Folger Tech 2020 i3 Printer Kit (Official Thread)

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WilberMaker
Found it. First miss informed by my daughter, I is a "Thermal Runaway" error not "Thermal Breakdown". Sorry about that. Got it to do it again while testing. Seems that I just mounted a new radial type cooling fan on the print head and after checking looks like the fan blows out at an angle. Not straight out of the opening like I was thinking. At the angle it is blowing directly on the hot end. From what I have read this will cause the Thermal Runaway error. Where exactly should the air be blowing?

I have mine blowing like 90% below the nozzle and the rest on it. It causes the temp to fluctuate slightly when it first turns on, but not enough to cause it to stay below the set temp for long.

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Folger Tech I3 2020 Wikia page: [folgertech.wikia.com]

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The thermal runaway can be any of several things. Did you recently update your version of Marlin? If it looks like your temp is dropping to zero BEFORE the thermal runaway, then it could be your sensor coming loose or an intermittent wiring issue.

If you are running one of the latest versions of Marlin, it can be pretty common for the temp range to be set to narrow, which will trigger a false thermal runaway. Adjusting those settings can help.

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Folger Tech 2020 i3 Wiki

Custom google search for the Folger Tech 2020 i3 forum topic by Animoose

My Thingiverse Designs

Can the stock folgertech 2020 print Taulman 910 nylon?

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UltiFix
Can the stock folgertech 2020 print Taulman 910 nylon?

NVM

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2016 03:49PM by Mach.

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Folger Tech I3 2020 Wikia page: [folgertech.wikia.com]

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Can I change all of the Y linear bearings with this, without changing anything else?
Linear Bearing

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Mach

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UltiFix
Can the stock folgertech 2020 print Taulman 910 nylon?

NVM

Have you tried at all? I guess the stuff prints at 245c...

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Folger Tech 2020 i3 Wiki

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UltiFix

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Mach

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UltiFix
Can the stock folgertech 2020 print Taulman 910 nylon?

NVM

Have you tried at all? I guess the stuff prints at 245c...

I have not tried it, but i would guess it should print fine. In my deleted post, i was said that it could not print because the temps were too high, but then looked at their website and saw that it prints at a temp less than the max temp for the stock printer

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Folger Tech I3 2020 Wikia page: [folgertech.wikia.com]

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Has anyone ever tried to run multiple FT2020s off the same computer to print the same thing? I would think it would be easy to do, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Is there a USB splitter that would make this possible?

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LancelotL
Has anyone ever tried to run multiple FT2020s off the same computer to print the same thing? I would think it would be easy to do, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Is there a USB splitter that would make this possible?

usb splitters do exist, but you would most likely run into issues with data being sent back to the computer from the printer. The proper way to do it would probably be to have multiple instances of your host program open, and have your printers printing from different usb ports.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2016 11:09AM by Mach.

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Folger Tech I3 2020 Wikia page: [folgertech.wikia.com]

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LancelotL
Has anyone ever tried to run multiple FT2020s off the same computer to print the same thing? I would think it would be easy to do, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Is there a USB splitter that would make this possible?

I would just reccomend getting a cheap sd card reader for the printer and run it off of the gcode from a sd card. Much easier and then the stupid pc wont do a windows update midprint.

[folgertech.com]
It will cost you around $20 for 2 shipped plus sd cards if you dont have them.

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Mach

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UltiFix

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Mach

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UltiFix
Can the stock folgertech 2020 print Taulman 910 nylon?

NVM

Have you tried at all? I guess the stuff prints at 245c...

I have not tried it, but i would guess it should print fine. In my deleted post, i was said that it could not print because the temps were too high, but then looked at their website and saw that it prints at a temp less than the max temp for the stock printer

Im thinking ill try it... Let you know how it goes. I guess the 910 nylon stuff is one of the strongest filaments consumers can buy

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jabu32
Can this gold filament be saved??

you can see it is all popped and distorted while the white filament (extruded right after) is smooth.

i keep all my filament in an air tight container with moisture absorber.

[attachment 81646 20160721_221102.jpg]

jabu32 - my gold filament is probably the most difficult to work with out of all of the colors I have. I have found that you need to back off the flow considerably compared to other filaments. I'm not sure if this stuff expands when extruded, but I see similar issues as what you are seeing. I probably reduce the flow by 50% compared to other filaments. Not sure if this will help you, but it works OK for me. I still have trouble keeping within my QA/QC tolerances using gold, but I can get by with parts what don't have critical dimensions spec'd.

