Help! noob in over his head with new ("used") Tenlog TL-D3-pro setup :-(

[AutoWiz]

On my printers I like to set the Z height a little high with the probe and then compensate with a negative Z offset in the slicer. I do this to the tune of up 3mm. And I do this so that if there is filament hanging down from the nozzle it will not push down on the build plate before the sensor gets triggered.

We can argue that with good start gcode we might warm the extruder before we home at the start of a print but sometimes we just want to home while we are servicing our rigs. And either way this method just creates a safe zone for the glass or other more delicate build surfaces we really dont want to grind the nozzle into.

I do this with my Big Red printer with the BLTouch. Even with that probe there is enough of a window between the probe hanging and retracted to do this. I can get a little less with the cheap ebay inductive probes and an aluminum bed.

Optical sensors by design are incredibly friendly to doing this as the flag can always pass right through the sensor. With the above options there is a limit to doing this that is based heavily on the stow/deploy distance difference or the height from the build plate in which the other sensors read.

[minneapolis-matt]

On my printers I like to set the Z height a little high with the probe and then compensate with a negative Z offset in the slicer. I do this to the tune of up 3mm. And I do this so that if there is filament hanging down from the nozzle it will not push down on the build plate before the sensor gets triggered.

We can argue that with good start gcode we might warm the extruder before we home at the start of a print but sometimes we just want to home while we are servicing our rigs. And either way this method just creates a safe zone for the glass or other more delicate build surfaces we really dont want to grind the nozzle into.

I do this with my Big Red printer with the BLTouch. Even with that probe there is enough of a window between the probe hanging and retracted to do this. I can get a little less with the cheap ebay inductive probes and an aluminum bed.

Optical sensors by design are incredibly friendly to doing this as the flag can always pass right through the sensor. With the above options there is a limit to doing this that is based heavily on the stow/deploy distance difference or the height from the build plate in which the other sensors read.

Can anybody translate this earlier post into noob speak for me? Trying to self educate with google just get me gems like this:

me: "What is a Z probe?"Google: "Product Details. The Z-Probe is a detachable component that simplifies finding your z-axis work zero position when setting up a carve. This kit includes a precision touch disc and a spindle clip to create an electrical connection when the bit touches the disc. It is fully integrated with X-Controller and Easel." - which turns out to not even be directly related to slicers.

or I find 3d printing related reddit discussions which seem to imply, without directly explaining, that a z probe detects the z axis height of...the nozzle I guess? Anyway, some kind of dumbed down translation would be appreciated. Thank you!

[Martin_au]

Can anybody translate this earlier post into noob speak for me? Trying to self educate with google just get me gems like this:me: "What is a Z probe?"Google: "Product Details. The Z-Probe is a detachable component that simplifies finding your z-axis work zero position when setting up a carve. This kit includes a precision touch disc and a spindle clip to create an electrical connection when the bit touches the disc. It is fully integrated with X-Controller and Easel." - which turns out to not even be directly related to slicers.or I find 3d printing related reddit discussions which seem to imply, without directly explaining, that a z probe detects the z axis height of...the nozzle I guess? Anyway, some kind of dumbed down translation would be appreciated. Thank you!

There's a variety of Z-probes. On most printers they are permanently mounted just to the side of the nozzle. The BL-Touch is a good example of one (mechanical based), or the Prusa PINDA (induction based). They are used in place of a z-limit switch.

I don't think your printer has one, and what Autowiz would be describing is the Z-limit switch. Using his technique you'd home the printer (so the Z-limit switch was activated and Z = 0), but then set the bed a millimeter or so below the nozzle. Then use the slicer to adjust the bed a bit closer.

This technique only works if you have a limit switch/Z-probe that the printer can travel past. I don't like this technique as I feel the starting bed distance should not be defined in a slicer profile. I'd prefer it to be set at the printer (e.g., Marlin's babysteps), so that it can be adjusted directly.