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Instructions

In this article, we’ll be going over how to install the BLTouch on the CR10 V3 by Creality.  This review was in no way sponsored and that I had purchased the BLT with my own money at the same time as the CR10-V3 and this represents my own opinion on what I’ve experienced.

In order to do this upgrade, you’re going to need to know a couple of things. Now in most cases when you first order your machine, it came with a USB stick which had everything that you needed to get started including the firmware upgrade that you’ll need.  If you don’t have this, however, that’s fine, since it’s also readily available through the main website of Creality.com.  The firmware comes pre-compiled which is nice, however the zip file has some extra characters which prevents the operating system from recognizing the files.  So the first thing you’ll want to do is remove the extra character’s after the .zip.   At this point you can then extract the files within the folder where you’ll be treated to the instructional PDF’s as well as the firmware.

Before flashing the firmware, you’ll need to connect your computer to the 3D printer and the required cable doesn’t come with the machine, so you’ll need to obtain one prior to installation.  Furthermore, you’ll want to make sure that your chosen slicer software is closed was well as any other flashing software such as Xloader, arduino or pronterface.  In order to do this upgrade, you will need to use the included Creality Slicer, since simply inserting an SD card with the firmware will not work or using Cura and Xloader.  This software is also available through the main website.  While you might be able to use a custom bootloader, this wasn’t something that was tested at the time, since the upgrade worked with the included software.  

Once you have the Creality Slicer open, you’ll need to make the following changes. Go to File +Preferences and change the printer window type to “Pronterface UI” then select “Ok”.  Then go to File + Machine Settings and change the Serial Port to “COM3” then set the baudrate to, 115200 at which point you can select “Ok”.  Then go to “Machine“, install custom firmware and navigate to the BLT touch firmware that you intend to install.  In my case, I renamed the file, however it will most likely be called CR-10 V2TF1.1.6.0BLTouchV3.1. Give the machine a little time to finish the upload, at which point you’re ready to do the rest of the installation process.  

To begin, we no longer require the Z axis End stop, so for this reason we’re going to remove this so that it doesn’t interfere.  The next stage is to installation the BLT touch itself.  You’ll want to put the first two screws going upwards from the bottom of the sensor on the side which you see the 3 holes.  The Only two holes will have screws for them.  Make sure to add the connector cable to the BLT, since it will be difficult to access this once it’s installed fully.  After, you can then install the remainder two screws to the appropriate location on the nozzle housing.  Remove the XE Transfer Interface Housing so that you have access to the female pin header and attach the connector to it.  You can then re attach the housing to complete the assembly.  

The next stage is to set up the BLT touch levelling, and first we will do a basic bed levelling to determine the low and high points on the machine.  To do this, go to “Prepare” + “Bed levelling” and allow the machine to complete the probing.  We now need to set up the Z offset, which is currently set higher to ensure that the bed isn’t damaged.  Go to “Prepare” + “Move Axis” + “Move Z” + “Move 10 mm” where you’ll set this to 00.00.  Then go to Move 1 mm and lower this the first couple of increments but not too far otherwise you’ll hit the bed.  You’ll then want to move it 0.1 mm at a time to get it to the appropriate height.  Make sure to write down this value, since you’ll need this latter.  You can use a piece of paper to help ensure that you have the proper distance if that’s what you’re currently used to using.  Go back up the menu hierarchy and go to “Control” + “initialize EEPROM” where once you enter this menu you’ll get a warning beep.  Go to the “Motion” + “Z Offset” and set the number that you wrote down here.  Back one menu and choose “Store Settings“, at which point the machine will beep another warning.  Navigate out to the main menu, where you can then start your first test print. I’m using a model which was created by   Bnimon on Thingiverse.  Since they created a file for the different nozzle widths and I had changed mine to a 0.8.  I will be including the link in the description below if you would like to use this yourself.

