Well, time to fork over to a new thread.
I got my A1 set up, and started the self-calibration - it takes about 25 minutes. :o
While my printer is working, I went out to check for any deliveries - what do you know, I got my package. Ten colors (for the ten colors in the resistor color code,) a spare print bed and a spare hot end. Thanks for the recommendation,
@Chris Savage.
I can already see that I will be needing more black, and white filament. ::)
The printer finished its self-calibration, and everything is ready to go. It wanted me to lubricate the Y-axis, and I got that done. Now, I need to figure out where to put the rolls of filament so that they are easily available. Next is to put some rolls onto the AMS (Automatic Material System,) and print something.
Printing the Poop Basket, now.
Continuing the discussion from the Cereal Box thread (https://savagechats.com/index.php?action=post;quote=4995;topic=590):
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 24, 2026, 09:56 PMQuote from: granz on Jun 24, 2026, 09:26 PMI went to the MakerWorld link that you posted, and downloaded the .STL files (for some reason, I cannot open the files directly in the Bambu Studio program from the web site page. :( ) I believe that it is the "CerealBoxOriginal.stl" file that I printed. I can verify that tomorrow. It's a box at the back of the spool holder. It printed with the slide door (lid) closed, and I cannot get it to slide open.
Hmmm, well, I now understand your issue, however, I don't know why you're having it. Everything I have printed has either been opened within the App on my Smart Phone, or imported into Bambu Studio. I never had an issue doing this, and that's important, because when you preview the primary profile, this is what you see:
...
As you can see, the cover for the desiccant box prints separately. I have never used an STL file with a Bambu Printer. I only ever used them on the Creality printers. On Bambu, everything is auto-sliced and downloaded to the printer automatically. I've never had to interact with an STL file.
If you look at the first post, I show a photo of the plate with all the parts printed on it. The box is open and the lid is next to it on the plate, along with the other parts.
Quote from: granz on Jun 25, 2026, 07:28 AMThat is strange. I do print directly from Bambu Studio, it' just that when I am in Maker World web site, and click on the "Open in Bambu Studio" button nothing happens. This is the same whether I have Bambu Studio opened, or not. I need to download the .STL files and then manually open them in Bambu Studio. Here is the preview of the "CerealBoxOriginal.stl" file:
...(https://i.postimg.cc/vZbFsYRP/Studio.jpg)
Actually, I have opened every one of the .STL files in the download area, and none of them look like what you showed. Apparently when you "Open in Bambu Studio" it loads a different file. I need to figure out why my Studio doesn't open from the web page.
I am wondering if it is the way that I am using Bambu Studio. When I run the studio, I launch is as an AppImage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppImage). This is a kind of container to separate programs, and it appears (to me) that this blocks integration with other programs, such as the MakerWorld page in my browser.
The other way to run the Linux version of Bambu Studio is to run a FlatPak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatpak). This is another containerized version of the program. These both bear similarities to Docker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)), in that they isolate the program from the rest of the system.
I am thinking that the best option (for integration with programs like the MakerWorld site) would be to install the Windows version of Bambu Studio under
wine. Hopefully that will work. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no mention of Bambu Studio in the wine Application Database (https://appdb.winehq.org/). That does not mean that it doesn't work under wine, just that no one has reported success, or failure, there.
So, I will give it a try tomorrow (heading out to our oldest son's place to help them unpack from their recent move.) Stay tuned...
Quote from: granz on Jun 26, 2026, 07:18 AMI am wondering if it is the way that I am using Bambu Studio. When I run the studio, I launch is as an AppImage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppImage). This is a kind of container to separate programs, and it appears (to me) that this blocks integration with other programs, such as the MakerWorld page in my browser.
Unfortunately, I have no experience with anything other than the Windows version at this time, though I will eventually be migrating to Linux, so I guess I will learn from your experiences.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 26, 2026, 08:13 AMUnfortunately, I have no experience with anything other than the Windows version at this time, though I will eventually be migrating to Linux, so I guess I will learn from your experiences.
That is why I have been talking about this experience. I'm hoping that you, and Peter - he has just switched to Linux (and anyone else,) can gain from my mistakes.
Good news, and bad news. First the good news:
(https://i.postimg.cc/CBSbgq1x/Spool-Holder1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CBSbgq1x)
The things actually printed. They look nice, and fit into the cereal boxes well.
(https://i.postimg.cc/hzcVBdjv/Spool-Holder2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hzcVBdjv)
The hygrometers fit very well into the holders.
But...
(https://i.postimg.cc/k6qWmb4D/Spool-Holder3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/k6qWmb4D)
What a hairy mess! It took quite a bit of prying, and cutting with a knife, but I was able to finally get the door/lid to the desiccant opened - it lifted up like it was on a hinge (it is not.) This is the stringy disaster awaiting me on the bottom of the lid. It figures, trying to print the lid, horizontal with nothing supporting it underneath... It would be much better with the lid laying on the print bed, like in Chris' pics.
