Fixing My 3D Printer by Reflashing the Firmware

Found in the Bits Box

Digging through the bits box finishing up conversion stuff for the goblins. Found this guy—old vampire lord, maybe fourth edition or second Fantasy.

It’s really making me want to do Mordheim. I’m trying to talk myself out of project hopping. I’m 20 hours into these goblins and now is the time to paint them. And I’m thinking about another project—that’s too real for me.

I’m setting them aside. The next thing after goblins is going to be Mordheim everything.

Almost Broke the Streak

Day 37 or 38. This is the first day I thought I might not get a video done in time. Lot of stuff during the day. One of the kids got sick, which means all the kids are going to get sick. The plague is going to spread. I think I’m probably getting it too.

But not going to break my streak.

Fixing the Printer

I was tinkering with my 3D printer, which hasn’t been working. I think I fixed it. Going to try printing some wings for the Ice King.

The print bed was trying to push itself—there was no zero on the Y-axis. It just kept trying to go down, never actually homed.

The Fix

What I did:

1. Cleaned the whole printer top to bottom with isopropyl alcohol
2. Scrubbed it all out, got everything as clean as possible
3. Went to the website and flashed new firmware/drivers
4. Pretty much wiped the printer and started over

Now it’s working. I wish I would have done that weeks ago, months ago at this point.

Kingsfoot Miniatures

Also discovered Kingsfoot Miniatures. He’s a sculptor who makes awesome characterful models. I signed up for his Patreon—this month is a woodland troll.

I’m printing in transparent resin. Don’t want to max out the build plate just in case it fails, so I’m going small.

Pretty Big Win

Pretty big win to be printing again, especially now that I want to start getting into designing my own stuff and casting models.

Tomorrow I’ll definitely have time to prime the goblins and actually start painting them. That just wasn’t in the cards for today.

Transcript

I was digging through the bits box because I was finishing up the last little bit of conversion stuff I was doing for the goblins before I prime them tonight. And I just found this guy. There we go. Look how awesome he is. Old vampire lord.

I think this is like fourth edition, maybe second fantasy. Uh and it’s really making me want to do Mheim and I’m trying to talk myself out of project hopping. Uh, I’m finally I’m like 20 hours into these goblins and now is the time to actually paint them. And I’m thinking about another project and that is just like that’s too too real for me. So I’m I’m gonna make myself not do that.

But I’m going to set them here and the next thing I do after these goblins is going to be a Mheim everything. So stay tuned for that. All right. Uh, I got to keep it real with y’all. This is like day 37, 38, one of those two.

And this has been like the first day where I was like, man, I might not get a video done in time. Uh, just had a lot of stuff during the day. Uh, one of the kids got sick, which means all the kids are going to get sick. The plague is going to spread. Um, I think I’m probably getting it.

Something’s off. Something’s just not right. Um, but not going to break my streak. So, I was tinkering around with a 3D printer, which hasn’t been working for me. I think I fixed it.

Uh, I’m going to try to print some wings for the Ice King. Uh, I guess I need to swap out the resin color for this. So, uh, I’m going to get some footage of that. Uh, I think I got the 3D printer fixed. This will be the first test, but we won’t know till tomorrow when this finishes printing.

But, if I got that fixed, that’s a massive, massive hobby project progress that I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t get the time to prime the goblins yet just because that’s going to be like I don’t have to clean the airbrush or like start or stop. early. Just want to sit down and do it. Um, tomorrow I’ll definitely be able to have the time to do that and actually start painting them, but it just wasn’t in the cards for today.

So, let’s test this out and see if it’s right. I’m being I’m being a noob and I’m just video recording my screen uh because the struggle is real right now and I don’t want to do a screen cap and have to edit it in. But, I recently also discovered Kinsfug Miniatures. Uh, this is their website, but I discovered them on YouTube. Uh they make some some great videos, but he’s a sculptor and uh he also makes some awesome I think this really cool, really characterful models.

I want to go and buy all these too. Uh but I signed up for his like Patreon thing. And this month is this woodland troll, which is just awesome. Look at this little cutie and his staff in the corner on the build plate. Um I’m printing this in transparent resin.

So I don’t want to put a bunch of stuff on here just in case it doesn’t work, but I do really want to print that. But normally under normal circumstances, I would max out this build plate. Uh but since we think it might fail, I don’t want to waste a bunch of resin. So, we’re going to try this. >> Okay, I’ve got gloves, apron.

All right, I’m in the corner of the basement. I just cleaned this all out, relayered everything. I’ve got clear resin going in. I need to hook up my exhaust fan again. Um, going to put a decent amount in obviously so the print goes, but I don’t want to get too crazy with it just in case it fails and I got to take everything out again.

So, we’ll definitely put enough in there so it can print. Of course, uh, while I was cleaning the printer and getting it ready, the slicer failed. All right. So, hopefully this printer goes down into the vat and starts printing and doesn’t try to go through the bottom of the vat because that’s the problem I’ve been having. That looks good.

I think we did it. Uh, I guess just in case you have the same problem I did, uh, the print bed was trying to push itself like there was no zero on the y- axis. Yeah, y- axis. And I’m just trying to keep going down, never actually home. Uh, but clearly we fixed it.

What I did was I cleaned the whole printer like top to bottom with isopropyl alcohol, scrubbed it all out, got everything as clean as I could get it. Uh, and then I just went to the website and flashed new BIOS on, new drivers, whatever it is. I don’t know if it’s BIOS or drivers. Can’t remember. But I just downloaded the most up-to-date one, reflashed it, pretty much wiped the printer out and started over.

And now it’s working. I wish I would have done that weeks ago, months ago at this point. But pretty big win to be printing again. Uh especially that I now I want to start getting into designing my own stuff and casting models. But I am about to go crash and I will see you