Hey all! I have a new video that's a step-by-step guide for setting up a Neptune 4 Max so it....works!!! ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html - Months of testing and working with Elegoo support on this to get you the steps you need. Hop on over to that video.
Thanks Dave, I was working on a print and it went south 60% in. The blob of death not only destroyed my print but it also snapped the cables in the extruder. I reached out and the support team is sending me a new extruder at no cost. They were helpful from the minute i sent them an email with all the info and photos of the extruder. They even asked what software I was using and gave me advice on what to do.
I'm sorry to hear all that. I'm happy to hear that they're sending you one. They're really good people. It's a shame this printer is having issues they make such good tools.
Just purchased a used one of these off of their website in good/boxed condition, and I'm glad I found this video! I knew I was buying a project and this video taught me a lot before it even arrived, thank you!
I just received my Neptune 4 Plus (2 hours ago) and installed it, ran the calibration and levelling. Something went wrong with my first test print, I did the levelling again and started my second print. Perfect! So my first impression were very positive. Since I'm brand new at 3d printing, never had a machine or any experience, it was very good, and I have lots of hope for good printing. I didn't actually got to this video because of a problem, it was suggested - but have subscribed as it seems informative.
It really is amazing. And I'd rather have a company have teething pains when trying to give customers more value for their money than a company still offering slower printers when they could make klipper printers too.
Hi. I just try to do my second project on Neptune 4 plus and I run into leveling issues. It like the print head does not save the distance from the bed and it too high from the printing bed to adjust the knobs.
If you don't need the large print volume the smaller machines seem to be better behaved in general. That said, the Neptune 4 Plus is the best medium size printer I have tried and overall very pleased.
The 4 plus is my 2nd printer, but essentially but first one I'm seriously interested in. I'm learning as I go and so far have not had any problems [[knocking quickly on wood]]. I would say the biggest challenge for me as a "newbie" is a certain level or perceived knowledge even in basic tutorials. I often need to look up terms or pause tutorials to open a second window to first learn background info to understand the original video. The number of videos, like yours, offering step by step solutions are invaluable. Thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated.
Sounds like we're exactly the same. The Neptune 4 Plus is also my second printer but the first one where I'm really invested in figuting everything out.
@@smilloww2095 Same. I like it so far and I've had decent prints but still need to learn more. I bought an enclosure for it and that helped tremendously.
Thank you Dave for taking the time for these videos. I have Neptune 4 Max. Was printing well out of the box, and I did a Firmware update to eliminate the horrible print head stop noise. That worked great, but now my first layer comes out terrible and the part fan is always 100%. I've managed to decrease the fan by setting it to "silent" and a glue stick (which was needed before) is helping the first layer. The adage "If it ain't broke..." I will definitely check your link for the Orca Slicer Profile. Thanks again.
Yeah I hesitate to do firmware updates unless I have to. I felt like the axis issue was enough. At this point the Neptune 4 and 4 Max are humming along. The controller for the 4 Max stopped working after it fell while I was working on the printer bottom and it was on its side. But I can do everything with klipper but install the motherboard firmware or load files from thumb drive. Thanks for the comment about doing these videos. It's what keeps me doing them.
I bought a N4 plus and so far I haven’t had any issues. It would appear that most orders shipped to Australia have had very few issues, so maybe we got a better batch.
Hello Dave you are a God send. I have been trying to get my screen on the Elegoo Neptune 4 pro to work in leveling. I recently updated to the latest firmware and it messed up my leveling it would zero out and stay there. I tried everything from using my imac on lan to use SSH with Putty to update in Fluidd. Nothing worked until your video showed me how to update the screen with a micro sd card inserted into the screen on the printer and now I am back in business. Nobody else had this information. You are awesome.
Thank you so much for the nice things you said. I'm glad it helped. One reason I made it was that I didn't see the whole process explained and another videos.
@@davetriesthis They have not, but I ordered a new hot end from Amazon for $22 yesterday and it's already installed. I know holidays are definitely going to be slower, and it's good to have the extra. Is anybody else having issues loading .gcode files from the USB drive? Sometimes they'll load and show the preview/elegoo logo and printing times ... sometimes it's a black box and it doesn't load. But it's the same files, sometimes they print, sometimes they don't!
Thanks for all the tips. Got a N4 Pro and so far had the blob of death but i spotted it just before it reached any wires, heated it up and removed it with a sock. No other issues so far. Looks like Elegoo is doing a fair bit of effort with all the information and support for the customers.
It's pretty interesting that people are having so many issues with these printers. I purchased the Neptune 4 Pro and haven't had any of these issues even though I am still running the stock firmware from when I bought it. I did have an issue with the nozzle being pushed into the build plate but that was because I installed a glass bed and the PEI wasn't on it. Once I stuck the PEI sheet on top of the glass bed, I fixed the issue with the warped build plate and the homing issue. The sensor they used for the Z axis is magnetic, so without the magnetic PEI sheet, it will keep going downward. Otherwise, the Z axis for the nozzle height works for me without any issues, I dont have any print problems that weren't user error and the printer is very stable. I keep telling people who buy these printers to keep the firmware stock and to NOT update it the moment they pull it out of the box. In my experience, the stock firmware is much more stable and if you have to specifically ask Elegoo for a firmware based on your Printer Serial number, it's straight up not ready. People are taking an Alpha build firmware then getting mad that their printer doesn't work right. At that point, it's user error for making that judgement to update it. Elegoo should stop giving out firmware updates until they have a stable build again.
Normally I also advise not to update firmware but that grinding x axis homing was the max and plus were likely to mess up calibration. I don't think the newer firmware is any more alpha than the original firmware in this case. :)
I saw your post on reddit which brought me to the video. I got filament up in the print head. They way I fixed it was to take off the print head, heat it up and carefully with a small wire brush, clean off all the excess filament. On a side note, use those thin needles they give you to make sure there's no extra filament still stuck up there.
I think my main problem at the moment, after updating the firmware, is that in long-time print jobs, the Z-Axis goes crazy. It needs to be constantly adjusted upwards. I thought it was because with the heat the bed plate deforms, but I am starting to think that - as in my first printer, the Creality Ender3 S1 Plus - the rotating wheels of the bed just get loose, and by unscrewing, the bed goes up.
Just bought a N4+ on the prime day special, updated the firmware before doing anything else and haven't had a single problem. First print came out fine and all subsequent ones have been problem free,
Thanks for the sage advice. Despite the "issues" I'm looking at the 4 Max (not my 1st printer, per se, but it has been the better pat of 5 years since my last effort). As an aside, the z-height paper trick comes from the machining world. A piece of copy/print paper that is sold in reams of 500 sheets has a fairly "uniform" thickness of .0035" (check with a micrometer), and when dialing in the z-height offset on a mill for a cutter (end-mill, for example), the machinist will take a small portion from a sheet of paper and wiggle it back and forth under the cutter until it starts to drag. Then the cutter is raised to a fixed height above the work, followed by moving off to a side where the work will not be impacted by lowering the cutter. Reduce in Z by the distance raised + the .0035" and establish 0. It should be within a couple "tenths" (.0001") of the actual work height. This works for both CNC and manual mills.
I didn't know you needed to put an SD card in the screen... figure they would make it more accessible! But this does explain why they included a micro SD and reader with my plus!
5:40 the extruder core assembly only costs $20 to replace (once they will have them in stock) so even if you damage the thermistor cable, it's not the end of the entire printer (once they have them in stock)
Yup. This was more about the fact they don't have them and even if they did people with printers that are down hate to wait for parts. I know this from quite a lot of experience. :) It's the first part I'm going to stock up on. Well that and .6 nozzles
@@davetriesthis yes, I cannot wait for some nozzles, I was planning on getting one of those diamond made ones, but I guess I can give up on that dream. I cannot complain, this printer is FAR exceeded all my expectations, and the customer support is AMAZING!!!
I think we will see third party nozzles pretty soon. It's just a matter of retooling for the different nozzle length. I never saw the result but someone posted they were trying a bambu x1 unit as they seem to be the same shape and screw mounts.
The 4 max is my first printer and it seems Letting the print bed heat soak at temperature for about 15-20 minutes before leveling helped a ton, just because the sensor says one part is 60c doesn’t mean the whole thing is.
Thanks for this compilation and straight forward explanations. I've got a N4 Max and I really enjoy the machine, even with all the quirks. I've got a really early unit, got my preorder in within 5 minutes of it being launched and received it in mid-October. I've experienced all of the firmware bugs but fortunately none of the HW problems. I learned all about 3D printing on an Ender 3 so I'm used to babysitting the first hour of a print and live adjusting. Being able to accomplish that level of babysitting in 20 minutes with the N4 Max is a breath of fresh air 😂 I haven't updated the FW yet because I've been having too much fun printing huge stuff to do the update process. I will though because I'd like to reduce that 20 minutes to 0. My biggest issue with the printer is with the auxiliary fan, that thing is a beast and I've experienced the fan cooling the nozzle to the extent that it wasn't able to extrude filament. I no longer run it above 30% and for many prints turn it off altogether. Now, I don't use the Elegoo Cura, I took one look at it and said "there has to be a better way!!" then got the PrusaSlicer profiles from your channel (thank you). So, that being said the fan control might be handled better in Elegoo Cura, but I can't bring myself to use it lol. I really do wish printer companies would stop the practice of skinning a slicer and instead focus on making a finely tuned profile for one of the popular mainstream slicers. I really do like this machine and trusted it right out of the box to handle 16hr+ prints. It prints great and is lightning quick for such a huge bed-slinger. It's a gamechanger for me, the size and speed are allowing me to accomplish projects in a way that beats my ADHD before I lose interest and start something new, that's very satisfying. I can't wait to see what Elegoo comes out with next year, I hear they might have a coreXY machine coming Q1.
