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A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:44 pm
by haare
Hello,

I am new to 3d printers, so sorry fo stupid questions. I have made a prototype with 3d printer that works great. However to turn it to actual product I would definitely need dual extruder printer. So that I could use support filament to streamline my workflow.

My material of choice would be abs. So relatively simple printer would suffice. Geeetech a10m and a20m seem perfect except of the 2-1 setup in the hotend. I would need 2-2.

I was thinking, swapping the hotend would be easy.
it seems to me that something like this would fit.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3D-Chim ... st=ae803_5

But 2-1 has same location for nozzle. Does geetech a10m firmware/software support second nozzle offset so that I can get the printer working with 2 nozzle setup. Or is it just done with the slicer software?

In theory the same motherboard is also used in dual extruder 2 nozzle printers.

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:43 am
by 3D by EB
Hello!

The slicer you are using will have a setting for x y an z offsets for your extruders. Might take a couple of prints to dial it in so your nozzles line up, but it is fairly simple.

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:35 pm
by millenium7
I'm bumping this, i'd like to hear from anyone who's managed to change the hot end out for a proper 2 nozzle setup. I hate this stupid A10M design. Since I bought it I havn't completed a single print with both nozzles, 1 always jams and every time I attempt to fix it it just leads to the same result and I stick the printer back on the "I hate you" shelf and forget about it. It's been nothing but a waste of time and money so far, and I blame that stupid 2-in-1 setup

It's easy to source a replacement hot end, the problem is a mounting bracket to make it fit

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:35 am
by _kaktus_
millenium7 wrote:
Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:35 pm
I'm bumping this, i'd like to hear from anyone who's managed to change the hot end out for a proper 2 nozzle setup. I hate this stupid A10M design. Since I bought it I havn't completed a single print with both nozzles, 1 always jams and every time I attempt to fix it it just leads to the same result and I stick the printer back on the "I hate you" shelf and forget about it. It's been nothing but a waste of time and money so far, and I blame that stupid 2-in-1 setup

It's easy to source a replacement hot end, the problem is a mounting bracket to make it fit
Hello.
:mrgreen:
I understand that in the face of failure you may be very unhappy. But remember, what you write here first of all testifies to you. In addition, it is read by many users from all over the world.

My congratulations :!:

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 6:05 pm
by HaRo75
The A10M is an awesome tinkering machine. Which is totally expectable for this price range. Mine did not manage to print the first layer at all until i updated the firmware to a 1.1.9 version that had a manual fine tuning feature for bed leveling, and i had to change the extruder feeders 'cause the old ones had problems with either the springs or the spring levers getting weak after the first or second print. Also, the glass plate did not stick to the heater plate in the top left corner and needed brackets. But since that's all done the machine works great.
What exactly is the trouble you are having ? Perhaps posting a video of the error can help the guys on this forum help you nail down the problem.
It's natural that frustration sometimes requires to let off some steam. But in a forum community like this one, providing more information and letting off less anger might be the difference between getting people interested in what you are doing and invest some research or work themselves, or not answering at all. After all, the most of us guys here are tinkerers to the bone. Right? ;)
I do think it could be interesting to mount a second print head, but i wouldn't like to replace the existing 2in1out head. Just add another. That doesn't mean i tried it though, so hearing about your experiences in trying to mount two print heads would be interesting.

@the guys from Geeetech: Any chance you might at some point release a metal print head/fan mounting plate upgrade option that allows the installation of two extruders ?

So, what do you mean by the print head jams ?
-> if X is bumping into the left side: Does the new print head carrier structure have enough width to hit the X direction zero position switch ?
-> is X bumping into the right side: Is the new print head carrier broader, so that you need to decrease the X size in firmware configuration ?
-> Is the print head bumping into the glass plate: If you have a 3Dtouch sensor installed, you need to adjust it properly and most likely mount it lower. If no 3DTouch is installed, you might want to mount your Z Stop / Zero switch higher.

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 11:54 pm
by badboybe
hi, i'm also thinking about replacing the 2in 1out, by a 2in 2out hotend.
i already replaced the original 15A power supply with a 20A supply.
where should i connect the additional wires?

thanks in advance,

badboybe

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:14 am
by badboybe
i'm not using the mix ability, just want two separate nozzles to avoid spilling lots of filament due to cleaning the nozzle before using other color.
can i just solder an extra connector on the E2 mosfet part and install an additional stepper driver?
can i connect the extra hotend on that connector? what should i change in the cinfig file to make this hotend available in the printer menu?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source= ... 1213549744

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:22 pm
by Alxo
This thread is very interesting. Currently, I am learning how to control my A10 but I have a second hot end, which I was thinking of using to be able to combine 2 different filaments. I think I only need a second extruder motor and then it should not be a major issue to configure the second nozzle in the slicer.

I also have a spare 15 A PSU, which I want to use for this second hotend but also to balance the overall load of the PSUs. Thus, I will do this once I've managed to control my printer, not before, to reduce my level of frustration.

Edit: I've already managed to create a A10 profile with 2 hotends in Cura, it is pretty simple, just select 2 hotends and add the offset. To slice and generate the g file, simple add the 2 separate stl files for each hotend. Thanks to this I discovered 1 source of my printing problems, I haven't modified yet the diameter of the filament to 1.75 mm on the printer settings :roll:

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:45 am
by HaRo75
Considering the construction of the A10M, if an additional Hotend is installed it will most likely need a tuning mechanism to calibrate it up and down.
The A10M has only one motor on the Z axis and the other side ist relying on the wheels alone to keep it up, so there could happen some misalignment that may need some tewaking and compensating, so that in the end both hotends have exactly the same height.

Re: A10M upgrade to 2 extruder 2 nozzle setup

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:41 pm
by fritzproject
HaRo75 wrote:
Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:45 am
Considering the construction of the A10M, if an additional Hotend is installed it will most likely need a tuning mechanism to calibrate it up and down.
The A10M has only one motor on the Z axis and the other side ist relying on the wheels alone to keep it up, so there could happen some misalignment that may need some tewaking and compensating, so that in the end both hotends have exactly the same height.

With your experience is a good solution take ender 3 or cr10 dual z upgrade with single stepper or is better upgrade with second z stepper? But add a stepper is a little bit harder Bc we Have to replace control unit for control 6 steppers... right? Or we have another way to control 6 or plus steppers?