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Modified Gcode to only run the cooling fan while the printer is running
#21
I wondered about that too, did you make your measurements with the tank with resin on or off the machine ? I suspect that will make a difference.
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#22
My observations were made while printing a model...
-cliff knight-
[Image: 816-20120803-wide800.jpg]
paladinmicro.com
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#23
(08-22-2020, 04:43 AM)cliffyk Wrote: My observations were made while printing a model...

Ok, so after the print - you left the vat with resin in it - in place ?

This is important because the resin in the tank might act as a heat soak.
I have thought how I might get the fan to run on for a while after print has finishes.
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#24
(08-22-2020, 09:29 AM)Umpa Wrote:
(08-22-2020, 04:43 AM)cliffyk Wrote: My observations were made while printing a model...

Ok, so after the print - you left the vat with resin in it - in place ?

This is important because the resin in the tank might act as a heat soak.
I have thought how I might get the fan to run on for a while after print has finishes.

The resin tank does of course absorb radiant heat from the LEDs, however this would be heat that has already escaped the LED proper, and as the resin/vat have no direct physical connection to the LED array substrate or heat sink, any heat the vat/resin do retain would have little to no effect on the LEDs' core operating temperatures.

its presence would behave as radiant heat insulator for the upper "wall" of the curing light chamber; which without ventilation would serve to elevate "ambient" temperatures within the light chamber; which in turn could impact the running temps of the LED array. However with the relatively large volume of air moving through the light chamber (fan on) I cannot envision the resin/vat presence having any but a minimal impact on LED core temperatures.

With the OEM settings the cooling fan is on whenever the printer is powered up--I do not view this as a bad thing unless you are the sort to fret over every last milliwatt¹ or are concerned about the cooling fan's longevity; and in this case that concern would be at the expense of the printer's electronics and LED array useful life.

Again, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, sometimes OEM engineers do know what they are doing...

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¹ - I have seen mention of concern over the fan's noise level, however were I in a situation that its slight sound were a consideration I would find it cycling on/off to be more annoying than its being on continuously.
-cliff knight-
[Image: 816-20120803-wide800.jpg]
paladinmicro.com
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#25
I'm more concerned with the dirt it will suck in, with extended run times as mine will sit all night blowing. I was more concerned with LCD degradation than LED degradation TBH.
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#26
Our LCDs fail because over time exposure to the near UV light hardens the liquid crystals making them no longer able to "twist" to realign the polarized light that got through the first polarizer so that it can pass through the second. its failure is unrelated to the cooling fan's being on or off.

LEDs such as used in the Mars have typically a 50,000 hour MTB--if properly cooled, hence the heat sink and fan. At 12 hours/day that's 11.41 years--if properly cooled (as the OEM engineers designed the tool)...
-cliff knight-
[Image: 816-20120803-wide800.jpg]
paladinmicro.com
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#27
Yeah but heat also affects LCD - but my own tests indicate I have nothing to worry about LCD or LED wise. I'm good..
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#28
Hey guys,

I do not have the ChiTu Mainboard Specification files that came with my printers. Can i use the one in this thread? Isn't it a bit too old? I bought my printers in January 2020.
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#29
(07-17-2019, 10:54 PM)admin Wrote: This is a modified .gcode configuration file based off the original Mars mainboard configuration file.

The only thing this changes is the UV cooling fan so it only turns on while there is a print running and as soon as the print completes, the fan turns off.

Download the attachment and make sure to view the READ ME file for instructions


Also, here is a more modified gcode config file that sets the fan as above, but also slows down some basic movements when homing the build plate.  It's also translated descriptions are in english Smile  (that was fin, lol)
Is there a plan to modify the code for a mars pro 2?
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#30
Okay, here's a thing that just happened to me.

I ran this config long ago, and it's been working just fine, except...

Today I got some "memory error" during the print, I watched the printer lift the print platform up, the requester mentioned trying to continue the print, and before I had time to memorize the error code, I saw the print platform go back down, then the requester just disappeared, and the print seemed to continue just fine.

Much later into the print, I touched the side of the printer to estimate the temperature, and it was rather warm. Looking below, I noticed the fan wasn't spinning at all! I eve tried to manually "give it a spin", but it seemed obvious, that it wasn't receiving any power (or was dead).

(I have replaced he original fan with MUCH more silent fan since it broke up, so with ANY background noise, I can't really hear it, unless I specifically listen to it)

Anyway, quickly put a desktop fan next to the printer, and it seemed to cool at least exterior really nicely (there wasn't that much longer left in the print)

So after the print finished successfully, I reformatted the USB drive (often said to help with such errors), copied over gcode file that sets the fan back to "always on" (not really a problem, as it's no longer loud), and after that, the fan is spinning just fine.

To be honest, I really am not sure what exactly happened. I *THINK* that the printer encountered an error, stopped the print, also stopping the fan, and after a while, automatically continued the print, without turning the fan back on.

Has anyone else noticed anything like this? I am probably not going to investigate this much further, since I already set my settings back to (assumably) safe.

I guess in worst case, this might damage the LCD or LEDs. But as said, I have seen this happen only once (which doesn't mean it couldn't have happened more often, as it all went "automatically", just happened to be close enough to the printer to notice)

TL;DR: These settings might leave fan off for the rest of the print in (USB) memory error situations.
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