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yet another filament-runout-sensor  

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JeffJordan
(@jeffjordan)
Member Moderator
yet another filament-runout-sensor

hi guys,
inspired by 3d-gussners firmware release that provides not only the hyperfine bed levelling but supports a filament runout sensor as well, I've designed another sensor (a reliable one).
first I searched an frs at thingiverse and found this one, with optical sensor.
after printing and fitting it with an optical sensor.... it's realiability was disappointing.
especially with transparent filament (e.g. petg) or slightly bend or curved filament, it failed sometimes.

so I took the idea of attaching the sensor to the idler part and designed my own frs, using standard mechanical endstops like these.

here you can see it in action. don't be bothered by the little green square, that's an LED (with resistor) to monitor the state of the switch (and that's why there are 3 wires used to connect it):

ps. the part in the picture is printed with EasyFil ABS @ 0.2mm resolution & 15% infill, but PLA will do the job as well. it's recommended to print the part with support from the build plate.
after printing the part, it's a good idea to clear the channel for the filament with a 2mm drill bit.

dem inscheniör is' nix zu schwör...

Posted : 27/10/2017 7:39 pm
stefan.w5
(@stefan-w5)
Active Member
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

The problem - at least for me - is that the end of the filament it attached to the spool too tightly, resulting in shifted layers as the extruder tries to "pull" it out. It'll then keep printing a few shifted layers / into the air, until the filament reaches the sensor.

Without detecting shifted layers - as the Prusa MK3 does - the filament sensor is of limited use. I can manually unwrap the last bit of the scroll, and then go do something else until it's actually out, but it's not a complete "hands off".

Posted : 28/10/2017 11:02 am
JeffJordan
(@jeffjordan)
Member Moderator
Topic starter answered:
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

@stefan.w5:
of course, you are absolutely right.
such an issue couldn't be handled by a filament runout sensor.
therefore you would need some kind of "force sensor" that measures the force with which the extruder pulls the filament.
would be handy with tangled filament spools as well.

but beside that: filament manufacturers shouldn't attach the filamant to the spool in the way that it couldn't "roll off" properly.

dem inscheniör is' nix zu schwör...

Posted : 28/10/2017 6:53 pm
stefan.w5
(@stefan-w5)
Active Member
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

Alas it's not always possible to tell how the filament's end is attached to the spool 😉

And if I understand correctly, this is essentially what the MK3 does - it measures how much power the motor needs, and deduces its state from it (hitting end stop, ...). No idea where you'd put a force sensor on a MK2/S / MK2.5 😉

Posted : 28/10/2017 9:24 pm
3d-gussner
(@3d-gussner)
Reputable Member Prusa-Translations
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

Checkout https://shop.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk2-f23/firmware-3-1-0-rc2-mk2-multi-material-mk2-s-mk1-t6454.html#p45064

Posted : 31/10/2017 1:51 pm
3d-gussner
(@3d-gussner)
Reputable Member Prusa-Translations
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

Hi,

got finally the new 3.1.0-RC2 firmware for Prusa i3 MK2/S/MMU with Hyperfine Bed Tuning and Filament Runout Sensor tested and released.
Check my github https://github.com/3d-gussner/Prusa-Firmware/releases for the latest version.

Posted : 08/11/2017 9:48 am
3d-gussner
(@3d-gussner)
Reputable Member Prusa-Translations
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

Hi,

3.1.0 firmware for Prusa i3 MK2/S/MMU with Hyperfine Bed Tuning and Filament Runout Sensor is ready

You can choose between tree hex files depending which languages you want/need to use.

https://github.com/3d-gussner/Prusa-Firmware/releases

Please let me know if there are any issues.

Waldemar aka 3d-gussner

Posted : 15/11/2017 2:23 pm
3d-gussner
(@3d-gussner)
Reputable Member Prusa-Translations
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

I got a new firmware release with few changes. Checkout https://github.com/3d-gussner/Prusa-Firmware/releases/latest

Posted : 08/01/2018 11:03 am
wolfgang.s4
(@wolfgang-s4)
New Member
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor

I just ordered the parts to integrate a filament sensor to my MK2S. I think putting this option into the offical branch of the firmware would be a nice addition, especially as this might save a lot of filament from beeing thrown away. 😀
I normally print larger parts and have to throw the spool away, even if 10-15% of the filament are left as I cant check the printer so often.

Posted : 11/01/2018 6:02 pm
3d-gussner
(@3d-gussner)
Reputable Member Prusa-Translations
Re: yet another filament-runout-sensor


I just ordered the parts to integrate a filament sensor to my MK2S. I think putting this option into the offical branch of the firmware would be a nice addition, especially as this might save a lot of filament from beeing thrown away. 😀
I normally print larger parts and have to throw the spool away, even if 10-15% of the filament are left as I cant check the printer so often.

Hi, i tried a pull request to get it in the Prusa branch but it didn't make it. Guess they focus on other things at this moment and get their filament sensor to work first.
Hope you it works for you and i will try to keep up with the firmware updates in the future.

Did you get a mechanical or optical sensor?

Posted : 11/01/2018 10:03 pm
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