Prolonging life of an old CubeX Duo

[filippo]

Hi, at the workplace we're trying to make something useful out of an old CubeX Duo that was sitting unused for some time.We bypassed the filament feeding tubes and provide it directly from above the extruders.

It seems to be working fine, the only big issue is that it kind of screws up the xy dimensions, inflating them a little in a non really predictable way. We're using CubeX slicer but there seems to be no way of calibrating or correcting anything with it (and don't make me talk about the supports).
Any good third party slicer with a profile known to work with this printer? I did some test with kissslicer and it produces printable BFBs but couldn't get it to print consistently (underextrusion mostly). Does Simplify3D work better out of the box? PLA would be just fine to begin with.

We have two cartridges, one is seen as empty and the other one has about half of remaining life. Does ReCube work with CubeX Duo cartridges? Anyone got the source code or a binary for arduino uno (I have plenty of those and I'd like to do a quick test while I source some nano)?

Any other trick I should know about to make it better beside stripping most of it and converting it to reprap?

Thank you!

[TommyDee]

Some people have repurposed the hardware with new electronics. Some great builds in CubePro.

[filippo]

Some people have repurposed the hardware with new electronics. Some great builds in CubePro.

I'd like to avoid that and try to make it work as it is. Any suggestion about how to fix XY calibration and make it print accurate horizontal dimensions? could it be something related to feeding the filament directly from the top of the extruder?

CubeX slicer (assuming I'm using the correct one given the mess with discontinued websites) is really limited. Any experience with 3rd party slicers? is simplify3D worth buying for these printers?

[TommyDee]

S3D would be the next suggestion. Not tested but legacy compatibility has been good.

As to x-y calibration, I don't know this to be a user parameter or adjustment. Someone may have replaced a belt drive gear. Most of these ratios are hard-coded in the firmware in later models.

[dougk12]

“the only big issue is that it kind of screws up the xy dimensions” - This sounds like loose belts to me. I would start by tightening them up.

Simplify3d works great for the CubeX, with no post processing needed of the BFB file. It will really open up other options and can be used for other printers also. Highly recommended!

Once you’re comfortable with the profile settings, check out PETG. Low warping makes it a better option than ABS for the CubeX but you’ll need to spend some time on a profile for it.

[filippo]

“the only big issue is that it kind of screws up the xy dimensions” - This sounds like loose belts to me. I would start by tightening them up.

Simplify3d works great for the CubeX, with no post processing needed of the BFB file. It will really open up other options and can be used for other printers also. Highly recommended!

Once you’re comfortable with the profile settings, check out PETG. Low warping makes it a better option than ABS for the CubeX but you’ll need to spend some time on a profile for it.

thank you! we'll definitely look into belt tension and see if it improves accuracy. About PETG, as far as I can tell from other printers it'd be hard to make the first layer stick without a heated bed... we'll try. I'm afraid we're lucky if we can get it to print correctly with PLA.