Several minutes with a wire cutter got much of it, and the lid is sorta able to close - most of the way. It reminded me of the stories in Basic Training about mowing the lawn with a scissors :o (we didn't do that, we were Air Force, they just wanted us to think that we might end up doing that kind of stuff. ;) ) Since I was stupid and printed the next three without completely verifying the holders, I will go ahead and open, and trim, the other three and use them in my cereal box dehydrators. But, the rest will be printed correctly.
Next task, try to install Bambu Studio so that it integrates with FireFox, and the MakerWorld site. Hopefully that will allow me to send the files directly to Bambu Studio, and I will get what Chris had in his preview.
Okay, things are looking up, now. Bambu Studio is installed installed. I was right about the AppImage - it does not allow integration with the rest of the system. That said, I recently saw somewhere that an AppImage is a portable program system. That reminds me of the Portable Office suite from Open Office (https://portable-openoffice-org.en.softonic.com/.) That allows you to install the suite onto a thumb drive (or a Zip Drive, in earlier versions) and then take it to any Windows computer (library, school, etc.) and use those apps on that computer, with your own customizations, dictionaries, lists, etc.) So, if you want to put this AppImage for Bambu Studio onto a thumb drive, you can take it to another Linux computer and work with it there. The settings (the printers, the preferences, etc) did stay from one running of the AppImage Bambu Studio to the next, so if I take that image to another computer it should save my settings.
So, that gave me two options to try. First, I could try the FlatPak version of the studio. That didn't seem likely to succeed, as that is also a containerized application. Second, it seemed that I may need to install the Windows version under Wine.
That Windows option had another two considerations: one - Bambu Studio was developed from Prusa Slicer (https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/studio-quick-start,) which was a Linux-based system. So, why does Bambu Lab support only Windows, and Mac? Strange. ??? There is an option, in the download page, to get a Linux version, but not to directly install the program. The second consideration is that I prefer to not have Windows stuff (my own preference, no requirement as I clearly do run a couple Windows programs - thus Wine on my computers.)
Because of those two considerations, I decided to eliminate the FlatPak Bambu Studio from consideration first. When I first got into using Mint as my daily-driver, I learned about the Synaptic Package Manager (https://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/%5C"). This is supposed to be a better software installer than the other Linux-based software managers. And, to be fair, Synaptic has always done everything that I need - it just works great. I even set it up (or maybe it defaults to that now) to automatically install all dependent packages if they are missing from your system. I tried to install the Bambu Studio FlatPak from Synaptic, but it could not find anything with the name "Bambu." :( Bummer!
Then I remembered, from trying to get this working, that the Bambu Studio is not a verified package for Linux Mint. Fortunately, the standard Software Manager allows you to install unverified packages. When I checked the box for unverified packages, I was able to find Bambu in the Software Manager (it still does not show in Synaptic. :( ) So, I gave it a try, and it showed that it was actually installing (as opposed to the AppImage just running.) It took longer than I expected, but was not horrible. After installing the studio, I launched it, and logged in to my Bambu account. What do you know - it got my stuff.
Then I got into MakerWorld and got to the page with Chris' cereal box filament storage system. This time, when I clicked on "Open in Bambu Studio," FireFox asked me if the web site was allowed to open that application. Of course, I said yes, and it opened a new instance of the studio. I was kind of thinking that it would just open the project in my already-running Bambu Studio, but it opened a new run. That is probably actually better than what I was think, as it won't disturb anything that I am already working on.
So, I will mark this as a success! 8) And, I don't even have to run another Windows program on my system.
Quote from: granz on Jun 27, 2026, 03:47 PMSo, I will mark this as a success! 8) And, I don't even have to run another Windows program on my system.
I'm glad you got things figured out. 8)
Yeah, it took quite a bit, but it is worth it.
Chris, maybe you (or anyone else) may have an idea about this:
I tried to print this Ohm's Law Circle Cheat Sheet (https://makerworld.com/en/models/474509-ohm-s-law-circle-cheat-sheet-electronics?from=search#profileId-385021.)
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/model/USbf2052813f45d3/design/2024-05-25_0bf5d3c0190388.jpeg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_1000/format,webp)
When I clicked on
Open if Bambu Studio it did open the studio, then I chose the blue and white filaments which were already loaded on my AMS Lite.
This is what printed:
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/comment/20260713/3261306213/ae4c5fc3a5477469.jpg?x-oss-process=image%2Fresize%2Cw_400%2Fformat%2Cwebp)
I posted this to the MakerWorld site, but thought that you might have an idea:
QuoteNot sure what I did wrong, but I tried to print this with a blue background with white lettering. I used the PLA Basic Blue background, with PLA Basic White (https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/pla-basic-filament) and printed it on my A1 with the AMS Lite, using a 0.4mm nozzle. The only change that I made was to enlarge it so that it fit the entire build plate. Unfortunately, the thing printed with blue for the bottom, but then covered the entire sheet with white, rather than just the lettering. Do you have any ideas on how to get this to print looking more like the pictures here?
Sorry that I missed this earlier:
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 28, 2026, 01:03 AMQuote from: granz on Jun 27, 2026, 03:47 PMSo, I will mark this as a success! 8) And, I don't even have to run another Windows program on my system.