Thanks for all that feedback. I had not even thought about the part cooking fan. This could well be one of the causes of the blob. If it's cooling the filament at the nozzle it's got to come out somewhere and then the same part fan would cool it further into a blob. I tried to get a ender 3 max neo working for months before this printer so I'm very happy with this machine. I felt bad making this as I didn't want to seem like I was bashing the printer. I love it. And support has been great with my issues. Maybe hold off on the firmware for at least one more version unless you get those klipper errors.
@@davetriesthis I noticed the issue with the aux fan when it looked like the nozzle was scraping away at the bottom layers of prints. I found that the fan was coming on at layer 3 when I was printing 4 bottom layers, it was my mistake in the slicer. As I was diagnosing I saw it happening, turned off the fan, cranked the temp from 220 to 230 and it recovered. Then I noticed that I was having under extrusion problems later in prints as well, that's when I decided to limit the fans to 30% or turn off the aux fan altogether. Playing around in PrusaSlicer I've noticed that when I have "Detect Bridges" enabled the machine does a good job throttling the fan as I can hear it speeding up and slowing down as it prints and I didn't experience the nozzle cooling issue. But then I get a really noticeable over-extrusion at the layers where there's a bridge, i.e. a line around the circumference of the print. I have faith it will all get sorted in time. These big aux fans are new ideas and will take some time dialing them in. This is one reason of many why I wish we'd get better support for slicers instead of company branded copies of cura.
Dave, thanks. New guy and first printer, and your videos have been great. Just managed to do the firmware update successed ( :) ). Your videos alongside Elegoos are really helpful. Thanks for doing this.
I just bought a Neptune 4 Max and have spent 2 days trying to get a print done. It'll print a xyz cube but when i try to print a model, it is either too close to the bed or too far. I've leveled it a dozen times. BTW, I've had over 10 years experience with 3d printers and this is the most frustrating NEW one i've ever dealt with. The features sound great, but if I can't get it to work.... also it takes 25 minutes or more to heat the bed from room temp to 70 degrees C.
*The Bambu versions of slicer for all Elegoo printers IS THE VERY BEST. They even give smoother prints without all the banding by using corrective G-Code that the others do not have. In-fact my Bambu slicer can print small 1/2" over-hangs without any wasteful supports!*
Hello I get a Elegoo Neptune 4 pro and I did a firmware flash img on emmc and update Klipper and the printer and after I get (Internal error during connect: c an t convert negative number to unsigned..) can you help to fix the issue?
The version of Klipper on the Neptune printers is a customized version. If you update Klipper it will break the functionality. If you go to elegoo's site and download the firmware there's a folder in there with a firmware pack to refresh Klipper back to the factory settings and then you can do the firmware update.
Ty, I have had the wire issues, once from blob, and once because I shifted the clip while changing nozzles. 4 plus. I get great prints for a while, then it seems my z offset changes from moment to moment. Like I'll use the level button, save the offset and restart, hit the level button again, and get a different z offset
This video was a life saver - I followed all your tips and finally got a perfect print off my new Neptune 4 pro! Definitely earned my sub - thank you so much!
Hey Dave I just wanted to say thanks for all the info. First Print my N4 Max sounded like it was dragging the nozzle. After that print fail I leveled everything and started a second print. Adjusted the Z on the fly cause it was still dragging. that print came out great. After that I received the Blob of Death. Not to happy. but now I have a place to start. Thanks again Now I get to contact support.
Hey Dev, great video, just got my new neptune 4 pro, was using ender 3 v2 and this is a big step up for me. I was under the impression that auto leveling was going to make my live easier, but oh boy I was wrong!! Never the less, I enjoy learning how to to get this thing up to speed.
Here give this other video of mine a watch. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html Applies to the plus as well as the max.
Hello Dave been looking at budget printers to upgrade my Anycubic I3 mega and have look at this Neptune 4 pro. What are your thoughts on the pro? Thanks in advance
I just got my neptune 4 plus and the head is slamming into the print bed any time I try to level it. then it comes back with the firmware message you showed on your video. it has left a notable indent on the print bed. thankfully I didn't have the plate on it.
thank you so much Dave, very much appreciated, i am suck now with two 4 max's, my first one worked flawlessly,, then crashed and will not print, my second one, i got last week printed great first print now same as first. what i gather from your vid is its firmware. i load a file on my thumb drive, it moves around about 30 seconds then freezes or locks up. and just sits there, the bed does not heat either. whats your advice? THANK YOU SO MUCH
Bought the Neptune 4 and tried printing two benchys. First benchy was close to finished when the nozzle struck the benchy moving off the print bed. The second attempt didn’t make it as far and the roof of the benchy failed to print at some point there was a blob in the small cabin. Haven’t tried fixing or adjusting anything as of yet trying to research this issue. The prints seemed fine up until their failure point. Used PLA nozzle @200c print bed @60c
Maybe try printing a temperature tower. I've downlaoded and printed this one a lot. www.thingiverse.com/thing:2493504 Usually I do PLA at a minimum of 205, and usually around 215, so it might be that the filament is cooling too soon and sticking to the nozzle.
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not going crazy. I just got the 4 plus and it prints like a dream but the z offset blob of doom issue was driving me crazy. I really had no other problems when using Elegoo Cura but I can’t wait for updated profiles in latest versions. Thanks for the firmware instructions. I hope it fixes the offset problem. Great video!
@@XxDementisxX I updated to the latest firmware and re-leveled the bed. Unfortunately I am only slicing on Elegoo’s version of Cura until I find a profile for the 4 plus on a more current slicer. I was having a really hard time getting anything to stick to that bed surface so I roughed it up with 220 grit sandpaper. I’ve had several successful prints after all that. I’m on day two of a three day print right now and it’s working perfectly. I also switched back to standard supports because this older version of Cura locks up my computer when I try using tree supports. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Lychee Slicer has settings for the Neptune 4 plus. Also I'll note that the 4 Plus comes with a microSD and USB adapter for it. (it comes in a bag labelled 'Gift') I had no issues with this printer, and after assembly and cal it ran its first print without a hitch. Looking forward to fine tuning now.
Neptune 4 Pro... it has issues where it drags the nozzle across the printed areas. it's only occasionally and I'm not sure which parameter to adjust to fix it
Happening to me on some prints, where I can hear nozzle slightly catching infil as it moves across the print. I usually adjust z offset mid print to help with the issue. To me it seems like z steps are not fully achieved what I mean that instead 0.2mm step it does 0.18 and after few layers the head is low enough to start catching the print
I’m having so much issues with my N4Max I wish to update de firmware but I don’t get everything you explained here …. Any video that do it step by step ? I’m getting lost in all that stuff
So, I'm hitting an issue with my Neptune 3 max I know this is a video about the 4 series, but I'm at my wits end, all the axis work, the temp is fine, but no matter how many new hotends, or Proximity sensors I replace, the Homing fails on the Z, going up a little bit, and then a little bit more, I've bought a new hotend with new sensor, same problem, I've swapped with the hotend from the Neptune 3 plus, same problem, I'd replaced the Proximity Sensor from another defective 3 Max, same problem. It gives me the red light so the sensor works, until it needs to work. What is going on with this machine?
I’m new to 3d printing by like a week. I’m using orca slicer and followed your tips on the newer video for bed levelling. I’m curious if printer profiles have improved? I’m using what was recommended for Neptune 4 max by orca.
I just got a Neptune 4 max , I like the whole idea of the new machine , It's my first one and I was not happy with the directions , I am not as young as I was and the size of the print was very difficult to read , it was necessary for me to install it into a laptop and magnify it to get a clear picture . that was the only real thing I was unhappy about until I started it and nothing much happened . I have uploaded the updated firmware and loaded it several times ,before finding out about the micro card , Now I will try again , I can't wait to see it working ...
Have a Neptune 4 Max. My second printer (first was a Bambi Lab X1C). Just had a weird print fail… grinding noise woke me up, the long part fan is impacting the edge of the part. Because the part is a large flat piece that covers most of the bed, no way to rehome. Can’t restart after pausing because the print head seems to be lost.
Also: the first layer is like a “skin” on the second and later layers, and the sparse infill was cubic… am now reprinting at slower speed and using honeycomb sparse infill, seems to be printing more stably.
I have had a Neptune 4 Pro for two months and am just now having software issues, which are causing other issues with sensors. I bought a Neptune 4 Plus the beginning of December and it has had issues since I opened the box. Again, issues with firmware, but the bed would not level properly, the sensors were not reading properly, after trying to auto level, I wouldn't get any values in the box with all the offset information and the Z axis would never stay in the correct offset position. I've been in touch with support, and they have been pretty good and even sent me 3 boxes of filament so far as compensation, but sadly I'm still having firmware issues and my Plus still doesn't work correctly. I really wish support would do something to make problem solving more efficient, especially considering how much we spend on these printers. I really hope one day to actually be able to use the N4 Plus I spent $450 on lol.
