3d printer will not load Model cartridge

[ray.van]

Does anyone on here have experience using a 3d printer? I am currently trying to get a 3D printer set up and we have had some problems. We had it connected and creating a part about 2 weeks ago and it said that the printer got disconnected. It only made 1 or 2 layers of the light plastic that you can pull apart and that was it. We attempted to run it again but it never worked. The problem now is that whenever we load in the cartridges, the printer says "replace model cartridge" or "model cartridge invalid" I have tried to put in a bunch of the cartridges that came with the printer (even though they are old I thought they would read) and those didn't read either. The model cartridge I am using is ABS-P400, that is what fisher tech sent us and said it will work, even though all the old ones that came with the printer are just P400. I sent a guy from fishertech a configuration file and he said it was the reader and sent us a quote but obviously they just want our money. It is a Dimension SST 768. Thanks!

[ray.van]

Scratch that first sentence....copy and pasted from a forum that I posted in earlier.

[Mjolinor]

Where are you based?

There are quite a few things you could try so this could get long.

Start by looking into the hole where the cartridge fits and see if you have both push pins that connect to the chip in the cartridge. The printer will not allow the wrong cartridge to be fitted in the wrong slot and it knows that by reading the eprom on the cartridge when you insert it so either you have the wrong eprom or the eprom is not being read correctly.

I think (not really sure) that if you go into maintenance mode and select the head then it will allow you to click any cartridge in there without reading it. You can use that to make sure it clips in and extrudes.

Report back your findings.

[ray.van]

Danville Indiana, I looked into the slot and see two of those pins that you are talking about. I then looked at the cartridge and there are 2 little metal plates that those 2 pins touch and then a hole in the middle of them. I am trying to figure out a way like you were talking about to bypass it reading the cartridge, it is in maintenance mode... waiting for it to be done. Thanks!

[ray.van]

selected head, both drive motors, and forward..

[ray.van]

Now the main screen says "Maintenance Both Drive Motors" with the options of 'stop' reverse' or 'high heat'

[ray.van]

Here are my steps that I have gone through,

Main screen says "idle queue empty material Remaining 0%"
load material
'material load unloading'
'material load both cartidges not replaced or invalid'


Then since that will not work I go to 'maintenance'
machine
head
'maintenance both drive motors'
forward (little came out)
Done
'is material loaded?'
Yes
"trying to read cartridge"
"Could not read model cartridge'

[Mjolinor]

Open the head with the two quarter turn screws at the left side of the head as you look at it and pivoting to the right.

Once open you will see directly behind the head two tubes, the filament should come out of those, support on the left, model on teh right. There should be filament coming out and bending to the right where it goes into the pushing motors for the filament. If that is so then look carefully at the back of the head, is the model material screwed up after the pushing motor where it enters the actual extruder?

This is going to take a long time, if you prefer to do it typing over skype or gtalk then send me a PM with an ID. If you are at the machine and have internet access then that is probably the best thing to do.

[Mjolinor]

If you have a gen 1 printer then check J8 on the board in the back, if it is gen 2 or gen 3 then check J7. All of those plugs on the computer in the back are crap, they ahve a tendency to spread and make poor contact. You need to pull the plug out and look into it, the holes that go over the pins spread so they do not touch the pin. You need to squash it a bit so it grips the pins tightly. I do this with a hypodermic needle. Do not go berserk.

[ray.van]

I do not have access to internet by the machine, would you be able to text back and forth if I gave you my contact? I see where you are talking about... just don't want to break anything...