I honestly don't think it's strictly necessary. I've still got mine installed but I've heard people who've taken the belt off say it can help reduce artifacts and banding. My old printer (Wanhao i3 Plus) had two drive screws and stepper motors driven from one driver, but they never ever did go out of synch.
@@iskandartaib i still have a working wanhao Di3. They never go out of sync when running but if you manually screw one when off (which i have stupidly done) they will get out of sync
I've had one of these since 11-11 (yeah, the sale) last year, and it's been great. Yes, it does have problems - I'll address the few you've mentioned. Lack of Preheat - actually it DOES have Preheat, just not one with pre-sets. It's under Tools -> Heat, then you press the "+" button a bunch of times to get the nozzle or the bed to whatever temperature you want. Lack of removable bed - a removeable bed is something I decided I could not live without. Fortunately easily fixed. Spring steel? Why? Get some IKEA 300x300 mirror tiles (a box of four for USD6) and use small binder clips to clip them to the bed. Yes, you either have to keep them absolutely fingerprint-free or use glue stick (I use glue stick, having been doing this with my old printer). Don't like bare glass? Get a A3 sized polycarbonate, you can get a 310x297mm sheet from it. 2mm or 3mm should work. You need to thoroughly scuff the surface with 200 grit sandpaper. (Just got one today, I'll be testing it out soon). Actually, acrylic/perspex/plexiglass seems to work as well, and it might even be possible to get this to work without heating the bed. Again, experiments on the way. OR you could do what Angus suggests and get a sheet of G10/Garolite. Spring steel? Costs too much money, I think.. OK, on to a problem you haven't discovered yet, but has been carried over from the X1. The firmware doesn't work with M0 and M25 (the "pause" commands), so the "Pause at Height" feature in Cura doesn't work. You can still pause the printer manually using the touch screen, but it IS a pain and I'm looking forward to someone coming up with a fix for this. There are workarounds, but so far they only work if you're running Octoprint. By the way, I don't use the filament runout sensor - it's a major pain in the neck to use, especially if you're swapping filaments. I just stuck a 2 inch piece of filament in it. If I need it I'll use it, otherwise it's not needed. Is this a good printer for newbies? I think it is. I've been hanging out on the Artillery3D Subreddit, so I've been observing problems that have been cropping up again and again for newbies. None of these is particular to the X2 (and also the Genius Pro), they're germane to all 3D printers. Or, in the case of one of the problems with 3D printers equipped with a ABL sensor. The first problem is.. newbies often have trouble getting the filament to stick. Most of the time it's simply that they've set the nozzle too high. In the case of the X2 (and other ABL-equipped printers) this leads to another issue. How do you adjust nozzle height??? I've been 3D printing since 2017, I'm used to adjusting the bed using the little bed wheels (not so little in this case..). Nozzle too high? Loosen the wheels a tad, this raises the bed. THIS DOES NOT WORK WITH THE X2!!!! It took me a while to figure this out.. With the X2 if the nozzle is too high, you have to use the "Z Offset -" button (under Tools -> More) to lower the nozzle. Once you have it to where you want it (I'd suggest setting the nozzle to printing height using the Manual Leveling menu - use Position 5 before setting the height with a piece of paper as a gauge) make sure you save to EEPROM. Why is this the case? Older printers had a Z axis stop switch mounted somewhere on the frame. This was fixed. Move the bed, this changes the nozzle height. The X2 uses the ABL probe as the Z stop reference. Once it senses the bed, it then sets the nozzle height RELATIVE TO THE BED using the stored Z Offset value. Adjust the bed up? The printer STILL sets the nozzle the same height from the bed. This confuses people - not just newbies, but experienced printers like myself who've never used ABL. You use the manual bed leveling to set the nozzle just right, and after you start the print, the nozzle is STILL too high. This leads to another problem at least 4-5 people have had on the Subreddit - the nozzle jamming into the bed when you home Z. This is one of two things. If the Z Offset is too low, the printer will try to lower the nozzle lower than the bed. How does this happen? In most cases it's a matter of someone tinkering too much - they disassembled the hot end, either because they wanted to see what was inside, or they got this idea that you had to do so to change the nozzle, or they believed someone who told them they absolutely HAD TO HAVE an all-metal heat break, or their printer wouldn't be cool. And when they reassembled it, they assembled it with the nozzle sticking down too far. What's the fix? Probably use the "Z Offset +" button - hit it 20-30 times. Then home Z again, see if it hits the bed again. If it does, repeat. If it doesn't, then set the nozzle height so that it's correct, using the paper. And then, save to EEPROM, of course. Oh yeah.. this leads to another problem (which IS particular to the X2 and the Genius Pro) - the ABL sensor probe can fall out. It's happened to me, and to a couple of others. If it does, the next time you home Z the printer will try to drive the nozzle through the bed. The fix? Stuff it back in there. Use some force, make sure it's in all the way, or you might find yourself with a HUGE Z Offset. What if you've lost it? You can print one. Believe it or not, there's a couple of them on Thingiverse. It doesn't really matter if they're not round, they do work. It's just a plastic rod - I measured mine. 1.8mm diameter, 15.4mm length. You could also go to a model railroad supply store and buy 2mm diameter styrene and cut it to length (I mean, if your printer isn't printing because you're missing the rod, you can't print one either, no?). Artillery should throw a half dozen of these things in the parts bag - it's only a few cents worth after all.
some good info in there...a lot of it I can confirm at this point as I have been using it a lot :) I can't believe the stop commands don't work though?!! Really? I had this problem on my monoprice printers years ago, I can't believe it's still a thing. Same on the ender 3 v2 for different reasons to do with unlocking individual steppers to unload without dropping the z, I don't understand how they mess this up marlin so badly! 😡
@@LostInTech3D This supposedly has to do with the touch screen software (the people who discuss this call it "TFT"..) - supposedly to get the manual pause and resume buttons to work they did something that broke M0 and M25. There is a workaround involving a TFT patch that uses the M600 command (I think this is the Change Filament command) but so far it only works if you're using Octoprint. I wish someone would do a video explaining the Z Offset/nozzle height issue - I've had to help several people with this on the Subreddit, and I'm tired to typing it again and again! I think I'll just use bits of this to copy and paste....