Make sure to keep the wire slack, otherwise the connector will get removed while printing.  With all these steps completed it was now time to do a test print and these were the results.  For any of you who’ve been doing 3D printing for a while now, you’ll have an appreciation as to how long it can take to clean up a model such as this.  In this case it took well over an hour just to remove the supports and I ended up getting large chucks half across my room.  So ya, I’d highly recommend some eye protection depending on the filament that you’re using and unless you have very calloused hands you may also want to use gloves.  Over all, however, the final model turned out pretty good considering it was printed with a 0.8 nozzle and 0.5 layer height.

So was this mod worth the effort.  In my case I would say that it was since I rarely swap out my nozzle, however if you swap out your nozzle more often than this may not be faster than simply hand levelling the bed, although it is more accurate.  So like most cases, it will depend on your use case, but I would suggest adding this if you have the opportunity since it is quite useful.

Verdict

In today’s article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the CR10V3.  This is a follow-up article to the previous unboxing one.  Now, full disclaimer before we begin. I purchased this machine with my own money and was not paid to do this video, so everything you see here will be based on my own opinion.

To start things off, this machine is a large printer which prints a dimension of 300x300x400mm and can reach hotbed temperatures of up to 100 °C with a printer nozzle temperature of up to 250 °C. Unlike many 3D printers, this machine uses a direct extruder which pushes the filament directly into the nozzle instead of the traditional Bowden tube. This feature makes is quite suitable for printing flexible filaments, which is what was tested for this machine. Also included with the machine, is a run out filament censor which is located in the top of the machine along the spool holder.

If you are getting this machine yourself, you’ll want to keep the spool holder height in mind, since it does take up more room because of its current location. This is however useful if you’re more limited in your overall space, since you can easily place this on a table which doesn’t have any fixtures above it. I personally did end up liking the fact that the control box was separate, since this allowed me more options in placing the machine. I for instance placed the 3d printer sideways but oriented the box controls towards the front of the table, so I would have easier access. Having the control box separate also makes repairs a good deal easier since you can completely disconnect the machine in order to do the proper maintenance without having to deal with the whole unite.

The hotbed itself has a unique design in that it’s easily removable which makes replacements easier in the future and I do which more companies designed their print beds similarly for this reason. This design also makes is possible to upgrade the print bed in the future with a flex plate, which is great news for those who enjoy tinkering with their machines. The print bed is also pre-insulated to help retain the heating temperatures and is a welcome improvement to what can be typically seen in most printers today. I did see some reports about the V2 model having issues maintaining its heat, however this isn’t something in which I found to be an issue with the model that I currently have.

While having a touchscreen is more visually appealing and less daunting to those who are new to 3D printing, it is still fairly easy to navigate. The machine does come with some basic instructions, which do help significantly in this area. There are some things you may wish to know, since they can often be taken for granted. For instance, if the filament sensor goes off because there’s no more filament available and goes into standby. In this case the nozzle will cool down, which is a good thing for safety reasons, however it will mean that you need to reheat the nozzle prior to changing the filament. This is something you can easily do by going to “Prepare + Preheat PLA + Pre Heat nozzle” This will only pre-heat the nozzle at which point you can remove the filament in question. Be very careful not to jostle the nozzle, otherwise your print will shift and this could cause the layers to be more brittle when they come apart.

Now, although the direct extruder is great for working with flexible filaments, you definitely want to be aware that it can be difficult to maintain. The way it’s assembled, the wires do get pinched very tightly onto the side of the housing which does keep them out of the way, however it can make reassembly interesting to deal with. Nozzle replacement shouldn’t be too affected, however, just keep in mind that you’ll want to raise up the print head before you do so. Creality has a very good tutorial on their YouTube channel which walks you through the steps, and I recommend that you look at that video for more details. Most blockages can be removed with the aid of the provided tweezers, so keep those nearby should you need them. For more severe blockages, you will most likely need to use the included needle to help push the blockage up and out, but in most cases it can be removed by doing a cold pull. From a complete cool down state, start heating the nozzle up to temperature while pulling on the filament. This causes any deposits to be lifted with the filament, since they become just hot enough to stick to the filament being pulled out. This may have to be repeated 2 or 3 times, but does a more thorough cleaning of the nozzle. One thing to keep in mind is that the extruder does have a Bowden tube placed inside the heat sink so on occasion this may need to be replaced, however this should be a rare occasion.