I'm glad you got things figured out. 8)
Well, things were figured out... :(
Unfortunately, something happened, and my Bambu Studio quit working. So, I finally got the Windows version, and installed it under wine. It works pretty well now. The only trouble is that when I am in MakerWorld and click on the
Open in Bambu Studio button, it takes a while to launch the program. So, FireFox gets tired of waiting, and asks if I want to wait longer, or quit. It only lasts for a couple seconds and then Bambu Studio opens up and loads the project from the web site. The first time that happened, I delayed trying to think what I wanted to do, the suddenly Bambu Studio opened up and loaded the project. :-\ Oh well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
So, it is working pretty well, and I am happy with it.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 08:26 AMSo, it is working pretty well, and I am happy with it.
Very cool, granz. Glad you're up and running smoothly. None of us has the time to keep troubleshooting new things these days.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 09:28 AMQuote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 08:26 AMSo, it is working pretty well, and I am happy with it.
Very cool, granz. Glad you're up and running smoothly. None of us has the time to keep troubleshooting new things these days.
True enough, I don't even have the time, energy or attention span to keep up with the projects that I want to complete. :(
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 08:04 AMNot sure what I did wrong, but I tried to print this with a blue background with white lettering. I used the PLA Basic Blue background, with PLA Basic White
granz_ohms_law_01.jpg
I thought I knew what was going on looking at the photo, and then I went to the MakerWorld page and looked at the preview of the model. This model only uses one color. That's why it printed like that.
granz_ohms_law_02.jpg
This implies that either the author painted the blue on
after he printed, or he used the second profile and changed the
black to
blue.
granz_ohms_law_03.jpg
This happened to me once before, so now I always "3D Preview" each model before I print, because they will often have variants. It also lets you see how big the print is on the print plate so you don't end up surprised. More on that in a later post...yes, I got bit by that this weekend (https://savagechats.com/index.php?topic=617.0)!
P.S. - Now I am going to print this one: OHMS LAW Wheel - Lightbox (https://makerworld.com/en/models/1779953-ohms-law-wheel-lightbox?from=search#profileId-1895959) (I already have the backlights for these)
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 10:22 AMThis implies that either the author painted the blue on after he printed,
I'm guessing that he did not paint the print - too many people posted that they got multi-color prints, also. Although, I could be wrong. It seems like it would be pretty bad for him to post a project
requiring painting, without explicitly stating that it needs to be painted. >:(
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 10:22 AMor he used the second profile and changed the black to blue.
Okay, let's assume that this is the case.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 10:22 AMgranz_ohms_law_03.jpg
I see where you outline, in red, the profiles. Am I right so far?
If so, I clicked on the second one ("Flipped version...") but nothing seems to have changed. How do I print from that second profile?
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 10:22 AMThis happened to me once before, so now I always "3D Preview" each model before I print, because they will often have variants. It also lets you see how big the print is on the print plate so you don't end up surprised. More on that in a later post...yes, I got bit by that this weekend!
I clicked on the "3D Preview", and it showed the single-color print. :(
While waiting to figure out what happened with my Ohm's Law Cheat Sheet, I started another print.
This print is for a USAF Challenge Coin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin.) It comes from MakerWorld (https://makerworld.com/en/models/2221934-us-air-force-challenge-coin?from=search#profileId-2416513,) and is supposed to look like this:
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/model/USe010728e02f4b5/design/2026-01-09_273915f1f763d.png?x-oss-process=image%2Fformat%2Cwebp)
I chose this coin because (I mean, besides being an Air Force vet ;) ) it is also a multi-colored print. In fact, it even uses the same two colors that I wanted for my Ohm's law plaque.
Here it is, about one third of the way through printing:
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kz8rZs69/In-Progress.jpg)
Clearly, my printer can do multi-color without any troubles. So, it must be something that I did wrong (or used the wrong profile?) rather than my printer.
Doing multi-color print jobs is really killing the print speed. It prints for a bit in blue, then spends a crazy amount of time creating printer poop, then switches to white and prints that for a bit. Lather-Rinse-Repeat! :o This little (about 2-1/2 inches diameter) coin is taking a bit over an hour. I want to print a bunch of them so that Marilyn (also an Air Force vet,) and I, can carry them to hand out.
Maybe I'll shrink the design down a bit - check to make sure that the writing is still clear, then print the bunch. That will let me print several more per plate.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 03:27 PMI see where you outline, in red, the profiles. Am I right so far? If so, I clicked on the second one ("Flipped version...") but nothing seems to have changed. How do I print from that second profile?
Whichever profile is selected is what gets printed and what displays in the 3D Preview. The photos don't change...ever.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 03:27 PMI clicked on the "3D Preview", and it showed the single-color print. :(
Are you sure? That profile can only be seen from the bottom, in which case, turning off the print plate switch on the bottom left makes it easier to see. You should be looking for the colors in the top right. If it's just showing white, that's the single-color one. If you see white and black, that's the one that prints face down.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 03:56 PMDoing multi-color print jobs is really killing the print speed. It prints for a bit in blue, then spends a crazy amount of time creating printer poop, then switches to white and prints that for a bit. Lather-Rinse-Repeat! :o This little (about 2-1/2 inches diameter) coin is taking a bit over an hour. I want to print a bunch of them so that Marilyn (also an Air Force vet,) and I, can carry them to hand out.