I thought - and this may be my naivety because I have mostly manual levelling printers - but I thought that was the way you always do it - using "babystepping" to set the offset then the M500 button to store it. The main issue was the manual told you to do something else, which was...useful. Believe it or not I wrote a whole segment on this in the script, but cut it out to save time. I'll look into it :)
@@LostInTech3D My old Wanhao i3 Plus didn't have the "babystepping" (i.e. Z Offset) adjustment - from what I understand, for a lot of printers, including the X1, it was something you had to add by way of a firmware upgrade. But even if you equip a printer without the ABL sensor so that you can adjust Z Offset using the front panel, it still doesn't behave the same way a printer like the X2 does, because the Z Offset is relative to the fixed Z end-stop sensor/switch attached to the frame. On the X2, it's relative to the top of the bed. On an older printer, if you move the bed up, the distance between the bed and the nozzle will decrease, and it stays that way when you home Z. On the X2, it doesn't - the ABL sensor senses the bed, then the nozzle drops to whatever you've set the Z Offset to. You can move the bed up 2mm, the height of the nozzle above the bed after homing remains the same. It took me a while to realize this. The BIG advantage of this system is that you can clip a surface to the bed and not have to worry about having to move the Z stop on the frame - the printer doesn't care what you've put on the bed, or how thick it is, the height of the nozzle will remain the same. (I don't like to use the term "babystepping" because it has to be explained to newbies - and I thought it applied to changing Z Offset on the fly as you printed the skirt, or the first layer.)
This is an update on my removable print surfaces. I continue to use the IKEA mirror tiles. I've managed to break two so far (not the fault of the printer) - good thing they're so cheap ($6 for four) and they have a backing that prevents it from shattering. I've also tried acrylic sheets, though not polycarbonate yet. They DO work (use 3 or 4mm - 2mm is too flexible), they even work without heating, but the glass is better and stiffer and way flatter. The big change over the last couple months - I've stopped using glue stick when printing PLA. PLA sticks really, really well and then releases when the bed temperature drops (I use 50 degrees C). So much easier to remove prints vs. when I was using glue stick. I just spritz some IPA on the bed and wipe off between prints. And make sure not to touch the bed before printing. For PETG, I shall continue using glue stick - PETG sticks like superglue to bare glass, you'll end up breaking the sheet or pulling off flakes. The glue stick allows it to release.
Thanks for this, I just purchased my sidewinder x2 (waiting for shipping) and I'm even more impressed with this thing every time I watch a video on it. Hoping it lives up to its hype. I'm sure it will. Thanks again.
The sync belt is for when the power is off or if the stepper motor is disconnected. Some printers have two drivers and can perform a z height calibration before printing. But one driver then they can get out of sync left and right spindle.
There are a lot of printers with two Z axis screws/stepper motors that don't have the linking belt, though - my old Wanhao i3 Plus was one.. and I never had them go out of synch.
Mine just showed up! Thanks for the review. The motherboard connectors won me over for sure...and I also liked the hot glue on all of the plug-in connectors, too. I do with with my drones as well... It is still in the box, but going to get setup and printing now. I have an Ender 3 Original, printed/purchased lots of upgrades, it "works", but is inconsistent. When I have everything "right" I get good prints, but so often, it messes up near the end of larger prints. (I print a lot of thin-wall RC airplane stuff).... so really expecting this to be a great upgrade...I had the KyWoo also on the "short-list" but the 230mm height was the deal-killer there. Also looked at Anycubic, but your review made me click the buy-now button. Appreciate you taking time to do the review, and cool that they sent it to you for free! :)
I'm glad to have steered you to the X2, I think you will be happy with it, I use it as my main printer now so I think it's pretty good! Don't pull parts off before they cool though, that's my one piece of advice :)
I turned the boz and bottom of foam as the door into a chamber with a cpu fan to exhaust fumes. It is ah-mazing. It is finicky but once you dial it in and wear it in, it seems very practical
As for the PSU fan thing, I bought a KSD9700 temperature switch for mine that turns the fan on when the temp inside the PSU reaches 45 degrees celsius. Works great!
I'm with u pal I have the X1 and want a X2 once its out. Have you had many/any problems with the Genius? Was looking at it and the Hornet and the Hornet seems to be a non starter but wondered bout the Genius.
I almost order that printer some time ago, it was the best in paper and it has everything I need and wanted; the reviews indicated it was a good printer, but at the end I didn't ordered it because the high shipping cost to the third world world country I live, plus here I have to pay for ( the printer + shipping ) x 30% in taxes+handling +insurance and a trip and long queue in my local post office.
