BL Touch bed-leveling sensor damaged

[Acmartina]

I have a Creality 3D CR20 Pro that came with the BL Touch bed-leveling sensor. It works great but I somehow managed to damage it (no idea how) such that the probe tip seems bent towards one side and the printer gives an error message. I looked on the internet to see if I could easily get a replacement and found only complete kits for adding it to a printer. So my questions are-

1) Can I just straighten it out?
2) Can one just buy a replacement sensor? Or do you need the full kit? The Creality seems to have a different configuration than some in that the wires come off the side rather than the top.
3) Any idea how it could get damaged? I had just replaced the nozzle a few hours before and had to temporarily remove the sensor, but it worked subsequently. I also recalibrated the Z-axis after replacing the nozzle and had one of those ooops moments where are pushed down too far but the probe does not go down as far as the nozzle, and it worked afterwards. The last thing I did after a successful print was move it to another location but there is nothing for the probe to bump against so I am perplexed.

Thanks!

[bolsoncerrado]

Well it could be a bent probe OR a dislodged probe... First would be somewhat easy. Second would be a bit more tricky to repair... If you're sure it's the first case I'd go ahead and try to repair it carefully so you don't dislodge it.

The reason? Aside from a human/pet action, it could only happen during printing if it hit the piece somehow (piece got loose from the bed, or something fell on the bed while printing :?).

[Acmartina]

Thanks. I went ahead and straightened it as best I could without breaking it. It is not perfectly straight but it seems to be working. Presumably it will function correctly as it is a relative measurement at the various points on the bed.

I am still not clear how it was damaged but I was having some issues with Z-axis zeroing so it may have either come down hard on it somehow (seems unlikely since as soon as it touches it retracts) or possibly it was too far down when it made an X movement from the stop position, impacting the side of the build plate. Also seems unlikely. I don’t think it goes down that far! In any case, it is working for now Thanks!

- - - - - - - - - -

Quick update for future reference - I learned (the hard way) how the BL Touch probe most likely got damaged. After straightening it manually as noted above, I went on printing. I am printing face mask parts for our local EMTs so I was trying to find ways to reduce print time. I have always printed on a raft whenever there was any doubt about stability but a friend had been using a brim for this same part so I decided to try it out. I had been having first layer adhesion issues with it but resolved it (I thought) with a tweak to the Z calibration. I am using a Creality magnetic print mat rather than glass (which is probably part of the issue).

Anyway, the print went haywire about 2/3 of the way through and by the time I noticed, the brim had come up and was flailing about. I removed it and went to auto home the head to get ready to try again. The Z never stopped. It just kept trying to ram the nozzle into the bed. That's when I noticed the BL Touch sensor probe was completely missing! I never did locate it, but the moral of the story is they are fragile and can be damaged / broken by a print that comes unglued, so to speak. This is probably less likely with a glass bed or small prints (this one covered most of the print surface) where it can’t flail about so much.

The good news is I found a replacement for the pin on Amazon for $12 BLTouch Push-Pin
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L5T2LNW..._W1DKEbN4M2733
The bad news is it’s about a 3 week lead time. But much better than having to replace the whole thing��

[bolsoncerrado]

Lesson learned, experience is always a degree

[3DPrince]

Hi, Did you check in the box of tools? - my CR-10S Pro V2 came with a spare sensor. I wondered what it was and nearly lost it, because it is clear.

[sheilacorvin298]

Thank you so much for sharing your thought related to the BL Touch. I was also stuck before two month and hardly come out of it.