3D Printing Troubleshooting Guide

Filament String from Nozzle Troubleshooting is one thing I seem to spend a lot of time on, when it comes to 3D Printing.  There are a number of great FAQs and guides that show you the problem, and then explain the troubleshooting procedures.  The first part of this post covers links to those kinds of resources.  

Next up, are some links to different Facebook groups and Reddit about 3D Printing.  These allow you to ask questions.  A few recommendations when using this resources.  First, use search.  It doesn’t always return great results, but you may find your problem quickly, and be able to be on your way.  If that fails, ask your question, and if you can, please supply photos.  Photos are key to fixing a problem, and by uploading any pertinent shots to your post, you will make troubleshooting much quicker.  
Finally, for Tevo Owners, I have included Rui Raptor’s great Tarantula FAQ video at the end of the post, along with bookmarks to specific parts of the video.  

 

Troubleshooting and 3D Printing FAQ Sites:

Simplify3D: Print Quality Troubleshooting Guide  <– This is my go-to guide.  I’d start here.

All About 3D Printing: Troubleshooting guide to 24 common 3D Printing Problems

MatterHacker’s 3D Printer Troubleshooting Guide

3D Printing for Beginners: How to Solve the Most Common 3D Printing Problems

RepRap Print Troubleshooting Pictorial Guide

A visual Ultimaker troubleshooting guide

 

The very non-exhaustive list of places to ask your questions:

3D printing Facebook Group

r/3Dprinting/ – The 3D printing Reddit.

TEVO Tarantula Prusa i3 Owners

Creality CR-10 3d Printer User Group

Wanhao Duplicator 7

Anet A8 / A6 Desktop 3D Printer Prusa i3

OpenBuilds – You can find some cool ideas here.

Please note, there is probably a Facebook Page for every printer out there.  The people there will know more about your specific printer and its quirks.  There are also a number of Bulletin boards, Forums, and Wikis out there that also have troubleshooting resources.  This is just to get you going.

Mosfet BottomMosfet Troubles

One issue I ran into, was my Mosfet quit working.  My heat bed would get to temp, sometimes, other times it would not.  It would eventually shut off and cool-down.  I finally found that “wiggling” the mosfet fixed it… or a short period of time.  I realized the mosfet was bad and ordered a new one.  Before the new one arrived, I ended up taking it out of the box it was installed in, and I looked at the bottom.  There are 4 pins soldered across the middle.  3 of the 4 had come unsoldered.  I just used my iron to heat them up and dabbed just a tiny bit more on them, allowing it to flow with what was there.  That fixed it.  

 

 

Rui Raptor’s FAQ Video

  1. Y Axis is homing to the wrong direction
  2. Extruder Motor is clicking
  3. LCD does not work (Blank)
  4. LCD does not work (Squares)
  5. Limit switches are not working
  6. Extruder motor does not turn
  7. Stepper Motor is not working
  8. My mainboard is bricked
  9. My connector melted/burned
  10. LCD displays MAX TEMP error
  11. Hotend is leaking
  12. Printer stops printing in the middle of a print
  13. My X or Y carriage is wobbling
  14. My Z does not stop at the same distance with calibrating
  15. Credits

 

Go back to the 3D Printing Beginner’s Guide.