Maker Farm Inc.

Limited Warranty

1. Limited Warranty. Maker Farm Inc. (“MFI”) warrants to the original purchaser (the “Customer”) that the products purchased by Customer
from MFI (the “Products”) are free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of shipment to
Customer for Products, unless otherwise specified by MFI. MFI will accept returns of any non-clearance, unopened, unused and unassembled
item ordered directly from www.Makerfarm.com, after the warranty your purchase is final and no returns will be accepted. MFI charges a
restocking fee of 20% of the purchase price (price of product, excluding tax and shipping), and in addition the buyer must pay all shipping
charges (shipping charges on the initial purchase is not refundable). Once a kit has left our shop there is no way for us to know how it was
handled. Therefore, only unopened, unbuilt, kits that have no evidence of an attempted build or use will be refunded less the 20% restock fee.
Things like opened/unsealed plastic bags, any marks on the components, etc. Will result in no refund given on the kit. Should you purchase a
kit and begin to assemble it, you will not be able to return that kit for a refund.

2. MFI’s Obligation. The sole obligation of MFI, at its option and without charge, is to repair, replace, or refund the original purchase price paid
by Customer for, any Product or part, which MFI manufactures and which MFI agrees is defective. Repair parts or replacement Products may be
new, remanufactured, or refurbished, at the sole discretion of MFI. All returned parts or Products that are replaced become the property of MFI.

3. Transfer of Other Warranties. In the case of equipment and accessories not manufactured by MFI, if a warranty is extended by the
manufacturers thereof and transferable to Customer, MFI shall transfer such warranty to Customer.

4. Exclusions. MFI’s limited warranty provided herein does not cover: (i) normal wear and tear; (ii) transport damage; (iii) failure to follow
operation or maintenance instructions; (iv) Customer’s negligent modification (including painting or staining wood pieces), disassembly or
attempted repairs of the Product; (v) abuse, misuse or negligent acts; (vi) accidental or intentional damage; or (vii) cosmetic shortcomings which
do not influence Product function.

5. Disclaimers. unless expressly set forth in this limited warranty, MFI makes no warranty of any kind whatsoever, express or implied, with
respect to any products furnished hereunder. MFI expressly disclaims, where legally permitted to make such disclaimer, any warranties implied
by law, including but not limited to any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

6. Limitation of Damages. IN NO EVENT SHALL MFI BE LIABLE TO CUSTOMER FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS
OF USE, PROFITS, OR DOWN-TIME (HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER THE BASIS OF
LIABILITY IS BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY), STATUTE OR ANY OTHER
LEGAL THEORY), EVEN IF MFI HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. MFI’S TOTAL LIABLITY TO
CUSTOMER, FROM ALL CAUSES OF ACTION AND UNDER ALL THEORIES OF LIABILITY, WILL BE LIMITED TO THE
AMOUNTS PAID TO MFI BY CUSTOMER. THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF
ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY. THE REMEDIES UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY ARE CUSTOMER’S
SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES.

7. Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) Process for Defective Products.

7.1 A Return Merchandize Authorization (“RMA”) number must be obtained from MFI before Customer can return any Product to
MFI for warranty service. An MFI representative will gather the appropriate account and Product information and verify warranty status. MFI
must receive notification of the need for warranty service before the end of the applicable limited warranty period. The RMA number must be
included on the outside packaging of the returned Product. To obtain an RMA number, please contact MFI by email as follows:
elderfarrer@gmail.com

7.2 Any approved RMA should be considered provisional, based on verification of in-warranty status when the Product is received at
MFI. If MFI determines that the Product is out-of-warranty, Customer will be notified. At the Customer’s discretion, MFI will either scrap the
out-of-warranty Product or return it to Customer.

7.3 Customer is responsible for all shipping charges for RMAs to MFI, and MFI is responsible for all shipping charges to return the
Product or its replacement to the Customer.

7.4 MFI will typically not decide whether to repair, replace, or refund the purchase price for, any returned Product until the returned
Product is received at MFI and the warranty status is confirmed.

7.5 Under special circumstances, if the Customer would like to expedite the RMA process, MFI may agree from time to time to cross-
ship a replacement Product after the issuance of an RMA number but before receipt of the returned Product, but MFI shall not be obligated to do
so. Cross-ship orders require a valid credit card number or credit account to secure the MFI Product. The Customer’s credit card or credit
account will be credited if MFI receives the returned Product within fifteen (15) days of the date on which MFI ships the replacement Product,
and provided further that the returned Product was in-warranty.

8. Discontinuance of Products. Notwithstanding any language in this limited warranty to the contrary, MFI shall have the right to discontinue
the availability of any Product or components or replacement parts therefor, or to make design changes or improvements in the Products at any
time and such discontinuance or change shall not constitute a breach of warranty, or result in liability for MFI under any legal theory
whatsoever. MFI shall have no obligation to retrofit, change or improve Products purchased by Customer prior to the discontinuance or change.

