Introduction
If the 3D printer is not responding when connected to a computer or has issues powering up, this may be the cause of faulty ports on the motherboard. The ports are used to carry power and data to the printer. Occasionally a port can be damaged by forced and improper plugging in of cables; this guide will assist you in opening the unit to reveal the control motherboard and instruct you in replacing both ports.
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Place pressure on the central print bed and simultaneously pull up on the outer perimeter of the 3D printer. The cube shaped enclosure will lift up.
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Remove the print bed cover and locate the four screws holding the print bed to the base of the unit. Remove the four 9.5 mm screws using the 3.5 Hex head from the bit kit.
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Lifting the print bed reveals the motherboard that controls the unit. This is the hardware that allows the printer to connect to the computer. The port on the left is the data and the port on the right is the power input.
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The ports are primarily soldered on to the board but are additionally secured using glue. Use the sharp metal spudger tool to gently pry apart the glue surrounding the ports.
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To remove the charging port grasp the port with a pair of pliers and use a soldering iron to desolder the joints at the red marks while carefully pulling away with the pliers.
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To replace the power port, match the four contact points on the board to the new port and carefully solder the components together.
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To replace the USB data port, follow the same procedure as Step 5. The contact pins for the data port are on the back. The red marker indicates the four contact pins that must be matched up and carefully soldered on.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
2 comments
Between the 2nd & 3rd images in step 1, the print head has vanished without explanation.
How do we remove the print head so we can remove the top half of the case to be able to proceed to step 2?
That’s the only piece if data missing.
Otherwise, it seems to be a great article.
Thank you.
I found this document to replace the Z-Belt. It includes the steps to remove the print head.