Yeah it's frustrating. The z-axis was solved with a firmware update for most people and a factory reset or firmware update erases all saved values so goes back to the 0 offset adjustment.
thank god for this video! I got maybe 3 prints off before I started getting the blob of death. I got upset and discouraged and set my neptune 4 aside for several months. I hope this will fix my issue; I got a ton of stupid stuff to print lol
I am looking for a bigger printer for a while, 4 plus has the features I want, and within budget. However, I have concern about not able to use latest version of Cura. If I don't have better choices, I will wait for the profile for 4 plus to be ready on Cura.
The excellent Orca Slicer just updated to 1.8 and it has profiles for the Neputne 4 line. I use Orca more than Cura these days, and I've got three Neptune 4 machines right now running prints sliced on Orcan and they look great.
Super useful thanks for the video. I have a Neptune 4 max printed great at first, but now it drags filament around and most prints are spoiled on the first 1-5% of the prints. Anytime would be appreciated. Thanks!
That sounds like the x axis offset is too high. Give it another shot leveling it. Sounds crazy but it also might be that the nozzle is too low so the filament is getting pulled by it. In either case check the offset.
Check out this newer video too. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
Super useful, software and firmware updates fixed an issue where the printer was crashing 6 hours into a print. Now I've done a few 12 hour+ prints without issue.
My brother just bought the 4 plus, got it all set up and was doing a test print of a benchy when the filament broke in the extruder/hot end, he was able to get the filament out however it seems like there is something still stuck between the extruder and the hot end, after multiple attempts to dislodge what it is to no success, any thoughts?
First few prints were flawless. Now I have bad tip dragging. Stray lines, and error thrown saying the thumb was removed while printing and then the print just stops. I've tried everything. Calibration, levels, checked all screws a dozen times. Still no luck. Mine is the Neptune 4 version. I'll try this firmware update but I've only had the machine about three weeks n
One more thing: If you want to print TPU, and the extruder keeps on jamming (no filament extruded, extruder making ticking noises), reduce the tension of the spring inside the printhead. Too much pressure on the filament will lead to jams. For TPU, as little tension as possible is the best. You have to remove the hotend cover and use a 2mm hex driver. Turn it clockwise for less tension, turn ist counter clockwise for more tension. So turn it clockwise as far as you can, print 0.2mm layer height, and not faster than 30mm/s.
Good notes for TPU! I've had both extruder clicking from jams and from a defective extruder drive motor. The gears were slipping and it sounded exactly like a jam but after I got it up to temp and got the nozzle off, there was no filament in at all. So I eventually got to taking the extruder off the motor and the drive mechanism of the motor was slipping.
It's a good idea to clean the bed if things aren't sticking (mild dish soap like Dawn) but also let your bed warm up before you print. I often give it about 15-30 minutes to warm up. It will improve adhesion. Usually the reason the first doesn't stick and subsequent ones do is because the second print has had enough time to warm up.
@davetriesthis let the bed warm up for 15 to 30 mins and then print will help? Also if the place I stay is dusty then it's better to clean the pei sheet and then start?
Got the 4 pro. New firmware is different, and had to adjust the cura 5 settings a bit to get things right for PLA. Now started using PLA+ and it's quite different from normal PLA. Bed adhesion seems to be the biggest issue, especially with flow, temperature, extrusion and bed levelling correct. Z hop is my main issue now, as it's intermittently applied by cura and collisions seem unavoidable on larger or complex prints.
The M600 code isn't working properly. I've tried modifying the code in the cfg file. But! When I input the new code provided from what other videos are saying or whether I leave the original M600 code in the cfg, when I do a color change, the filament retracts out. I change out filament. Than when I resume print, the head just stays in one place and continues spitting out filament without continuing the print. Any word on how to fix this? If you can contact me directly I can send you videos, the gcode, the cfg, etc.... I can't find why it's doing what it's doing within the code.
I bought the Neptune 4 and for whatever reason if I use supports at like 5 inches the print always fails but if I don’t use supports I goes through just fine any help would be great. Thanks
Hello Dave, I'm having an issue on my Elegoo Neptune 4 pro. I'm getting an error message that says this. Can not update mcu due to mcu configuration shutdown error. Would you happen to know how to fix it. I've discovered the power cord over night as well as unplugging the printer control panel several times. No change. Please help.
@@davetriesthis I figured it out, apprently I had a huge over flow of filament that I could'nt see built up around the nozzel under the rubber insulator that broke the Thermistor wire. I switched out print heads and it is running great now. I was able to fix the broken print head with a new hot end Thank you for you suggestion, I did email the elegoo support team but they never responed back to me.
Thank you Dave, I am still having trouble getting my Prusa setting correct for the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro. I've looked at both Cura , Prusa, Octo (I think) Prusa I just understand it but I haven't found an EN4P settings yet. Even using your links I didn't get it updated to find the EN4P. Any suggestions?
Thank you Dave. I have my new Neptune 4 Max for 5 days now and it is not working as expected. Seems like I found the best trick to stick to the bed,... white glue diluded 2:1 with water, apply to the bed and let dry it at 50 deg bed. But still all my print have the same issues, the print head seems to rub on the parts and breaking my supports and/or fills. Seems like the Z is going dowm too much!!!!!
Have you re-adjusted the z-axis? The pei bed doesn't need/shouldn't have glue. Adhesion issues on the pei surface are caused by 1) oil on the surface. Including/especially the oil on your hands. 2) bed temperature. Be sure you're not set to cool plate as the surface. 3) slice your models with the infill or gyroid. Grid can cause the head to knock over the print if it's tall.
I just got the N4+ and getting re-used to the bed leveling troubles myself, but all user error. Too close to far? It's a pain. But no firmware stuff. Just Orca's Cubic infill failing ... grumble grumble
I received a 4plus for Xmas and having a real hard time with traming, i can get a good first layer test, print a first layer test again with the re-print button and it will come out a mess. The few prints I've got to complete look wonderful i just cant seem to get a consistent first layer.
@Dave tries this, I was having firmware issue and attempted to update it. I am running the Neptune 4 pro and once I got everything updated and started up my machine it just goes into standby mode. I have call IT on this and they gave me a new update firmware file for both the screen and the machine, but it still gets stuck in Standby. Have you seen this happen before or is it just me and I messed something up. Elegoo is sending me a new motherboard as well.
I haven't seen the standby issue. I'd guess it's a motherboard issue if they're sending it. I did one recently and it's super easy. Take a bunch of photos of where all the cables plug in to be sure. Make sure you unplug one cable at a time and plug it into the same place in the new one. Took me about 20 minutes but I thought it would be hours.
Hello, thanks for the advise and the video. I bought a Neptune 4 pro about a week ago and printed multiple small projects without any issues. For the past 2 days iv been trying to print larger thing which require a decent amount of infill. The issue im currently facing is the Nozzle rubbing against the infill. I have disabled combing and enabled Z axis hop and even changed infill type from Grid to Triangle with no success. I have even sat there changing the Z axis as it prints and even after changing the axis by an entire +1mm it still grinds against the infill. im running out of options and im not sure what to do as im fairly new to the hobby. would greatly appreciate the help. Thank you!
The main problem here is that both grid and triangle have the same issue when it comes to printing things, which is that the printed moves across the print before it has time to cool. Since the printhead moves across the exact same surface every pass, you end up having a knock over the item. Grid should absolutely not be the default in slicers. Switch to Gyroid for your default pattern. If you're using an infill pattern, like triangle or grid and use more of it, you're more likely to have the print knocked over. A bigger print doesn't need more infill to keep from getting knocked over, more infill just makes the print heavier. If you want more, strength in your print increase the number of walls. Walls are usually one wall by default three makes it much stronger and makes it very strong. When I do a very large print, I decrease the info amount or I use an info like adaptive cubic. This ends up using very little infill but I the walls to three or four to get a more solid print. Higher and Phil at this point just makes the print more dense, uses more filament, and takes longer to print. Z axis offset should be set once, and once it is done properly, you should not change it again. It's either right and you get a good first layer or it's wrong and you don't. Go back and set your Z height and tested using something like a temperature tower or a benchy. If that comes out right your z axis offset is right.
I have a Neptune 4 max. Nothing but issues. I am on the current firmware loaded 3 times to try and fix my issues. 1. Input shaper errors out. 2. Printer stops randomly before finishing model, print head just stops where it’s at. The digital display does not show an error it still thinks it’s printing the temp still shows 215 and 70 on the bed. But the bed and print head are cold. 3. Elegoo rapid filament broke of in the extruded and in the tube below the gear melted in the extruder. I am not able to get it out with out breaking the extruder. I have been working with support for over 2 weeks I am currently waiting on extruder replacement. But I believe that that they need to send me a mains board because of my issues. Well it looks like I the part will not show up until next year sometime. Right now I have $500 paper weight. I you are interested in this 3d printer wait 2 - 3 months to see if the issues are fixed.
They're not yet. Just got mine yesterday and it's MCU, extruder heat, and bee heat errors. Read something about wires being backwards on the board. So, atleast in my case, still a paperweight rn
My neptune 4 max was printing well for a few weeks until the heater just stopped working, even got a nice microswiss hotend with new thermistor and sensor, and It still threw an error, waiting on a new print head assembly sent from elegoo
I'm glad they're sending a new assembly! Lmk how you like that hot end. I just got one but am waiting to install it until something kills the one I have now
Hi Dave, I wish I had found this earlier.After the blob of death, I bought the new hotend and replaced it myself. But I am having another problem. After I replaced the hot end the z axis will not go down. I can make it rise but not lower it. Any suggestions?
