Chaoticlabs cnc full rebuild

[3dCase]

Finally the time came to totally rebuild my V2.4 350 with chaoticlabs cnc kit to replace all the plastic parts.
At the same time I will address the crooked bed, get rid of clicky and z limit, already got rid of x and y limits. Will install canbus and cartographer.
First impressions of the chaoticlabs kit are unbelievably good, no missing parts, everything fits like a glove, finish is perfect and packaging is almost too good (very hard to unpack the tightly wrapped fasteners). The whole mechanical dissasembly and rebuild took about 8 hours sofar. Will do little things after work during the week and next weekend hopefully get started on the canbus and wiring. Got to figure out my mounting of the toolhead because its my own design and my voron has 2 linear rails for the x axis so it is not exactly like what the cartographer parts are in need of, but it will be ok.
Pleased with todays progress
Forgot to mention also that I already relocated the electronics and removed those daft cable chains. Months of grief with those and having to lay your printer on its back everytime you need to get to those electronics gets boring very fast, so seperate controlbox on an umbilical and the base will stay open.

 

[3dCase]

I found that one of the mgn9 rails for the x acis deformed at the point where the fixing screws are located. When I took it of it has a ridge along its back which makes it sit not level in the length of the 2020 profile. This comes as no surprise really, as the buying guide leads you to shitty cheap rails from unidentifyable origin and no guarantee for any quality or grade.
Purchased an original Hiwin mgn15 and I already have a carriage with Z1 and gradeP so will just be using one rail for the toolhead.
Nearly finished milling a small adapter plate from mgn9 to mgn15.

 

[3dCase]

So I finally had time to pick this up again. I have now build a new mainsail / klipper, got KlipperScreen to work again and flashed my MCU with a new firmware. Used Esoterical's guide to canbus to flash the EBB36 and to update my U2C. I believe it is all working because all the suggested returns are correct sofar. I have to say this Esoterical guide is near perfect. It just could do with a little more lower level advise for people like me who have never coded anything before but he deserves a KoFi for sure so will look at this when I am done.
Now what is left to do is to tidy up the wiring on the control box side. Then terminate all the tool head wiring to the can bus board. Then to take measurements and to rewrite the config files. Find some new homing macros for the Cartographer and carefully start testing.

Been a rollercoaster because I am totally not up to speed with this firmware flashing and it scared the hell out of me, but I feel good about finally having tackled it.
One thing is for sure the machine will look a lot better with the cnc parts on it and the umbilical. Hoping to have the wiring finished Tomorrow and then it is a weeks wait again due to life's other events.
Slowy does it.....

 

[NoGuru]

Wow, I can't believe I missed when you started this thread as I know some of your back story and how you obtained the printer.
The New parts look amazing and you have done a great job with the build. Curious to see how it all turns out.

 

[3dCase]

Finally had some time again to continue a bit with this project. I have now finished the control box again and everything works as expected.



Now the only things left to do ( as if ONLY means something small and easy ) are the toolhead wiring to canbus and the config mods to incorporate the canbus, cartographer and switchless homing allround.
See how I feel later about crimping them horrible connectors on short pieces of wires you can almost not get to with those big crimping pliers 🫩

Finally I made some preperations by mounting the toolhead parts, adjusting the cartograper height and route the cables. Next is those horrible steckers




Those crimping nightmares are for next time I find some spare time.

 

[3dCase]

From a build table full of parts it got to this
All the parts installed and all wires found a route and a little nest to sit in.
Now its time to start it up again and see how far klipper gets with its new canbus and cartographer. If all is well I will get some errors in mainsail, if not its time to cry…..again

 

[3dCase]

Hmmmm, canbus is working and hotend works. HE fan does not work so possibly a wrong pin, bad connection or…..
Strangely the bed also does not work so I am hoping its just a silly oversight with the SSR or something.
Anyway this weekend will show me more since it is a national holiday here, Monday off work
Still lots to do, cartographer cfg and printer cfg, learning how to get the homing sorted with that, recalibrate the switchless X and Y homing and do belt tensions.
Happy for now with how the firmware building went, its scary but went without too many issues.

P.S. those crimping pins are still a nightmare and I would like to get to know the inventor and learn which mental condition you need to have to even come up with such a thing, or to be able to work with them without issues! I think it is easier to simply splice an old connector with 2cm of wire to the end of your existing wires then to crimp new pins
8 pins done but did it 16 times and if that fan has a bad connection that makes it 17

 

[3dCase]

Its working, now onto improvements. How do I load videos here?