9. Other Rights. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State, and
from Country to Country.

9.1 EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT LAWFULLY PERMITTED, THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT EXCLUDE, RESTICT OR
MODIFY STATUTORY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO WHERE THE PRODUCT IS SOLD, BUT RATHER IS IN ADDITION TO THESE
RIGHTS.
Page 2: Warranty information
Page 4: Information on Power Supply, Glass and Filament
Pages 5-6: Identification
Page 7: X Motor Assembly
Page 8: X Idler Assembly
Page 9: Y Idler Assembly
Page 10: Y Bed Assembly
Page 11: X Carriage Assembly
Page 12: Y Motor Assembly
Page 13: Frame Assembly
Page 14: X Axis Assembly
Page 15: Y Axis Assembly
Page 16: X Axis Installation
Page 17: LCD Assembly
Page 18: LCD Installation
Page 19: Z Motor Assembly
Page 20: Spool Holder Assembly
Page 21: Thermistor Assembly
Page 22: Heat Bed Installation
Page 23: Endstop Installation
Page 24: Extruder Assembly
Page 25: Hexagon Assembly
Page 26: Magma Assembly
Page 27: J-Head Assembly
Page 28: Extruder & Hot End Installation
Page 29: RAMPS Install / Wiring Diagram
Page 30: 12v Power Supply Wiring
Pages 31-33: ATX Power Supply Wiring
Pages 34-38: Software

Troubleshooting Section
Pages 39-42: Adjusting Stepper Driver Current
Page 42: LCD Menu
Page 43: Shifting Prints
Pages 44-45: Hot End Jamming/ Hobbed Bolt Chewing up filament
Page 46: Warping Prints
Pages 47-49: Driver Installation
Page 50:
1. Slow Heating Magma Hot End
2. MaxTemp Error
3. Slow Heating Heat Bed
4. Hot Motors
5. Extruder Motor isn’t turning
Page 51:
1. X, Y or Z moving the wrong direction when I press home
2. D9 not functioning
Page 52: Endstops not working / One axis only moves 10mm when I press home
 Laser Cut 8” i3v Prusa
This Guide has Hyper links, to use them please click File then Download and open the PDF
in your PDF Viewer, if you view the Guide online the Hyper links will not function

Thank you for purchasing the Laser Cut i3v Kit. To complete your build you will need a
couple other items.

Piece of Glass 215mm X 215mm then break the corners off to avoid hitting the bolt heads
(2.5mm to 3.5mm Thick, most hardware stores will cut it to the size you need, Inside the
USA Lowes or Home Depot)

Power Supply: http://www.staples.com/Antec-VP-450W-Power-Supply/product_928656 or

similar power supply (Your power supply will need to be able to output minimum 16amps at
12v) Or this power supply: http://openbuildspartstore.com/12v-30a-power-supply/
(Get the wire kit also)

You may also want some filament to print with after you have built your printer.
Makerfarm.com does sell filament and if you purchase it with your kit you will receive a
discount. If you want to purchase your filament somewhere else make sure you get high
quality filament, poor quality filament (Amazon and eBay) will jam and cause problems.

At any time if you have any questions feel free to e-mail or chat via google chat:
elderfarrer@gmail.com

Thanks,
Colin Farrer
Sales@MakerFarm.com
X Motor
Gather the following parts before watching the X Motor Video

1 Set of X Motor Wood parts (Pictured Below)

6 x M3x16mm M3 Bolts
6 x M3 Nylon Lock Nuts
3 x Derlin Idler’s (Black Circles)
6 x 625 Bearings
4 x M5 Washers
3 x M5x30mm Bolts
3 x M5 Nylon Locknuts
4 x M5x12mm Bolts
2 x Aluminum Standoff
1 x Eccentric Spacer

X Motor Assembly Video

X Idler
Gather the following parts before watching the X Idler Video

1 Set of X Idler Wood parts (Pictured Below)

2 x M3x16mm M3 Bolts
2 x M3 Nylon Lock Nuts
3 x Derlin Idler’s (Black Circles)
6 x 625 Bearings
2 x MR125 Bearings
6 x M5 Washers
4 x M5x30mm Bolts
3 x M5 Nylon Locknuts
1 x M5 Nut (Regular)
4 x M5x12mm Bolts
2 x Aluminum Standoff
1 x Eccentric Spacer

X Idler Assembly Video

Y Idler
Gather the following parts before watching the Y Idler Video

1 Set of Y Idler Wood parts (Pictured Below)

2 x M3x16mm M3 Bolts
2 x M3 Nuts
2 x MR125 Bearings
2 x M5 Washers
1 x M5x30mm Bolts
1 x M5 Nylon Locknuts