I'm having a severe underextrusion problem with PETG. I think its a retraction issue letting the material harden in the cool zone, making it hard to push the filament through. I have not had this problem (yet?) with PLA or ABS.

Just prior to this print, I printed a differently shaped object which turned out beautifully. And as you can see, this print started out fine, as did subsequent failed attempts. Most things I've printed with PETG come out fine, but I've had this problem a few times sporadically. I thought it might be the nozzle clogging with dirt in the filament, but it still happened once while using a filament guide/cleaner. I'm using the stock hot end, but I've replaced the heatbreak tube and nozzle with similar ones on Amazon. I'm temped to switch to an E3D Lite6 (don't really want to spring for the v6, but if it takes care of this issue for good, I might), but I'm not sure that will really solve the problem.

I've never changed the retraction settings from whatever they were set to when I installed Repetier-Host. Its 1mm at 30mm/s, which doesn't seem like much. But it is set to retract on layer change. Since this part has pretty small layers, its doing layer changes rather quickly. Another piece that had the same problem also had small layers. I've slowed down print speeds to 25mm/s to try avoiding this, which worked in the past, but this time I've had three unsuccessful attempts.

The nozzle is tightened against the heatbreak tube when its hot, so its not leaking or sucking in air (had that problem already). I suppose I could try disabling retraction for this piece, but I thought I would put this out there in case anyone else has seen a similar phenomenon.
Thanks!





For comparison, here's the T-Rex skull with the same filament:


Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2016 09:47AM by pizzachef.

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Custom google search for the Folger Tech 2020 i3 forum topic by Animoose

I'm about 24 hours away from ordering the 2020 kit (along with the 2004 LCD, etc) - but I have a couple questions:

I'm not a newbie - I built a Printrbot Jr (v1) in 2013 along with an original Printrbot Simple,
and put together a Printrbot Play last fall. Right now I'm playing with one of the Monoprice
$200 Mini Select units and upgrading it to an e3d Lite6. But, I'm running up against needing
a larger print area.

1. I see people on here talking about bad Arduino clones, bad RAMPS boards, connectors melting, etc.
Have these problems been addressed or resolved by Folgertech?

2. I'd like to have an aluminum print bed on top of the heated surface; what's my best option for something
that will bolt/screw/attach right on with minimal work?

3. How's the power supply quality? Will it be workable to start out with, or should I just plan on buying
something better to begin with?

I've also been looking at the TEVO Tarantula, but that's a Bowden feed unit, plus I'd prefer to spend
my money with a US-based company that gives decent support and has good online community.

Thanks for any tips or suggestions!

mrbill,

#1: One of my bigger complaints for FolgerTech is their use of counterfeit Arduinos. Being open source, there are quality inexpensive Arduino clones out there, but these aren't among them. I've built four 2020 i3s now, and all four of the Megas I've got from FT have suffered 5V regulator failures. Buy a board from a reputable source, you'll need it.

#2: The 2020 i3 uses a PCB heater suspended over the Y carriage on four spring/screw/thumb nut assemblies. It's designed to have a plate of glass placed on top and secured with bulldog clips. Your best option for attaching an aluminum plate with minimal work is to just substitute an 8x8 plate of aluminum for the glass. I would recommend using glass as I've had good luck with it, and since it's really easy to change the bed surface on these printers, you might experiment with both.

#3: I haven't yet had a problem with any of the PSUs, other than the fact they lack an off switch. Plug 'em in, they work. Haven't taken the o-scope to their output, and I assume it's a little dirty, but the 'lectronics have linear regulators and motors/heaters aren't quite as picky.

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av8r1
#1: One of my bigger complaints for FolgerTech is their use of counterfeit Arduinos. Being open source, there are quality inexpensive Arduino clones out there, but these aren't among them. I've built four 2020 i3s now, and all four of the Megas I've got from FT have suffered 5V regulator failures. Buy a board from a reputable source, you'll need it.

How does one tell that they are counterfeit Arduinos?
I have had zero problems with mine.

Arduino publishes an identification guide here: [www.arduino.cc]

The silk screening on the boards received from FT doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

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Mach

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LancelotL
Has anyone ever tried to run multiple FT2020s off the same computer to print the same thing? I would think it would be easy to do, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Is there a USB splitter that would make this possible?

usb splitters do exist, but you would most likely run into issues with data being sent back to the computer from the printer. The proper way to do it would probably be to have multiple instances of your host program open, and have your printers printing from different usb ports.