Sounds like either motherbaord or something is stuck in the screw threads that lowers the head. I'd send a video to their support people along with the serial number. They'll need that to help you.
I have to 4 Max and it's giving me issues on first layers. Also with the bed mesh. Tried a couple things like firmware and checking the code on Klipper. Still have issues. 😢
Thanks for the great video! I've been FDM printing for a few years and have never had a blob issue, my concern with getting the 4 series is this issue as almost every creator that got sent a machine to review seems to have had the issue - its great to know that Elegoo will send you a new print head if it happens, but is there anything to be done to help prevent it in the first place? The reason that I want to get a 4 Plus/Max is obviously the larger build volume - which means larger prints, which means prints that will very often (by design, even) be left alone on the printer while I'm off doing other things, like sleeping. The threat of the blob of death is very concerning - on my other 3d printers I've opted for new nozzles with ruby or diamond tips, which have really helped avoid any filament sticking to the nozzle in the first place as the coefficient of friction is just so much higher. With the 4 series seeming to have proprietary nozzles, it doesn't look like that's an option for me yet - in your opinion, is it better to wait it out and get a diamondback nozzle when they start making them? Or take your chances with the machine, maybe grab an extra print head for the parts drawer just in case of catastrophic failure, and dive in? Thanks!
Hey, I just got the Neptune 4 Plus. I have it all assembled properly but when I turn the unit on There is no action on the display screen. No logo, no messages.. nothing. Did I get a bad display module or is there a fix. All cabling to the module seems good.
Dave, I just assembled my brand new Neptune 4 Max. When I turned it on the power light by the cable came on, but nothing else. While on hold I cycle the power button and the printer came on, and I calibrated it, and I did a test print of a banshee and it worked great. I cannot get my computer to see the printer on my network. I decided to move the printer to my office so that I can connect it with an ethernet cable to the network to see if that would work. When I went to turn it on nothing happened. I still get the light, but no boot-up sequence and the screen does not turn on. I have turned it on and off repeatedly for an entire day and it's just bricked. Any advice
Hello, I have some issues with printing in elegoo neotune 4 Pro. In the middle of the print it just stops printing and the name of the gcode changes to ,,shutdown’’. I didnt paused or changed filament or anything, it just stops printing. Please help
That's a weird one. Have you opened the g code file in a text editor? Could be the file got the shutdown command embedded somehow. Is this every print? Which slicer? Maybe some wrong gcode is in the start print code.
Wife bought me an Elegoo Neptune 4 Max for Christmas, and it's my first printer. No real issues to speak of yet. One failed print from a blob, but it was a difficult print that I should have been wiser to add adhesion supports to. I caught it mid-print and it cleaned up nicely. I don't think this was related to Z axis alignment, as most of my other prints have come out great. Other than tightening the Y belt for the bed (was getting some shifting) I haven't had to do anything to get things running decently.
I have a Neptune 4 plus. I’m having problems with the gear on the extruder. It’s making a clicking noise while not pushing any filament out. I don’t know what it could be.
Do the firmware update for both the printer and the control panel. Do it twice for both (printer first then control) with a power down for a few minutes between them. If this doesn't resolve the issue contact support. I had a similar thing and it was a crimped cable.
I bought the 4 Max and printed a few things successfully but today nothing will stick to the build plate. I have tried many different temp settings and re leveling, etc. with no luck
Just bought a Neptune 4 max, just watching all videos I can to get good results. I’ve had a resin printer for 2 years. Just getting into filliment printing.
Hey Dave, I'm new to 3D printing/ELEGOO Neptune 4. I just got the printer for Christmas, but I've been having issues with trying to use the latest version of ELEGOO Cura 5.6. I noticed in the video that you mentioned the lack of official support for the Neptune 4, and that the "best" version to use is the 4.8. Do you know if there have been any recent updates on Neptune 4 support? Also How can I contact their team to ask about supporting Neptune 4 on ELEGOO Cura 5.6?
Great video! FYI: If you are doing the microSD card firmware update for the controller, the microSD card MUST BE FORMATTED FOR FAT32. If not, it wont be recognized by the touchscreen controller.
You're welcome. I'm working on another video with more tips for working with these printers after months of collecting ideas and doing testing. Coming soon!
Thank you so much for this video. I just recently bought the Neptune 4 plus and level the bed got it to print. Started a print job and went to bed when I woke up I had the blob of death. I found your video very helpful and we'll see if they reply to my email.
So, I got a neptune 4 max. 1st run went great, other than my own blunder on the slicer. It saves my z offset, but all other leveling keeps going out of wack after running a print. Now, every time I run a print, the nozzle catches the brim and pulls the print off the table.
Thank you.. I have the Npro4 and you are correct in saying that the support from Elegoo has been awesome to work with as I failed to RTFM before updating the firmware.
Just bought Neptune 4 Pro at Walmart and got "MCU shutdown: ADC out of range..." on startup. Never even got to level the bed yet. I did turn the on/off switch off and waited a few minutes and back on and same error BUT I never unplugged the power cable, I'll try that tonight. Also, I did not get one of those orange thumb drives with mine. Just the black "Giveaway" one with a 512MB SD Card in it. I also did not get the two extra print nozzles that others have gotten??? I have sent pics to Elegoo support but I think they are sleeping now. Nice video thanks.
When my filament raps around the head and Hardens I just put the printer in preheat mode and with some long thin plyers I slowly and carefully get the wet junk out. It works and can save you form having to get a new heat end.
It works unless the filament wraps around the thermistor and heater wires and cools. Then the hot end is toast. The wires are about a mm thick and there's no way to remove the filament from around them without breaking them
hey Dave or anyone.... i just bought a neptune 4 but when i print the nozzle hits the infill... level is perfect on the first layers and when i get past the infill all seems to be good again... im desperate and want to go back to my neptune 3 but i want a faster printer. so plz help me
Good tips sir. First time printer. Second printer is the Neptune 4. So far so good, my current issue is the mesh profiles being saved correctly. I've been running the klipper bed_mesh_calibrate command and manually renaming it to "11" for my profiles to load properly. I have found the community is much better supported by the company than anycubic. My first experience was with that the Kobra 2 Neo, and although it worked, it didn't work as well as this. Not to mention the creature comforts elegoo has packed in. Makes all the difference.
Yeah I'm not sure what's up with that "11" for the profile. I've recently tried to do the calibration via the Fluuid web interaface and it seems more problematic than the control pad. The one big thing on the control pad is you have to remember to save the auto calibration (small disk icon top right) or when you exit it won't remember the calibration. I've also run the calibration by manually entering G-Code, which I have to look up as I'm not that familiar with it, and it seems the G-Code to save the calibration works well.
I have a Neptune 4 and I cannot get the bed mesh leveling to work properly, my variance is 0.334mm which is massive, even though I have pain stakingly leveled the bed manually, and leveled the X axis gantry to the bed. the problem is that the L/H side of the print bed is always too close and the R/H side is too far away. At the moment I am manually turning the knobs after mesh leveling to get a half decent first layer. Its like the firmware is applying the mesh leveling in the opposite direction? I can watch the Z steppers and they are moving while the head moves back and forth on the x axis, but its in the wrong direction. Any advice??
@@Rickshaw199 Here are the many things I did to get perfect first layers. Bed mesh as good as you can get, I used screw_tilt_adjust, which can be a bit tedious, but gets the bed as perfect as you can. Followed by the glue. Lots of good videos on how to apply. But I tend to apply while cold, once on the x, let it dry, then on the y, let it dry. Z offset is next. And honestly. Fuck the paper method. Use it to get close, but really dial it in while you print. Do a first layer test, 30mm/s bed wide. And adjust it on the fly. If it's flying off the bed, lower it, if it's smooshed, up it a touch. Once you get a half decent first layer. Calibrate the filament (this is honestly the most important step, as it just gets better and more consistent from here). Start with a temp tower (I use orca slicer for all my calibration) followed by flow test, pressure advance and retraction. I have not had a failed print or bad bed adhesion in a loooonnng time. But it took me just as long to get the right "flow" of steps. There is an optimal order, but allot of that info is obfuscated, gate kept, or up for debate. Before all the aforementioned steps though, make sure to calibrate your extruder, make sure your gantry is square and everything is tight and level. (once again, great videos about it online regarding the extruder calibration)
i got the Neptune 4 pro and it has been GREAT! although i have run into an issue with firmware update.. but i'm sure Elegoo support will help me get back up and running. i have (before the update) printed lots of things with some tight tolerances and it nails it every time! this is my first printer and it has been a fun process to learn
Dave just wanted to say thanks. Your supplementary guidance on the firmware update was great, the official Elegoo upgrade doc is not ideal. Thanks again, all updated now.
@@davetriesthisBy the way, in case this should help anyone else, included with my N4M came with a SD card, and even more conveniently, a USB type A adapter, taking away the annoyance of having to buy an SD card for the firmware. It was in a plastic bag labelled “Giveaway”, so let’s call that another “Successed!”