Y Idler Assembly Video

Y Bed
Gather the following parts before watching the Y Bed Video

1 Set of Y Bed Wood parts (Pictured Below)

1 x M3x25mm Bolts
1 x M3x16mm Bolt
2 x M3 Nylon Lock Nuts
4 x Derlin Idler’s (Black Circles)
8 x 625 Bearings
10 x M5 Washers
4 x M5x30mm Bolts
4 x M5 Nylon Locknuts
2 x Aluminum Standoff
2 x Eccentric Spacer

Y Bed Assembly Video

X Carriage
Gather the following parts before watching the X Carriage Video

1 Set of X Carriage Wood parts (Pictured Below)

8 x M3x16mm Bolt
10 x M3 Nuts
3 x Derlin Idler’s (Black Circles)
6 x 625 Bearings
4 x M5 Washers
3 x M5x30mm Bolts
3 x M5 Nylon Locknuts
2 x Aluminum Standoff
1 x Eccentric Spacer
1 x 30 inch (762mm) length of belt (30 inches is correct, it will look short until you
install the x axis on the printer)2 x Zip Ties. (You may need to move your X idler closer
to the X motor for the belt to fit)

X Carriage Assembly Video

Note: If you cut your belt to the wrong length you can purchase more belt here:
Y Motor
Gather the following parts before watching the Y Motor Video

1 Set of Y Motor Wood parts (Pictured Below)

4 x M3x16mm Bolt
4 x M3 Nuts
4 x M3x10mm Bolts
1 x Motor
1 x GT2 Gear
2 x Set Screw (for the gear M3x5mm grub)

Y Motor Assembly Video

Frame
Gather the following parts before watching the Frame Video

1 Set of Frame Wood parts (See Video)

16 x M3x16mm Bolt
12 x M3 Nuts
6 x M5x12mm Bolts
2 x Aluminum Extrusion
6 x M5 T-Nut

1 x Assembled Y Motor Assembly

Frame Assembly Video

X Axis Assembly
Gather the following parts before watching the X Axis Assembly Video

1 x Assembled X Idler
1 x Assembled X Motor
1 x Assembled X Carriage
15 x M5 T-Nut
2 x Aluminum Extrusion
7 x M5x12mm Bolt (1 will be used to install the endstop later)
4 x M3x10mm Bolts
1 x Motor
1 x GT2 Gear
2 x Set Screw (for the gear M3x5mm grub)

X Axis Assembly Video

Y Axis Assembly
Gather the following parts before watching the Y Axis Assembly Video

1 x Assembled Y Idler
1 x Partially Assembled Frame
1 x Assembled Y Bed
2 x Aluminum Extrusion
4 x M3x16mm Bolts
2 x M3x25mm Bolts
6 x M3 Nylon Lock Nuts
4 x M5x12mm Bolt
1 x 28 inch (711mm) length of belt
2 x Zip Ties

Y Axis Assembly Video

Note: If you cut your belt to the wrong length you can purchase more belt here:

http://www.makerfarm.com/index.php/hardware/1-foot-gt2-belt.html
X Axis Installation
Gather the following parts before watching the X Axis Assembly Video

1 x Assembled X Axis
1 x Partially Assembled Printer
4 x M5x12mm Bolt
2 x M5 T-Nut
2 x M3x16mm Bolts
2 x M3 Nuts

X Axis Installation Video

LCD Interface
Gather the following parts before watching the LCD Interface Video
4 x M3x16mm Bolt
2 x M3x10mm Bolt
2 x M3 nuts
4 x M3 Lock nuts
Ramps LCD Interface

LCD Interface Video

LCD Installation
Gather the following parts before watching the LCD Intstallation Video

1 x Assembled LCD interface

1 x Partially Assembled Printer
2 x M3x16mm Bolt
2 x M3 Nut

LCD Installation Video

Z Motor
Gather the following parts before watching the Z Motor Intstallation Video

1 x Partially Assembled Printer

2 x Motors
8 x M3x10mm Bolt
2 x Clear Tubing
2 x M5 Threaded Rods
2 x M5 Nut

Z Motor Video
Spool Holder
Gather the following parts before watching the Spool Holder Video

Set of Wood parts (Pictured Below)

2 x M3 Nuts
2 x M3x16mm Bolt
1 x M5x30mm Bolt

Spool Holder Video

Thermistor Build
Gather the following parts before watching the Thermistor Video

1 x Thermistor Packet
1 x Wire Packet
1 x Heat Shrink Tubing & High Temperature Sleeve Packet

Thermistor Video
Heat Bed installation
Gather the following parts before watching the Heat Bed Intstallation Video

1 x Partially Assembled Printer

1 x Assembled Thermistor
1 x Kapton Tape
1 x Heat Bed
1 x Nylon Spacer
3 x Bed Springs
4 x M3x25mm Bolt
4 x M3 Nylon Locknut
1 x Zip Tie
1 x Glass (See Page 2 of Build Guide)
4 x Binder Clips