PSU does not make noise because bed is AC, and not DC. Short explanation: PSU does not need to convert AC to DC (for the bed) so it does not heat up that much and does not require aditional cooling fans... so, this can not be "adapted" to an ender or any other printer that its bed is running with DC... Pros: Bed heats faster, less PSU noise. Downside? well.. Risk of electric shock if you touch it (not the bed but, the "in-between aluminum like part behind the ceramic bed"... there are 110v, or 220v (depending on your electrical config)
Great Video I came across this becuase I happened to look at an X2 video and now I get them all the time in my feed. Owning an X1 I still use it in production but since then I have a Bambu Printer P1S and have not looked back these printers like the X1, X2 are just irrelevant now. The good news is Artilliery is releasing the X4 soon 4 models they look impressive maybe they will be sending one to you to review soon love to see what you think. Cheers!
Great review, thnks!! I own the Sidewinder X1 and it's given me reliably good prints. I wish they sold a version of this printer which has a large bed w/o the crazy z-height. I'm weighing different models to build a print farm, and the height of this machine doesn't make it space efficient for stacking on shelves.
@@mikeguitar9769 I'm leaning towards the Artillery Genius or Genius Pro. I'm designing a product that has a TPU component, so having direct drive will go a long way for me. The Genius is one of the more inexpensive direct drive printers- it's the same price as the Ender Pro 3 V2. Also Ender's z-rod not having a top holder kind of freaks me out. Obviously I would print a part to hold the top... meanwhile the Genius has dual z-rods. Artillery's customer service also was quite responsive - I had a heat bed issue with the Sidewinder X1, and they shipped me a free new heat mat the following week. I also considered the Anycubic Vyper but I saw it was prone to bed level issues, and it seems there isn't an easy way to manually level the bed if that breaks.
As usual, both useful and entertaining! It's good to mention it's a 3d printer ;) There are a lot of tech videos in my Home feed I might be interested in but I don't even know what's that letter/number jumble in the title actually is ;) Love the direction 3d printer evolution is going. Finally less fuff with setting up and no engineering degree to assemble and Quiet!
Nice to see your channel has been noticed and they sent you the first sample. For the love of god please make reviews as honest as you can... your channel and content have always been very good and informative. Other channels just make everything look so good that we spend so much money on useless stuff just because they are going to make a few bucks or get a free product. Are you planning to do any further 10 days/10 tips videos anymore ?
Yeah - I won't be bought. I honestly won't do many reviews I don't think, maybe now and then, we'll see. I prefer doing my own thing like the tips, not sure I want to do one a day again though, that was crazy!
FWIW I like the look of the filament holder. I've had an issue a couple of times with my Ender3v2 - filament holder: a round pole - where the ID of the spool is so larger it doesn't rotate well on the holder and the filament tension increases, increases, increases...then THUNKs around another 10 degrees and loosens again. It seems to affect the consistency of extrusion a little, and I've had to print and fit accessories to jam into the spool hole to shim it to the actual size of the pole to resolve this. On the other hand, that holder looks like it just doesn't have that problem at all.
I second that. The quality of your videos plus your humor is outstanding. I'm so glad I discovered this channel (or the magic youtube algorithm discovered it for me)
My ender 5 plus has 2 z steppers and they come out of sync all the time. If I could think of a clean way to add a belt to keep them in sync I would definitely do it.
Interesting to see the changes they've made since the x1, which I've had for a while now. I'd be leery of that extruder as it looks to be the same basic design. Tbh, I don't think anyone should bother with titan-style extruders nowadays (although it's notable titan clones are notoriously inferior to the real deal). Since putting a bondtech clone and genuine 3d v6 on my machine, I've had minimal problems (though if I did it again, I'd pick a lighter extruder/hotend setup). Edit: Also, the preheat argument is kind of a moot point as you can easily update the touchscreen firmware via SD card. I mean, it's silly that they don't do that from factory but whatever.
I wonder if the hot end on this printer is designed in such a way as to prevent changing out the heat choke for an all metal one do it yourself style. I ask because you pointed out that they do sell a complete hot end with the all metal heat choke. But if I prefer the heat choke from slice engineering (bi-metal) would that be doable?
@@ObservantSeedsower No. It's easy to swap out the heat break with an all-metal one. Just make sure you BUY a proper one - it's the smooth "Kraken" style heat break with the 20.5mm overall length, and is fixed in place with a grub screw. HOWEVER - if/when you do this, MAKE SURE THE NOZZLE DOESN'T STICK DOWN LOWER THAN IT DID BEFORE YOU DISASSEMBLED IT , or you will find the nozzle hitting the bed, with all the noises associated with this traumatic event. This is because the Z Offset stored will be too low for the new nozzle position. The X2 uses the ABL sensor as a Z stop. For some reason, a LOT of newbies have become convinced that it's absolutely essential to have an all-metal heat break, and end up running into this problem. You see them posting about it all the time on the Artillery3D subreddit. Before disassembly, measure the distance between the nozzle and the bottom of the heat sink using your digital calipers. Upon assembly, make sure the nozzle isn't sticking out further than it was. Higher by a small amount is OK, you can always adjust the Z Offset down to adjust the nozzle height.
@@LostInTech3D And also very easy to do by selecting Tools -> Heat. Sure, there are no preset temperatures, you have to increase the temperature by hitting the "+" button 20 times, but you can pre-heat the printer. This is what I do. I suppose a plus is that you're not limited to the preset temperatures...