The nozzle does ship with a 0.4 nozzle along with its replacement, however I would suggest that you replace these with a 0.6 or 0.8 since this will reduce your print times significantly for larger prints. If you require more detailed pieces and are willing to wait significantly longer, then it may still be worthwhile. When it comes time to removing the filament, You’ll want to push this portion forwards until the filament comes out. Make sure the nozzle is heated before you do this, otherwise this will be far more difficult to achieve and could result in the filament snapping within.

The filament run out detector currently only accepts 1.75 filament, which isn’t unsurprising, since the filament trajectory could be problematic when the print head comes too close to its maximum height. I’ve had some issues with the filament snapping, since it doesn’t have a Bowden's tube to help guide its trajectory. Fortunately this was mostly an issue with the cheaper filaments which were more brittle, however part of this could have been caused by the extremely tight filament sensor. This filament sensor produces a lot of friction which may be the source of this issue and I would like to see this address in the future. When the filaments snap, it doesn’t trigger the run out sensor because of its current location. This was far less pronounced when printing with TPU, but was aggravated when using soft PLA. Having the sensor away from the print head is still very much appreciated since it make filament removal easier, however I would like to see the angle of the spool revised along with the run out sensor. Having a gradual entryway to the filament sensor would get rid of the hard edges which seem to be causing the friction and should be a minor fix in the future.

The frame is very well-supported and given it’s size I’ve experienced very little Z-Wobble, which is very much appreciated. For the wiring, some areas have been glued to help ensure that their connection points don’t come loose over time, which is a good call since I’ve definitely experienced this issue with other machines in the past. The only thing to keep in mind is that this will make it more difficult to replace such wires in the future because of how they are currently attached, however if they last much longer than this shouldn’t be an issue. All the cables are clearly labelled, so tracing connections are a lot easier and will make future modifications easier to achieve. Along with the sturdy frame, the machine has silent stepper drivers and a built-in mosfet. Although I personally prefer when the mosfet is separated from the board because it’s easier to replace, I can appreciate the fact that there’s one less item to troubleshoot in the future.

So how did this machine perform? Well, let’s start with the default Test print that comes which the machine. These prints are always a good way to make sure that your machine is functioning correctly and should always be the first thing that’s printed. So in my case I choose the dog and although it’s difficult to see just how well it printed because of the filament colour that came with the machine it did very good. I then tried printing with flexible PLA, which I soon discovered had a tendency to get stuck because it shaved so easily within the gear system. The results however were very comparable to the dog print. With that out of the way, I immediately changed to a 0.8 nozzle to see just how well it could print with a wide variety of materials. Once again, I printed with the flexible PLA as well as some regular PLA and TPU filament. Here were results of the standard Benchie Test. I then followed up this print with a large scale print for my client in TPU which for NDA reason I can’t show on video. I can say that the 4-day print was very comparable in quality to my small Benchie Test print in TPU. I also 3d Printed a bust of one of my sculptures. To test the full build volume, I then printed a vase in vase mode.

This machine is good. Especially if you already know that you want to use it for flexible filaments. While the user interface is perhaps not as modern, it does the job quite fine and with a couple of tweaks, this could be an even greater machine. So would I recommend this machine? It’s a good machine if you already have some basic experience. I probably wouldn’t recommend it as your first printer because of the user interface, and most user’s don’t require such a large build volume starting off. This is a very good upgrade to your current repository and is an affordable next step.

Unbox Experience

In today’s article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the unboxing experience of the CR10 V3 by Creality. I purchased the machine with my own money for some contract work.

The packaging was extremely well done, which was a relief given the shipping company which was used to deliver my printer. One thing that is important to note is that the support bars are hidden in a compartment in the foam, so you’ll want to make sure to find those pieces, otherwise you won’t benefit from the rigid frame design. If you pick up the foam pieces you’ll notice that one is heavier than the other’s and this is where the compartment is located.