Heat Bed installation Video

Endstop installation
Gather the following parts before watching the Endstop Intstallation Video

1 x Soldering iron and Solder

3 x Mechanical Switches
3 x Endstop Wires (Remove the red wire)
3 x Zip Tie
3 x Endsop Mounts (Wood pieces, see picture below)

Endstop installation Video

Micro Adjustable Z endstop Video

Kits purchased before October 9th 2014 will not

include the Micro Adjustable Z endstop, but you
can print it here: http://www.thingiverse.com/
thing:336665
For Endstops with the roller at the end install the x endstop the same as in the picture
below:
Extruder
Gather the following parts before watching the Extruder Video
1 x Extruder Printed Parts
1 x Extruder Hardware Bag

Extruder Video
Extruder Printed Parts Downloads
Small Gear.stl (Server 1) Small Gear.stl (Server 2)
Large Gear.stl (Server 1) Large Gear.slt (Server 2)
Extruder Block.stl (Server 1) Extruder Block.stl (Server 2)
Guidler.stl (Server 1) Guidler.stl (Server 2)

When you first build the extruder the gears will be tight and it may be difficult to install the 3 bolts holding
the motor, First install the bottom motor bolt, push up on the extruder block where the top motor bolt to
aligned it while installing the top bolt. After you use the extruder for a week or two the gears will mesh
better.
Hexagon Hot End
Gather the following parts before watching the Hot End Video
1 x Hexagon Hot End Kit
1 x Kapton Tape
1 x Assembled Extruder

Hexagon Hot End Video

Printed Fan Shroud Download

Hexagon Fan Shroud (Server 1)
Hexagon Fan Shroud (Server 2)
.40mm Magma Hot End
Gather the following parts before watching the Hot End Video
1 x Magma Hot End Kit
1 x Magma Accessory Bag
2 x M3x10mm bolts

Magma Hot End Video

.35mm or .50mm J-Head Hot End
Gather the following parts before watching the Hot End Video
1 x Hot End Kit

Newer versions of the Jhead include a Ceramic Heater, Watch the

Magma video on Page 26 to see how to install the Ceramic Heater.

Hot End Video

Extruder & Hot End Installation
Gather the following parts before watching the Extruder & Hot End Intstallation
Video

1 x Partially Assembled Printer

1 x Soldering Iron & Solder
1 x Assembled Extruder & Hot End
1 x Thermistor Wire
2 x M4x20mm Bolts
2 x M4 Nuts
2 x Zip Tie

Extruder & Hot End Installation Video

RAMPS Install
Gather the all your electronic parts before watching the RAMPS Setup Video

1 x Ramps Kit
1 x Partially Assembled Printer
3 x M3x25mm Bolts
3 x M3 Nylon Lock Nuts
Remaining Zip Ties

This diagram is a reference only, the colors of your wires may be different.

The Hexagon and Magma fan will be connected to

the Power supply, Not D9 as the fan needs to run
all the time.
RAMPS Install Video
Wiring your 12v Power Supply to your RAMPS

Gather the follow items, your Power Supply, the wiring kit you ordered with your
power supply, the RAMPS Electronics and Heat Bed Relay (Heat Bed Relay is
Optional on the 8” i3v).
The wires have been shortened in this picture to
better show how to wire them, you will wire your
power supply and electronics after they are both
installed on your printer to make sure they are
the correct lengths.

The Power supply will have 6 Power outputs, 3

of them labeled –V and 3 labeled +V. In the
picture all the –V wires have black on the ends.

Connect the 3 –V wires from the power supply to

the following, One to –on the 5amp Ramps
connection, One to –on the 11amps RAMPS
connection and one to J2 on the heat bed relay.

Connect the 3 +V wires from the power supply to

the following, One to +on the 5amp Ramps
connection, One to +on the 11amps RAMPS
connection and one to J1 on the heat bed relay.
Wiring an ATX Power Supply to your RAMPS

Your ATX Power supply should have one or two high current 2x2pin power connector
with Black and Yellow wires. Cut the 2x2 connectors off (This will void your Power
supply Warranty if you have one).
Strip some wire off of the wires you cut and install in the power connector as shown
below.

Notice that the wires are all

doubled up.