That's typical of
any printer that is multi-color. It can't switch on the fly because there is filament in the extruder and nozzle that must be flushed when switching colors.
To print multiple units and save time, add copies in Bambu Studio. Instead of printing one, print four. It will still do the same color switching, but for all four, instead of one at a time.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 04:08 PMQuote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 03:27 PMI see where you outline, in red, the profiles. Am I right so far? If so, I clicked on the second one ("Flipped version...") but nothing seems to have changed. How do I print from that second profile?
Whichever profile is selected is what gets printed and what displays in the 3D Preview. The photos don't change...ever.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 03:27 PMI clicked on the "3D Preview", and it showed the single-color print. :(
Are you sure? That profile can only be seen from the bottom, in which case, turning off the print plate switch on the bottom left makes it easier to see. You should be looking for the colors in the top right. If it's just showing white, that's the single-color one. If you see white and black, that's the one that prints face down.
So, I select the profile by clicking on the place where it says "Flipped version...", and that section turns slightly gray. Then I click on the Preview and get this:
(https://i.postimg.cc/hj4Ls3M9/Preview-1.jpg)
Except the color buttons on the right show white for the top button, and black for the bottom button. I clicked on the black button, and selected blue from the color picker. The above picture is what I get.
Unfortunately, as you can see that the preview image is solid blue - no text at all. And that is what ended up on the print.
Am I following along correctly? Or, am I missing something?
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 04:10 PMThat's typical of any printer that is multi-color. It can't switch on the fly because there is filament in the extruder and nozzle that must be flushed when switching colors.
I had heard that - it was just a bit surprising to see it.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 04:10 PMTo print multiple units and save time, add copies in Bambu Studio. Instead of printing one, print four. It will still do the same color switching, but for all four, instead of one at a time.
That is what I'm planning (actually probably more like 16-25 at a time.) I just want to make sure that it prints clearly at the reduced size before going large quantity. I will probably need to let it run over-night.
Well, the challenge coin printed perfectly. The text is very legible, and it feels great. I gave that first print to Marilyn, and she likes it (she did say that she is not really sure what the idea was behind Challenge Coins, so I gave her a quick summary.)
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/comment/20260714/3261306213/94faa20b0cd0e520.jpg?x-oss-process=image%2Fresize%2Cw_600%2Fformat%2Cwebp)
The reduced-sized coin is now printing.
With this success, maybe I just need to find a new Ohm's Law plaque. Although, it does irritate me a bit that I cannot figure out what is going wrong, and/or how to fix it. ???
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 04:21 PMAm I following along correctly? Or, am I missing something?
Unfortunately, I think you're missing something. However, describing it with screenshots and text isn't helping, so when I get home from work, I will do a video.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 05:04 PMQuote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 04:21 PMAm I following along correctly? Or, am I missing something?
Unfortunately, I think you're missing something. However, describing it with screenshots and text isn't helping, so when I get home from work, I will do a video.
Appreciated, thanks.
As a test, I just downloaded the .STL file, and when I load it into FlashPrint, it shows as only a single color. That could be because my FlashPrint is set up for my Voxel, which is only a single-color printer.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 05:18 PMAs a test, I just downloaded the .STL file, and when I load it into FlashPrint, it shows as only a single color. That could be because my FlashPrint is set up for my Voxel, which is only a single-color printer.
Standard STL files do not contain color or texture information. They are strictly limited to storing the 3D surface geometry of an object, described by a collection of triangular facets (vertices and normal vectors). That's probably why Bambu Lab uses 3MF as its primary, native project file type, which saves the 3D geometry, print settings, and color configurations.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 13, 2026, 05:43 PMQuote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 05:18 PMAs a test, I just downloaded the .STL file, and when I load it into FlashPrint, it shows as only a single color. That could be because my FlashPrint is set up for my Voxel, which is only a single-color printer.
Standard STL files do not contain color or texture information. They are strictly limited to storing the 3D surface geometry of an object, described by a collection of triangular facets (vertices and normal vectors). That's probably why Bambu Lab uses 3MF as its primary, native project file type, which saves the 3D geometry, print settings, and color configurations.
That makes sense; thanks.
Quote from: granz on Jul 13, 2026, 04:24 PMThat is what I'm planning (actually probably more like 16-25 at a time.) I just want to make sure that it prints clearly at the reduced size before going large quantity. I will probably need to let it run over-night.
Well, that was a bust - glad I opted for printing only a single copy.
(https://i.postimg.cc/65Y1sg8J/Reduced-Size.jpg)
(Ouch - my poor eyes!)
I kind of thought that this would happen. Maybe if I used a 0.2mm nozzle, rather than my standard 0.4mm one, it might be clearer.
Oh, well... When I duplicated the full-sized coins (6mm,) the most that I am able to get on a build plate is 14. That will take about 9 hours and 41 minutes - definitely an over-nighter. ;)
20260713_220618_640x480.jpg
Here is the first print. Looks perfect! Next I'm going to reverse the colors and print the inverse version.