I'm currently experiencing an issue with my N4 Plus where I'll get a Klipper error after the hotend has been at printing temperatures for a few minutes. The wires all looked fine when it first happened, so I thought that it was possibly the hotend itself. I replaced it and checked all of the connections. They all looked good and things seemed to be back to normal. Within a few minutes of printing the Klipper error appeared again. So maybe replacing the hotend didn't do anything at all. Now I started thinking that maybe it had something to do with the cable leading to the extruder; maybe there was a kink in the cable or something, but it looked fine. That's when I tried letting the machine cool off and rest for a while and then simply turn the nozzle up to 200 and just let it sit there to see if the error would appear again without even trying to print anything. It reached the desired temperature and after about five minutes the error occurred. That's where I'm currently at with it; still to be resolved.
The klipper error is often firmware. If it's a hardware issue it's harder to troubleshoot but support will ask you to try. Update the firmware which is on their site. Then take a picture of the firmware number on your screen. They'll ask for that too. Email them as they'll have you go through more steps.
Dave, thanks for all the guidance on the 4 max. Question about the silicone bushings….the pack I received from Amazon by Creality seems to have two heights…I think you mentioned to use the shorter ones? And toss the taller ones?
My pleasure! See how your bed looks when you're done. If the bumpers are not compressed at all and the sides of the bed are lower than the middle then use the longer ones instead.
@@davetriesthis Dave another question please…my N4 max when homing hits the bed and grinds away (on the Z axis)… I updated firmware to the .65 version and persists…now wondering whether sensor is broken somehow (how do I fix) or other? Thanks Dave
I bought the 4 plus as my first printer. Have printed a few pieces now. The most annoying for me is the Y axes vibrating noise when it moves fast between printing positions. Found somewhere that it coukd be an issue with the bed being warped from the adjustment knobs and make lower rails rub. But didn't try to disassemble it yet. I also have some stringing and adhesion problems but it may come from the PETG (jake3D PETG) not being adequate for 100mm/s printing.
I wish more people realized they have to adjust speed for different filaments. Have you done a temp tower for the filament to see if it's just the wrong temp? And did you dry out the filament? Fast printing hates wet filament.
Thx for your advices! I received my new Neptune 4 Plus last week and used it (3 days) without any problems until a power outage. Since this event, nothing has worked properly. I've upgraded the firmware without difficulty. Now, everything is more or less back to normal except for one detail. It is no longer possible to configure the network. When I click on the WAN option, the printer LED flash and a message mentioning that the printer is starting up appears on the screen. It is possible to use the printer, but the network function is somehow gone.
Just bought the Neptune 4 Plus and I'm worried about The Blob after watching videos with it mentioned all night. Can I assume if the firmware is fixed that the Z offset will not reset, so this will not happen? Or is it just something that inevitably happens with this printer regardless. I have never seen it happen 3d printing and I have had Sovol and Creality printers, but never used an Elegoo before. It seems there should be some way to ensure the wires don't get covered in PLA so you're not stuck waiting a week for a replacement print head (if you can get one).
Give this newer video of mine a look. Has a full walkthrough on setup. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
Really enjoyed this video, the only issues I've had so far is the grinding issue while homing. I have a Neptune 4 Plus. Still kind of setting the printer up and looking for profiles that might work. Thank you for the advice of the Elegoo Cura splicer, I may try the regular Cura. The only printer I have tinkered with is the Creality CR-10. With its fair share of issue I've fixed. Its been a good learning experience. Trying to install a filament out switch on that as well. I am new to Linux, Klipper, and Fliud as I still have to install them on this crappy laptop of mine. Was hoping to remedy the grinding, but also might shoot and email to Elegoo Support.
I just got my Neptune 4 plus about a week ago, the first 5 or 6 prints of my own design came out perfect, i switched to a different color of the same elegoop pla + filament, and have not been able to get a working print since. I tried switching back to the old filament, releveling and setting the z offset several times, even replacing the nozzle. First couple layers seem to go down fine, but as it gets any height it seems like its not extruding enough, it get stringy and inevitably fails. My printer seems to have come with the latest firmware. I'm kinda at a loss here. Any Ideas?
It sounds like the filament is likely wet. Even new filament in the package can be too wet to print properly. If you're getting stringing this is most likely the cause. I just reviewed this and I like it a lot amzn.to/3yb75bg But I also have this and it works well and is not particularly expensive. amzn.to/4fgNHdw
@@davetriesthis Thanks for your help and suggestions! Drying also didn't help unfortunately, but I contacted elegoo as well, sent them a couple pictures, and they had me check a few things, none of which fixed anything. However, upon further exploration, it became obvious that it is a gear problem. you can both see and hear the gears skipping, even when just loading filament. The weird part is that there were no visible signs of any gear damage. I let them know and they are gonna send me a whole new print head assembly. Their response times and desire to resolve issues quickly is truly fantastic and commendable. Thanks again!
This may be a stupid question but I have the Neptune plus and I want to update the firmware but I’m still confused. Do I download the firmware on my computer and then stick the usb into the printer or is there a download on the machine itself?
You have to download the firmware. There are two files. One goes on a thumb drive which goes into the printer and you restart. The other goes on a microsd card and get inserted into the controller after you unscrew it. There's instructions toward the end of the video and some in this too Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
hey dave, just purchased neptune 4 plus,came w/ 2 thumb drives,which 1 do i use ,how do i get my laptop to link up with it, neptune is already on my wifi at the house, that was easy
For firmware update there's one file that needs to go on the micro sd card to update the printer and then that same micro sd card is used to update the controller but you have to erase it between uses. The end of my video has some more about that and there are reasonably good instructions in the firmware download. To connect to the machine you use your web browser. You go to the Neptune control panel and look in the settings in the wlan section and get your IP address. Enter that in your browse and it will load the interface. Also, you can connect your slicer directly to the interface. It's in the settings for the printer preferences. You put that same IP address in the panel in that dialog that asks for the address to your printer.
Just received 4 Max (my second printer overall) and it has some challenges, but I'm glad I bought it now and not 2-3 months ago when there were a lot of problems. Mine was shipped with firmware version after major fixes, and sd card with a card reader was included labeled "giveaway", they included PVP glue also. Main concern is leveling, because bed is so large that there is a heat expansion and everything shifts 0.05-0.2mm in a span of 25 minutes, so you need to wait before leveling and calibrating your bed for big prints. But I also noticed a lot of extruder skipping printing PETG, maybe it's slippery and I need to increase the gear force a little?
That's possible. There's an extruder tightening bolt recessed on the side of the tool head. I can't remember if it's 2.5 or 3mm. And iirc counter clockwise is to tighten
@@davetriesthis I found the problem, the nozzle was just too low and couldn't push filament fully, I just Z offset mid printing on first layers if I hear clicking
Hey all! I have a new video that's a step-by-step guide for setting up a Neptune 4 Max so it....works!!! ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html - Months of testing and working with Elegoo support on this to get you the steps you need. Hop on over to that video.
Thanks Dave, I was working on a print and it went south 60% in. The blob of death not only destroyed my print but it also snapped the cables in the extruder. I reached out and the support team is sending me a new extruder at no cost. They were helpful from the minute i sent them an email with all the info and photos of the extruder. They even asked what software I was using and gave me advice on what to do.
I'm sorry to hear all that. I'm happy to hear that they're sending you one. They're really good people. It's a shame this printer is having issues they make such good tools.
Just purchased a used one of these off of their website in good/boxed condition, and I'm glad I found this video! I knew I was buying a project and this video taught me a lot before it even arrived, thank you!
Glad I could help! Let me know how it goes.
I just received my Neptune 4 Plus (2 hours ago) and installed it, ran the calibration and levelling. Something went wrong with my first test print, I did the levelling again and started my second print. Perfect!
So my first impression were very positive. Since I'm brand new at 3d printing, never had a machine or any experience, it was very good, and I have lots of hope for good printing.
I didn't actually got to this video because of a problem, it was suggested - but have subscribed as it seems informative.
Oh hey thanks for subscribing. And yay UA-cam for suggesting it. As a new printer what videos would you like to see?
thanks for all these tips! I've been fortunate with the Elegoo 4 Max, it's been printing flawlessly for weeks now, I LOVE THIS PRINTER!!!
It really is amazing. And I'd rather have a company have teething pains when trying to give customers more value for their money than a company still offering slower printers when they could make klipper printers too.
Hi. I just try to do my second project on Neptune 4 plus and I run into leveling issues. It like the print head does not save the distance from the bed and it too high from the printing bed to adjust the knobs.
That's a firmware issue. Check out the section in the video on that.
Got my eye on the plus as my first printer. You’ve got me spooked
I got the 4 pro and nothing but problems
3 max was great 4max not so much so far
Dont get it. Worst purchase ive ever made. 3 months and not one correct print
If you don't need the large print volume the smaller machines seem to be better behaved in general. That said, the Neptune 4 Plus is the best medium size printer I have tried and overall very pleased.
truly a mistake, save and get the bambu...its a printer not a problem.
The 4 plus is my 2nd printer, but essentially but first one I'm seriously interested in. I'm learning as I go and so far have not had any problems [[knocking quickly on wood]].
I would say the biggest challenge for me as a "newbie" is a certain level or perceived knowledge even in basic tutorials. I often need to look up terms or pause tutorials to open a second window to first learn background info to understand the original video.
The number of videos, like yours, offering step by step solutions are invaluable. Thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated.
Sounds like we're exactly the same. The Neptune 4 Plus is also my second printer but the first one where I'm really invested in figuting everything out.