The connection closest to D10,

D9 and D8 is the 11amp
connection that requires more
current then the 5amp connecor. If
you don’t have two of these 2x2
connectiors use the one you do
have on the 11amp connetion
and use any other black and
yellow wires for the 5amp
connection.
Some Power supplies require a load on the 5v rail to keep the power
supply on, if your power supply shuts off after a while try following
the instructions here:

PUTTING A LOAD ON THE 5V RAIL: http://

brazenartifice.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/atx-power-supply-5v-load
-resistor-for-better-12v-regulation/
Downloads

-Test Gcode Server 1 Server 2 (Load on SD

Card before watching the initial tests video)
Your RAMPS electronics for your i3v will come
pre-loaded with the correct firmware for your
printer, but if you choose to change the firmware
you can watch the RAMPS Firmware Video -

-I3v Firmware Download: Server 1 Server 2

-Windows 8, 7 & XP Driver: Server 1 Server 2

-How to install an Unsigned driver in Win 8
Server 1 Server 2

-MAC OS X driver (Download Arduino 1.0.5)

-Pronterface Download
-Slic3r (Includes Slic3r Configs) Server 1 Server 2
-24mm Calibration Cube stl Server 1 Server 2
Initial Tests Video (This will show you how to configure the
endstops and level your bed)

Slic3r -

Slic3r Video

Now that we have the printer moving and calibrated we can slice
some 3d objects so they can be printed. Open slic3r then click
File and Load Config and browse to find the Config file you
downloaded earlier that matches your nozzle size. Next click
File, Quick Slice and select Hollow_Cube.stl .

Your Slic3r will now slice the stl into Gcode which we can copy
onto an SD Card and print directly from the LCD interface or we
can load the Gcode into Pronterface and print simply by Opening
Pronterface, connecting to the printer clicking Load File then
Print.

Your printer will then start heating up and once the hot end and
heat bed have reached the correct temperatures setup in the
Slic3r Config file it will start printing.

Note: if you upgrade your slic3r version to something other then

0.9.9 and if you don‘t use the slic3r configs on page 31 of this
guide you will have print problems.

i3V First Print Video

Using Pronterface (Optional)
Now that you have everything installed we will open pronterface
select the com port that your printer installed to and set the
speed to 250000 then click connect.
Next set your Speeds:

Now we are going to test our endstops and make sure the motors
are plugged in correctly. First click the button, your heat
bed should move forward and the bottom wood piece
holding the Linear Bearing should hit the switch causing the heat
bed to stop.
If your heat bed moves to the back of the printer instead you can
turn the power supply off, unplug your usb cable and flip the
connector around 180 degrees for the Y motor.

Once the Bed moves the correct direction you can adjust the Y
endstop until the nozzle is on the back edge of the Glass. For
the X and Z endstops there will be #6 bolts that will contact the
switch, you can turn the bolt clockwise and counter clockwise
until the correct home position has been reached.

Then repeat for the other axis using the buttons.

For the Z axis we want the nozzle to be about the thickness of a

sheet of paper away from the glass on both the right and left of
the heat bed, if the side opposite the switch is higher or lower you
can adjust the height by holding both the m5 threaded rods and
turning one.
Next heat up your hot end to about 225c by typing in 225 and
click set in the Heater Row, then to check your temperature click
the Check temp occasionally:

Once your hot end has reached 225c set your Extruder speed to
30 and click extrude.

If your filament gets pulled out of the hot end instead of pushing it
in then power off the printer and rotate the motor connector for
the Extruder Motor.
You should now be able to move your printer in all directions, but
your endstops will only be used when you click one of the home
buttons so don‘t keep telling your printer to go past that point.
Any questions please e-mail
elderfarrer@gmail.com or you can chat via
google chat (elderfarrer@gmail.com)
Thanks,
Maker Farm Inc
Adjusting the Stepper Drivers
Before attempting to adjust the Stepper Drivers be aware that it is very easy short or
damage the stepper drivers, if you accidentially touch the metal Multimeter Leads to
the wrong spots on the Stepper Driver.
The A4988 Stepper Drivers have already been assembled, calibrated and mounted to your RAMPS Board.
But it may be necessary to adjust them slightly if you are experiencing certain issues, such as missing steps
(when the print staggers in an Axial direction) or if you are experiencing extrusion consistency issues).
Either way the following is for your reference to help you understand how the stepper drivers affect the
printer.

There is a very fine line between too much current and too little current in relation to the accurate operation
of the stepper motor itself. We are going to set our stepper drivers to .39v, though you may need to set the
voltage to a lower value for the extruder to prevent it from getting to hot and warping the printed parts.

So now select DC Voltage on your Multimeter to two decimal places.

Step 2

With power connected and on and the stepper motors connected, locate the Vref Adjustment Pot
and looking at the stepper driver in the following orientation the 2nd pin in from the left along the
top row and measure the current by putting the ground probe on the 2nd pin from the left on the
top row and the positive probe on the adjustment pot, poke the probe into the pot until you get a
reading on your multimeter. Make sure you don’t slip and touch any of the other pins as this could
damage the stepper driver.
Step 3

Now we have a reading of the Vref voltage, it should be between 0.39 and 0.50v, if we wish to
adjust it we need to turn the pot slightly, if we turn it clockwise we’ll increase the current drawn
and anti clockwise we’ll reduce it. Use an insulated small slotted screwdriver to turn the pot
slightly.