The artillery range are good for beginners, but the connectivity is both a boon and a downfall. I had to retire mine after the cabling became the issue - the original x1 had no strain relief on the bed cable or the Z ribbon cable, and both those died eventually. Custom hotends setups are nice, but when there's no real replacement path, it becomes real old trying to source alternatives and basically have to splash out for jst connectors, crimpers, etc for a simple heatblock, thermistor and cartridge change. In all, there are some new changes that say that they listened, but that bed cable is still not perfect, no replaceable bed, ptfe lining on a volcano direct drive hotend, and the cable connectors are still press fit which will eventually stop working due to the fit and/or corrosion. Newcomers to 3d printing need to realise that these are machines that perform 100s of hours of repetitive operations, and any moving part or cable can potentially be consumable. Once the cabling goes dodgy, you'll have to gut this and make it way less pretty. Better off spending a bit more money on a brand that doesn't lock you into custom connectors and hotends, it saves time, money, and frustration.
I'll be using it for a lot of tough work, so I'll be able to get an idea of how robust these redesigned cables are. I've not looked for replacements, I wonder if you can, it is standard Flexi PCB Ribbon cable stuff.
@@LostInTech3DI think they supply a spare ribbon for both, but I found its the connectors themselves that let the whole thing down. It was a workhorse for 4-500 hours, then I got a major clog as I was still learning tweaking profiles with a full metal hotend (just replaced the heatbreak). It just seemed to cascade from there, as the extruder motor developed a fault, followed by the X cable connector, followed by bed cable having a break and causing the bed to stop heating. I hope it is better for you over time, but do check out the artillery facebook group to see the most common problems which will crop up as they will eventually.
@@badger2313 There are lots of X1s that have had a lot of hard use in farms - this was one reason I got an X2. I won't be using mine all that hard, so I expect it to last a while.
Its worth noting you can run octoprint of any Computer, i think most people keep their printers near their PC and raspberry pies are not worth their price tag unless you have a farm. Even then one could pick up an old laptop for cheaper than a raspberry pie. Also smartphones can run octoprint but its hit and miss cause not all phones can charge and transmit data even with a Y cable.
@@LostInTech3D unfortunately on Amazon the 3+ is the same same price of 150USD as the Pie 4. The zero 2 is in stock for 55USD but thats infinite more expensive than the PC i already do have and already stays on all day anyways since i run other servers on it also.
@@LostInTech3D Oh good grief. Blue tape in 2022? 😂 Actually, I clip an IKEA mirror on the bed because I like my beds removable. And the ABL sensor makes it easy - just clip on and go. No need to mess with a Z stop sensor or switch like you had to do on older printers.
@@LostInTech3D Yes. Sorry is that not what you meant? I own an X2 and all and all I really like it. My cons are the filament holder as a full spool is far too weight on such a high gantry (imo. Higher possibility for ringing etc). I throw an empty spool up the top and run the full spool from my stand alone spool holder on the table. I would like to see after market z axis pull rod kit as I have found the higher the print gets the more ringing. The cooling duct: I printed a twin cooling fan duct which works (and prints) very well. I totally agree re: the uneven heating bed surface. I would have thought they would have addressed this issue with the X2 as this was a known issue with the X1. May I ask what slicing software you're using? Thanks for your uploads. Always informative 👍
Fyi: The model has a screw hole fixture but it means you'll need to use/find a longer m3 screw. I found that because it has a snug fit in the fan, I just drilled the hole after the print to 5mm which fits the outside of the head of the oem screw perfectly. You could obviously extrude a 5mm into the mesh (even omit that part of it all together as it fits perfectly in the fan opening).
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The belt on z axis is because even though the motors are on one driver, they can get out of sync at times so the belt helps as sort of a back up.
I honestly don't think it's strictly necessary. I've still got mine installed but I've heard people who've taken the belt off say it can help reduce artifacts and banding. My old printer (Wanhao i3 Plus) had two drive screws and stepper motors driven from one driver, but they never ever did go out of synch.
@@iskandartaib i still have a working wanhao Di3. They never go out of sync when running but if you manually screw one when off (which i have stupidly done) they will get out of sync
Quickly becoming one of my favorite 3d printing channel! Good review!
Thank you 👍
I've had one of these since 11-11 (yeah, the sale) last year, and it's been great. Yes, it does have problems - I'll address the few you've mentioned. Lack of Preheat - actually it DOES have Preheat, just not one with pre-sets. It's under Tools -> Heat, then you press the "+" button a bunch of times to get the nozzle or the bed to whatever temperature you want. Lack of removable bed - a removeable bed is something I decided I could not live without. Fortunately easily fixed. Spring steel? Why? Get some IKEA 300x300 mirror tiles (a box of four for USD6) and use small binder clips to clip them to the bed. Yes, you either have to keep them absolutely fingerprint-free or use glue stick (I use glue stick, having been doing this with my old printer). Don't like bare glass? Get a A3 sized polycarbonate, you can get a 310x297mm sheet from it. 2mm or 3mm should work. You need to thoroughly scuff the surface with 200 grit sandpaper. (Just got one today, I'll be testing it out soon). Actually, acrylic/perspex/plexiglass seems to work as well, and it might even be possible to get this to work without heating the bed. Again, experiments on the way. OR you could do what Angus suggests and get a sheet of G10/Garolite. Spring steel? Costs too much money, I think..
OK, on to a problem you haven't discovered yet, but has been carried over from the X1. The firmware doesn't work with M0 and M25 (the "pause" commands), so the "Pause at Height" feature in Cura doesn't work. You can still pause the printer manually using the touch screen, but it IS a pain and I'm looking forward to someone coming up with a fix for this. There are workarounds, but so far they only work if you're running Octoprint. By the way, I don't use the filament runout sensor - it's a major pain in the neck to use, especially if you're swapping filaments. I just stuck a 2 inch piece of filament in it. If I need it I'll use it, otherwise it's not needed.
