Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[DarkAlchemist]

I've tried 1/4" boro, and 3/16" boro, I have 2 of each... I use 3/16" almost always. The weight doesn't matter.

Would you please explain why? I read the 1/4in retains more heat for longer and on my I3 I used 3mm so 1/8in and it actually would flex with a MK2B so clips were out (don't use them anymore anyway).

[jfkansas]

Cable chain really isn't needed. Just releasing the cables and letting them hang free works good too.

16 - 1.jpg

I did the cable chain install. Getting those black cable clips off were such a pain. They were using 5.5mm nuts, I only had 5mm and 6mm sockets. The base part, the screw was too short to screw on, I tried drilling a countersink but without a socket it was a nightmare to screw it on . So I ended up using double-sided tape to hold it in place lol. But surprising it is holding up well. I am not sure when printing in ABS with high heat, will cause it to come off. I did a 30 min ABS print and it is holding well though. The one thing I messed up was the cable for the LED light is supposed to be routed thru the base part, I only realized this after I stick it on lol. Oh well, maybe if It comes off I will re-route it.

Even though the install was such a pain, for me at least, I really like the outlook of how it turned out.

Attachment 9298

[jfkansas]

Would you please explain why? I read the 1/4in retains more heat for longer and on my I3 I used 3mm so 1/8in and it actually would flex with a MK2B so clips were out (don't use them anymore anyway).

It fits within the range of the build plate height adjustment better. The heat capacity isn't that much different, and it cools faster when the print is done. This makes the part pop off faster. It probably heats faster also, but I have never timed the difference.

[DarkAlchemist]

It fits within the range of the build plate height adjustment better. The heat capacity isn't that much different, and it cools faster when the print is done. This makes the part pop off faster. It probably heats faster also, but I have never timed the difference.

Yes, and I bet you it takes more heat to heat the top up because glass is an insulator.

On my printer I am just going to print me an endstop holder for my hall effect endstop I made. I never once had this sort of repeatability using a mechanical endstop. When I used to use ABL I could see the repeatability of the mechanical endstops and it was good to the second decimal place so for X and Y no big deal but for Z it mattered for me. One thing I do plan on changing sometime in the future is the leadscrew because 8pitch has errors for all of the layer heights I use and while most people it doesn't matter for my stuff, and considering a 2 pitch leadscrew is under 8 bucks, it does. I will do some printing with it, a lot of printing, to see how much error I will see in the real world on my parts I make.

[jfkansas]

In this class of printer there really is no such thing as Auto Leveling, the electronics don't have the connections to do it right. A mechanical switch trams the Z height accurately enough.

[KludgeGuru]

Cable chain really isn't needed. Just releasing the cables and letting them hang free works good too.

16 - 1.jpg

But it definitely does not look as cool.

[jfkansas]

It looks better when it is covered with tech flex, this is the only photo I have of the arrangement. It is also lighter weight and probably doesn't make as much noise as a cable chain. I like keeping things simple and effective.

[KludgeGuru]

It looks better when it is covered with tech flex, this is the only photo I have of the arrangement. It is also lighter weight and probably doesn't make as much noise as a cable chain. I like keeping things simple and effective.

The cable chain doesn't make any noise that I can hear. I think the cable chain looks better than techflex mainly because it was printed with the printer.

[kaznad]

The cable chain doesn't make any noise that I can hear. I think the cable chain looks better than techflex mainly because it was printed with the printer.

Agree with you. hehe.

Btw guys, I bought a feeler gauge for doing accurate bed levelling. But I do not know what is the correct size to use. Any one has any ideas?

Thanks.

[jfkansas]

Agree with you. hehe.

Btw guys, I bought a feeler gauge for doing accurate bed levelling. But I do not know what is the correct size to use. Any one has any ideas?

Thanks.

The size of a piece of paper. lol About .004 is good. It is actually better to use paper since you can feel the paper grain and how much resistance there is when sliiding under nozzle.