Step 4

Now you have adjusted the pot slightly re-read the Vref voltage as in step 2 and you should see
the change in the Vref from the adjustment you made, now you should have a feel for the amount
of change in Vref in relation to the degree change of the pot.

You should notice a physical change in the behaviour of the stepper motor as the Vref is
manipulated, when it is too low the stepper motor will make a noise and vibrate as if it were
moving but it will fail to move or move accuratley, if the Vref and hence current is too high the
stepper motor will move in jerky overly highly torquey manner ( it will seem unnecessarily powerful
for the printer) and after a certain point the motor won’t move again and will vibrate and get very
hot.

Depending upon which motors are being used more heavily when printing will depict how warm/
hot they get along with their respective heat sinks on the stepper drivers, so for example the
Extruder stepper may well be considerably hotter than the z axis stepper motor as it is doing
considerably more work
Using the LCD interface

The LCD interface will have a Rotary Knob, if you

turn the knob at the main screen you can change
the feed rate or speed at which the printer prints.
If you push the rotary knob you can enter menus
and select options.

See Menu Structure Below:

Troubleshooting:
My Prints are shifting during the printing process.

Typically when you print shifts to one side it due to one of a few different things.

Lose belts or belts that are too tight.

Mechanical binding, if your print head hits something during a print it can shift, or if
your rods need to be cleaned and oiled there may be to much friction and your print
can shift (you should wipe down and re-oil your smooth rods at least once a month).

Not enough Current. Each axis has a potentiometer on the electronics, if you turn it
clockwise 1/8th a turn it will give your more current and more power to prevent
shifting prints.

To much current, If your motors get to much current they can get very hot which can
cause the motors to skip, you can turn your potentiometer for that axis counter
clockwise 1/8th a turn to test.

Make sure you have the latest firmware: to check your firmware connect your printer
to pronterface, in the box on the right of the pronterface screen you will see the
firmware date, currently the latest is 8-15-13 which can be downloaded from the link
in the i3 guide.

Last is Speed, if your printer is going to fast or your slic3r settings have fast
acceleration it can cause your print to shift, to test you can lower all your speeds in
slic3r.
Troubleshooting:
My hobbed bolt is chewing up the filament
First is we want to check out speeds for pronterface and for Slic3r, for pronterface make sure the
extruder speed is set to 30mm/min (to the right of the Reverse button) for Slic3r make sure you use
the Slic3r config file from page 31 of this guide and make sure you have slic3r version 0.9.9, if you
upgrade past 0.9.9 you will have print issues.

Next look at your extruder, we want to make sure the idler bearing turns freely when not in contact
with the filament or hobbed bolt. If the idler bearing does not turn freely check to make sure it isn't
rubbing on the hinge part of the extruder block, also make sure the bearing isn't hitting plastic inside
the extruder idler.

Next is Temperature, for Jhead hot ends ABS use 225c, for PLA use around 205c. For the Hexagon
ABS use 250c and PLA use 225c. If you are using PLA you may also need a fan to blow on the
black peek plastic part of the jhead hot end to prevent heat from building up causing jams, for the
Magma PLA is not supported.

Next is the print material used, ABS is the easiest material to print with, I would recommend
everyone start out with ABS to get you printing, after that you can experiment with other materials
that take more effort to get printing. Also make sure you have good quality filament from a good
source, there are many places that sell sub par filament that won't work and just cause problems. I
would recommend using Makerfarm, Ultimachine or Makerbot filament as they are all known good
sources, you can measure your filament and make sure its 3mm, if its above 3mm it can cause issues
and jams, cheap filament also usually has debris in the filament which will cause jams and other
issues.

Next if your X axis isn't level this can cause your nozzle to have to much back pressure. If you tell
your printer to home the nozzle should end up in the back right corner of the heat bed glass. If you
now move the nozzle to the left side of the printer check to see if the nozzle moves farther away
from the glass or if it moves closer to the glass, if either happens then you will want to hold both of
the 5mm threaded rods attached to the Z motors and turn the left one until the nozzle is the same
height away from the glass on the left side as it was on the right side. If you upgrade your slic3r or
are not using the slic3r config on page 31 of this guide your Z Motor can easily get out of calibrate
causing this issue.

Next check your spring tension, if the springs are to loose there won't be enough grip on the
filament, if the springs are to tight the filament will be squished causing it to be oval instead of
cylindrical which will cause it to jam also. You should be able to pull back on the Extruder Idler
with your thumb to pull out or put in new filament, if you can't pull out the filament your springs are
to tight.

