Extruder not working while loading filament

Vertex 3D Printer Vertex - Issues while printing
1

Hello,

I assembled the K8400 printer in the past few days. I followed all instructions carefully, and I am now stuck on page 5 of the “Using the printer” guide.

Everything went well so far: the printer head moves freely, and axes are parallel (‘move home’ command works perfectly). But I’m now having issues loading the filament (I use a single extruder, and standard Velleman PLA filament). The printer head and platform move like described in the manual, and temperatures are fine. The problem is filament is not being loaded (extruder motor not turning), and thus not extruded by the nozzle.

Things I tried / Observations:

  • the filament does not get stuck in the PTFE tube or clogged in the nozzle, as filament is being extruded when I push the filament through manually.
  • checked the voltage of the EXT1 driver board (the others as well), voltage is OK.
  • checked all wiring, and checked cable connections inside the connectors. All OK.
  • fiddled with the spring tension, didn’t help.
  • connected the Y-axis motor cable to EXT1 to verify if the stepper motor was working using the ‘Move Axis’ menu. The motor works.

Any ideas what may be the cause of the problem?

Thanks for your time.

2

Hi,

Swap the extruder stepper driver with another one and check if the extruder motor is now working. If it does then the stepper driver is faulty (it can happen even with correct voltage reference values).

3

Didn’t know that, thanks!

I will swap two boards and see if indeed the extruder one is faulty. If it is, I will ask for a replacement one at support.velleman.eu/.

4

Didn’t know that, thanks!

I will swap two boards and see if indeed the extruder one is faulty. If it is, I will ask for a replacement one at support.velleman.eu/.[/quote]

I guess you mounted your stepper driver 1.5A the wrong way… pls look at the picture and look at your board if you mounted it 180° the wrong way.