Purchased the k8200 on Friday and finally was able to do my first print today. I had trouble adjusting the motor drivers at first, but was able to get them all around .550-.554vDC. I had spent rest of the day reading post on here on improving the printer. I think for now I am interested in upgrading the hotend, I just don’t know which one I need direct or bowden. Here is the link I was looking at.
e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Full-Kit
I think I need the 12v version.
Thank you kindly,
TaurusSilver03
I recently switched to an E3D V6 3mm direct hotend.
Works great! Way better accuracy, especially with extrusion rate and retract.
I already made a reworked mount for the Velleman extruder to print flex materials.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:548827
Take a look at it, if you want.
Thank you. I can’t wait to try it out once I receive the new hotend.
The direct drive extruder is the best choice for this printer, because, the bowden design is meant for other printer designs that need to keep the hotend light weight, because it is moving around on the X and Y axis, for printers like the makerbot replicator. The K8200 doesn’t need a lightweight hotend, because it only moves on the z axis, slowly, so it can enjoy the advantages of the direct drive, namely a short path from the extruder (that is pushing the filament) to the hotend.
Flexible filaments, like ninjaflex, need a direct drive extruder, because it tends to get hung up in the filament tube in bowden designs.
The geared reduction on the stock K8200 extruder is good too, because it greatly increases the torque the stepper motor can deliver to the hobbed bolt trying to shove the filament into the hotend.
Hi!
I just received the K8200 as a Christmas gift from my wonderful wife (thanks Kimberly)!
I just finished the build, setup, and calibration.
I will probably upgrade a few things on it after reading all these posts, but I want to get comfortable with the basic kit as is.
May the FORCE be with you and have a magical day!
MagicBill
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]I recently switched to an E3D V6 3mm direct hotend.
Works great! Way better accuracy, especially with extrusion rate and retract.
I already made a reworked mount for the Velleman extruder to print flex materials.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:548827
Take a look at it, if you want.[/quote]
Hello! Just had my stock extruder break at the nylon threads. Was fooling with ninjaflex and upgraded parts then…
So I don’t understand the best option for fitting an E3D V6 3mm direct hotend to the K8200? Did you have to make parts, changes to the wiring, etc?
Well, if you use my part, you simply switch the main plastic part of the stock extruder for my mount.
No additional modifications needed.
There are also some other mounting options out on thingiverse and here on the forum.
Especially the mount Kuraasu made. That’s the part i actually used first before i made the modified part for flex filaments.
That works great also.
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]Well, if you use my part, you simply switch the main plastic part of the stock extruder for my mount.
No additional modifications needed.
There are also some other mounting options out on thingiverse and here on the forum.
Especially the mount Kuraasu made. That’s the part i actually used first before i made the modified part for flex filaments.
That works great also.[/quote]
OK Thank you! The link to thingiverse was not working when I posted for some reason. I was assuming that you mounted the E3 Hot end AND converted setup to direct drive! So no modifications - meaning that you bought which version of the Hot End? I assume I would I be needing the: v6 HotEnd Full Kit - 3.00mm Bowden (12v) http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Full-Kit/v6-3mm-Bowden to work with your STL files? I didn’t know if it was advantageous to goto a 24V then would that include all sorts of crazy modifications…to board/firmware?
Let me know!
BTW - how much of an improvement did you see over the stock extruder on the K8200? Is it night and day? If so, in what properties?
Thank you very much for your time!
Have a look at my part here : thingiverse.com/thing:548827
It replaces the inner part of the stock k8200 extruder.
To mount the E3D V6/V5 (the 3mm direct, NOT the bowden version) or even other “groove mount” hotends simply slide it into
the slot at the bottom (right side in the picture) of the part and secure it in place with the cap.
The E3d V6 IMHO was the best upgrade i ever made.
It gives you way more precise extrusion, offers several different nozzle sizes,
and producs almost no blobbing and stringing if setup properly.
Also it has the ability to print higher temp materials, like nylon, as it is a full metal Hotend.
Just to clarify :
There is [color=#BF0000]NO[/color] option to run the [color=#BF0000]Controller[/color] of the K8200 on 24V.
But it prove a good idea to run the [color=#BF0000]heatbed[/color] from a [color=#BF0000]second 24V supply with a relay circuit or power expander[/color].
The heatbed then heats up way faster and can also reach 100°c easily, so you can print ABS reliable.
cheers,
Christian
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]Have a look at my part here : thingiverse.com/thing:548827
It replaces the inner part of the stock k8200 extruder.
To mount the E3D V6/V5 (the 3mm direct, NOT the bowden version) or even other “groove mount” hotends simply slide it into
the slot at the bottom (right side in the picture) of the part and secure it in place with the cap.
The E3d V6 IMHO was the best upgrade i ever made.
It gives you way more precise extrusion, offers several different nozzle sizes,
and producs almost no blobbing and stringing if setup properly.
Also it has the ability to print higher temp materials, like nylon, as it is a full metal Hotend.