Last if there is something physically blocking the nozzle it can cause the same problem, if you have
a .50mm or .40mm nozzle you can straighten out part of a pen spring, then when the hot end is at
temp for your filament you can push the spring up into the tip of the nozzle, then set your
pronterface speed to 10mm/min and extrude to see if that unclogged the nozzle. If that doesnt work
you will want to separate your hot end from the extruder, then when the hot end is at temp push in a
alan wrench or screw driver that is 3mm into the hot end while holding onto the hot end mounting
plate, this should force out any filament in the hot end clearing out any debris.
Troubleshooting:
My hobbed bolt is chewing up the filament (Continued)
When printing with ABS or PLA with Hexagon or Magma hot end may benefit from you
“Seasoning” the hot end from time to time.

Seasoning - the internal surfaces of the hot end with cooking oil. This might sound crazy but, it work
first hand with the Hexagon and Magma hot end. PLA is a sugar and molten sugars stick to bare
metal like stainless steel, in the kitchen you prevent this by creating an oily patina on the metal
surface by baking a thin layer of oil onto the surface. There’s some science to this but we won’t go
into it here. Simply dip the end of a piece of PLA (10mm or so) in canola oil or something similar,
heat the hot end to about 180 degrees and insert the oily PLA into the hot end, press it through with
you fingers until it exits the nozzle then extract the oily PLA, then push 50mm of un-oiled PLA
through. Repeat this as many times as you like, I had success just doing it once. The hot end will fizz
and pop while you are doing this as you are effectively frying the PLA, for me it smelt strongly of
cooking donuts This is why you need to push an unoiled piece through to purge any excess oil.
Troubleshooting:
My ABS prints warp or come off the glass before finished printing.

Warping is caused because the edges of your print cool faster then the center of the
print which causes them to shrink. There are a few things that can be done to help
minimize or prevent this warping.

1. Make sure your first layer

print is squished to the glass, if
you look at the bottom of your
print (side in contact with the
glass) you should not easily be
able to see the lines of filament,
if it looks like the left picture try
lowering your nozzle a little till
your print looks the right photo.

2. Make sure your heat bed is at the proper temperature, For RAMPS electronics and
ABS you will want your heat bed as close to 110c as possible, the high temperature
helps keep the ABS stuck to the bed. If you have a hard time getting your heat bed up
to 110c you may want to add a Heat Bed Relay

3. Next we need to make sure we have a good printing surface, on top of your heat
bed you should have a piece of glass, for ABS and PLA it is recommended to spray
your glass with this hairspray: walmart.com/ip/Fructis-Style-Extreme-Hold-Extreme-
Control-Anti-Humidity-Aerosol-Hairspray-8.25-oz/19200744, this is the one we use
in our botfarm and not all hairspray's are created equal, if you can get the Garnier
Fructis Extreme #5 the make sure you use it. When you apply the hair spray to the
glass it should take you about 3 or 4 seconds to spray the whole bed. If your prints
stop sticking you can spray it again on top of the last layer. After a few layers you
will want to wash your glass off under some hot water before applying a fresh
layer. You can also cover your glass with Kapton tape, you will want to get as wide of
a roll of kapton tape as possible, if your print is on top of any seam of two pieces of
kapton tape meeting the print will not stick, also you will want to clean your kapton
tape with acetone to prevent oils from the kapton tape to help the print to stick. You
may also want to research ABS glue.

4. Environment - if you are in a cold room or a room with moving air that can make
your print warp also. Sometime people will have an enclosure to keep their printer in
a hot environment though most of the time this isn't needed.

5. Adding mouse ears or a raft to your print can help with warping: http://
www.makerbot.com/blog/2011/02/25/mouse-ears-defeat-corner-curling-monster/, raft
settings are in slic3r Print settings tab under Support Material. You may also want to
play with the skirt function and add multiple layers as a wall to keep the heat in.
Troubleshooting:
My computer didn’t install the printer on a com port.

If windows doesn’t setup you printer on a com port most likely the driver hasn’t been
installed yet. For windows xp and windows 7 you will first want to download the
"Windows 7 & XP Driver & Firmware for i3 Prusa" link in the i3 guide on page
21, After you have downloaded that you will unzip the zip you downloaded and you
should have a firmware called RAMPS with a few sub folders, in the ramps folder
there will be a file called "Arduino MEGA 2560.inf" that will be the driver for your
ramps board. To install it you will plug in your ramps, if it comes up and asks for the
driver you will point it to the file called "Arduino MEGA 2560.inf", if it doesn't ask
for the driver open your control panel and device manager, you should see a device
with an ! by it that says something like "Taurino Mega" or “Arduino Mega 2560”,

if you double click on that device and goto the driver tab, you can click on update
driver,
Troubleshooting:

at that point you will click “Browse my computer for driver software” point to
the folder that contains the file called "Arduino MEGA 2560.inf, and click next.