@@smilloww2095 Same. I like it so far and I've had decent prints but still need to learn more. I bought an enclosure for it and that helped tremendously.
Thank you Dave for taking the time for these videos. I have Neptune 4 Max. Was printing well out of the box, and I did a Firmware update to eliminate the horrible print head stop noise. That worked great, but now my first layer comes out terrible and the part fan is always 100%. I've managed to decrease the fan by setting it to "silent" and a glue stick (which was needed before) is helping the first layer. The adage "If it ain't broke..." I will definitely check your link for the Orca Slicer Profile. Thanks again.
Yeah I hesitate to do firmware updates unless I have to. I felt like the axis issue was enough.
At this point the Neptune 4 and 4 Max are humming along. The controller for the 4 Max stopped working after it fell while I was working on the printer bottom and it was on its side. But I can do everything with klipper but install the motherboard firmware or load files from thumb drive.
Thanks for the comment about doing these videos. It's what keeps me doing them.
I bought a N4 plus and so far I haven’t had any issues. It would appear that most orders shipped to Australia have had very few issues, so maybe we got a better batch.
Good to know. That's certainly possible as different runs have different batches of components in them. I'll mention this to elegoo
Hello Dave you are a God send. I have been trying to get my screen on the Elegoo Neptune 4 pro to work in leveling. I recently updated to the latest firmware and it messed up my leveling it would zero out and stay there. I tried everything from using my imac on lan to use SSH with Putty to update in Fluidd. Nothing worked until your video showed me how to update the screen with a micro sd card inserted into the screen on the printer and now I am back in business. Nobody else had this information. You are awesome.
Thank you so much for the nice things you said. I'm glad it helped. One reason I made it was that I didn't see the whole process explained and another videos.
Thanks for the blob tips! Support has been emailed, and now we wait. Appreciate this informative video.
Good luck! Hope they get back to you quickly.
@@davetriesthis They have not, but I ordered a new hot end from Amazon for $22 yesterday and it's already installed. I know holidays are definitely going to be slower, and it's good to have the extra. Is anybody else having issues loading .gcode files from the USB drive? Sometimes they'll load and show the preview/elegoo logo and printing times ... sometimes it's a black box and it doesn't load. But it's the same files, sometimes they print, sometimes they don't!
Thanks for all the tips. Got a N4 Pro and so far had the blob of death but i spotted it just before it reached any wires, heated it up and removed it with a sock. No other issues so far. Looks like Elegoo is doing a fair bit of effort with all the information and support for the customers.
Glad you got it before the wires. I keep a little steel brush (the kind you use in cleaning a firearm) near my printer and use that when it clogs.
It's pretty interesting that people are having so many issues with these printers. I purchased the Neptune 4 Pro and haven't had any of these issues even though I am still running the stock firmware from when I bought it. I did have an issue with the nozzle being pushed into the build plate but that was because I installed a glass bed and the PEI wasn't on it. Once I stuck the PEI sheet on top of the glass bed, I fixed the issue with the warped build plate and the homing issue. The sensor they used for the Z axis is magnetic, so without the magnetic PEI sheet, it will keep going downward. Otherwise, the Z axis for the nozzle height works for me without any issues, I dont have any print problems that weren't user error and the printer is very stable.
I keep telling people who buy these printers to keep the firmware stock and to NOT update it the moment they pull it out of the box. In my experience, the stock firmware is much more stable and if you have to specifically ask Elegoo for a firmware based on your Printer Serial number, it's straight up not ready. People are taking an Alpha build firmware then getting mad that their printer doesn't work right. At that point, it's user error for making that judgement to update it. Elegoo should stop giving out firmware updates until they have a stable build again.
Normally I also advise not to update firmware but that grinding x axis homing was the max and plus were likely to mess up calibration.
I don't think the newer firmware is any more alpha than the original firmware in this case. :)
I saw your post on reddit which brought me to the video. I got filament up in the print head. They way I fixed it was to take off the print head, heat it up and carefully with a small wire brush, clean off all the excess filament. On a side note, use those thin needles they give you to make sure there's no extra filament still stuck up there.
I think my main problem at the moment, after updating the firmware, is that in long-time print jobs, the Z-Axis goes crazy. It needs to be constantly adjusted upwards. I thought it was because with the heat the bed plate deforms, but I am starting to think that - as in my first printer, the Creality Ender3 S1 Plus - the rotating wheels of the bed just get loose, and by unscrewing, the bed goes up.
Just bought a N4+ on the prime day special, updated the firmware before doing anything else and haven't had a single problem. First print came out fine and all subsequent ones have been problem free,
Woot!!!
Thanks for the sage advice. Despite the "issues" I'm looking at the 4 Max (not my 1st printer, per se, but it has been the better pat of 5 years since my last effort).
As an aside, the z-height paper trick comes from the machining world. A piece of copy/print paper that is sold in reams of 500 sheets has a fairly "uniform" thickness of .0035" (check with a micrometer), and when dialing in the z-height offset on a mill for a cutter (end-mill, for example), the machinist will take a small portion from a sheet of paper and wiggle it back and forth under the cutter until it starts to drag. Then the cutter is raised to a fixed height above the work, followed by moving off to a side where the work will not be impacted by lowering the cutter. Reduce in Z by the distance raised + the .0035" and establish 0. It should be within a couple "tenths" (.0001") of the actual work height. This works for both CNC and manual mills.
I didn't know you needed to put an SD card in the screen... figure they would make it more accessible! But this does explain why they included a micro SD and reader with my plus!
5:40 the extruder core assembly only costs $20 to replace (once they will have them in stock) so even if you damage the thermistor cable, it's not the end of the entire printer (once they have them in stock)
Yup. This was more about the fact they don't have them and even if they did people with printers that are down hate to wait for parts. I know this from quite a lot of experience. :)
It's the first part I'm going to stock up on. Well that and .6 nozzles
@@davetriesthis yes, I cannot wait for some nozzles, I was planning on getting one of those diamond made ones, but I guess I can give up on that dream. I cannot complain, this printer is FAR exceeded all my expectations, and the customer support is AMAZING!!!
I think we will see third party nozzles pretty soon. It's just a matter of retooling for the different nozzle length.
I never saw the result but someone posted they were trying a bambu x1 unit as they seem to be the same shape and screw mounts.
The 4 max is my first printer and it seems Letting the print bed heat soak at temperature for about 15-20 minutes before leveling helped a ton, just because the sensor says one part is 60c doesn’t mean the whole thing is.
Following that logic it would be a good idea to follow the same procedure before printing to get a consistent first layer right?
@@thedolenorway correct
Thanks for this compilation and straight forward explanations. I've got a N4 Max and I really enjoy the machine, even with all the quirks. I've got a really early unit, got my preorder in within 5 minutes of it being launched and received it in mid-October. I've experienced all of the firmware bugs but fortunately none of the HW problems. I learned all about 3D printing on an Ender 3 so I'm used to babysitting the first hour of a print and live adjusting. Being able to accomplish that level of babysitting in 20 minutes with the N4 Max is a breath of fresh air 😂 I haven't updated the FW yet because I've been having too much fun printing huge stuff to do the update process. I will though because I'd like to reduce that 20 minutes to 0.
My biggest issue with the printer is with the auxiliary fan, that thing is a beast and I've experienced the fan cooling the nozzle to the extent that it wasn't able to extrude filament. I no longer run it above 30% and for many prints turn it off altogether. Now, I don't use the Elegoo Cura, I took one look at it and said "there has to be a better way!!" then got the PrusaSlicer profiles from your channel (thank you). So, that being said the fan control might be handled better in Elegoo Cura, but I can't bring myself to use it lol. I really do wish printer companies would stop the practice of skinning a slicer and instead focus on making a finely tuned profile for one of the popular mainstream slicers.
I really do like this machine and trusted it right out of the box to handle 16hr+ prints. It prints great and is lightning quick for such a huge bed-slinger. It's a gamechanger for me, the size and speed are allowing me to accomplish projects in a way that beats my ADHD before I lose interest and start something new, that's very satisfying.
I can't wait to see what Elegoo comes out with next year, I hear they might have a coreXY machine coming Q1.
Thanks for all that feedback. I had not even thought about the part cooking fan. This could well be one of the causes of the blob. If it's cooling the filament at the nozzle it's got to come out somewhere and then the same part fan would cool it further into a blob.
I tried to get a ender 3 max neo working for months before this printer so I'm very happy with this machine. I felt bad making this as I didn't want to seem like I was bashing the printer. I love it. And support has been great with my issues.
Maybe hold off on the firmware for at least one more version unless you get those klipper errors.
@@davetriesthis I noticed the issue with the aux fan when it looked like the nozzle was scraping away at the bottom layers of prints. I found that the fan was coming on at layer 3 when I was printing 4 bottom layers, it was my mistake in the slicer. As I was diagnosing I saw it happening, turned off the fan, cranked the temp from 220 to 230 and it recovered. Then I noticed that I was having under extrusion problems later in prints as well, that's when I decided to limit the fans to 30% or turn off the aux fan altogether.
Playing around in PrusaSlicer I've noticed that when I have "Detect Bridges" enabled the machine does a good job throttling the fan as I can hear it speeding up and slowing down as it prints and I didn't experience the nozzle cooling issue. But then I get a really noticeable over-extrusion at the layers where there's a bridge, i.e. a line around the circumference of the print.