Just to clarify :
There is [color=#BF0000]NO[/color] option to run the [color=#BF0000]Controller[/color] of the K8200 on 24V.
But it prove a good idea to run the [color=#BF0000]heatbed[/color] from a [color=#BF0000]second 24V supply with a relay circuit or power expander[/color].
The heatbed then heats up way faster and can also reach 100°c easily, so you can print ABS reliable.
cheers,
Christian[/quote]
OK - thank you very much. Finally got new extruder installed and semi working well. I had to go back to basics with the extrusion width and layer height.
I really do agree with you in that this thing is much much better than the stock extruder. But always remembering this is a kit and these are relatively easy upgrades makes the printer so nice!
I have a question on your suggestion to supply 24V to the bed. Do you use the output from the stock board to kick a relay which then sends the 24v from another supply? If so, does it click back and forth as needed to heat, but not overheat to your setting?
Another silly question - but how the hell do you ever get ABS to print? Is it really so dependent on the bed temp and do you practically need a heated enclosure to print anything bigger than a few centimeters???
Thanks for your feedback and looking forward to playing with the huge nozzles and print speeds with the included “Volcano” nozzle I bought with the kit 
Yes, i use a relay circuit to control the 24V for the heated bed.
It is basically a cheap relay i salvaged from some junk electrinics i had lying around.
The input (coil side) is connected to the Heatbed output of the controller over a current limiting resistor
to reduce the current flow to the specs of the relay coil. I also fitted a reverse (flyback) diode over the coil
terminals to prevent the board electronics from damage through voltage spikes, cause by the switching relay coil.
ABS is alsolutely unpritable without a Heated bed with at lest 80°C bettrer around 100.
This is simply impossible with the stock heatbed of the k8200 on 15V.
It is also a good idea to use a glass plate on the heated bed, for better adhesion.
A heated enclosure is not absolutely necessary for printing ABS, but on large parts even the slightest
flow of air blowing across the heatbed can cause a part to warp heavily and lose bed adhesion.
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]Yes, i use a relay circuit to control the 24V for the heated bed.
It is basically a cheap relay i salvaged from some junk electrinics i had lying around.
The input (coil side) is connected to the Heatbed output of the controller over a current limiting resistor
to reduce the current flow to the specs of the relay coil. I also fitted a reverse (flyback) diode over the coil
terminals to prevent the board electronics from damage through voltage spikes, cause by the switching relay coil.
ABS is alsolutely unpritable without a Heated bed with at lest 80°C bettrer around 100.
This is simply impossible with the stock heatbed of the k8200 on 15V.
It is also a good idea to use a glass plate on the heated bed, for better adhesion.
A heated enclosure is not absolutely necessary for printing ABS, but on large parts even the slightest
flow of air blowing across the heatbed can cause a part to warp heavily and lose bed adhesion.[/quote]\
OK Thank you - you confirmed some things I have been wondering for a while!!!
I’m sure I have a relay or something laying around as well. I am already setup and have been using glass so good there.
Would you be able to show me a simple circuit for the setup to the relay / 24v supply? I’m confused as the output from the board is a 4 contact to the board heater. I know a pair is not sending temp since thru the Therm connection.
What did you use for a 24V supply? I can see where it may need more current than some smaller power supplies.
So really all needed:
• 1 Relay 12V coil
• 1 24V power supply (I looked around http://www.trcelectronics.com/24-volt-power-supplies-external-1.shtml
• 1 current limiting resistor (I’m not understanding how that works - same as a regular resistor but rated for ____)
• 1 reverse (flyback) diode over the coil terminals - please show me if possible in a simple schematic
• …and wire
I’m really appreciative of your help. It’s nice to have the community support!
Here is a little hookup guide :
The diode (D1) protetcts the Mosfet on the Controller board from voltage spikes generated by the relay coil.
The resistor (R1) limits the current that flows to the relay coil, to prevent damage.
You need to calculate the needed value based on the rated current of your relay coil and the 15V output of the Heatbed output.
For example if your relay coil draws 30mA : R=U/I 15V/0.03A=500Ohm
For the Power supply use one that can deliver at least 5A at 24V.
Also make sure The relay can take the current drwan by the Heatbed. (about 4.5A at 24V for the stock k8200 Heatbed)
cheers,
Christian
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]Here is a little hookup guide :
The diode (D1) protetcts the Mosfet on the Controller board from voltage spikes generated by the relay coil.
The resistor (R1) limits the current that flows to the relay coil, to prevent damage.
You need to calculate the needed value based on the rated current of your relay coil and the 15V output of the Heatbed output.
For example if your relay coil draws 30mA : R=U/I 15V/0.03A=500Ohm
For the Power supply use one that can deliver at least 5A at 24V.
Also make sure The relay can take the current drwan by the Heatbed. (about 4.5A at 24V for the stock k8200 Heatbed)
cheers,
Christian[/quote]
Hi Christian,
Thank you for the help. I definitely understand what you’re doing just am not enough into electronics to be sure on some of the “simple principles”
I hope that I can make this work and start with the bed heated better before I start emailing E3D because I can’t get extrusion to work to any degree of consistency.