Is this a good printer for newbies? I think it is. I've been hanging out on the Artillery3D Subreddit, so I've been observing problems that have been cropping up again and again for newbies. None of these is particular to the X2 (and also the Genius Pro), they're germane to all 3D printers. Or, in the case of one of the problems with 3D printers equipped with a ABL sensor.
The first problem is.. newbies often have trouble getting the filament to stick. Most of the time it's simply that they've set the nozzle too high. In the case of the X2 (and other ABL-equipped printers) this leads to another issue. How do you adjust nozzle height??? I've been 3D printing since 2017, I'm used to adjusting the bed using the little bed wheels (not so little in this case..). Nozzle too high? Loosen the wheels a tad, this raises the bed. THIS DOES NOT WORK WITH THE X2!!!! It took me a while to figure this out.. With the X2 if the nozzle is too high, you have to use the "Z Offset -" button (under Tools -> More) to lower the nozzle. Once you have it to where you want it (I'd suggest setting the nozzle to printing height using the Manual Leveling menu - use Position 5 before setting the height with a piece of paper as a gauge) make sure you save to EEPROM.
Why is this the case? Older printers had a Z axis stop switch mounted somewhere on the frame. This was fixed. Move the bed, this changes the nozzle height. The X2 uses the ABL probe as the Z stop reference. Once it senses the bed, it then sets the nozzle height RELATIVE TO THE BED using the stored Z Offset value. Adjust the bed up? The printer STILL sets the nozzle the same height from the bed. This confuses people - not just newbies, but experienced printers like myself who've never used ABL. You use the manual bed leveling to set the nozzle just right, and after you start the print, the nozzle is STILL too high.
This leads to another problem at least 4-5 people have had on the Subreddit - the nozzle jamming into the bed when you home Z. This is one of two things. If the Z Offset is too low, the printer will try to lower the nozzle lower than the bed. How does this happen? In most cases it's a matter of someone tinkering too much - they disassembled the hot end, either because they wanted to see what was inside, or they got this idea that you had to do so to change the nozzle, or they believed someone who told them they absolutely HAD TO HAVE an all-metal heat break, or their printer wouldn't be cool. And when they reassembled it, they assembled it with the nozzle sticking down too far. What's the fix? Probably use the "Z Offset +" button - hit it 20-30 times. Then home Z again, see if it hits the bed again. If it does, repeat. If it doesn't, then set the nozzle height so that it's correct, using the paper. And then, save to EEPROM, of course.
Oh yeah.. this leads to another problem (which IS particular to the X2 and the Genius Pro) - the ABL sensor probe can fall out. It's happened to me, and to a couple of others. If it does, the next time you home Z the printer will try to drive the nozzle through the bed. The fix? Stuff it back in there. Use some force, make sure it's in all the way, or you might find yourself with a HUGE Z Offset. What if you've lost it? You can print one. Believe it or not, there's a couple of them on Thingiverse. It doesn't really matter if they're not round, they do work. It's just a plastic rod - I measured mine. 1.8mm diameter, 15.4mm length. You could also go to a model railroad supply store and buy 2mm diameter styrene and cut it to length (I mean, if your printer isn't printing because you're missing the rod, you can't print one either, no?). Artillery should throw a half dozen of these things in the parts bag - it's only a few cents worth after all.
some good info in there...a lot of it I can confirm at this point as I have been using it a lot :)
I can't believe the stop commands don't work though?!! Really? I had this problem on my monoprice printers years ago, I can't believe it's still a thing. Same on the ender 3 v2 for different reasons to do with unlocking individual steppers to unload without dropping the z, I don't understand how they mess this up marlin so badly! 😡
@@LostInTech3D This supposedly has to do with the touch screen software (the people who discuss this call it "TFT"..) - supposedly to get the manual pause and resume buttons to work they did something that broke M0 and M25. There is a workaround involving a TFT patch that uses the M600 command (I think this is the Change Filament command) but so far it only works if you're using Octoprint.
I wish someone would do a video explaining the Z Offset/nozzle height issue - I've had to help several people with this on the Subreddit, and I'm tired to typing it again and again! I think I'll just use bits of this to copy and paste....
I thought - and this may be my naivety because I have mostly manual levelling printers - but I thought that was the way you always do it - using "babystepping" to set the offset then the M500 button to store it. The main issue was the manual told you to do something else, which was...useful. Believe it or not I wrote a whole segment on this in the script, but cut it out to save time. I'll look into it :)
@@LostInTech3D My old Wanhao i3 Plus didn't have the "babystepping" (i.e. Z Offset) adjustment - from what I understand, for a lot of printers, including the X1, it was something you had to add by way of a firmware upgrade. But even if you equip a printer without the ABL sensor so that you can adjust Z Offset using the front panel, it still doesn't behave the same way a printer like the X2 does, because the Z Offset is relative to the fixed Z end-stop sensor/switch attached to the frame. On the X2, it's relative to the top of the bed. On an older printer, if you move the bed up, the distance between the bed and the nozzle will decrease, and it stays that way when you home Z. On the X2, it doesn't - the ABL sensor senses the bed, then the nozzle drops to whatever you've set the Z Offset to. You can move the bed up 2mm, the height of the nozzle above the bed after homing remains the same. It took me a while to realize this. The BIG advantage of this system is that you can clip a surface to the bed and not have to worry about having to move the Z stop on the frame - the printer doesn't care what you've put on the bed, or how thick it is, the height of the nozzle will remain the same. (I don't like to use the term "babystepping" because it has to be explained to newbies - and I thought it applied to changing Z Offset on the fly as you printed the skirt, or the first layer.)