I have faith it will all get sorted in time. These big aux fans are new ideas and will take some time dialing them in. This is one reason of many why I wish we'd get better support for slicers instead of company branded copies of cura.
Dave, thanks. New guy and first printer, and your videos have been great. Just managed to do the firmware update successed ( :) ). Your videos alongside Elegoos are really helpful. Thanks for doing this.
You just made my week. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this comment.
What do you do if your printer goes up and starts making a grinding or vibration noise?
I have the latest update but still does this.
Could you tell me more about when this is?
how about pausing it and then failing to resume (filament loading but head stays in place after resume)
Never seen that one. Since it has auto resume after power loss maybe switch off for a free mins and then on again?
I just bought a Neptune 4 Max and have spent 2 days trying to get a print done. It'll print a xyz cube but when i try to print a model, it is either too close to the bed or too far. I've leveled it a dozen times. BTW, I've had over 10 years experience with 3d printers and this is the most frustrating NEW one i've ever dealt with. The features sound great, but if I can't get it to work.... also it takes 25 minutes or more to heat the bed from room temp to 70 degrees C.
*The Bambu versions of slicer for all Elegoo printers IS THE VERY BEST. They even give smoother prints without all the banding by using corrective G-Code that the others do not have. In-fact my Bambu slicer can print small 1/2" over-hangs without any wasteful supports!*
Hello I get a Elegoo Neptune 4 pro and I did a firmware flash img on emmc and update Klipper and the printer and after I get (Internal error during connect: c an t convert negative number to unsigned..) can you help to fix the issue?
The version of Klipper on the Neptune printers is a customized version. If you update Klipper it will break the functionality.
If you go to elegoo's site and download the firmware there's a folder in there with a firmware pack to refresh Klipper back to the factory settings and then you can do the firmware update.
Ty, I have had the wire issues, once from blob, and once because I shifted the clip while changing nozzles. 4 plus. I get great prints for a while, then it seems my z offset changes from moment to moment. Like I'll use the level button, save the offset and restart, hit the level button again, and get a different z offset
This video was a life saver - I followed all your tips and finally got a perfect print off my new Neptune 4 pro! Definitely earned my sub - thank you so much!
Oh I'm glad to hear that!! What did you print?
Hey Dave I just wanted to say thanks for all the info. First Print my N4 Max sounded like it was dragging the nozzle. After that print fail I leveled everything and started a second print. Adjusted the Z on the fly cause it was still dragging. that print came out great. After that I received the Blob of Death. Not to happy. but now I have a place to start. Thanks again Now I get to contact support.
I hope it all gets worked out for you!!
Hey Dev, great video, just got my new neptune 4 pro, was using ender 3 v2 and this is a big step up for me. I was under the impression that auto leveling was going to make my live easier, but oh boy I was wrong!! Never the less, I enjoy learning how to to get this thing up to speed.
Glad I could help!
I will receive my neptune 4 plus in a few days, what steps should I take to configure it correctly?
Here give this other video of mine a watch. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems.
ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
Applies to the plus as well as the max.
Hello Dave been looking at budget printers to upgrade my Anycubic I3 mega and have look at this Neptune 4 pro. What are your thoughts on the pro? Thanks in advance
The Neptune 4 pro is great. I also just got in the Anycubic kobra 3 and it's excellent as well.
@@davetriesthis thanks I just ordered the 4 pro
I just got my neptune 4 plus and the head is slamming into the print bed any time I try to level it. then it comes back with the firmware message you showed on your video. it has left a notable indent on the print bed. thankfully I didn't have the plate on it.
thank you so much Dave, very much appreciated, i am suck now with two 4 max's, my first one worked flawlessly,, then crashed and will not print, my second one, i got last week printed great first print now same as first. what i gather from your vid is its firmware. i load a file on my thumb drive, it moves around about 30 seconds then freezes or locks up. and just sits there, the bed does not heat either. whats your advice? THANK YOU SO MUCH
Bought the Neptune 4 and tried printing two benchys. First benchy was close to finished when the nozzle struck the benchy moving off the print bed. The second attempt didn’t make it as far and the roof of the benchy failed to print at some point there was a blob in the small cabin.
Haven’t tried fixing or adjusting anything as of yet trying to research this issue. The prints seemed fine up until their failure point.
Used PLA nozzle @200c print bed @60c
Maybe try printing a temperature tower. I've downlaoded and printed this one a lot. www.thingiverse.com/thing:2493504
Usually I do PLA at a minimum of 205, and usually around 215, so it might be that the filament is cooling too soon and sticking to the nozzle.
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not going crazy. I just got the 4 plus and it prints like a dream but the z offset blob of doom issue was driving me crazy. I really had no other problems when using Elegoo Cura but I can’t wait for updated profiles in latest versions. Thanks for the firmware instructions. I hope it fixes the offset problem. Great video!
Did it help for you?
@@thedwithalive yes. Totally solved it.
@@thedwithalive I am 20 hours into a three day print right now
@@kenkrugger so what did you do to fix it, im getting emotional trying to make it work
@@XxDementisxX I updated to the latest firmware and re-leveled the bed. Unfortunately I am only slicing on Elegoo’s version of Cura until I find a profile for the 4 plus on a more current slicer. I was having a really hard time getting anything to stick to that bed surface so I roughed it up with 220 grit sandpaper. I’ve had several successful prints after all that. I’m on day two of a three day print right now and it’s working perfectly. I also switched back to standard supports because this older version of Cura locks up my computer when I try using tree supports. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Lychee Slicer has settings for the Neptune 4 plus. Also I'll note that the 4 Plus comes with a microSD and USB adapter for it. (it comes in a bag labelled 'Gift') I had no issues with this printer, and after assembly and cal it ran its first print without a hitch. Looking forward to fine tuning now.
I have to know what your user name means!!
Neptune 4 Pro... it has issues where it drags the nozzle across the printed areas. it's only occasionally and I'm not sure which parameter to adjust to fix it
In a different video i saw it was said to turn of combing in the settings. Hope this helps
I was in the middle of my first big print and a support tree got knocked off the build plate mysteriously. I bet this is what happened
Have this happen all the time, looking for more answers as well
Happening to me on some prints, where I can hear nozzle slightly catching infil as it moves across the print. I usually adjust z offset mid print to help with the issue. To me it seems like z steps are not fully achieved what I mean that instead 0.2mm step it does 0.18 and after few layers the head is low enough to start catching the print
The z hop doesn't work right , use avoid printed parts instead
I’m having so much issues with my N4Max
I wish to update de firmware but I don’t get everything you explained here …. Any video that do it step by step ? I’m getting lost in all that stuff
So, I'm hitting an issue with my Neptune 3 max I know this is a video about the 4 series, but I'm at my wits end, all the axis work, the temp is fine, but no matter how many new hotends, or Proximity sensors I replace, the Homing fails on the Z, going up a little bit, and then a little bit more, I've bought a new hotend with new sensor, same problem, I've swapped with the hotend from the Neptune 3 plus, same problem, I'd replaced the Proximity Sensor from another defective 3 Max, same problem.
It gives me the red light so the sensor works, until it needs to work.
What is going on with this machine?
Have you reached out to support? My guess would be a motherboard issue or the cable to the z axis isn't on correctly.
I’m new to 3d printing by like a week.
I’m using orca slicer and followed your tips on the newer video for bed levelling. I’m curious if printer profiles have improved?
I’m using what was recommended for Neptune 4 max by orca.
I just got a Neptune 4 max , I like the whole idea of the new machine , It's my first one and I was not happy with the directions , I am not as young as I was and the size of the print was very difficult to read , it was necessary for me to install it into a laptop and magnify it to get a clear picture . that was the only real thing I was unhappy about until I started it and nothing much happened . I have uploaded the updated firmware and loaded it several times ,before finding out about the micro card , Now I will try again , I can't wait to see it working ...
Have a Neptune 4 Max. My second printer (first was a Bambi Lab X1C). Just had a weird print fail… grinding noise woke me up, the long part fan is impacting the edge of the part.
Because the part is a large flat piece that covers most of the bed, no way to rehome.
Can’t restart after pausing because the print head seems to be lost.
Also: the first layer is like a “skin” on the second and later layers, and the sparse infill was cubic… am now reprinting at slower speed and using honeycomb sparse infill, seems to be printing more stably.
I have had a Neptune 4 Pro for two months and am just now having software issues, which are causing other issues with sensors. I bought a Neptune 4 Plus the beginning of December and it has had issues since I opened the box. Again, issues with firmware, but the bed would not level properly, the sensors were not reading properly, after trying to auto level, I wouldn't get any values in the box with all the offset information and the Z axis would never stay in the correct offset position. I've been in touch with support, and they have been pretty good and even sent me 3 boxes of filament so far as compensation, but sadly I'm still having firmware issues and my Plus still doesn't work correctly. I really wish support would do something to make problem solving more efficient, especially considering how much we spend on these printers. I really hope one day to actually be able to use the N4 Plus I spent $450 on lol.
Yeah it's frustrating. The z-axis was solved with a firmware update for most people and a factory reset or firmware update erases all saved values so goes back to the 0 offset adjustment.
thank god for this video! I got maybe 3 prints off before I started getting the blob of death. I got upset and discouraged and set my neptune 4 aside for several months. I hope this will fix my issue; I got a ton of stupid stuff to print lol
I am looking for a bigger printer for a while, 4 plus has the features I want, and within budget. However, I have concern about not able to use latest version of Cura. If I don't have better choices, I will wait for the profile for 4 plus to be ready on Cura.