20260713_231142_640x480.jpg
This is the inverse version. It also printed perfectly.
NOTE: These two prints will be given to the next two customers who buy from the Savage///Circuits Shop (https://savagecircuits.com/shop/).
Ok, thanks. I did not realize that the printed side was face down. How did you figure that out? Have you seen stuff printed "upside-down" before, or just figured it out. Although, for some reason, my first attempt has solid blue completely across the bottom, totally flat. And the opposite side is totally white with the letters embossed up, like I showed in response #11 above:
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/comment/20260713/3261306213/ae4c5fc3a5477469.jpg?x-oss-process=image%2Fresize%2Cw_400%2Fformat%2Cwebp)
Well, it seems to be working now:
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZwqSdF7/Seems-To-Be-Working.jpg)
Although, now I am getting low on white filament. Time to order some more filament - I'm trying some PETG, and some TPU to try.
Thanks again.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 07:25 AMOk, thanks. I did not realize that the printed side was face down. How did you figure that out? Have you seen stuff printed "upside-down" before, or just figured it out.
Well, it said, "Flipped", so I guessed that, however, as I showed in the video, when I look at the 3D Preview, I always fully rotate the model. Often I am looking for specific things, like mounting hole, etc. Some, "signs" print with no mounting holes, leaving no easy way to hang them. Anyway, I'm just in the habit of looking at the rendering.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 07:25 AMWell, it seems to be working now: Thanks again.
Yay! You're welcome. Did you see that I am giving those prints away with future orders? For myself, I am going to make the lightbox version I linked previously.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 14, 2026, 08:33 AMQuote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 07:25 AMOk, thanks. I did not realize that the printed side was face down. How did you figure that out? Have you seen stuff printed "upside-down" before, or just figured it out.
Well, it said, "Flipped", so I guessed that, however, as I showed in the video, when I look at the 3D Preview, I always fully rotate the model. Often I am looking for specific things, like mounting hole, etc. Some, "signs" print with no mounting holes, leaving no easy way to hang them. Anyway, I'm just in the habit of looking at the rendering.
That makes sense, I guess that I need to start doing the preview as SOP (Standard Operating Procedure.)
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 14, 2026, 08:33 AMYay! You're welcome. Did you see that I am giving those prints away with future orders? For myself, I am going to make the lightbox version I linked previously.
I did see that, it looks like a nice gesture, but since I already printed one, I am no longer in need.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 07:25 AMWell, it seems to be working now: Thanks again.
Yeah, it printed correctly:
(https://i.postimg.cc/yxXS1vrz/Completed.jpg)
I am a little disappointed with this though. First, the stands are almost useless without gluing them in place. I have printed several "flat pack" prints where the pieces are tight enough that they hold in place without any need for glue. Secondly, the first try that I printed had the characters (printed on top, rather flat on the botttom,) embossed (sticking up, out from the base of the print.) Unfortunately, these were white, the same as the top half of the base. I can see no reason for the multiple color print for this, as the picture of my first print shows, the blue is completely hidden by the white, and the letters are the same color:
(https://makerworld.bblmw.com/makerworld/comment/20260713/3261306213/ae4c5fc3a5477469.jpg?x-oss-process=image%2Fresize%2Cw_400%2Fformat%2Cwebp)
(Notice the slightly visible blue on the bottom, completely covered by the white.)Based on the picture in the MakerWorld site, I thought that the base would print in one color (blue for me, rather than blue on the bottom of the base and totally covered by white on the top part of the base) and only the embossed letters would be the second color (white, in my case.) That would have been much cooler. Oh well, as they say, if you want a job done right, do it yourself; I guess that if my interest goes up high enough to try again, I'll have to design it myself.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 09:08 AMI am a little disappointed with this though.
One thing I learned early on was to read the reviews on a model. I once printed something so horrible, I couldn't believe it was even up on MakerWorld. Had I read the reviews, I would have been saved some pain (and filament).
In this case, most people seemed to be happy, but there were mixed results in the photos.
Yeah, I guess that I'm just a bit slower than others (or maybe more/too trusting? ::) )
Have you printed that light-box version, yet?
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 11:31 AMYeah, I guess that I'm just a bit slower than others (or maybe more/too trusting? ::) )
Well, that was kind of my point though...sometimes I get too complacent and then run into an issue covered in the comments, even if it is my own fault. Sometimes reading the comments prevents other things as well. An ounce of prevention, as it were.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 11:31 AMHave you printed that light-box version, yet?
No, I was up past my bedtime working on the video and printing the two versions of that model to get photos. I will do it tomorrow, since I will get the filament set up tonight (more came today) and let it go while I am at work.
Quote from: granz on Jul 14, 2026, 11:31 AMHave you printed that light-box version, yet?
I think I am going to cancel the print. It's having some weird issues. I don't see the point in wasting more filament letting it finish... :-[
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 14, 2026, 10:52 PMI think I am going to cancel the print. It's having some weird issues. I don't see the point in wasting more filament letting it finish... :-[
Unfortunately, I have had to do that a few times. It's sad when you realize part-way through a print that it won't turn out right. But, better than not noticing until you have wasted all that filament (and time.)