This is an update on my removable print surfaces. I continue to use the IKEA mirror tiles. I've managed to break two so far (not the fault of the printer) - good thing they're so cheap ($6 for four) and they have a backing that prevents it from shattering. I've also tried acrylic sheets, though not polycarbonate yet. They DO work (use 3 or 4mm - 2mm is too flexible), they even work without heating, but the glass is better and stiffer and way flatter. The big change over the last couple months - I've stopped using glue stick when printing PLA. PLA sticks really, really well and then releases when the bed temperature drops (I use 50 degrees C). So much easier to remove prints vs. when I was using glue stick. I just spritz some IPA on the bed and wipe off between prints. And make sure not to touch the bed before printing. For PETG, I shall continue using glue stick - PETG sticks like superglue to bare glass, you'll end up breaking the sheet or pulling off flakes. The glue stick allows it to release.
Thanks for this, I just purchased my sidewinder x2 (waiting for shipping) and I'm even more impressed with this thing every time I watch a video on it. Hoping it lives up to its hype. I'm sure it will. Thanks again.
sidewinder is a great printer, it's still the quietest I've seen
The sync belt is for when the power is off or if the stepper motor is disconnected.
Some printers have two drivers and can perform a z height calibration before printing. But one driver then they can get out of sync left and right spindle.
ah, I thought so, that was in the script but I cut it out, it was the single idea I could think up. Good to know.
the reason why i never share driver between z.
There are a lot of printers with two Z axis screws/stepper motors that don't have the linking belt, though - my old Wanhao i3 Plus was one.. and I never had them go out of synch.
Mine just showed up! Thanks for the review. The motherboard connectors won me over for sure...and I also liked the hot glue on all of the plug-in connectors, too. I do with with my drones as well... It is still in the box, but going to get setup and printing now. I have an Ender 3 Original, printed/purchased lots of upgrades, it "works", but is inconsistent. When I have everything "right" I get good prints, but so often, it messes up near the end of larger prints. (I print a lot of thin-wall RC airplane stuff).... so really expecting this to be a great upgrade...I had the KyWoo also on the "short-list" but the 230mm height was the deal-killer there. Also looked at Anycubic, but your review made me click the buy-now button. Appreciate you taking time to do the review, and cool that they sent it to you for free! :)
I'm glad to have steered you to the X2, I think you will be happy with it, I use it as my main printer now so I think it's pretty good! Don't pull parts off before they cool though, that's my one piece of advice :)
I turned the boz and bottom of foam as the door into a chamber with a cpu fan to exhaust fumes. It is ah-mazing. It is finicky but once you dial it in and wear it in, it seems very practical
I'm going to be unpacking and testing mine in a couple of days, great to see this video. I hope mine will print as well as yours does!
Good luck, I'm sure it will!
As for the PSU fan thing, I bought a KSD9700 temperature switch for mine that turns the fan on when the temp inside the PSU reaches 45 degrees celsius. Works great!
I will check that out, thanks, hadn't thought of that!
Great review, I own the X1 and Genius printers and Im looking forward to getting the X2, quite a few quality of life & safety inprovements over the X1
I'm with u pal I have the X1 and want a X2 once its out. Have you had many/any problems with the Genius? Was looking at it and the Hornet and the Hornet seems to be a non starter but wondered bout the Genius.
I got the genius one year ago and is definitely a great printer !
Awesome video like usual. Thank you!
I almost order that printer some time ago, it was the best in paper and it has everything I need and wanted; the reviews indicated it was a good printer, but at the end I didn't ordered it because the high shipping cost to the third world world country I live, plus here I have to pay for ( the printer + shipping ) x 30% in taxes+handling +insurance and a trip and long queue in my local post office.
That's a big shame. I hope you managed to get something else instead?
PSU does not make noise because bed is AC, and not DC. Short explanation: PSU does not need to convert AC to DC (for the bed) so it does not heat up that much and does not require aditional cooling fans... so, this can not be "adapted" to an ender or any other printer that its bed is running with DC...
Pros: Bed heats faster, less PSU noise.
Downside? well.. Risk of electric shock if you touch it (not the bed but, the "in-between aluminum like part behind the ceramic bed"... there are 110v, or 220v (depending on your electrical config)
Would love to see some upgrades, firmware change, and pid tune for this printer
Great Video I came across this becuase I happened to look at an X2 video and now I get them all the time in my feed. Owning an X1 I still use it in production but since then I have a Bambu Printer P1S and have not looked back these printers like the X1, X2 are just irrelevant now. The good news is Artilliery is releasing the X4 soon 4 models they look impressive maybe they will be sending one to you to review soon love to see what you think. Cheers!
Oh they did ask a while back, I'm having trouble keeping up with so many models in 2023 😂
Great review, thnks!! I own the Sidewinder X1 and it's given me reliably good prints. I wish they sold a version of this printer which has a large bed w/o the crazy z-height. I'm weighing different models to build a print farm, and the height of this machine doesn't make it space efficient for stacking on shelves.
Actually, it wouldn't be that hard to cut the aluminium profile down!
