Hi, I have issues with the self-levelling with the printer.

Hi, I have issues with the self-levelling with the printer. There are cracking sound coming out of the printer when I use the control in octoprint move it in the x-y direction. Can someone advise me what to do to fix it?

It appears your effector needs calibration. The clicking you hear is the hotend going to the extremes. There should be a thread here discussing how to fix this. If not, I’ll respond later as I’m in my way to work right now. Easily fixed.

How to calibrate the effector?

Hello, sorry long day at work. Well, it is not really calibration but more of fine tuning. The effector is simply a switch. When the nozzle tip collides with the bed the switch is activated. This is the procedure you see happening during the auto leveling.

If you follow the black encased wire from the top, you will notice it splits off into two different paths at the effector. One will lead to the actual switch. Just in front of that switch, to the inside, there is a small screw. This is where you need to make some adjustments. Not large adjustments, but just enough for the switch to operate properly again.

If the problem is your effector, you can buy a new one and there are relatively inexpensive. Let me know if you need help finding one as I purchased a replacement quite a while ago.

Hope this helps.

Here is the link to the effector. https://goo.gl/pmJcrr

Thanks! Solve the problem by adjusting the screw.
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Good to hear. Happy printing :slight_smile:

Hi I just bought one of these printers and am having the same issue. Is that the screw you were talking about and should I tighten or loosen this?

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Hi Endrina, yes the screw is what you need to to adjust. It has been a while since I’ve done this but my intuition is telling me you need to loosen it a bit. Just small increments. And try to level. Continue adjusting until you get it back on track. If you feel that loosening it is the wrong direction, then try tightening it. Sorry I couldnt be more specific.

Out of curiosity, is this a new system or used system? I would be happy to hear Easyarts was back in business.

This is a used system.Also I loosened the screw, but nothing has changed in regards to the original issue. It also started to drag the hot end against the base.
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Here is a vid of what it does once it goes back down to print. Also I wanted to thank you so very much for the help. I don’t usual make big purchases so it is a little difficult when I have these kind of issues. So again thanks so much for the help.
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In another post by Weiguang Lee :

"Adjusting the screw? It helps in my case. Just adjust it slightly until the indicators lights appear.

  • -The screw is to control the gap between the nozzle and the print bed. That is, the screw is screwed upwards, the distance between the nozzle and the end plate is increased, and the screw is screwed downward, the distance between the nozzle and the end plate is smaller."

I hope this will provide additional insight as to what you are attempting to do. During the auto leveling period, the print head will slightly tap on the glass bed. It will move in a pattern around the bed to determine if there are any inconsistencies by taking measurements at different points. I’m confident you will get it to work properly with some trial and error.

ok, thanks again. I’ll keep working on it. This has been a big help.

@Michael_Coley How can you tell if yor effector is bad?