  Once opened, you should have all the materials that you need to assemble this machine, however at the time of this recording the BLT touch was back-order, therefore I will be including this in the follow-up video instead. The user manual is very well-designed with a parts’ breakdown list and diagram in colour, which is always a good sign. The company has also been very good at providing instructional tutorial within their website in order to help with problem-solving.

  Before you begin assembly, always take all the components and place them out so that you can make sure you have all the required parts. This is a simple but important step before you begin working on putting any machine together. Lay the frame on top after you’ve turned the couplings upwards to give yourself some more room. When attaching the main bolts for the frame, I would recommend moving the machine to the side of the table so that you can see underneath without damaging any of the components. I loosely tighten these screws until I have them all placed, at which point I tighten them fully. If you over tighten then you could risk bending or stripping the threads, so they should be tight enough that they won’t come lose but not so tight that you see your tool bending with the force.

  For the pull rod, you’ll first need to join two of the poles together using the provided double ended screw. You’ll want to partially turn in one portion of the component. For the second bar, you’ll want to hold it with your thumb to prevent it from spinning while you attach the second pole. You’ll then attach the live bolt to either ends of the joined pole. Make sure to add the bolt onto the live bolt since this will help lock the bar into place. In my initial assembly I overlooked this portion and had to fix this later on. Make sure to use the wrench to tighten the bolt afterwards. Take one of the screws and place this through the live bolt hole while placing the washer on the other opposing side. Screw this first into the bottom hole. In my case, this hole was covered with plastic caps to help protect them, so you’ll need to remove these before completing the assembly.

  Next, I pre-threaded the L connector for the top of the frame, making sure to keep these as loose as possible. These turn around in the grove to lock themselves into place if put in correctly. Double check to make sure that they’re turned the right way after you’ve put these into place. I then attached the Live bolt into the frame in the same manner as the bottom of the rod.

  Z end stop goes on the side where the two screw holes are and with the switch facing upwards. The company also provide a replacement switch in case it’s needed in the future, so make sure that you store this in a safe location.  I made sure to change the correct input voltage to my area’s requirements, which for me is 115.

  The next part was to attach the filament run out detector. This portion has an arrow so that you know the proper orientation for this part. I mounted it with the arrow facing to the front so that the light is visible when turned on. As the for the filament spool, I mounted it differently from what was shown in the diagram. From personal experience I’ve had some spool which could get caught on edges so choose the smoother side as the contact area. The filament run out sensor seems to have quite a bit of friction and may cause issues during printing. I made sure to mount it as close as possible while still having enough room for a full sized spool of filament. If this is your first printer, and you don’t have a full spool, keep in mind you will need to adjust this later since the provided one is tiny in comparison.

  With the basic assembly completed, I then connected the power cable and build plate connector to the power box. Following the labelling of the cables, I connected the two Z axis connector and the Z stop sensor. Afterwards I proceed to connect the Y axis motor, XE Transfer Interface, YZ Transfer Interface, filament run out sensor, Extruder Motor and the cable guide by following the instructions and labels provided. When I received my shipment the cable guide was attached to the frame however this came off during the unboxing so make sure to check carefully to ensure that it’s installed before finishing. Also, it’s very important to give the cable enough slack in order to move completely to the back to prevent any undo strain. This guide is important in preventing the premature wear of the cables, which is a common issue with printers.

  With the machine put together, It was now time to print the model that was provided with the printer. It’s always a good idea to print the test model before doing anything else, since this can help diagnose issues more quickly. In my case the print came out almost flawless, however because of the choice of filament it was difficult to see the imperfections along the surface. Once this print was completed, I then swapped out the nozzle to check how it printed with a larger nozzle size. I must point out that changing the nozzle is somewhat awkward if you don’t know how to do it properly. This is something which I will discuss in the full review of the machine afterwards. With the nozzle changed out, I then began tweaking my settings until I had something which worked fairly well. I’ll be doing quite a bit more tweaks before I finish this piece off, but for now this is how the print came out.