Allan Bennett

The self-check mode doesn't work if the throttle is greater than -100, and it needs three quick flicks of the switch to start it anyway, so activation in flight is not an issue in my view. I have been known to use self-levelling mode for landing with my previous model, and I agree with you, it works a treat But why can't I get it to work in the workshop this time 🤔

Thanks Graham. I'll take a look at those videos and see if they give me any clues as to what I'm doing wrong.

I'm installing an S8R receiver in a new model. Transmitter is Taranis X9D+ 2019. All channels are configured as per the S8R manual (separate aileron and separate elevator servos), and all is working well in manual mode. Elevator 1 is ch2 and elevator 2 is ch6, as per instructions, and Tx switches are assigned to channels 9, 10, and 12 for mode, gain, and self-check, and are the same as in another S8R model I set up many years ago. I've gone through the configuration for stabilisation modes using FrSky FreeLink and STK, selecting 'Quick mode' (which is what I recall from last time), and roll stabilisation seems to be working well (after I reversed aileron mode in FreeLink) in Stabilised and Self-Levelling modes, but there is no apparent movement on the elevators when I pitch the model back and forth. I vaguely recall last time checking one of the AUX1 or AUX2 boxes in the FreeLink 'Wing type' screen, but the instructions say that checking those will disable one or other of the Ail2 or Ele2 channels, so that can't be the problem. Any ideas what I might have missed, please? Also, I cannot get the receiver to self-check. As I remember, ch12 needs to be activated 3 times quickly to initiate it, and it will be signified by a blue light on the receiver. I get nothing when I do that. Again, any suggestions please?

Dohhhh! I don't think that's the problem Philip -- I've just realised that the folder location is selected in Companion's Settings menu. Too cold in the workshop to check now, but I'll be back tomorrow.

It's a long time since I created new sound files for OTX and, having done so today, I can't remember nor figure out where to put them so that OTX Companion can use them. I have no problem getting them onto the SOUNDS>en folder in my Taranis, but that doesn't allow OTX Companion to use them.

OK. It's still working fine for me, so it will stay as it is. Thanks DB.

But I don't see a file for Ender 3 v4.2.7 with CRTouch, just BLTouch. I'm guessing CR and BL are interchangeable, though someone has said that Creality BLTouch files won't work with CRTouch.

Thanks Paul Johnson, but it's working well now so I'm not going to change it! Just before I got PDB's suggestion I had emailed Creality again saying that the file they were recommending didn't work. Incredibly I got a response today which once again simply repeated the link to the file that doesn't work.

Thank you PDB. File 'Ender-3_HW4.2.7_SW2.0.8.28_CRTOUCH_standard' from the 'Ender-3 CR Touch Firmware' folder in your screenshot is doing the job for me. Apart from it being different from the file I previously downloaded from the Ender-3 downloads section, it's confusing that the .bin file names and folder names are different from the headings on the Creality web site. Anyway, we got there in the end!

Thanks for those two replies. Interesting that the file location that I've used, and Creality keep referring me to, says that the 4.2.7 file is for BLTouch and CRTouch. The location you've given me, PDB, looks much more promising, with a specific CRTouch file and a higher version number than I'm using. I'll swap the board back and give it a go as soon as I can. I've watched that video, FlyinFlynn, and it fills me with dread! Anyway, if I still don't get a result with PDB's link I'll see if I can sort things out by going to the Marlin site as per the video.

CR Touch.

I seem to be going round in circles with Ender China office: In their latest email they say that the firmware 'Ender3Marlin2.0.6HW4.2.7BLTouch' which I'm using is for the version 4.2.2 motherboard, and have directed me to their web site for download "Ender-3_HW-V4.2.7_SW-V2.0.6_BLTouch". But that's a zipped file which, when downloaded and unzipped gives me a folder 'Ender-3 Marlin2.0.6 CR Touch or BLTouch firmware' which contains only one file; 'Ender3Marlin2.0.6HW4.2.7BLTouch' 😖 Is there anyone out there with an Ender 3 'Silent' motherboard v4.2.7 and BL or CRTouch who can tell me exactly what firmware they're using please?

I had the same problem with a 64GB card even though my 16GB one works fine. I'm sure I read somewhere that Ender recommend 8GB or 16GB. Maybe they can't handle more.

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know about being able to store bed levelling etc. in the slicer. I use PrusaSlicer, but that's a good tip. But that's not the issue at the moment: With the v4.2.2 motherboard (which is back in my Ender at the moment so I can continue printing), when I do a print after doing the automatic levelling I can see the Z-axis motor moving back and forth slightly to take account of the out-of-levelness of the bed as detected by the automatic levelling routine. The v4.2.7 board did a 9-point probe of the bed levels, but simply didn't take the results into account when printing, as evidenced by no visual movement of the Z-axis motor, and visibly varying thickness of the first layer. The other issue is with the v4.2.2 motherboard after I do the bed levelling I then adjust the Probe Z Offset: The nozzle lowers towards the bed, to what it thinks the height should be for the first layer, then hands control of the Z height to me so I can adjust it up or down by turning the knob on the control panel until a piece of printer paper is not quite trapped between the nozzle and the bed. A figure of -0.3 to -0.6 usually does the job. With the v4.2.7 motherboard the nozzle stays up in the air at about +50mm (IIRC) and I then can adjust the Z height + or - using the knob -- but that's + or - from the +50mm height, which is meaningless. I've managed to get the attention of Ender in China on this one, so I hope to find out soon if it's the board, the firmware, or me that's faulty.

