3D Printing Forum

Ok, I printed the documents, re-watched the video and the only spot I have concerns in the axis alignment

How in the world do you get the pulleys to both have the set screw exposed? I know it will be different once the set screws are loosened....but my luck has always been not like this!

It's not about luck, it's about planning

You need to align the pulley when you install the belts...
(At least on one side, on the opposite site it is less important as it will automatically follow the first side)

Well I was just looking at my Ultimaker 2's pulleys and as luck would have it, they are complete opposites!

But, then again, once through loosened, I should be able to spin them, yes?

Not really, because when you spin them, the gantry axes are moving as well, and this is what you want to align...

So is this the hardest part of the upgrade?

Post upgrade thoughts...

It went really well, it took me about 2 hours to do, taking my time following the steps in the YouTube video and the print out.

* Moving the wires around and making everything fit in the electronics enclosure was difficult. Sanders and Siert both told me that would be the biggest hassle doing the upgrade.

* You really get a test of your fine motor skills and coordination installing the new extruder motor into the feeder!

* I dropped and broke one of the prongs of the slider block holders, so I had to make do with one.

* I had to keep doing a sanity check on the rods, as the X ones seem to stick out further out of the slider blocks than the Y.

* The calibration steps I worried about earlier wasn't too bad. I was able to access the X pulley set screws, with some struggle. The Y pulleys were a lost cause, one set screw was visible while the other was on the opposite side. Using the alignment tool, it turns out they were fine and required no alignment after all.

* Uploading the new firmware in Cura was a challenge. I hadn't done any firmware changes in the new Cura so I had to hit the website to find out where you do that. (Settings > Printer > Manage Printers and there's the Upgrade Firmware command button) It's a whole new Cura!

* The first print I did was the Ultimaker robot, included on the SD Card from Fabrc8. It did a remarkable job. I was surprised and even a little concerned at hearing the retraction motor noise. It's not terrible, I just didn't have that noise before. However it is still a LOT quieter than my UMO and the quality of the test prints I had the printer do are very impressive. I wish I had bought an Ultimaker 2 a lot sooner!

* Now I have an Olsson Block! I can test the ruby nozzles I have assembled with ease!