do i have to remove the fan or anything? or can i just use the flat wrench things that came with it? and im using technologyoutlet premium filament
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00I8MRPDM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00)
I heard a clicking sound yes.
Now I have another problem. When I try to load the filament, nothing comes out, i think there may be a jam somewhere. I tried using that thin rod to see if anything comes out but i have no luck.
Any ideas?
That Clicking sound you're hearing is the stepper motor which feeds the filament being overdriven - most likely by something either becoming jammed or the amperage of the stepper not being set correctly. I have opened this device up and screwed with it quite a bit and can confirm, that if one needs to add a few milliamps of juice to the stepper, there is a number of POTs (4), which if adjusted will increase the amps. Not sure exactly which one to adjust as I've never had to before, but if you test them by rotating no more that 270 degrees, you should see either a drop or increase in amps. The POTs may or may not have an end point, meaning if you rotate too far, you might go back to the start (or end as the case may be). One thing to note, 4 POTs - 1 for each axis +one for the extruder, if you're testing to figure out which one's which be sure that if you evidently adjust the wrong one, that you set it back.
Honestly I doubt its the AMPS though. My experience with this hotend has been less than perfect. The pulley which helps pressurise the filament has lines on it. If it skips too much, the light sensor sees the lines arent moving and cancels the print. My best suggestion would be to stick with 1.75mm (as I have done). Ensure you clean out the hotend with the metal stick these come provided with regularly. If that fails, yes you'll have to remove the fan with the hex tool and adjust whatever you can to ensure filament moves through with just the right amount pressure. Too much it will jam before it feeds, too little and it will slip. Further - DO NOT TEST THE HOTEND WITH THE FAN REMOVED!!!!! There is a thermal fuse which will overheat if you do. If like me yours blows - just remove the fuse and short the wires. IMO the thermal fuse is overkill anyway.
Another thing. If too much filament is present in the hotend at any one time, the hotend will fill and heat will begin to travel back up the feeder, making the filament soft in the funnel just before the hotend. THis makes a big blob which is a pain in the arse to remove. THese units have very precisely calculated feed speeds based on the filament width. Using 2mm filament will likely give you issues. Its way too thick for the nozzle size and extrusion speed. Go back to 1.75mm!
Another thing I've found to cause issues is the metal feeder tube just before the pulleys needs to be aligned so the filament feeds straight between the drive gear and pulley. If the filament is allowed to bend in the space between the metal tube and and pulleys, it wont feed correctly.
Oh, just realized, the stuff I got from Cultivate 3D is 1.70mm - Oh well everything else has been 1.75 so I can safely say anything in that range should be hunky dory.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Dan