Flickering LEDs and then dim

electronlove

I have been using the smart effector reliably for the last 4 years and recently noticed that the LEDs were dim, which was preceded by some flickering. I have it set up for 24V and am not sure what would have happended for the LEDs to just become very dim. Of note, I just swapped the control board - and the extruder fan is connected to a 24V connector (because the printer power supply is 24V). Why would this just happen? Do the smart effector components, e.g. resistors, have a lifespan? Could it be dust? Thanks in advance!

dc42

@electronlove is the hot end cooling fan speed changing too? The illumination LEDs and the hot end cooling fan are driven from the same supply.

If the hot end fan speed is not consistent then the most likely cause is a poor crimp connection in the cable to the effector.

If the hot end fan speed is normal and consistent, the most likely causes are:

Bad soldering of one of the LEDs
Bad soldering of one of the two series resistors R8 and R9
The 604 ohm 24V series resistor R9 is burning out
LED trace at the edge of the board was narrowed where the board was attached to other boards in the same panel

You can inspect the board visually to check for #1 and #2. A good joint will have a fillet of solder between the PCB and the edge of the component.

If #3 is the issue then I would expect you to see charring or other damage (such as a crack) to the resistor.

#4 was a problem on some early Smart Effectors before we made a design change. You can follow the traces between the LEDs along the edges of the effector to see whether they remain clear of the break-away points. If the trace looks compromised then the bad section can be bypassed with a wire.

HTH David

RogerPodacter

@dc42 i was about to make a new thread, but i have been noticing my layer fan has a whine where it changes RPM by itself from 2500 rpm to 3500 rpm, back and forth, even though there is no command asking for a speed change.

It only does this when the hotend is heated up. could this be poor crimp connection or possibly weak power supply? i use a 200 watt 8.3 amp 24 volt power supply, running x2 steppers at 2 amps each, 3 z steppers at 1.8 amps each, and the Duet board and panel view 5i.

dc42

@rogerpodacter unless you are using a shared +VIN wire to feed both your hot end heater and the fan, it's not an issue with the wiring between the Duet and those devices. It could be a weak power supply, or a bad VIN connection between the power supply and the Duet. In particular, if it is a Duet 2 then check that the VIN terminal block screws are still tight, and that the soldering of the VIN terminal block on the underside of the board doesn't show signs of scorching.

RogerPodacter

@dc42 well i dont share VIN, but the ground and VIN are separated.

VIN of the hotend is the toolboard 1LC which is fed 24 volts directly from a meanwell PSU. the fan control and tach pins go to the 1LC, but the fan's ground goes to the mainboard Duet 3 Mini 5+ negative of a spare heater pin. so basically the hotend power comes from its own PSU, the fan power comes from its own PSU.

maybe its a cheap quality fan, it oscillates sloooowly as it runs.

Phaedrux

@RogerPodacter May be best to start a new thread.

giostark

@Phaedrux said in Flickering LEDs and then dim:

@RogerPodacter May be best to start a new thread.

Hi folks ! I'm back on a CNC for make some part for a new 3D printer... so now i'm a little for other stuffs.

Today I start a print and this happen to me exactly in the same way.
I should open a new 3D but the things are exactly the same.
Tomorrow I'll check the connections and the suggested solution by David and report something.

jay_s_uk

@giostark please start a new thread