New 3D printer to the fold! ARRIVED!

[Max-U52]

Wibbs, I tried testtire.pgn, no joy. I have learned that the slicer creates "bitmaps" so that may explain the png part. Seems a map would be a lot like an image. And it makes sense, as each layer would have a different "map" of where the screen should emit light, don't ya think?

Wayne, the only options are tfl and pngzip. I also tried saving as tfl and then loading that into creator and slicing it, no joy. i'm getting kinda tired of having to type "no joy", can ya dig it?

rochesb, I can't get it to connect to wi-fi. It says "select wi-fi network" but can't bring up any options. I know if i search wi-fi on my phone at least four different networks besides mine come up. It has an Ethernet port but I don't have a cable.

There's a guy in Canada that's using this printer with what he calls "beta software" and I've posted at his channel but got no reply.

[wibblywobbly]

There is something going awry with the file creation, and the suffix pngzip. Somehow the software is creating a file with a png suffix, and then compressing it, and adding the zip suffix. Neither are usually used on printers?

.png is similar to .bmp, .jpg , .gif etc. They are all image files with varying degrees of compression.
.zip is a compressed version of any file.

In order for a program to read a .zip file it would have to decompress the file first, and that is usually a manual user process.

I cannot figure out how the slicer is creating a png file, which doesn't seem right, and then compressing it into a zip file. Either process would mean that the printer was doing something unique with the uploaded file.

I have searched all over to find out what the printer protocols are, but can't see them anywhere? As has been mentioned above, the demo videos on YT use the wireless link...but they don't mention what is going on with filenames.

If it was me I would be suspecting that there was something in the settings that was telling the system to export the object as an image. and that the system was then compressing the file. It's as if a file is being exported, but its not a print file, it's something else. Eg Is the slicer set to export an image, rather than a print file?

Gcode isn't an 3D image, it is text file containing hundreds of rows of instructions of co-ordinates that tell the printer where to move the print head, and when to change layers etc. An image file is just binary code for a 2D image.

Maybe the answer lies in the slicer settings, and it may take a bit of digging and delving to spot the setting that exports the correct file format to the usb. If there was any way of viewing the filename that the slicer creates for the Creality test print file, when it gets to the printer (is it on the usb?) then you would know what 'should' be generated. I am assuming that there is a test file that works.

[wibblywobbly]

An extract from a post on the Cura forum:

My first goal is to modify cura so that after slicing the 3D model, it could output a pack of PNG image files, similar to the Creation Workshop CWS format. So that the result could be used with LCD/DLP type of SLA printer. And hopefully it might be useful for powder based 3D printing as well.

This tells me that .png is what the slicer generates for an SLA printer. This being the case:

testfile.png would be one layer.
testfile.zip would be a multiple .png's, one for each layer.

What you could do is rename your current .pngzip file as testfile.zip.
Open it with Winzip.
See if it will decompress the file.

In theory the .zip should contain a load of png images, one for each layer...if I am interpreting the Cura post correctly.

[Max-U52]

That's exactly how I interpreted it, the file is simply a series of 2D images (they call it a "bitmap") that tells the printer where to apply light on each layer. I already knew this printer would not use gcode, as it works just as you said and tells the printer where and how high the head should go, but with an SLA printer there is no x or y movement, the bed just goes up and down on z. I suppose you could use gcode to tell the bed where to move to, but the important part is the pattern of light it emits.

[Will01Capri]

That's exactly how I interpreted it, the file is simply a series of 2D images (they call it a "bitmap") that tells the printer where to apply light on each layer. I already knew this printer would not use gcode, as it works just as you said and tells the printer where and how high the head should go, but with an SLA printer there is no x or y movement, the bed just goes up and down on z. I suppose you could use gcode to tell the bed where to move to, but the important part is the pattern of light it emits.

I'm.sorry I can't help, but wish you the best of luck to.get it sorted

[Will01Capri]

So new update

Still waiting for the new printers to arrive, but in the meantime i been trying other filament pla from other suppliers

E-DA filament
unusually it clags up alot round the nozzle so it requires cleaning every time i warm the machine back up.

I sometimes get popping sound and then notice what looks like pop corn! I guess the filament is boiling, but the temperature of the print seems to give great results at 205°C so i don't feel i need to reduce it. The parts seem strong.
Has anyone heard of popcorning (new word) on 3D printers before?

[midlife306]

Hi Will, it’s when there is moisture in the filament, it’s the stern that makes the noise..
Ta
Wayne


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[Will01Capri]

Hi Will, it’s when there is moisture in the filament, it’s the stern that makes the noise..
Ta
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh dear, not good then! So maybe not that great after all then! I do store with silica gel but i guess this been damp before i got it

[Will01Capri]

Having an issue with Flickr at moment as they now changed rules about number of photos you can store!
So yet again i will be closing down an online photo account and moving them elsewhere. I don't know why they do it, 1st Photobucket not allowing sharing and now Flickr wanting money. No thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/WCPRCRACE/?__t ... 8P_U9jE6e8

WCP RC & Race is my Facebook page, if you look now you should see picture of Triple Filter version of the Tiger tank engine underway.
Hopefully be done for next week for those looking for something that resembles a 210HL version (Early Tiger engine

I have since found photos for a King Tiger engine which is failry similar so that be next

[Will01Capri]

2nd printer FINALLY arrived! 60+ days. If i had known such long delivery i would have bought elsewhere!
Built it up last night, plugged in today and nothing!
Power Supply doing nothing at all!
Not happy

So i am going to get them to send another power supply, but are there any upgrade options that anyone knows about?