I have been very successful printing with OctoPi running on a $30 Raspberry PI. Slicer will write the file directly to the OctoPi, and then initiate the print from the web based GUI. This way I do not tie up a computer, and can easily monitor the progress of the print with out having to head out the the shop every 5 minutes.

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GravityWins

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Mach

Quote
LancelotL
Has anyone ever tried to run multiple FT2020s off the same computer to print the same thing? I would think it would be easy to do, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Is there a USB splitter that would make this possible?

usb splitters do exist, but you would most likely run into issues with data being sent back to the computer from the printer. The proper way to do it would probably be to have multiple instances of your host program open, and have your printers printing from different usb ports.

I have been very successful printing with OctoPi running on a $30 Raspberry PI. Slicer will write the file directly to the OctoPi, and then initiate the print from the web based GUI. This way I do not tie up a computer, and can easily monitor the progress of the print with out having to head out the the shop every 5 minutes.

This.

I purchased and setup a Pi with OctoPrint a week or so ago, and I can say without a doubt, it is absolutely the best $50 I spent on the printer (RasPi3, Power Supply and Case for the Pi bundle). (I've done the vslot X and Y axis upgrades, upgraded to lead screws, added a E3D lite6, and built an enclosure.) I should have gone with a Pi sooner. It's SO MUCH BETTER than constantly swapping SD Cards, or having a dedicated computer hooked up to it. I also added a relay module so I can turn the printer and LED lites on/off from the web interface. It rocks, and is easier than I expected.

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pizzachef
I'm having a severe underextrusion problem with PETG. I think its a retraction issue letting the material harden in the cool zone, making it hard to push the filament through. I have not had this problem (yet?) with PLA or ABS.

Just prior to this print, I printed a differently shaped object which turned out beautifully. And as you can see, this print started out fine, as did subsequent failed attempts. Most things I've printed with PETG come out fine, but I've had this problem a few times sporadically. I thought it might be the nozzle clogging with dirt in the filament, but it still happened once while using a filament guide/cleaner. I'm using the stock hot end, but I've replaced the heatbreak tube and nozzle with similar ones on Amazon. I'm temped to switch to an E3D Lite6 (don't really want to spring for the v6, but if it takes care of this issue for good, I might), but I'm not sure that will really solve the problem.

I've never changed the retraction settings from whatever they were set to when I installed Repetier-Host. Its 1mm at 30mm/s, which doesn't seem like much. But it is set to retract on layer change. Since this part has pretty small layers, its doing layer changes rather quickly. Another piece that had the same problem also had small layers. I've slowed down print speeds to 25mm/s to try avoiding this, which worked in the past, but this time I've had three unsuccessful attempts.

The nozzle is tightened against the heatbreak tube when its hot, so its not leaking or sucking in air (had that problem already). I suppose I could try disabling retraction for this piece, but I thought I would put this out there in case anyone else has seen a similar phenomenon.
Thanks!

I doubt it's a retraction problem. 1mm is nothing. I was running 4mm with the stock hotend when I switched to a Bowden. (I've since switched back to a direct drive, with a lite6). Due to a bug in Simplify3D I had a retraction happening that was 12mm with the Lite6 and didn't have any problems, although I fixed the issue as soon as I discovered it.

If it was a problem pushing the filament through, you should hear the stepper motor skipping.

I'm wondering if perhaps your extruder stepper driver is overheating? If it's getting too hot on the longer prints, it will shutdown for brief moments, which would result in severe under extrusion. Check your vRef on the driver and see what your current is. Is the extruder motor getting really hot? If so, turning down the current may help. You can also try setting up a desk fan to blow on the RAMPS, helping to keep the driver cool, and see of that makes a difference.

--Andrew

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iamquestar
I doubt it's a retraction problem. 1mm is nothing. I was running 4mm with the stock hotend when I switched to a Bowden. (I've since switched back to a direct drive, with a lite6). Due to a bug in Simplify3D I had a retraction happening that was 12mm with the Lite6 and didn't have any problems, although I fixed the issue as soon as I discovered it.

If it was a problem pushing the filament through, you should hear the stepper motor skipping.

I'm wondering if perhaps your extruder stepper driver is overheating? If it's getting too hot on the longer prints, it will shutdown for brief moments, which would result in severe under extrusion. Check your vRef on the driver and see what your current is. Is the extruder motor getting really hot? If so, turning down the current may help. You can also try setting up a desk fan to blow on the RAMPS, helping to keep the driver cool, and see of that makes a difference.