Now that I think about it, I have had the same trouble with printing on paper. Too many times I have had a job print, and realized that it was messed up. Some of the worst of those were when the output was a couple lines of garbage characters per page with a gazillion pages being printed. :o I hated that.
Quote from: granz on Jul 15, 2026, 06:22 AMUnfortunately, I have had to do that a few times. It's sad when you realize part-way through a print that it won't turn out right. But, better than not noticing until you have wasted all that filament (and time.)
So, I posted that last night and then fell asleep. The front was printing on the second P2S, while the back was printing on the first P2S. I will do a thread rating this print, but the first P2S had two partial black filament spools. I thought that would be enough. It was not. So a new back is printing now, since I fell asleep and the front finished printing.
When the first black spool ran out, it went to the second, but some time around 3:00AM the second spool ran out and I had no more black, except what was printing in the second printer (for the front). So after removing the front and cleaning the plate, I started the back again on the second P2S that had plenty of black filament.
That is going to happen to my white filament soon. I've been trying to keep my white printing to a minimum until I get another filament order in. This one will have more white PLA,a bronze something (I need to print some drawer pulls for my dresser,) and some PETG.
Quote from: granz on Jul 15, 2026, 08:35 PMThis one will have more white PLA,a bronze something (I need to print some drawer pulls for my dresser,) and some PETG.
I have only ever used PET-G for some gears and supports for the mechanical section of a Dune Weaver Sand Table (https://makerworld.com/en/models/922851-dune-weaver-sand-table-enclosed-ombonad-version#profileId-885323) I printed for a coworker.
I had not thought of gears; nice. Maybe I can look into a Spirograph.
Is this the thread you mentioned??
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Jul 15, 2026, 10:48 PMIs this the thread you mentioned??
Is this the thread
who mentioned?
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Jul 15, 2026, 10:48 PMIs this the thread you mentioned??
This one, and Chris' thread about his new P1S (https://savagechats.com/index.php?topic=434.0) and other places where Chris, and I, talk about our Bambu Lab printers.
But like I said, you made your decision and it seems to be a good one. I guess that I was just hoping to see a bit into your decision making. ;)
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 15, 2026, 11:30 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Jul 15, 2026, 10:48 PMIs this the thread you mentioned??
Is this the thread who mentioned?
You missed his question I think.
Quote from: granz on Jul 16, 2026, 06:08 AMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Jul 15, 2026, 10:48 PMIs this the thread you mentioned??
This one, and Chris' thread about his new P1S (https://savagechats.com/index.php?topic=434.0) and other places where Chris, and I, talk about our Bambu Lab printers.
But like I said, you made your decision and it seems to be a good one. I guess that I was just hoping to see a bit into your decision making. ;)
Ok, thanks, I'll check them out when I get the chance.
Quote from: granz on Jul 16, 2026, 06:08 AMBut like I said, you made your decision and it seems to be a good one. I guess that I was just hoping to see a bit into your decision making. ;)
I thought about it for a few days. Contenders was:
-Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro- Main diff is Plus little bigger print size vs Pro
-Elegoo Naptune 4 Plus- Little cheaper.
-Elegoo Centauri Carbon- Heard encloaed cases make some stuff like ABS easier.
It was little hard, almost just got N4 Pro, but got to thinking that the enclosed space, wanna try selling stuff, so in the end the CC won. Honestly, probly wouldn't have been bad in any case, but the CC is just BadA$$ as far as printers go. Doing first print of my choosing right now. 8hrs for most of the Hilt n hand grip for the Master Sword from the Lwgend of Zelda.
(https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/zeldawiki/images/thumb/c/c5/TotK_Master_Sword_Model.png/164px-TotK_Master_Sword_Model.png)
Got it, thanks for the background to your decision. Any ideas of how you want to do the commercial printing? I also need to find some ways to increase my income.
Well, I had my first bad power outage that killed a print job. Last night, at about 10:30, while my printer was reprinting that job for my friend, our power went out. It was out for about five hours, but right after the power went out, I shut down the printer - in case of multiple bumps when power was being restored.
This morning, when I came into my office, I plugged the printer back in, and powered it up. It responded with a message that it had lost power, and that I could attempt to continue the print. I told it to continue, and the print seems to be going well.
This is the third attempt to print this job. The first one gave that bad stringing on the "shelf" - the one with no supports. On the second print, I added the supports, and had it set to "tree" supports. The shelf printed, but it took a lot of effort to remove the supports, and it looks pretty cruddy. This third print has the supports turned on, and set to "normal." I see a lot of tiny supports, and it does not look like it will be much (if any) better than the "tree" supports.
When I first load the file, it shows the object standing up, but when I click on auto-orient it lays the object on it's side - which actually looks right, except for that shelf. If this print job does not look decent, I will give it one more try, with the item standing up, as it comes in from the file. I will then give my friend the one that looks best.
