I’m not sure the best way to explain this, but I’m noticing something on on my prints. Using Repetier host, I’ve found that when I dropped my “flowrate” to 90 (dropped by 10%) my prints are coming out fantastically. So I figured - Here’s where I might be going wrong - that if I dropped my steps/mm by 10% as well, I should see the same results at a standard flowrate as that of a 10% drop prior to lowering my steps/mm. Initially I had my steps set to 195, divided that by 1.1 and got 177.2 which I entered as my new steps/mm.
I re-tried the same print with the new setting, however I reset the flowrate back up to 100. Still the same results, things seem a little “overstuffed”
Two quick questions:
- Does adjusting the steps/mm by the same percentage I adjusted the flowrate come out to the same thing?
- Do I need to restart my printer for new settings to take effect? I was under the impression it would be an immediate change.
Thanks in advance to everyone.
Cheers,
You changed steps/mm in the repetier firmware, configuration.h, did you change eeprom_mode to zero aswell? If not, EEPROM settings will override your changes. Second: The extruder does not grip the filament like a perfect mechanical grip rod - e.g. if you lower the hotend temperature a bit you will notice, that the feed will also drop a small amount. Maybe the same with other kinds of filaments or feeding-rates…
I’ve updated the steps/mm directly in the firmware, I don’t use Repetier fr EPROM settings, I do that either VIA command line in Octoprint, or as you said directly through marlin on the configuration.h
I’ve noticed similar behaviour, but I’ve never given it as much though as you have. Essentially my steps per mm are accurate and I use flow rate to compensate for the filament being more that 1.75mm etc. 10% change in flow is massive however I’ve never changed it by more than 4% at most. When I measure I set the filament to the end of the bowden tube extrude 50mm and measure. Then adjust steps till it is spot on. It’s easier to find 1mm over 50mm than 0.1mm over 5mm also measure your filament to check it is right. I usually don’t bother much with that I adjust by eye on the quality of prints.
@Chris_Wilson if you do it via commandline, it uses the eeprom. If you do it via firmwareupload, it does not automatically use the firmwaresettings. In either way, EEPROM settings override the firmwaresettings if not disabled. So check the eeprom flag in your firmware if you want to be sure. And like @Michael_Scholtz said, first calibrate your steps/mm by extruding a fixed amount, like 10cm or so. Then adjust your flow generally via the flowratio and if you find, that certain thing need “special” flow rates, like for example infill more then your perimeters, adjust this via the “advanced” options in your slic3r. There are many ways to get to a good print, but thats how its usually done…
Set your flow rate to 100, then calibrate your extruder. Calibrating based on looks is not accurate. And it is a good idea to save the settings and restart the printer. Then check your settings to make sure the are saved and stored.
I’ve gone through the the calibration process many times. It just seems to produce a better print with the reduction in flow rate even when my calibration’s spot-on. I’ll have another look tonight.
Do you have a digital vernier caliper to measure the filament. Check if it’s 1.75mm the steps per mm assume that the filament is exactly 1.75mm possibly explaining why you are extruding the right distance but more plastic than expected.
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ve done that as well. I’ve averaged out the filament diameter along a length of it. The only reason I have an “issue” with this is because I don’t like using my computer to print from. Generally I use Octoprint or the SD cards. Otherwise I’d stick with this and leave it at that.
I guess if it prints well, the old adage, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” comes to mind…
You can set the flow rate if you slice in something like cura and then print from sd card. I also print only from sd appart from the one printer that doesn’t have a display/sd card reader