A tale of 2 Creality printers

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dale_z28
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3D Printer(s): Creality CR10s and Ender 3 pro

A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by dale_z28 »

I'll try to keep this short and to the point. I have an Ender 3 Pro that I received as a Christmas gift (2019). Almost immediately I wanted a second printer, and found a used CR10s on FB marketplace. I'm not sure what changes were made to that printer - if any - but I'm curious why the 2 printers differ in print quality. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying them both and other than the typical learning curve/growing pains have been successful in making many things, most notably all the pieces to assemble a MPCNC. But I digress.

My goal, with this first post, is to upgrade my Ender3Pro to utilize the filament (break) sensor that the CR10s has, and in the process possibly "see inside" the 2 printers and understand why the CR10s prints with less quality. Although I am an electronics technician and electrician, I am much more comfortable with the mechanical aspects of machines. I have the "pin 27" adapter and the sensor to make the upgrade, but I balk at the firmware changes required to do this (and how). My main fear is losing or altering the 'program' in the Ender 3pro while installing the sensor.

Is there a way to 'view' the firmware on both printers so I can compare them? Ultimately, I would like the CR10s to print with the same degree of quality as the E3P, and have the filament sensor feature in the E3P like the CR10s has. Is this possible? Am I asking too much?

I think I need a 3D printing tutor!
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LePaul
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by LePaul »

Hi Dale

I have 3 CR-10S machines and a CR-10S Pro v2. I don't have any Ender machine

But the first thing I would compare is the stepper drivers and control board. Your Ender probably has a more modern board.

However, like most open source machines, you can really do some tweaks to improve things.
It could be the firmware settings, like acceleration, jerk, belt tightness and several other machine issues.
It could also be the slicer settings.
Can you offer a print you have done on each machine to compare and examine for differences?

You should be able to locate the stock firmware from Creality's website for both machines. It will be harder to figure out what's on the used machine, unless it is on the SD card that came with the machine?

I go through this battle on my machines all the time. I'm up to 18 now (I know, don't send the men with white jackets!)

For what its worth...

Any new machine I get I do the esteps calibration (https://mattshub.com/blogs/blog/extruder-calibration) I do this with some basic PLA, nothing fancy at this point.

After that, I try to figure out the sweet spot for the material I have loaded. Its amazing how many basic print quality issues happen when people guess and the temperature they should print with.

https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#temp

Next up, with whatever filament I am going to use....and I do this with every new material, even same material with a different color...extrusion multipler/flow rate

https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#flow

With those 3 steps done, I can then jump into creating a slicer profile for the machine. More test prints and fine tuning settings. BUT...with those basics done, its more a task of fine tuning your slicer
dale_z28
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by dale_z28 »

Thanks for the speedy response! I've done the e-step calibrations and flow rate checks on both machines, and I use the original slicer from Creality that came with the Ender. It has served me well, so I haven't seen the need to change (yet). The Creality slicer (an early version of Cura, from what I understand) has both machines listed so when I slice a .stl I simply choose which machine and - as far as I know - it's a matter of (the slicer) centering the part on the buildplate (since the CR10s is larger). There may be more involved when I select a machine than what I'm aware of...

I haven't gone to great lengths to "optimize" my print quality on either machine, but they're both more than adequate for my needs at this point. Its just that if I take the same g-code and run it on whichever machine (even when I don't tell the slicer which machine I'm going to use), the prints come out different. The CR10s part is more porous, and for some reason the sides of a print - if straight and vertical - will peel away slightly and need to be glued back together. I'm learning to compensate by slicing with an increased part thickness or print quality setting, so it's more of a curiosity than a need-to-know.

I've always used 3DSolutech PLA, but in different colors. I've never printed a temp-tower, so I could see where that might be helpful. I usually run 210 nozzle and 60 bed, I know how to level the bed and seldom need to touch it. I think I've overcome most issues common to new users, I just hate to compromise my ender while trying to get the benefit of the filament sensor while changing firmware. Thus my desire to see what I have in both machines without uploading anything.

In past jobs I worked with PLC's (Allen Bradley) and I have a very basic knowledge of the RSLogix software. I used to connect to a SLC-500 or other PLC controller and watch the program as it ran - or step thru it manually, ie. ladder logic and rungs.... I barely know Marlin (just enough to load it into the arduino boards I will someday use on my MPCNC).

Both of my printers are working too well for me to disturb them, yet I've got questions...
dale_z28
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by dale_z28 »

I can't see what drivers are on the boards
Attachments
Ender 3Pro mainboard Creality3D V1.1.4
Ender 3Pro mainboard Creality3D V1.1.4
CR10s mainboard Creality V2
CR10s mainboard Creality V2
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by Roberts_Clif »

Not sure exactly what you need though these controllers are 4988 driver chips do not know exactly which manufacture chip though.
dale_z28
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by dale_z28 »

Paul had asked what stepper drivers and boards I had...
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LePaul
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by LePaul »

Yeah you could also look up the silk screen on the board and it'll say which board it is
You could also Googe/Search what the board model has

You mentioned "pourous" and I wonder if your prints are coming off like styrofoam inside?

I'd also be curious if about the material being dry.

I feel like you can get some better results with some more tweaking.

You could also give Cura's latest version a try. The Teaching tech site is really good for the tweaking.

Maybe post a photo of the problem print?
dale_z28
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Re: A tale of 2 Creality printers

Post by dale_z28 »

I printed this letter "W" last night. It's for a sign at the entrance to our addition. The outside "skin" will pull away from the body of the letter. Maybe because of it's size? It's 10" tall and 7-1/2" wide. Maybe the filament cools before it can bond. The CR10s does this quite often, and not necessarily on large prints. The Ender3 has never done this (that I can remember). Just one small difference between the printers
Attachments
W1.jpg
W2.jpg
W3.jpg
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