I know there are at least five other posts about this same problem but I wanted to add to the “strength in numbers” about this being an inherent design problem. Maybe enough grassroots squawking will mandate a redesign?
Anyway, a quick summary for the as-yet-unaffected:
Green Screw connector for Extruder wires started getting hot and burned brown.
Tightened screw with mighty strength to ensure best possible connection.
Problem moved upstream to next weak point, the white cable shown above.
Printhead stops heating halfway through print. At least the below-170 cutoff kept the filament from grinding for 3 more hours.
Is there an unwritten-but-understood “pre-flight checklist” one should do before every print? Check all connections, tighten all screws, etc.? It sounds a bit “passing the buck” but with a kit vs. plug-and-play, who knows?
As the tolerances are very tight, any bad contact ends up with a burned connector. So it’s indeed important to tighten the screws and check the connectors for poor contact (a slightly bent connection is enough).
I have the printer for 2 years now and I’m printing several objects a day and never had the slightest issue with burned connectors.
Re-tightening the screws and checking the connectors from time to time can do no harm as the printer is vibrating a lot and you can end up with something getting loose.
I just received a note from Velleman that they are sending me replacement parts at no charge. I’m not sure if they are the same parts or improvements, but I’ll be sure to check the connections on a regular basis from now on!