 

[NoGuru]

Its working, now onto improvements. How do I load videos here?

I upload to Youtube then use this guy


Build is looking fantastic! Hope you get it all working without issue.

 

[3dCase]

I upload to Youtube then use this guy
View attachment 5971

Build is looking fantastic! Hope you get it all working without issue.

Yes its working already. Tonight I plan to do a video for serial number application. Just made a reddit account just for that.
Goet several bed level prints off it during calibration and two prints that were planned before I started this rebuild.
Quality already looking more consistent, better equal layer lines.

 

[NoGuru]

Yes its working already. Tonight I plan to do a video for serial number application. Just made a reddit account just for that.
Goet several bed level prints off it during calibration and two prints that were planned before I started this rebuild.
Quality already looking more consistent, better equal layer lines.

Okay great! I haven't used Cartographer but I have Beacon and first layers are sooooo good now.

 

[3dCase]

Yes works exactly the same though doesn’t it? And you also have touch, so one extra secure way to get perfect first layer.
Was a bit of a job setting it up in the config, but once somebody who knew what he was talking about on discord answered my ticket, it ran perfectly in under ten minutes.
I love it already so much I want nothing else.
Tonight will shoot a video for serial number application. Cannot wait for work to finish

 

[NoGuru]

Yes I have used every probe ever known and will never use anything but these new eddy current scanners.

You have gone into an area that I have yet to travel with CPAP. I am curious to see how you like it and pros and cons. I don't print with PLA very much so I probably don't "need" it but since its something I haven't done yet I may end up doing it for fun.

 

[3dCase]

It is actually nothing special, just a frame mounted mini turbine and a very flexible lightweight hose. If you have something flimsey to print it blows it away
I am running it not higher then 60 at the moment but it responds really fast so its ideal for bridging and overhangs. It starts at the drop of a hat and is up to speed immediately.
When I do some more tuning I will speed the machine up gradually, then it will get handy.

 

[3dCase]

I am now the proud owner of V2.8058, and the printer celebrated with a layer shift

 

[NoGuru]

I am now the proud owner of V2.8058, and the printer celebrated with a layer shift

Well dam, at least you got your serial.

Layer shift...can be hot parts such as the motors or drivers.
Belt tension
speed and acceleration
loose mechanical part...which I doubt from you.

Check your motor currents for X and Y motors.
Maybe you will need additional cooling for your drivers. What drivers are you using?

 

[3dCase]

Well dam, at least you got your serial. Yeah its good to have the confirmation at least v2.8058 has a certain ring to it after all my troubles

Layer shift...can be hot parts such as the motors or drivers. Hot parts is almost a nono. I do not use the enclosure and my mainboard has two 60 mm noctuas constantly blowing over them. I say almost, because there is some wiring in the way so maybe the airflow gets disrupted. Having said that tthe Xand the Y motor drivers are the ones right next to the fans.
Belt tension I set the tension with a guitar tuning app to be at 110/120 hz at 150 mm.
speed and acceleration. Nothing changed from before and it is slow slow slow.
loose mechanical part...which I doubt from you. Thank you for your faith in me, I will buy you a beer

I do have an annoying rumble noise from the gantry when it moves at 45 degrees, and I cannot find why. It seems belt noise but it does not rub anywhere as I can see.

Check your motor currents for X and Y motors. TMC2209 running at 0.8A. I also checked my old cfg and it has always been the same.
Maybe you will need additional cooling for your drivers. What drivers are you using?

So IDK and I have resliced it and done additional checks with 200 mm digital calipers. the manual moves are spot on. We will see, printing it again now and keeping an eye on it now.

 

[NoGuru]

Rumble moving at a 45....Something is wrong, I have seen this before but my memory is not what it used to be.

Thinking about how you can test this. Maybe #out one full motor like X or Y. Get the Gantry someplace like 20 from Z and toolhead in the middle, then #out all the X config and try and send a movement command. write what happens and then do the same for Y.
I am not sure this is the best way to test but just an idea.

 

[3dCase]

The belts had slowly settled into an equilibrium which was far away from my settings when I built it, those tensions need a lot of movement before its equal everywhere. My initial 110 to 120 hz was now 130 to 145hz with one on the low and the other on the high. The gantry was slightly twisted because of it. Re adjusted them and the gantry straightened and most , if not all of those rumbling noises went away. Test print had no shifted layers so I take that as solved. Now all I need to do is ellis’s tuning sheet