Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

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boxermegan
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Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by boxermegan » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:07 pm

Hi all,

I know this issue has been addressed previously, but I can't find the thread. After epoxying my extruder mount and reassembling, I noticed that the fan on the electronics case is no longer working. I've tried plugging/unplugging, rebooting computer, checking gcode (not sure if I know enough to know where to look) in the "script" tab, tapping on the top, reseating cable connector in the back... etc... Still no worky.

The fan blades turn easily by hand (tool)

Any ideas?

Meanwhile, I'm assuming it's okay to use an external fan to do the job.?

jsc
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by jsc » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:10 pm

Does the fan that cools the extruder run?

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boxermegan
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by boxermegan » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:28 pm

Yes, the extruder fan runs.

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Tim
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by Tim » Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:32 pm

One thing to consider is that the electronics case doesn't actually need the fan, so if you can't get it working, don't worry about it too much.

The extruder fan wires should be connected into the same connector as the electronics fan. If the extruder fan is running, and the wires don't appear to be loose if you tug on them lightly, then there's some possibility that the fan is shot. But---it's pretty easy to have a wire not connecting when two are shoved into the same connector.

Dale Reed
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by Dale Reed » Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:04 am

boxermegan,

How old/new is this M2? If it's a newer 24-volt model (only one power supply brick), the electronic case fan and the 40mm fan on the extruder are in series, so if one runs, they're both getting current. If you're moving current through the electronics case fan, either the wires are shorted or the little switching electronics in the fan that let it be brushless are shorted. Probably need to replace the fan.

If it's an older model, with two power supply bricks, the electronics case fan and the 40mm extruder fan are in parallel. In that case, check that the wires for both fans are secure in the connector, and with the proper polarity (red on plus, black on minus).

Hope this helps. I'm assuming some basic electrical circuit knowledge (series and parallel, voltage and current), so I hope the above made sense.

Best Regards,
Dale

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Tim
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by Tim » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:09 pm

And, sorry, my comment is relevant to the older 12V/19V vintage M2s. That's what I have, and I wasn't aware that the electronics box fan was wired differently on the newer models. I apologize for any confusion that may have caused.

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boxermegan
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by boxermegan » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:34 pm

Dale Reed wrote:boxermegan,

How old/new is this M2? If it's a newer 24-volt model (only one power supply brick), the electronic case fan and the 40mm fan on the extruder are in series, so if one runs, they're both getting current. If you're moving current through the electronics case fan, either the wires are shorted or the little switching electronics in the fan that let it be brushless are shorted. Probably need to replace the fan.

If it's an older model, with two power supply bricks, the electronics case fan and the 40mm extruder fan are in parallel. In that case, check that the wires for both fans are secure in the connector, and with the proper polarity (red on plus, black on minus).

Hope this helps. I'm assuming some basic electrical circuit knowledge (series and parallel, voltage and current), so I hope the above made sense.

Best Regards,
Dale
Thanks Dale. It was cockpit error. I accidentally hooked up the ext. fan to the bed fan power connector. I know that both fans work because I ran them both (electronics box and ext.) using this 24V connector. However, when they are both hooked up properly, neither will run. Any ideas as to why?

They used to come on automatically when I turned the printer on. Now, nothing. The power supply fan turns on, the extruder and bed heat up. The bed fan turns on with the slider. I've tightened all of the screws associated with the fan connectors. (They weren't loose.)

Ps. It would be nice if the connectors were labeled 12V & 24V.

Also, newer M2 purchased from Amazon in January 2014

jsc
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by jsc » Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:52 pm

Everything is 24V on your M2. The case fan and ext fan are in series so they will divide up the voltage.

It is not clear to me what your current state is. Before you were saying the case fan didn't work, but the extruder fan did. And now, they both don't work? Don't run without the extruder fan blowing, it is necessary.

If you have a voltmeter, see if you get 24V on the case/ext fan terminals when the printer is on. If you are getting voltage there, see what you are getting at the extruder fan connection. Make sure you are running the latest version of S3D (if you are using it), and if there is an "M108" line in the startup gcode and the value after it is anything other than 255, change it to 255.

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boxermegan
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by boxermegan » Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:38 pm

jsc wrote:Everything is 24V on your M2. The case fan and ext fan are in series so they will divide up the voltage.

It is not clear to me what your current state is. Before you were saying the case fan didn't work, but the extruder fan did. And now, they both don't work? Don't run without the extruder fan blowing, it is necessary.

If you have a voltmeter, see if you get 24V on the case/ext fan terminals when the printer is on. If you are getting voltage there, see what you are getting at the extruder fan connection. Make sure you are running the latest version of S3D (if you are using it), and if there is an "M108" line in the startup gcode and the value after it is anything other than 255, change it to 255.

Current state - the only thing working is the hum from the power supply. Very frustrating. I know it is something that I did because it was working fine until the ext. mount failed. I don't have a voltmeter handy. The reason I thought the ext. fan was working was because I had mistakenly plugged it into the bed fan power. So it turned on at start up because the slider was all the way to the right.

Toby
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Re: Electronics Case Fan Not Turning On

Post by Toby » Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:23 am

That's a bummer. I don't know where all the hardware guys went, but I'm sure one of them will come around and help you figure this out.

Meanwhile, are you saying that you can't even connect to the M2 through S3D and jog around, or just that neither the extruder fan nor case fan turn on at start even though everything is plugged in to the right terminals?

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