What typ. temp C do you run your bed for PLA/ABS? I have glass on bed as well.
To pint PLA i use 60-70°c and for ABS 90-100°C.
Depends a little on the printed part and lots on the filament.
It is always a good idea to clean the Heatbed (glass plate) with glass cleaner or alcohol before each print.
For tricky parts i use glue stick or Hairspray to get better adhesion.
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]To pint PLA i use 60-70°c and for ABS 90-100°C.
Depends a little on the printed part and lots on the filament.
It is always a good idea to clean the Heatbed (glass plate) with glass cleaner or alcohol before each print.
For tricky parts i use glue stick or Hairspray to get better adhesion.[/quote]
OK Cool - I’m trying to get back to just being able to print consistently and have a good baseline. I ordered all I needed for power supply, relay, etc. so I should be good there when I can get a chance to swap over to the 24V.
When you print abs, is the bed temp really the main thing needed besides obviously extruder temp and have running in a stagnant air area. I seem to see alot of people able to print in ABS w/o needing an enclosure.
I tried printing a good guide to get ninjaflex in the mix too, but it warped like crazy and stuck to the raft (unheated bed on Micro3D small printer I have too)
Thanks again for all of the help!
[quote=“ichbinsnur”]Have a look at my part here : thingiverse.com/thing:548827
It replaces the inner part of the stock k8200 extruder.
To mount the E3D V6/V5 (the 3mm direct, NOT the bowden version) or even other “groove mount” hotends simply slide it into
the slot at the bottom (right side in the picture) of the part and secure it in place with the cap.
The E3d V6 IMHO was the best upgrade i ever made.
It gives you way more precise extrusion, offers several different nozzle sizes,
and producs almost no blobbing and stringing if setup properly.
Also it has the ability to print higher temp materials, like nylon, as it is a full metal Hotend.
Just to clarify :
There is [color=#BF0000]NO[/color] option to run the [color=#BF0000]Controller[/color] of the K8200 on 24V.
But it prove a good idea to run the [color=#BF0000]heatbed[/color] from a [color=#BF0000]second 24V supply with a relay circuit or power expander[/color].
The heatbed then heats up way faster and can also reach 100°c easily, so you can print ABS reliable.
cheers,
Christian[/quote]
So now I’ve come full circle and can’t wait to try to print out your mount. I have spent enough time on this thing to rebuild in my sleep so I see the great idea you had combining the E3D mount with the ninjaflex extended guide up to the drive bolt.
There is definitely something addicitive to being able to print / tear down then use something you made yourself
Did you try 1,75 mm with http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:819504 and 3mm http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:744255
New and good mod
Let me know
If i switch to a 1.75mm hotend i will definately try that.
[quote=“Meximelt”][quote=“ichbinsnur”]Have a look at my part here : thingiverse.com/thing:548827
It replaces the inner part of the stock k8200 extruder.
To mount the E3D V6/V5 (the 3mm direct, NOT the bowden version) or even other “groove mount” hotends simply slide it into
the slot at the bottom (right side in the picture) of the part and secure it in place with the cap.
The E3d V6 IMHO was the best upgrade i ever made.
It gives you way more precise extrusion, offers several different nozzle sizes,
and producs almost no blobbing and stringing if setup properly.
Also it has the ability to print higher temp materials, like nylon, as it is a full metal Hotend.
Just to clarify :
There is [color=#BF0000]NO[/color] option to run the [color=#BF0000]Controller[/color] of the K8200 on 24V.
But it prove a good idea to run the [color=#BF0000]heatbed[/color] from a [color=#BF0000]second 24V supply with a relay circuit or power expander[/color].
The heatbed then heats up way faster and can also reach 100°c easily, so you can print ABS reliable.
cheers,
Christian[/quote]
So now I’ve come full circle and can’t wait to try to print out your mount. I have spent enough time on this thing to rebuild in my sleep so I see the great idea you had combining the E3D mount with the ninjaflex extended guide up to the drive bolt.
There is definitely something addicitive to being able to print / tear down then use something you made yourself :-)[/quote]
Christian,
When extruding new E3D, large footprint thin parts, extruder starts to SLIP/lose prime, whatever.
I have retraction set to 0.5mm in simplify3d and was working,
but do you personally use any retraction with the E3D v6?
Or am I missing something else important?
I read somewhere re: jams that sometimes the bearing is pushing Too Hard on the filament prior to the hot end.
I make 7 half turns usually to load my spring.
Would appreciate knowing your experience on this! Thanks again for the board/schematic layout. I have all parts in hand now and will be at 24V on the bed soon hopefully!
See some pic related to my aborted print & extruder snapshots here: (Yes, there was not a big green blob on the nozzle while printing https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4bk7243a2xc0jpz/AAB7IEEKzrbeETOaMlq8h0i0a?dl=0