Good morning! I have a Creality Ender-3 S1 Plus 3D printer that is giving me problems. I purchased it several years ago and it worked really well for a few months. Then it started having problems where the printhead would keep bumping into the structure, getting worse and worse the higher it went until it would finally just destroy everything. I tried all kinds of adjustments/cleanings/tightening/calibrating, but nothing seemed to help so I just gave up for a while. Last month I thought I’d dust it off and try again, first thing I did was update the firmware, but now it won’t print at all. It seems to boot up fine, touch screen will move the printhead around, raise printhead/bed temperatures, everything looks ok, but when I go to print something, as soon as I touch the file that I want to print, it totally freezes up, can’t do anything except turn it off.
Ideally, I would like to find somebody in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area that would be willing to take a look at it. I would be happy to pay a reasonable fee, of course.
Thanks for reading, you guys are awesome!
Brian
Well, Brian.
It sounds like your S1 started skipping micro-steps. If that is true then the Z-axis stepper driver is toasted, in which I would look into getting a new main board.
You may have updated your firmware but you may have a bad memory stick. the stock memory sticks aren’t very high quality. So I would get a new stick also.
That’s my 2c
Hey, Brian, thanks for the advice. I tried several other memory sticks to no avail. If it’s probably going to require a new main board anyway, I think I will ditch it. I’m not real interested in spending another $50 on it as well as my time and effort and a possibility that it still wouldn’t work. Know anyone who’d like to buy it (cheap!)? 
I’m going to preface this response by saying that I do not have nor have I use a creality Ender 3S-1. That being said, it is extremely similar to many other printers in construction being a bed sling or with 2 Z motors. Clearly, your problem originated in the fact that your Z axis was not rising at the proper rate to keep up with the height of the print. There are a number of different issues that could cause that, including improper setting of the steps per millimeter for the Z axis, excessive friction on one or both of the threaded rods, insufficient voltage to the stepper motors, lost steps due to a bad stepper motor wire, or a bad stepper driver, plus a number of less common issues too numerous to mention here.
Your current issue is clearly due to a bad flash of the firmware, or bad firmware, when you attempted to update it last month. The obvious first step is to reflash firmware that you know works. I don’t know where you got the firmware you used, but I would be willing to bet that there is a reality site that you could download OEM firmware from. It’s also virtually guaranteed that there is a configuration of Marlin 2.X available for that machine. Finally, you could look at the files section of the various reality Facebook pages.
As I don’t use this forum often, I don’t know if there is a messaging component. If not, and you want to contact me directly, let me know here and will figure out a way of direct contact.As far as help, I do offer remote 3D printer support services at $50 an hour if you absolutely need help. Since I am not personally experienced with the printer, I would give you the first 15 minutes free while I familiarize myself and make sure that I can help you remotely. However, it shouldn’t be that hard for you to figure this out.
Thanks for the advice Ray, I have actually decided just to dump it and get a new one. I’m afraid I’m not a tinkerer, I just want something that works! 
I appreciate your taking time to respond though.
Brian
If you weren’t so far from me, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on one just to play with. However, we are on almost opposite sides of the country. I’m in New York. Good luck with your new one.
Ray
Thanks Ray!
if you’re willing to ship it to me then I will fix it, teaching some middle school kids at lunchtime along the way and then give it to one of them to take home. After getting parents permission. San Diego, CA
I’ve made a few Mini Kossel machines and upgraded my Creality Ender 3 (original) a number of times/ways. Even had Machinekit and Remora running it at one point. PM me if interested.
Hey guy,
I have a 4.2.2 board, and an original 4.1 board for $5.00 ea + shipping, if you are interested. It would be for me to let them go. My Ender3 V1 has a BTT Mini3.v3 board in it and always will…
I went through the ‘Gotta Mod My Printer’ phase after I had my first Ender3… It’s a Franken-printer now, with Heated enclosure…etc.
Anyway, It would be good to rid myself of the extra parts, Original hotend, original 4.1.1 MCU, original gantry carriage with wheels.
As far as the S1 goes. I have an S1 that worked out of the box “Great” for a year, then the hotend ribbon cable had a wire break… $100.00 later it works great again. SO if you get one DL and print a modified cable holder… You’ll see right off what I mean. I perpetually flexes at the extruder…
I think it would probably cost more to ship it to San Diego then it would be to replace it, wouldn’t it?
Thanks, but I’ve already gotten a new printer and will just be donating this one to the local Makerspace.