Well, here is the print job. It is a gift to a good friend of mine, and his wife. Don is the worship leader at our Church, and he is a professor of trumpet. He met his wife at a music event, both of them (actually their kids too) are musically inclined.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SNHsfkNG/Clefs.jpg)
This is a Treble Clef, and a Bass Clef - used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clef"used%20to%20indicate%20which%20notes%20are%20represented%20by%20the%20lines%20and%20spaces%20on%20a%20musical%20staff.)
Don's wife was born, and raised, in the Czech Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic), and has been living there for the past year waiting for him to join her. Things have not gone as expected, though, and so she has come back to visit with him. I will give one to him, and one to her, and remind them that good music requires both to be together - and that they should remember that they should both be together (I'll need to work on the wording. ??? )
Quote from: granz on Jul 17, 2026, 09:24 AMThis is a Treble Clef, and a Bass Clef
Or...a Bass Clef and a Treble Clef, respectively. ;)
Quote from: granz on Jul 17, 2026, 07:02 AMGot it, thanks for the background to your decision. Any ideas of how you want to do the commercial printing? I also need to find some ways to increase my income.
I know first i gotta arange stuff n get more filsment n resin. Power loss feature is nice ain't it?
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 17, 2026, 09:51 AMQuote from: granz on Jul 17, 2026, 09:24 AMThis is a Treble Clef, and a Bass Clef
Or...a Bass Clef and a Treble Clef, respectively. ;)
True... I told them to line up correctly. Just like kids, they never listen. >:( ;D
Quote from: granz on Jul 17, 2026, 09:24 AMWell, here is the print job. It is a gift to a good friend of mine, and his wife. Don is the worship leader at our Church, and he is a professor of trumpet. He met his wife at a music event, both of them (actually their kids too) are musically inclined.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SNHsfkNG/Clefs.jpg)
This is a Treble Clef, and a Bass Clef - used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clef"used%20to%20indicate%20which%20notes%20are%20represented%20by%20the%20lines%20and%20spaces%20on%20a%20musical%20staff.)
Don's wife was born, and raised, in the Czech Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic), and has been living there for the past year waiting for him to join her. Things have not gone as expected, though, and so she has come back to visit with him. I will give one to him, and one to her, and remind them that good music requires both to be together - and that they should remember that they should both be together (I'll need to work on the wording. ??? )
Nice idea.
My first real trouble: the TF Card interface is giving trouble.
It started out by the printer giving a read/write error when trying to send a large print (15 different small items) from BambuStudio. It is not constant, so sometimes I can print, and other times it won't even try. One time it started the print, and only got a couple layers down before it quit.
In my searching for how to fix this, I came across a few things to try. First, I did get a brand new TF Card, and format it as FAT-32 on my computer. This seems to have had no change - I think that I got one, or two, prints to work. Some people said that the card needs to be formatted in the printer, but the format never gets going (my printer is currently at 0% of a format started last night - about ten hours,) and I have tried about three, or four, format jobs.
I have had equal successes, and failures, from both cards.
Secondly, some people have recommended a complete shutdown, but that doesn't change the troubles for me, even having tried several times.
The last thing suggested is that they have gotten a new control board from Bambu Lab, and that seemed to take care of the troubles.
@Chris Savage, have you (or anyone else) had (or heard of) anything like this? Any ideas?
Quote from: granz on Jul 22, 2026, 08:11 AM@Chris Savage, have you (or anyone else) had (or heard of) anything like this? Any ideas?
I never had any such issues or they would have been in my review. In fact, I am a bit embarrassed...I had to look up what a TF card was. I had only known them as SD Cards.
Yeah, I normally call them SD Cards, but thought that I should be as accurate as possible when describing a trouble.
So, more research showed me that another possibility is low-quality cards. Bambu Lab gives a generic card with their printers, and some of them, apparently, are pretty poor.
In looking for another card, I wanted a good, name-brand card. Bambu Lab recommended an actual SanDisk (apparently, there are some fakes being sold as true SanDisks,) so that is what I looked for. It's pretty sad that a company like Bambu Lab would damage their own reputation by cheaping out on their included cards - shooting themselves in the foot.
There are different speed ratings for SD Cards, and most of them that I saw are Class 4. Because these printers do not have any internal memory (another area where Bambu Lab could improve their products,) they use the card for all files downloaded to the printer. One Class 10, 32GB card is now on order, and I paid the extra $3 for delivery before 8:00AM tomorrow. Hopefully, that will take care of my issues.
Related to Bambu Lab's printers, there is an article from Call-3D (https://www.call-3d.com/blogs/hardware-failure-guide-diagnose-call3d-printlab/how-to-tell-if-your-bambu-lab-micro-sd-card-error?srsltid=AfmBOoqo7_YwT9pYTh61T83609FOTg6QEORZ2-rpobhPnTCFvJM1qIsE) describing this trouble:
QuoteUpdated firmware often places higher demands on the micro SD card—such as faster read/write speeds or more stable data transmission—and the stock card struggles to keep up. Over time, this strain can lead to card damage, directly causing the card error.
The good news? Most users have found that resolving the error is simpler than expected: switching to a high-quality, reputable third-party micro SD card often eliminates the SD card error entirely. This straightforward fix gets your printer back to normal printing operations in no time.