--Andrew

Thanks for the feedback. I really don't know how much retraction affects prints/clogging, so it was just a guess.

I have run quite a few 6+ hour prints with good results using ABS and PLA. I've also run long prints with this and another color of PETG, but the models were bigger. None of the stepper drivers get very hot, and I checked the Vref with I first set up the printer and they seemed reasonable (can't remember the numerical values now). The X motor, Z motors, and E motor all get uncomfortably hot when printing (Y, the biggest motor, is nice and cool). But I don't seem to have any trouble. I ran a 5 hour print last night with PLA and everything came out fine.

I'm printing the PETG at 235C (increased a little while back from 230C to try fixing this problem with a different model). I'm wondering if its too hot? Letting the heat travel higher up the heatbreak tube? Grasping at straws, but I might try a test print at 225C.

-Geoff

BTW, thanks for writing about using a PI to run your printer. I've been on the fence with this for a little while...might give it a go.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2016 09:08PM by pizzachef.

Is the nozzle maintaining temperature? Are you running a cooling fan?

Has been a while since I posted or read the thread, and now it's 169 pages looooong!!

I moved to my own house and now my i3 has a permanent home on my studio room, recalibrated the bed by hand and do a excellent print to test if all was running fine after the whole ordeal of moving and packing in and out...

I'm just tired to do the level of the bed manually and spend 30 minutes going up and down and playing with the screws, so I just finish to print the parts for the classic auto level (servo and switch) and I'm ready to install it, so the question it's do we have some documentation or kind of guide to the Auto level for our Folger i3?

I'm sure that the subject has being already talked here but honestly there are too many pages that i will have to read in order to find it! I already google it and found some guides but not sure wich one is the most accurate for our hardware plus if I have some questions will be more easy to understand what is going on if we have the same reference to start with.

Thanks!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2016 09:24PM by Mrfus.

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av8r1
Is the nozzle maintaining temperature? Are you running a cooling fan?

I am running a part cooling fan (a Diiicooler with a blower fan, works great) in addition to the stock hotend fan. I have it turned off for the first 10 layers so it doesn't cool the bed.
I'm surprised at how stable the nozzle temp is. It varies a degree up or down while printing. One reason I'm hesitant to replace the hot end is I don't know if I could get the PID tuning as good as it is now.

I recently had a problem where the cooling fan on a printer (not my personal one, I haven't installed one yet) cooled the nozzle too much when it turned on. Make sure that's not happening.

Also, about OctoPrint--I've downloaded the OctoPi image, and can't get it to work. I mean, at all. Downloaded the image from GitHub, burned the image to an SD card, plugged into the Pi, and it acts like the Pi doesn't have a card in it. It's like the image is screwed, because I can't mount the drive on my Linux machine to look around, it breaks the partition table or something. I can hose the drive and repartition it, but I'm making no progress, and I can find nearly no troubleshooting information on it at all. Like most of the rest of 3D printing, you have to be born knowing how it works, because no one wrote anything down.

Is anyone running Marlin 1.1.0-RC7? Any issues with it?

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av8r1
I recently had a problem where the cooling fan on a printer (not my personal one, I haven't installed one yet) cooled the nozzle too much when it turned on. Make sure that's not happening.

Also, about OctoPrint--I've downloaded the OctoPi image, and can't get it to work. I mean, at all. Downloaded the image from GitHub, burned the image to an SD card, plugged into the Pi, and it acts like the Pi doesn't have a card in it. It's like the image is screwed, because I can't mount the drive on my Linux machine to look around, it breaks the partition table or something. I can hose the drive and repartition it, but I'm making no progress, and I can find nearly no troubleshooting information on it at all. Like most of the rest of 3D printing, you have to be born knowing how it works, because no one wrote anything down.

Sorry to hear about your trouble with OctoPrint. I would guess that it's a problem with the image, the burning of the image, or the SD card.

I used these instructions: [octoprint.org]

In summary
1. I downloaded the image from this link: [octopi.octoprint.org]
2. This zip file contains an .img file I wrote to the SD card using Win32DiskImage ( [sourceforge.net] )
3. Once this is done, there should be a boot partition that is readable on a windows a computer (if you're on a Mac or Linux, follow the instructions on the RaspberryPi install page: [www.raspberrypi.org] )
4. Before removing the SD card from the computer, I edited the octopi-network.txt with my network's SSID and Passphrase. (I'm using a Pi 3 with built-in Wifi. If you're using a wired network, you can skip this step)
5. Inserted the card into the Pi, let it boot, and was able to connect immediately. (While using the address [http://octopi.local] did work for me, I setup a DHCP reservation in my router, and use the IP address exclusively.)

