Difficulty homing the Z-Axis using a 3d-touch probe.
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Is this a BLTouch Classic or Smart? Authentic or clone? V1 or V2?
Here's some things to check:
- Double check your wiring and crimps.
- Make sure you're actually connected to the pins you think you are.
- Are you using heater pin 7 or heater pin 3?
- If you give the probe some clearance from the bed you can do some function testing by sending
M280 P7 S120 I1to put the probe into self test mode. It should start deploying and retracting the pin. If you touch the pin it should retract and go into alarm and start flashing. Then useM280 P7 S160 I1to release the alarm. If that works consistently we can move on to the next test. - Raise the print head and probe a good distance above the bed. Manually send G30 in the console. The pin should deploy and start to move towards the bed. Touch the pin with your finger to trigger it. If it stops. Good. If it doesn't, kill power. Re check wiring.
- If that all works, you can measure the trigger height. It sounds from your description like it's deploying the pin and its hitting the bed before it even gets a chance to move. Is that right? In your description of the steps you're taking, you're missing the step to raise the nozzle a ways before sending G30 S-1.
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• Double check your wiring and crimps:Used multi-meter to check wiring – all points are good, and showing resistance. wiring is exactly as described in the previously posted photos/diagrams...
• Make sure you're actually connected to the pins you think you are.Yes.
• Are you using heater pin 7 or heater pin 3?Heater pin 7 for the control signal for the servo. “blue wire” in my case.
• If you give the probe some clearance from the bed you can do some function testing by sending M280 P7 S120 I1 to put the probe into self test mode. It should start deploying and retracting the pin. If you touch the pin it should retract and go into alarm and start flashing. Then use M280 P7 S160 I1 to release the alarm. If that works consistently we can move on to the next test.Passed. No problems there.
• Raise the print head and probe a good distance above the bed. Manually send G30 in the console. The pin should deploy and start to move towards the bed. Touch the pin with your finger to trigger it. If it stops. Good. If it doesn't, kill power. Re check wiring.This is where it fails. And yet, the wiring is good. Honest.
The servo controlling the probe movement is working fine. The probe ‘sensor’ that sends a signal to the board when it touches something is not working. Either I have a defective probe (signal not being sent) – or my settings are off (signal not being received).
I'm still hoping that its my settings... returning the probe for a replacement is likely going to be challenging.
Again, many thanks. i just hope that I /we can get it working. At the very least, it may help others in the future with similar problems.
kind regards.
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Well you're not the first person to have issues with the BLtouch.
Is this a BLTouch Classic or Smart? Authentic or clone? V1 or V2?
I ask because some of the older classic probes weren't very good. Even the early Smart version 1 had some issues. And with clones it's hard to say. Could be good, could be bad. The new Smart V2 with plastic pin has been working very well for me.
Given the price it might be worth getting a newer version as a replacement.
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Hi,
Early on I tried a clone BL and due to a config error on the second time probing all the points it hit the bed pretty hard and that was the end of the probe.
It looked fine, the pin moved in and out, but it never was sensed by the firmware again.
Frederick
Printers: a small Utilmaker style, a small CoreXY and a E3D MS/TC setup. Various hotends. Using Duet 3 hardware running 3.4.6
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I think the fact the probe isn't triggering would indicate that the white wire going to the probe input could have a bad connection. Try re-crimping it.
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The probe i purchased (for just under $19) is this one:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07DGZV9C8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
it is a 3dTouch "clone" of the BLTouch as i understand it.
I purchased it since it was being sent domestically. and I'm sick of waiting 3 months or more for parts.
The wires for my unit are as follows:
3 for the servo:
black (grd)
red (+)
Blue (control signal)2 for the "probe".. presumably
black (grd)
yellow (Z Min)I'm presuming that you are referring to the yellow wire in my case... but yes, the angry pixies (electrons) are flowing freely according to my multimeter. Is it possible that I have incorrectly identified this connection in the settings? im not sure... been staring at it for far too long... need a break. eyes going crossed.
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@fcwilt good to know... its possible that if it is that fragile something may have happened during shipping to make it inoperable.
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I assume you're in Canada? Spool3d.ca has genuine BlTouch Smart V2 probes. Throw on a couple spools of filament and you've got free shipping.
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@squamish-sean said in Difficulty homing the Z-Axis using a 3d-touch probe.:
• Raise the print head and probe a good distance above the bed. Manually send G30 in the console. The pin should deploy and start to move towards the bed. Touch the pin with your finger to trigger it. If it stops. Good. If it doesn't, kill power. Re check wiring.
This is where it fails. And yet, the wiring is good. Honest.
In what manner does it fail? Is an error message written to the GCode Console?
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@squamish-sean Did you get this to work? I'm having the exact same problem with my 3DTouch