If you get this message just click “Install this driver software anyway”
Troubleshooting:

it should install the driver, now you can click close.

After that it will show up under your ports in the device manager.

If that doesnt work you may try to carefullly remove the Arduino Mega from the
RAMPS (the Arduino Mega has the USB plug and is the back board)
Troubleshooting:

My Magma is taking a long time to reach 225c to print ABS.

The Magma requires a fan to run all the time, this can also cause problems getting
your hot end up to correct temperature. Here are a few things that can help.
1. Wrap your brass nozzle with a few layers of kapton tape to insulate the
thermistor.
2. Print a fan Shroud: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:147033
3. Flip your fan aroudn so it pulls air instead of blowing, you may need longer bolts
to do this.

My Magma gets a MAXTEMP error when I go above 235c.

By default the firmware’s Max temp is set to 235c, if you have a jhead and go over
that temperature the hot end will melt down. For the magma though we can increase
the max temp, all you need to do is download the Magma Firmware: MAGMA
FIRMWARE DOWNLOAD Then follow the firmware video on page 21.

My Heat Bed is taking a long time to reach 110c to print ABS.

The Heat bed can sometime be difficult to get up to correct temperature. Here are a
few things that can help.
1. Install Insulation under the heat bed, Any high temperature and flame proof
insulation will work, I have heard of reports of people using a few sheets of
Cardboard, if you do use Cardboard use it at your own risk and be careful as it is
flammable.
2. Make sure your heat bed is getting enough current, your power supply will need
to output a minimum of 11amps on the 12v rail. If you are not using an ATX
power supply your power supply may not be able to output what it is actually
rated at.
3. If you are in a cold room or a room with moving air that can cause your heat bed
to cool faster then it can heat.
4. If you have a hard time getting your heat bed up to 110c you may want to add a
Heat Bed Relay

My Motors are getting hot

It is normal for your motors to get hot enough that you won’t want to touch them.
They will run fine at this temperature, but if the extruder motor gets to hot it can
soften the printed pieces, if you feel your extruder motor is getting to hot you can turn
the potentiometer on the extruder stepper driver counter clockwise 1/16th or 1/32nd of
a turn.

My Extruder motor isn’t turning

The firmware is setup to prevent the extruder motor from turning if the hot end
temperature is below 175c, this protects the hot end and extruder from damage.
Troubleshooting:

My X, Y or Z motor is moving the wrong direction when I press home.

If this happens the motor that moves the wrong direction is plugged in backwards, all
you need to do is unplug the power and usb cables (to prevent damaging the stepper
drivers) then unplug the stepper motor and flip the connector around.

D9 on my RAMPS isn’t working when I turn the fan on

D9 can be used if you wish to have a fan blowing on your printed part to help PLA
cool faster. D9 should not be used to cool the hot end if you have a Magma, Hexagon
or Jhead hot end. To use D9 you will need to change your firmware, in the
confuration.h page change the motherboard to 33.
Troubleshooting:
My endstops aren’t working properly

The first thing we need to do is make sure the endstops are wired correctly and plugged into
the electronics in the correct place, see page 17 for the wiring diagram. NOTE: the Blue
wires should all be connected to the S Row, the Black wires connected to the - Row and the
+ Row will not be connected to a wire. NC on the switch should be connected to the Blue
wire, C should be connected to the Black wire and NO will not be used.

Next we will check to see if they are working, to do this start pronterface and
connect to your printer, in the bottom right corner of the screen you will see a
text box and send button. Make sure none of your Endstops are triggered then
type M119 in the Text box and Click the Send button, in your box above the send
button you should see something like picture P1.

Next move your heat bed all the way to the front so it triggers the Y endstop, type
M119 in the box and click send, you should see something like P2. If it doesn’t
look like P2 double check the wiring of your Y endstop on page 17.

Next move your Hot end all the way to the right so the X endstop is triggered,
type M119 in the box and click send, you should now see somthing like P3. If it
doesn’t look like P3 double check the wiring of your X endstop on page 17.

Next we will check to see if your Z endstop works, you can either manually
press your Z endstop switch or turn your Z motors until they hit the Z endstop.
Type M119 in the box and click send, you should now see somehting like P4. If
it doesn’t look like P4 double check the wiring of your Z endstop on page 17.

If any of your endstops went from Open to triggered in the Z_Max, Y_Max or X_Max make
sure you have that endstop plugged into the correct spot on the RAMPS. If you had one
endstop not do anything you can plug it into another spot then run the M119 command again
to see if it works, if it still doesn’t plug a known working endstop into the original port that
wasn’t working, if the known good endstop works we know we have a problem with the
endstop or its wiring, if the known good endstop doesn’t work please contact Maker Farm
for more instructions.

Also the endstops will only work when you press the Home button for all Axis or for each
individual axis, if you press the + or - the firmware is set to not use the endstops.