New build
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hello , I am underway on a build and have just switched control board mid build to the Duet Wifi. I had intended on using a BLTouch with my old setup but reading here I see there may be a better option to use with the duet? what is considered to be the best match for this hardware/software setup?
thanks -
it really depends on what you are using for the bed each have pro's and con's.
Servo and switch - switch is highly repeatable but servo repeatability and placement and rigidness can cause it to be inconsistent, doesnt require special treatment or bed materials
BLTouch - is controlled with the servo commands, but uses an electromagnet and hall effect sensor to control and trigger the endstop, does not require any special bed treatment or materials. (from personal experience as i use BLTouch, if the pin is deployed off of the bed with sufficient clearance when it goes to home or probe it WILL destroy the BLTouch)
Inductive sensors - becoming very common in the printing world, very repeatable, but depending on the model may need its own 12V power source and a voltage divider to bring the trigger voltage down to a safe 5V to prevent damage to the board, 5V options are available but may not be able to sense the bed through glass. Requires a metal bed, or a strong enough sensor to detect metal under the glass. Do research to get a proper sensor and voltage divider setup if you go this route.
IR Probe - The infrared probe is a Duet exclusive, it is quite reliable and repeatable, but susceptable to ambient light and reflectivity issues from glass. requires the bottom of the glass or bottom layer to be painted black to ensure reliability.
This is not comprehensive or all inclusive but a decent overview. the most precise is probably the IR probe or inductive probes if you have them setup correctly with the proper bed conditions, the BLtouch is plenty sufficient and requires no special bed prep.
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It depends on your print bed surface and your type of printer:
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The IR sensor is small and light (it fits below the heatsink of an E3D hot end). It needs just 3 wires to connect. Its main disadvantage is that if you use a transparent print surface, you need to take precautions to minimise reflections from the back of that surface.
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BLTouch is more complicated to wire (5 wires) and set up, not open source (with patents applied for) so somewhat against the spirit of what reprap and duet3d stand for, larger and heavier. But it should work on almost any bed surface. I haven't used one, but others on this forum have,
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well I will either use glass or aluminum with pei, what ever I can use that will net the better results .
I must have missed the part about it being closed source , that stinks ! -
any of them will work except the inductive probe if you use glass
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any of them will work except the inductive probe if you use glass
thanks , my initial intention was to use glass and the bltouch. my prusa mk2 uses the inductive sensor which I like but wasn't sure how well the aluminum and pei would work .
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It depends on your print bed surface and your type of printer:
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The IR sensor is small and light (it fits below the heatsink of an E3D hot end). It needs just 3 wires to connect. Its main disadvantage is that if you use a transparent print surface, you need to take precautions to minimise reflections from the back of that surface.
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BLTouch is more complicated to wire (5 wires) and set up, not open source (with patents applied for) so somewhat against the spirit of what reprap and duet3d stand for, larger and heavier. But it should work on almost any bed surface. I haven't used one, but others on this forum have,
ordered my IR sensor from filastruder last night , decided it was a better option.
thanks for the information -