New to 3D printing

csorrows 2018-06-01 16:58:19 UTC #41

Um, maybe you guys should read the latest FT-5 R2 build guide.

PaulS 2018-06-01 17:03:59 UTC #42

why would i read the new manual when i can just pester you? seemed to work pretty well getting my machine built as i recal LOL, To be honest, should have guessed, i do recall us talking about it and i do know you put a lot of luv into that little project after many of our group whinning sessions. Needless to say but the Newbies have no idea how lucky they are to have you and specifically this site! As alway, much appreciated my friend but that doesnt mean i still wont give you grief John

csorrows 2018-06-01 17:06:38 UTC #43

Because most of the tips you guys mentioned have been in the latest manual for months now...

PaulS 2018-06-01 17:13:25 UTC #44

cant blame us old farts for a trip down memory lane lol..Besides, where did all those great notes come from? the afore mentioned whimmer sessions i presume, no need to thank us .

csorrows 2018-06-01 17:16:25 UTC #45

Yes, our community was very helpful in improving the manual to the gem it is today. I do believe I have thanked all of you previously but if you need more, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Telman 2018-06-02 00:54:52 UTC #46

I didn't know what you meant at first, so i found the topic you mentioned and I think it's a great idea! I can see it would make the printer more solid.It will definitely be one of the future mods on my printer. I also bought a digital thermometer, thermocouple type you recommended, from my local electronic store and by chance it was on sale. Like yourself, I need to have exact measurements and buying thermometer was well worth the money for ease and convenience.

Telman 2018-06-02 01:04:38 UTC #47

Thank you for your on going commitment to the manual. Without it, I would of been stuffed! There were a couple of stumbling blocks for me so far, but that's not the manuals fault. Overall it has been easy to understand and the diagrams has helped a lot!

Telman 2018-06-02 01:21:21 UTC #48

So I won't know whether or not to loosen the top brackets until i get the printer running, as It seems to be good so far.
I'm putting on the heat bed next and the wiring is going to a bit of a challenge.
Also, sorry for my ignorance, but what exactly does this mean " DO NOT tin wires when securing into a screw
type terminal" Does it mean don't solder the wires at all. I thought soldering the wire before putting in screw terminal would give it a better connection, no?

csorrows 2018-06-02 09:48:17 UTC #49

That is correct.

Nope. With heat, the solder gets soft and allows the strands of the wire to migrate closer to one another resulting in a loose connection which causes more heat and so on.

It also holds the strands in a round shape only allowing the little faces to make contact. Bare wire will go flat and create a much larger contact surface.

Telman 2018-06-02 10:42:41 UTC #50

Thanks for the explanation, that made a lot of sense. I’m about to do the wiring now.

Ron 2018-06-03 18:09:55 UTC #51

To me it is no different than owning a digital multimeter or caliper.
It is just another tool in the tool box.
And when comparing notes with others, it is a good foundation to start from if the measurements you are taking are accurate, regardless of additional means taken to get to the final result.

As for the double bearing mod, it will cost all of $12-$15 to do and is worth every penny IMHO.
As you will find out, you can't really rock the bed plate side to side because of the linked lead screws, but front to rear is positively sloppy without doing something of this sort.
Others have run quad lead screws (linked of course), changed to 12mm guide rods, or even installed ball slides to solve this issue.
However in the end double bearings on the 8mm rods seems to work well enough.

Telman 2018-06-04 11:42:38 UTC #52

$15 for a double bearing mod is very reasonable I think. I'm at the wiring stage of the build now. I'm taking the wiring slow and I only have about 1 to 2 hours a day to do it. I'm having difficulty getting the wires through the braided cover, especially the plugs. I get the impression the cover is too small to fit all of the wires and I might have to use a separate cover for the Y assembly. Also does anyone know how far the Y endstop has to be along the linear rail? Because there are no measurements in the manual. I'm so close to finishing now, that I can almost smell the PLA printing

PaulS 2018-06-04 12:59:17 UTC #53

A little late to the thread but, I am confused (nothing new there!) these hand held ir temp guns don't appear to be accurate enough to do any good IMHO. I go with a PID tune and then do some temp test prints to determine what works. the measurements all have slop, (nature of the beast ) so scale may be different per device. IE 100c on ir guage may be 105c on heater etc. Unless you have lab grade calibrated equipment, i think you will find that ir heat gun may not be much return on your investment. Anyone routinely use a heat gun and if so what for and how do you get any level of accuracy? The only way i have been successful so far at setting temps is via printing temp tests for the different materials. Hopefully this is not too far off topic or @csorrows will surely slap my wrist LOL

Ron 2018-06-04 13:55:18 UTC #54

Yes, everyone has trouble with that.
Some people have installed different chain links having snap covers.
You'll probably have to unplug the wires from the connector shells to get them through (I did).
Just be sure to carefully note the positions in the shells for every wire.

Even lab grade IR temperature sensors are not all that reliable because they are greatly affected by the emissitivity of the surfaces you aim them at.
If you want to measure temperature reasonably accurately using an IR thermometer, paint a flat black (not gloss) spot on the object using high temp paint and aim at that.
The only really reliable method though is by using contact thermocouples or other similar sensors.
I have a Fluke and also an HF unit (but I think they don't sell them any more), both using K-type thermocouples.
Of the two I actually like and use the HF unit more.
Any of these will be better than an IR-type sensor and are very inexpensive-

Telman 2018-06-09 08:22:44 UTC #55

I've nearly complete the build, just have to tidy up the wires and I have also uploaded the firmware.
I just have a question about Machine Calibration. Do I need to calibrate the Extruder also? It as nothing about it in the manual.

csorrows 2018-06-09 10:02:28 UTC #56

The R2 comes stock with open-able links.

csorrows 2018-06-09 10:04:42 UTC #57

Stock firmware is pretty close. I just use extrusion multiplier and adjust it using 90% and 100% infill tests. You can calibrate it using your preferred method. There are many different correct ways to do it.

Telman 2018-06-09 10:43:02 UTC #58

Thank you for the information. I’ll calibrate the extruder later then.

Telman 2018-06-09 10:55:10 UTC #59

Is it worth putting dampers on the stepper motors? I’ve read that it makes the motor less noisy. Does anyone have them on the FT5?

csorrows 2018-06-09 11:41:37 UTC #60

I had them on mine, it did reduce the noise. I can't remember why I removed them though.