I’m getting some X Axis drift on my @Printrbot Simple and was wondering if anyone could advise this novice on how to overcome it?
Thanks in advance.
Seams this is somewhat of a common problem with these bots.
A few things to check. Is tube X axis tight, if it is. Check to make sure the sand paper is tight on the pulley. If that is, then make sure the pully is tight on the shaft. If that is reduce print speed.
I have one and it does not lean. I made sure everything was tight the first assembly and it has been good to me
@Camerin_hahn Thanks, everything you suggested looks good. However while inspecting your suggestions I realized that my knot in the fishing line may actually be slipping ever so slowly. I did not leave myself enough slack to retie it.
But luckily I purchased the XL upgrade a few weeks ago and have yet to install it. So I think I will go ahead with that and use the new fishing line and make sure that my knot is more secure this time.
Other than that I am really impressed with the prints that are coming out of this little thing. I have only begun to dial it in and I am already extremely impressed.
I have a simple as well… and you need to tighten the string in X-axis. Make sure you cut it long enough next time.
There are also belt conversions on Thingiverse (look for iamjonlawrence). I’ve installed his first version of the Y conversion, and it works great! The belt also made the Y axis very quiet.
I’ve got the hardware for his doubled accuracy conversions (X and Y), and I’ve printed the parts; now, I just need to install the whole thing.
I had a similar issue with mine. It turned out that my acceleration values were too high. I turned them down per someone’s recommendation and the problem disappeared.
Wouldn’t turning down acceleration just mask a loose X axis? i.e.: If you make the acceleration low enough, even a very loose sleeve won’t slip.
I would think it better to make sure everything’s tight first. If the problem is actually a limitation of the design, THEN adjusting acceleration would be in order.
In my case that was not the issue. I was told that my y axis was probably not fast enough. I was told I could try upping the y potentiometer to make it able to handle higher acceleration.
I’ve had loose strings in the axes before and I don’t know how lower acceleration values would have masked it. Seems like it would have the same defect only slower.
@Carlton_Dodd do you know if any of those designs will work with the build volume/XL upgrade?
@Carlton_Dodd the acceleration settings are how quickly it goes from stop to full speed. By reducing these you reduce the force on the string rotating the pulley (f=ma).
@Nick_Adams you will just need a longer belt for the x axis in the for this mod.
@Nick_Adams Just thinking about them off the top of my head, I would think they would work. The Y axis stays the same, correct? The X axis would just need a longer belt, I think. I’ll try to find the links.
@Camerin_hahn That is exactly my point. A loose pulley/vinyl tube/string tension/knot might slip when accelerated quickly, yet hold when accelerated gently. Why not tighten the pulley/vinyl tube/string tension/knot to solve the problem, rather than nursing it along? If those are all tight, then I agree that acceleration would be the next adjustment.
@Carlton_Dodd The other thought is to reduce acceleration see if it solved the problem, if it does, then you know to look for something loose
@Camerin_hahn Okay, I could see that. I’d rather check the physical things first. Maybe just preference.
This is not X axis but Z axis drift , it appears as a X but the deformation happens because of Z axis movement
Sorry @Dimitris_Prokos I am not quite following. Would you mind elaborating. All I see is that the vertical wall on the left of my picture should be straight and it is drifting to the left on the X Axis. This actually got more extreme as the print went on.
@Nick_Adams that would make sense.
The X axis is moving the mass of the print. If so the amount of force you need to move it is increasing as the print gets bigger (Force = Mass x acceleration). so if you reduce the acceleration setting, it will decrease the force required to move the bed. (that will reduce the torque on the pulley so your pulley wont slip as easily)
It looks like you need to tighten your fishing line. It needs to be tight enough to play a music note when plucked. I replaced the m16 bolt with a m20 to get more tension on the cord. Any slack in the line causes printing issues.
@Dimitris_Prokos This is X axis drift, Z axis drift would be up and down. (X axis drift means X=0 is changing locations)
What was the reason of drift ? the movement on X or on Z ? because if it was the X , that is the problem then it should start drifting from the lower levels from the start of printing . What appears hear is that as the Z axis is increased so is the drift in X axis .