I've just replaced the v4.2.2 motherboard in my Creality Ender 3 printer with v4.2.7 'Silent' board. It's impressively quieter than before, and all appears to be working well except for bed levelling and Z-axis offset. With v4.2.2 I would select 'Level Bed' and it would go around probing 16 points on the bed, and that was it. When printing I could see that it was taking account of the data the probe had gathered because the Z-axis motor would move back and forth ever so slightly during each print layer to compensate for out-of-levelness. With v4.2.7 when I select 'Level Bed' it goes around probing 9 points then, after it's finished the menu screen shows 'Bed Levelling: Off' which I then change to 'On' and then save the settings (the menu option to switch levelling on or off is not available until after the probing has finished). When I then do a print the Z-axis motor is stationary during each layer even though I can see the first layer varies in thickness. The other difference from v4.2.2 which I can't fathom is setting the Z-axis Offset: With v4.2.7 when I select that option it allows me to change the offset, but it doesn't move the nozzle up and down to let me check the clearance with a piece of paper between it and the bed, as I used to do. The firmware is "Marlin 2.0.6 June 11 2021 Ender-3". In the Creality downloads site it's labelled as "Ender-3_HW-V4.2.7_SW-V2.0.6_BLTouch" There's also another v4.2.7 firmware labelled "Ender-3_HW4.2.7_SW2.0.9.03_SpriteExt_H300", is this likely to work with my BLTouch? Any guidance would be appreciated.

I've been using a 6mm brim this afternoon and all is going well with wing components which are about 15mm wide/thick. Thank you for all the tips.

That makes sense.

The filament is kept in the cold workshop (garage), but it's probably less damp than ambient. I'm not surprised at the stringing I'm getting, for that's been the case with ColorFab LW-PLA I used in the summer (including straight-out-of-the-packaging reels) as well as this current new reel. But you make a good point there, so I'll store my reels indoors anyway from now on. Incidentally, why can retract not be used with LW-PLA to stop or minimise the stringing?

Permission granted, so this afternoon the printer came into our utility room which is at a nice 20+ degrees. But the first attempt at printing the same wing part as before was abandoned after about 25mm of height had been printed because it was visibly lifting off the bed fore and aft. Measuring it showed 2mm difference in height between ends and middle. I then re-sliced the STL file using exactly the same parameters as before, with the addition of a 3-layer raft. This was successful, without any visible signs of lifting: The challenge now is to get the part detached from the raft! Tomorrow I'll be printing a couple of other wing parts with rafts, to verify that this is the way forward with this filament. Using ColorFab LW-PLA filament over the summer months to print an EDF F16 I had no such problems, with all printed sections slotting together like Lego with no curvature causing gaps.

Looks like a move into the house is the answer , , , , subject to planning approval from the Boss!

Last Christmas I got my first printer, an Ender 3, and started printing using Creality's own PLA. I then moved on to LW-PLA, for which I bought ColorFabb following recommendations in this discussion. I printed two LW-PLA models without any issues, and many PLA brackets and other widgets. Now, wanting some blue LW-PLA I bought a reel of PolyLight 1.0 Navy Blue since ColorFabb don't seem to do any blue. I managed to print a few components for my next model with it, but detail didn't seem to come out so well. But today each time I started a print of a wing part it started to lift off the bed at the leading edge after about 5 layers had printed. I thought it was an adhesion problem so I first smeared some PritStick on the bed (as I'd read in another thread) but that started to lift off even sooner than before. Then I washed the bed with soap and water, and dried it, and started a test print with ColorFabb LW-PLA. That seemed okay so I then started the print again with the PolyLight stuff, and it seemed to go okay too. I went for my tea with about 1cm printed and, when I came back a couple of hours later the print was nearly finished but it looked like this: The bed was at 55 degrees and the nozzle was at 245 degrees, which are the settings I've used for most LW-PLA printing (though I did previously try 235 degrees nozzle for the PolyLight for a couple of tests). Fan was running at 20% for all layers after the first one. The ambient temperature in my workshop was about 12 degrees; could this be the cause of what seems to be shrinkage of the material as it's cooling?

If you can do wire and steel washers, then brass will be a doddle! Brass takes solder easier than steel so your normal technique will do the job; i.e. clean, pre-tin, and then solder together.

My "yes" was for the one-inch size change. I'm not clued up about the efficiency angle. In fact the only time I used 3-blade with an i.c. engine was to reduce the noise. It was an OS 120FS, but so long ago that I don't remember the actual prop size. By following the one-inch 'rule' the performance felt the same and the noise did drop a little due, presumably, to extra load on the engine.

Yes, one inch less pitch or one inch less diameter has worked for me in the past.

I've had good results with inkjet waterslide transfers. The transparency of some papers will become white if you spray them with a certain type of varnish after printing. I spray with Humbrol varnish anyway, and let dry before soaking and sliding. You can, of course, also print onto printable white vinyl instead. My printer is often unused for a couple of months, but I've never had any problem with clogged cartridges. Are you guys using the manufacturers' originals, or 3rd-party cartridges?