New guy with ThreeUp startup issues

[MisterAcoustic]

I like the added G code just for safety's sake, but it didn't help here. In the end, I reversed the servo connection on the Ramps board, and now it at least feeds in the right direction.

I think I'm down to temperature issues now: What little plastic comes out doesn't stay put on the (heated) platen, and the extruder is feeding filament far faster than it comes out. I'm using the sample filament from the kit, which they politely neglected to tell me the composition of. I'm beginning to suspect its ABS, not PLA.

Hi ChuckP,

I was just curious if you tried to manually feed some filament once the hot end was hot, to see if that was backwards as well. In any case, if it's working now, it's all good .

I guess I can ask some basic questions - forgive me if you know this stuff already. Have you leveled the bed, and have you set the height of the hot end above the bed? It looks like the ThreeUp has the same bed material as a TwoUp - I don't have a heated bed, but I have always used blue painters tape on the bed to improve adhesion.

So first, I would put down a layer of painters tape (I do mine so I can get it off easily when it needs to be replaced).

Then, run the extruder down close to the bed - perhaps not too close if you're never leveled the bed before - and then move it to each of the 4 corners of the bed. At each point, adjust the height of the bed so that it's the exact same distance from the extruder at each point. You adjust the height by using an Allen wrench on the screws coming up under the bed with the springs around them. I would also check the center of the bed. The bed can actually be warped, but you should be able to get it close enough to work.

Finally, when you go to print, get a piece of paper and slide it between the extruder and the bed. Run the extruder down manually using the smallest movements until the extruder applies pressure to the paper - but you can still slide it in and out.

That should be the height where you put down your first layer. I've never had a problem with things not sticking this way - in fact, it's much more difficult to get things off when they're done.

Lastly, regarding the feed rate, of course all of those things are adjustable through the software - are you using Repetier Host? I would still do the above before adjusting the software parameters - plenty of time for that later .

Hope all of this helps. Let us know what happens.

Stan