@@LostInTech3D I suppose you're right, but given tools at my disposal + buying in bulk I'd rather avoid that process :)
Curious what other printers you’re looking at for this
me too. I guess smaller beds, but I would probably resort to changing the shelves if I was doing commercial printing.
@@mikeguitar9769 I'm leaning towards the Artillery Genius or Genius Pro. I'm designing a product that has a TPU component, so having direct drive will go a long way for me. The Genius is one of the more inexpensive direct drive printers- it's the same price as the Ender Pro 3 V2. Also Ender's z-rod not having a top holder kind of freaks me out. Obviously I would print a part to hold the top... meanwhile the Genius has dual z-rods. Artillery's customer service also was quite responsive - I had a heat bed issue with the Sidewinder X1, and they shipped me a free new heat mat the following week. I also considered the Anycubic Vyper but I saw it was prone to bed level issues, and it seems there isn't an easy way to manually level the bed if that breaks.
As usual, both useful and entertaining!
It's good to mention it's a 3d printer ;) There are a lot of tech videos in my Home feed I might be interested in but I don't even know what's that letter/number jumble in the title actually is ;)
Love the direction 3d printer evolution is going. Finally less fuff with setting up and no engineering degree to assemble and Quiet!
Nice to see your channel has been noticed and they sent you the first sample. For the love of god please make reviews as honest as you can... your channel and content have always been very good and informative. Other channels just make everything look so good that we spend so much money on useless stuff just because they are going to make a few bucks or get a free product. Are you planning to do any further 10 days/10 tips videos anymore ?
Yeah - I won't be bought. I honestly won't do many reviews I don't think, maybe now and then, we'll see. I prefer doing my own thing like the tips, not sure I want to do one a day again though, that was crazy!
FWIW I like the look of the filament holder. I've had an issue a couple of times with my Ender3v2 - filament holder: a round pole - where the ID of the spool is so larger it doesn't rotate well on the holder and the filament tension increases, increases, increases...then THUNKs around another 10 degrees and loosens again. It seems to affect the consistency of extrusion a little, and I've had to print and fit accessories to jam into the spool hole to shim it to the actual size of the pole to resolve this. On the other hand, that holder looks like it just doesn't have that problem at all.
I actually find the filament holder fine!
My old Tevo tornado turns off fans automatically when not being used
We got one for Xmas
5:00 my ender3 pro Meanwell powersupply is silent as long as it's cool (meaning it has a FAN but it's temperature controlled)
is it quieter than the ender 3? because mine is like a server rack even when idle!
My question is why aren't you soaring in subs
I kind of am, compared to a couple months ago 👍 let's see what the next 6 months brings
I second that. The quality of your videos plus your humor is outstanding. I'm so glad I discovered this channel (or the magic youtube algorithm discovered it for me)
My ender 5 plus has 2 z steppers and they come out of sync all the time. If I could think of a clean way to add a belt to keep them in sync I would definitely do it.
Interesting to see the changes they've made since the x1, which I've had for a while now. I'd be leery of that extruder as it looks to be the same basic design. Tbh, I don't think anyone should bother with titan-style extruders nowadays (although it's notable titan clones are notoriously inferior to the real deal). Since putting a bondtech clone and genuine 3d v6 on my machine, I've had minimal problems (though if I did it again, I'd pick a lighter extruder/hotend setup).
Edit: Also, the preheat argument is kind of a moot point as you can easily update the touchscreen firmware via SD card. I mean, it's silly that they don't do that from factory but whatever.
How easily can you update the menu? It looks pretty customised to me.
Oh, I see it's missing from the list... aside from babystepping, there's also live speed & flow adjustment, something I find myself using frequently.
Isn't that connection just a PCI 1x form factor?
Dunno! 🤔
Friend give me an old cr-10, on idle the fan is off, ambient temperature over 28C, the fan came on occasionally.
seems like they put better supplies in some models
mine does have pre heat menu.
I wonder if the hot end on this printer is designed in such a way as to prevent changing out the heat choke for an all metal one do it yourself style. I ask because you pointed out that they do sell a complete hot end with the all metal heat choke. But if I prefer the heat choke from slice engineering (bi-metal) would that be doable?
That's a good question, especially since the replacement isn't very cheap. I can't see how they would unless they changed the sizing or something.
@@LostInTech3D it might make a good video for your channel. Taking it apart and doing the upgrade if possible. Would certainly be good information.
@@ObservantSeedsower No. It's easy to swap out the heat break with an all-metal one. Just make sure you BUY a proper one - it's the smooth "Kraken" style heat break with the 20.5mm overall length, and is fixed in place with a grub screw. HOWEVER - if/when you do this, MAKE SURE THE NOZZLE DOESN'T STICK DOWN LOWER THAN IT DID BEFORE YOU DISASSEMBLED IT , or you will find the nozzle hitting the bed, with all the noises associated with this traumatic event. This is because the Z Offset stored will be too low for the new nozzle position. The X2 uses the ABL sensor as a Z stop. For some reason, a LOT of newbies have become convinced that it's absolutely essential to have an all-metal heat break, and end up running into this problem. You see them posting about it all the time on the Artillery3D subreddit. Before disassembly, measure the distance between the nozzle and the bottom of the heat sink using your digital calipers. Upon assembly, make sure the nozzle isn't sticking out further than it was. Higher by a small amount is OK, you can always adjust the Z Offset down to adjust the nozzle height.
Yes, my ender 3 V2 burnt on the bed terminals.