As I have recently purchased my A1, it probably has the updated firmware. The article also recommends that I keep another good-quality card, and use it if I get any more errors - so the author seems to think that even a good card could have troubles. Maybe, Bambu Lab should have put a different storage inside their printers.
So, this seems to confirm my suspicions. As I said, hopefully this will fix my troubles. I will let you guys know if I get any more troubles. And, if not, then I will write up a post for Joe's Tip Thread. (https://savagechats.com/index.php?topic=476.0)
Strange, ever since I got the new card, the printer has been working just fine. It's like the thing said: "Okay, I believe your threats, I'll shape up and work for you, now." ::)
Still, the new card is sitting there, waiting for the next sign of trouble. If the printer has any other troubles, I'll swap the card and let you know how it goes.
Well, it choked again - read/write error on the SD card. This is after about six, or seven, successful prints.
I inserted the new Class 10 card, reformatted it (on the printer) and resent the print job - it's working now. Hopefully, the new higher-quality card will solve the troubles.
Quote from: granz on Jul 27, 2026, 08:41 PMWell, it choked again - read/write error on the SD card. This is after about six, or seven, successful prints. I inserted the new Class 10 card, reformatted it (on the printer) and resent the print job - it's working now. Hopefully, the new higher-quality card will solve the troubles.
I was just thinking that, while I've not had these issues, I don't have the Timelapse feature turned on for two reasons. The first is it increases the print time. The second is, it can cause a little more artifacts in the print because the print head keeps taking off to get out of the way for the images.
The two P2S printers actually take a USB drive, not a microSD card. I may try something if I print something tall. Unfortunately, I am usually printing flat things, so Timelapse isn't very useful.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 27, 2026, 10:19 PMI was just thinking that, while I've not had these issues, I don't have the Timelapse feature turned on for two reasons. The first is it increases the print time. The second is, it can cause a little more artifacts in the print because the print head keeps taking off to get out of the way for the images.
The two P2S printers actually take a USB drive, not a microSD card. I may try something if I print something tall. Unfortunately, I am usually printing flat things, so Timelapse isn't very useful.
I did run across that idea (Timelapse taking up too much card bandwidth) but I never use my Timelapse, so that can't be the trouble. Actually, I never use the camera at all (other than once to see what it looked like.) Although, I have thought about it before - it might be cool to be able to see what my printer is doing while out and about.
Quote from: granz on Jul 28, 2026, 07:44 AMActually, I never use the camera at all (other than once to see what it looked like.) Although, I have thought about it before - it might be cool to be able to see what my printer is doing while out and about.
That is
exactly what I use mine for, since 90% of the time, I am sending prints from work, an hour away.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 28, 2026, 08:28 AMThat is exactly what I use mine for, since 90% of the time, I am sending prints from work, an hour away.
Yeah, and my work is a few seconds away (about six feet. :P ) I do like being retired. ;D
Quote from: granz on Jul 28, 2026, 11:07 AMYeah, and my work is a few seconds away (about six feet. :P ) I do like being retired. ;D
In all fairness, one of the three primary reasons I chose Bambu Lab 3D Printers was the ability to control and monitor remotely using the Smart Phone App (Bambu Handy). Every morning I set the printers up before I leave, so they're ready for what I send to them. It's a convenient arrangement.
P.S. - Despite being in chronic pain every day of my life, I have far too much energy to retire. I would go stir crazy! :-[
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 28, 2026, 11:20 AMIn all fairness, one of the three primary reasons I chose Bambu Lab 3D Printers was the ability to control and monitor remotely using the Smart Phone App (Bambu Handy). Every morning I set the printers up before I leave, so they're ready for what I send to them. It's a convenient arrangement.
That certainly does sound like a cool idea. That is in my project list. Right now, I try to set up my printer every time, immediately after removing a print job, so that it is ready for my next print. A big motivator for doing that is so that, at some time in the future, I can send jobs from my phone.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 28, 2026, 11:20 AMP.S. - Despite being in chronic pain every day of my life, I have far too much energy to retire. I would go stir crazy! :-[
Yeah, unfortunately my pain saps away my energy, so I am constantly exhausted. :( Retirement was pretty much forced on me.
Quote from: granz on Jul 28, 2026, 06:32 PMYeah, unfortunately my pain saps away my energy, so I am constantly exhausted. :( Retirement was pretty much forced on me.
Some days are harder than others for me...but I am stubborn.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 28, 2026, 11:51 PMSome days are harder than others for me...but I am stubborn.
I'm glad that you are able to continue pushing on. "Keep on keeping on!" ;)
Well, I had my first filament "failure" yesterday. I had a print job that was supposed to run about eight hours; it was running over-night. When I got up, yesterday, it had stopped saying that there was something wrong with the filament. I took a look, but did not see anything obvious. So, I tried moving the spool back a bit. Suddenly, the filament sprang loose a bit. Looking again, I still didn't see any troubles, so I told it to continue the print. The rest of the print went off without any troubles.
So, all-in-all, it was a pretty benign failure - no troubles. I still like this Bambu Lab A1 printer.