it is almost 2019. We should not use knobs, dials, and buttons next to a screen. Doing this is so easy today because others have already done all the work for you. Someone else already applied this conversion to your ender 3 and they designed a really cool mount for the screen and then posted it up on thingiverse for all the world to download and print out for free. That mount is right here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3025608

And then after that you might want to change out those wheels that roll up and down the aluminum extrusion with some higher quality PC(polycarbonate) wheels. I got all mine from 3dvice.co right here: https://3dvice.co/

I'm on my way to the touch screen :)
The noise doesn't bother me right now because it's so new, that will change I'm sure.

I was browsing Thingiverse earlier today on my phone. I'll bet i had 50 tabs open lol


^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dese guys up there know their stuff I am so glad to have found the help i have on this forum. After going over ever nut and bolt and my Z axis was way too tight. With no mods except proper adjusting of all 3 axis and the bed. I have never been so impressed by a little hollow cube in my life. Oh and what a lucky guess on filament length. This was the end of the cube lol
Its a little rough but on a moving dining room table and for some first prints i am getting a little better
Thank you for all your help
Robert <3

I think i might have just shed a tear :(

I detailed swapping to the PC wheels on my TEVO Black Widow right here: https://3dprintboard.com/showthread....-X-300mm/page8 it was easy, looks cool, and is much more durable. Also if you want to start chasing noise then you will want the TMC2208 stepper drivers and Noctua fans. This will make your machine silent enough for you to not know it is running while holding a conversation in your living room.

I will definatly look into the wheels however the seller sent me a parts printer to figure out my electrical problem because he had already sent a replacement MB and nether of us thought about it being bad too.
Once my touch screen arrives i will be getting the second one printing. This hobby is going to get me divorced, :)