It’s easy to preheat by “printing” a custom gcode file.
Good point.
@@LostInTech3D And also very easy to do by selecting Tools -> Heat. Sure, there are no preset temperatures, you have to increase the temperature by hitting the "+" button 20 times, but you can pre-heat the printer. This is what I do. I suppose a plus is that you're not limited to the preset temperatures...
@@iskandartaib i bought this printer, and I think i just wanna do it through the gcode
The artillery range are good for beginners, but the connectivity is both a boon and a downfall. I had to retire mine after the cabling became the issue - the original x1 had no strain relief on the bed cable or the Z ribbon cable, and both those died eventually.
Custom hotends setups are nice, but when there's no real replacement path, it becomes real old trying to source alternatives and basically have to splash out for jst connectors, crimpers, etc for a simple heatblock, thermistor and cartridge change.
In all, there are some new changes that say that they listened, but that bed cable is still not perfect, no replaceable bed, ptfe lining on a volcano direct drive hotend, and the cable connectors are still press fit which will eventually stop working due to the fit and/or corrosion.
Newcomers to 3d printing need to realise that these are machines that perform 100s of hours of repetitive operations, and any moving part or cable can potentially be consumable. Once the cabling goes dodgy, you'll have to gut this and make it way less pretty. Better off spending a bit more money on a brand that doesn't lock you into custom connectors and hotends, it saves time, money, and frustration.
I'll be using it for a lot of tough work, so I'll be able to get an idea of how robust these redesigned cables are.
I've not looked for replacements, I wonder if you can, it is standard Flexi PCB Ribbon cable stuff.
@@LostInTech3DI think they supply a spare ribbon for both, but I found its the connectors themselves that let the whole thing down.
It was a workhorse for 4-500 hours, then I got a major clog as I was still learning tweaking profiles with a full metal hotend (just replaced the heatbreak). It just seemed to cascade from there, as the extruder motor developed a fault, followed by the X cable connector, followed by bed cable having a break and causing the bed to stop heating.
I hope it is better for you over time, but do check out the artillery facebook group to see the most common problems which will crop up as they will eventually.
@@badger2313 There are lots of X1s that have had a lot of hard use in farms - this was one reason I got an X2. I won't be using mine all that hard, so I expect it to last a while.
Its worth noting you can run octoprint of any Computer, i think most people keep their printers near their PC and raspberry pies are not worth their price tag unless you have a farm. Even then one could pick up an old laptop for cheaper than a raspberry pie. Also smartphones can run octoprint but its hit and miss cause not all phones can charge and transmit data even with a Y cable.
Yes, and I use pi 3a+ which is significantly cheaper and works well. I think the zero 2 also works.
@@LostInTech3D unfortunately on Amazon the 3+ is the same same price of 150USD as the Pie 4. The zero 2 is in stock for 55USD but thats infinite more expensive than the PC i already do have and already stays on all day anyways since i run other servers on it also.
150USD??! No way. You realise that it's £23 here, right?
@@LostInTech3D no i did not, but i double checked before replying. Last time i checked it was at 80USD
I guess they're being scalped. I think they're coming back into stock in feb, at least, Farnell thinks so.
What kind of printer is this?
Dude, even the title says it and he mentioned it in the video
Fdm printer ?
The one for the big office :)
It's a direct drive
You don’t need a plate, just put the 3m blue tape on
Actually that's a good idea! Good call
@@LostInTech3D Oh good grief. Blue tape in 2022? 😂 Actually, I clip an IKEA mirror on the bed because I like my beds removable. And the ABL sensor makes it easy - just clip on and go. No need to mess with a Z stop sensor or switch like you had to do on older printers.
There is a preheat bud
You mean setting the temperature in steps of 10?
@@LostInTech3D Yes. Sorry is that not what you meant? I own an X2 and all and all I really like it. My cons are the filament holder as a full spool is far too weight on such a high gantry (imo. Higher possibility for ringing etc). I throw an empty spool up the top and run the full spool from my stand alone spool holder on the table. I would like to see after market z axis pull rod kit as I have found the higher the print gets the more ringing. The cooling duct: I printed a twin cooling fan duct which works (and prints) very well. I totally agree re: the uneven heating bed surface. I would have thought they would have addressed this issue with the X2 as this was a known issue with the X1. May I ask what slicing software you're using? Thanks for your uploads. Always informative 👍
@@doondedulin44 yeah thats it, I know about the stepping, very annoying. On most printers you can preset a pre-heat. Which fan duct did you print?
Fyi: The model has a screw hole fixture but it means you'll need to use/find a longer m3 screw. I found that because it has a snug fit in the fan, I just drilled the hole after the print to 5mm which fits the outside of the head of the oem screw perfectly. You could obviously extrude a 5mm into the mesh (even omit that part of it all together as it fits perfectly in the fan opening).
😅 so 7k subs for free printers. Noted!
Haha is it 7k subs, or is it my dry sense of humour!
in my opinion: better buy Voron kit.
For double the price, and you have to build it 🧐
Just a shame every printer nowadays seems to come with a titan clone instead of a BMG clone.
geeetech has entered the chat (I dont actually like the bmg clones on the A series)
@@LostInTech3D if only more companies would ship their printers pre-setup with a genuine bondtech BMG (or at least a decent clone)
Hehehe
I love my BMG clone, but does it make a big difference?
@@BenderTheOffender titan is a 3:1 ratio like the BMG but it's only one driven gear instead of two
What a mess of a video
Subscribe for more messes of videos 👍😉