CR10 Smart Pro ABL mesh probe and manual adjustment issues

Filament 3D Printer Technical Help Creality CR-10 Smart/Smart Pro
1

I’m getting mildly annoyed with this problem, and yes, that’s after I willfully and knowingly accepted that this is a moving mechanical device with lots and lots of ways to invite Mr. Murphy…

I’m not a constant user of the printer, only one of me, and lots of other demands on my time, so, I’m fully prepped to do a manual re-tramming of the bed and then the 25 point mapping probe after the unit’s sat ignored for a bit. For the past year, using a 0.102mm steel feeler gauge, I’ve found my Z-offset needs to be around -2.50 to -2.60 between uses.

In the past 3 weeks I’ve run a lot of multi day prints, and yes, I finished off a nozzle and replaced it in the middle of these print jobs. 95% of them ran flawlessly.

The last two attempts of just under 48 hour prints failed - first one with some sort of apparent layer shift about 74%+ into the job - everything shifted forward hmm about .5 cm, for about 10 layers, then it just gave me a big ball of fused spaghetti sitting on the main print of parts (filament happened to be white, so it’s apt.) Was only able to salvage ~50% of that part run (It’s a multi part print).

Let everything cool off for an hour, tried again. Nope…it didn’t wanna.
Masses of blobs of pla by layer 4, crappy adhesion etc. No apparent leaking at the nozzle, not even crisped PLA.
So, stopped the print job and with other demands had to wait 4 days to get back to it to investigate

I’ve come to learn that with the CR10 Smart Pro, stock as I have mine, re-doing the tramming from first principles generally solves the issue. If that isn’t it, then I have to dig further. (full disclosure: I did adjust my X axis about a year ago using two Top hitch pins that are 15.23 cm +/- 0.005 mm if I read my Vernier caliper correctly - that was a fun experiment with a stationary disk/belt sander.)

Today was no exception to that rule. re-trammed using the 5 points. There is definitely some warp happening, as the center point just generally is out relative to the 4 corners, and the z offset today is -2.05. It’s as if whatever caused that layer shift also altered the shape of the bed. And yes, I run my bed at 65 deg. C., nozzle at 210 deg C for PLA+. I do my tramming at that those temps as well, and it generally works well. I do not have the unit in an enclosure as yet - I have one, but need to do some minor reno work before I can set up a new space for the printer using the enclosure. (power outlets, remove a shelf system, install lighting…)

What I am tending to notice is that the rear right corner when looking from the front of the machine, seems to be the corner that “pops” the most. I find it always has the most play, and won’t stay put. I can certainly drop a bit of antivibration locktite here, but it also feels as if the tensioning springs are part of the problem - and mine are the ones that came with the unit. My belts appear to me to have the correct tension as well - nothing struggles to move.

Any general thoughts on this? The printer works like a champ when it works but when it decides to hiccup, it always seems to be when I’m away. (and no, I’m not using the camera or the wifi controller built in - I refuse on principle to use Creality Cloud after reading their terms of service).

2

Do you have any pictures that you could throw in?

Right away with the large moving beds and large multi-day prints, my mind immediately goes to stepper motor voltage. As the bed gets heavier with the part it puts more stress on the part, so if the part is sticking right at the beginning but then shifting part-way through the print that may be the culprit.

If you don’t already know you can adjust the voltage to the stepper motors using a potentiometer on the mainboard. There are lots of great YouTube videos showing how to do this which would most likely be easier than me explaining it, but I can explain it if you need.

Matt

3

Hm. That is a possiblity I’d not thought of. The mass isn’t that heavy for this latest print that has failed a few times now. In fact the previous multi day jobs that ran fine were heavier.

I didn’t snap pics but the last failure saw two parts with melt zones that suggest they got tagged by the side of the nozzle.

Each time this has failed I reduced the item count to eliminate whatever was successful. So in theory the mass reduced… unless I’m collecting dark matter? :grin:

I do know the drill on adjusting the pots. Will need to track down the operating range for the ones on the CR10 Smart Pro… maybe I’ll book a day or two off for that as I predict I will be taking over the dining room table… my office space doesn’t have enough room.

Now where’s my multi-meter this week???

1 Like
4

Always goes missing when you finally need it!

If you need any help with it in the future just let me know and I can provide more detailed instructions.

5

Ok. Found the video from Creality that showed the voltage range for E(1-1.1V), X&Y(1.38-1.4V), Z(1.6V). My readings were E 1.09V, X&Y both 1.39V, and Z was 1.59V.

With a bit of grumbling under my breath, I managed to get Z pegged at 1.6… those pots are super challenging to dial in precisely. So… now to find a suitable test print that won’t cost me an arm and a leg in PLA. :slight_smile:

1 Like
6

My favourite test print for testing current on a z-axis is just the standard calibration cube, or a vase print. These ones show off inconsistencies quite well.

7

I whipped up a series of hexagonal tubes. Staggered them with diff heights. Ran it on draft print over night and it went ok. Next up will be a heavier print… the standard calibration cube is too small to generate the odd layer shift thing that happens.

One test at a time right?
:cowboy_hat_face:

8

Make sure your belts are not too loose and not too tight. I own the CR 10 Smart and I print wicked fast. I dont get layer shifts at all. Make sure your belts are well tightened.