I plan on putting together a video, or at least a detailed post about all the things I have done to this printer, including the axis upgrades, enclosure, hot end changes, and finally the RasPi. Hopefully I'll get that done early next week. (My wife is taking the kids to visit her parents for a couple days, so the chances are good that I'll have the time!)

--Andrew

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pizzachef

Thanks for the feedback. I really don't know how much retraction affects prints/clogging, so it was just a guess.

I have run quite a few 6+ hour prints with good results using ABS and PLA. I've also run long prints with this and another color of PETG, but the models were bigger. None of the stepper drivers get very hot, and I checked the Vref with I first set up the printer and they seemed reasonable (can't remember the numerical values now). The X motor, Z motors, and E motor all get uncomfortably hot when printing (Y, the biggest motor, is nice and cool). But I don't seem to have any trouble. I ran a 5 hour print last night with PLA and everything came out fine.

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pizzachef

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av8r1
Is the nozzle maintaining temperature? Are you running a cooling fan?

I am running a part cooling fan (a Diiicooler with a blower fan, works great) in addition to the stock hotend fan. I have it turned off for the first 10 layers so it doesn't cool the bed.
I'm surprised at how stable the nozzle temp is. It varies a degree up or down while printing. One reason I'm hesitant to replace the hot end is I don't know if I could get the PID tuning as good as it is now.

Hmm, I forgot that you had mentioned this was only a problem with PETG. So I assume you do not hear the extruder skipping? Unfortunately with the stock hot end, you can't really see the extruder in action. I designed my own mount for the stock extruder and the E3D lite6 for the v-Slot X axis Gantry plate, and the front of the extruder is now open and visible. It's great to be able to see the motor turning, and be able to see if it skips or grinds against the filament. If there was some way to see that, it could help you troubleshoot further...

What about this: Can you manually push the filament through the hot end at the end of the print? It is harder to do this, than at the beginning? If so, it's definitely a nozzle problem. If not, it's got to be something with the electronics, or possibly gcode...

What about your filament path... is there anything that would cause it be harder to feed, as the Z axis raises up? Might it catch on anything, or kink, or bind?
I'm just tossing out anything that occurs to me here...

To be honest I have yet to print with PETG... I do have a roll, so I'll try to break that out this week and see how it prints for me.

I really like the cooler you posted a link to. I've been looking for something to replace my old setup with. I don't have a print cooling fan running right now, because my old one doesn't fit the new hotend setup I'm using. I think I can adapt that one, and I love that it blows from all directions. Maybe I'll try printing that with PETG.

--Andrew

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Mrfus
Has been a while since I posted or read the thread, and now it's 169 pages looooong!!

I moved to my own house and now my i3 has a permanent home on my studio room, recalibrated the bed by hand and do a excellent print to test if all was running fine after the whole ordeal of moving and packing in and out...

I'm just tired to do the level of the bed manually and spend 30 minutes going up and down and playing with the screws, so I just finish to print the parts for the classic auto level (servo and switch) and I'm ready to install it, so the question it's do we have some documentation or kind of guide to the Auto level for our Folger i3?

I'm sure that the subject has being already talked here but honestly there are too many pages that i will have to read in order to find it! I already google it and found some guides but not sure wich one is the most accurate for our hardware plus if I have some questions will be more easy to understand what is going on if we have the same reference to start with.

Thanks!

There is a Wikia page that some very helpful souls on this thread have setup. It includes a great consolidation of a lot of information. There is a section on autolevel, however I don't recall if it goes into the details of the servo/switch setup. Find it here: [folgertech.wikia.com]

If you'd like to consider the induction sensor method, I detailed my setup on a post on this page: [forums.reprap.org]

Finally, since the search on this board leaves much to be desired, animoose setup a custom google search, to search just this thread: [cse.google.com]

I hope this helps!

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av8r1
#1: One of my bigger complaints for FolgerTech is their use of counterfeit Arduinos. Being open source, there are quality inexpensive Arduino clones out there, but these aren't among them. I've built four 2020 i3s now, and all four of the Megas I've got from FT have suffered 5V regulator failures. Buy a board from a reputable source, you'll need it.

Any specific recommendations? These two had decent reviews on Amazon:

Arduino: [www.amazon.com]

RAMPS 1.4: [www.amazon.com]