The excellent Orca Slicer just updated to 1.8 and it has profiles for the Neputne 4 line. I use Orca more than Cura these days, and I've got three Neptune 4 machines right now running prints sliced on Orcan and they look great.
Super useful thanks for the video. I have a Neptune 4 max printed great at first, but now it drags filament around and most prints are spoiled on the first 1-5% of the prints. Anytime would be appreciated. Thanks!
That sounds like the x axis offset is too high. Give it another shot leveling it. Sounds crazy but it also might be that the nozzle is too low so the filament is getting pulled by it. In either case check the offset.
Wow! Wonderful. I just bought the Neptune 4 plus and it's being delivered tomorrow. This will be a great help
Check out this newer video too. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems.
ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
!@@davetriesthis Uh oh! sorry it was the 4 pro not plus
Super useful, software and firmware updates fixed an issue where the printer was crashing 6 hours into a print.
Now I've done a few 12 hour+ prints without issue.
Good to hear. I'm glad it helped! It's a great series of printers I want to see people have fewer problems!
My brother just bought the 4 plus, got it all set up and was doing a test print of a benchy when the filament broke in the extruder/hot end, he was able to get the filament out however it seems like there is something still stuck between the extruder and the hot end, after multiple attempts to dislodge what it is to no success, any thoughts?
First few prints were flawless. Now I have bad tip dragging. Stray lines, and error thrown saying the thumb was removed while printing and then the print just stops. I've tried everything. Calibration, levels, checked all screws a dozen times. Still no luck. Mine is the Neptune 4 version. I'll try this firmware update but I've only had the machine about three weeks n
What about the sad card reader error and a really high z axis?
One more thing: If you want to print TPU, and the extruder keeps on jamming (no filament extruded, extruder making ticking noises),
reduce the tension of the spring inside the printhead. Too much pressure on the filament will lead to jams.
For TPU, as little tension as possible is the best. You have to remove the hotend cover and use a 2mm hex driver. Turn it clockwise for less tension, turn ist counter clockwise for more tension. So turn it clockwise as far as you can, print 0.2mm layer height, and not faster than 30mm/s.
Good notes for TPU! I've had both extruder clicking from jams and from a defective extruder drive motor. The gears were slipping and it sounded exactly like a jam but after I got it up to temp and got the nozzle off, there was no filament in at all.
So I eventually got to taking the extruder off the motor and the drive mechanism of the motor was slipping.
Just the calibration about the bed leveling the prints don't stick to it when I start the printer for the first time during the day
It's a good idea to clean the bed if things aren't sticking (mild dish soap like Dawn) but also let your bed warm up before you print. I often give it about 15-30 minutes to warm up. It will improve adhesion. Usually the reason the first doesn't stick and subsequent ones do is because the second print has had enough time to warm up.
@davetriesthis let the bed warm up for 15 to 30 mins and then print will help? Also if the place I stay is dusty then it's better to clean the pei sheet and then start?
Got the 4 pro. New firmware is different, and had to adjust the cura 5 settings a bit to get things right for PLA. Now started using PLA+ and it's quite different from normal PLA.
Bed adhesion seems to be the biggest issue, especially with flow, temperature, extrusion and bed levelling correct.
Z hop is my main issue now, as it's intermittently applied by cura and collisions seem unavoidable on larger or complex prints.
The M600 code isn't working properly. I've tried modifying the code in the cfg file. But! When I input the new code provided from what other videos are saying or whether I leave the original M600 code in the cfg, when I do a color change, the filament retracts out. I change out filament. Than when I resume print, the head just stays in one place and continues spitting out filament without continuing the print. Any word on how to fix this? If you can contact me directly I can send you videos, the gcode, the cfg, etc.... I can't find why it's doing what it's doing within the code.
I bought the Neptune 4 and for whatever reason if I use supports at like 5 inches the print always fails but if I don’t use supports I goes through just fine any help would be great. Thanks
Did you figure it out?
Hello Dave, I'm having an issue on my Elegoo Neptune 4 pro. I'm getting an error message that says this. Can not update mcu due to mcu configuration shutdown error. Would you happen to know how to fix it. I've discovered the power cord over night as well as unplugging the printer control panel several times. No change. Please help.
This is something you want to email their Support about, It sounds like the processor in the printer is not rebooting correctly
@@davetriesthis I figured it out, apprently I had a huge over flow of filament that I could'nt see built up around the nozzel under the rubber insulator that broke the Thermistor wire. I switched out print heads and it is running great now. I was able to fix the broken print head with a new hot end Thank you for you suggestion, I did email the elegoo support team but they never responed back to me.
@jamesfries3212 I'm glad it worked out and that you're printing!
Thank you Dave, I am still having trouble getting my Prusa setting correct for the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro. I've looked at both Cura , Prusa, Octo (I think) Prusa I just understand it but I haven't found an EN4P settings yet. Even using your links I didn't get it updated to find the EN4P. Any suggestions?
I'm mainly using PLA, PLA +, and PTEG.
Thank you Dave. I have my new Neptune 4 Max for 5 days now and it is not working as expected. Seems like I found the best trick to stick to the bed,... white glue diluded 2:1 with water, apply to the bed and let dry it at 50 deg bed. But still all my print have the same issues, the print head seems to rub on the parts and breaking my supports and/or fills. Seems like the Z is going dowm too much!!!!!
Have you re-adjusted the z-axis?
The pei bed doesn't need/shouldn't have glue. Adhesion issues on the pei surface are caused by 1) oil on the surface. Including/especially the oil on your hands. 2) bed temperature. Be sure you're not set to cool plate as the surface. 3) slice your models with the infill or gyroid. Grid can cause the head to knock over the print if it's tall.
I just got the N4+ and getting re-used to the bed leveling troubles myself, but all user error. Too close to far? It's a pain. But no firmware stuff. Just Orca's Cubic infill failing ... grumble grumble
I received a 4plus for Xmas and having a real hard time with traming, i can get a good first layer test, print a first layer test again with the re-print button and it will come out a mess. The few prints I've got to complete look wonderful i just cant seem to get a consistent first layer.
@Dave tries this, I was having firmware issue and attempted to update it. I am running the Neptune 4 pro and once I got everything updated and started up my machine it just goes into standby mode. I have call IT on this and they gave me a new update firmware file for both the screen and the machine, but it still gets stuck in Standby. Have you seen this happen before or is it just me and I messed something up. Elegoo is sending me a new motherboard as well.
I haven't seen the standby issue. I'd guess it's a motherboard issue if they're sending it. I did one recently and it's super easy. Take a bunch of photos of where all the cables plug in to be sure. Make sure you unplug one cable at a time and plug it into the same place in the new one. Took me about 20 minutes but I thought it would be hours.
Hello, thanks for the advise and the video. I bought a Neptune 4 pro about a week ago and printed multiple small projects without any issues. For the past 2 days iv been trying to print larger thing which require a decent amount of infill. The issue im currently facing is the Nozzle rubbing against the infill. I have disabled combing and enabled Z axis hop and even changed infill type from Grid to Triangle with no success. I have even sat there changing the Z axis as it prints and even after changing the axis by an entire +1mm it still grinds against the infill. im running out of options and im not sure what to do as im fairly new to the hobby. would greatly appreciate the help. Thank you!
The main problem here is that both grid and triangle have the same issue when it comes to printing things, which is that the printed moves across the print before it has time to cool. Since the printhead moves across the exact same surface every pass, you end up having a knock over the item. Grid should absolutely not be the default in slicers. Switch to Gyroid for your default pattern.
If you're using an infill pattern, like triangle or grid and use more of it, you're more likely to have the print knocked over.
A bigger print doesn't need more infill to keep from getting knocked over, more infill just makes the print heavier.
If you want more, strength in your print increase the number of walls. Walls are usually one wall by default three makes it much stronger and makes it very strong.
When I do a very large print, I decrease the info amount or I use an info like adaptive cubic. This ends up using very little infill but I the walls to three or four to get a more solid print. Higher and Phil at this point just makes the print more dense, uses more filament, and takes longer to print.
Z axis offset should be set once, and once it is done properly, you should not change it again. It's either right and you get a good first layer or it's wrong and you don't.
Go back and set your Z height and tested using something like a temperature tower or a benchy. If that comes out right your z axis offset is right.
@@davetriesthis This was very insightful!! thank you very much!
I have a Neptune 4 max. Nothing but issues. I am on the current firmware loaded 3 times to try and fix my issues. 1. Input shaper errors out. 2. Printer stops randomly before finishing model, print head just stops where it’s at. The digital display does not show an error it still thinks it’s printing the temp still shows 215 and 70 on the bed. But the bed and print head are cold. 3. Elegoo rapid filament broke of in the extruded and in the tube below the gear melted in the extruder. I am not able to get it out with out breaking the extruder. I have been working with support for over 2 weeks I am currently waiting on extruder replacement. But I believe that that they need to send me a mains board because of my issues. Well it looks like I the part will not show up until next year sometime. Right now I have $500 paper weight. I you are interested in this 3d printer wait 2 - 3 months to see if the issues are fixed.
They're not yet. Just got mine yesterday and it's MCU, extruder heat, and bee heat errors. Read something about wires being backwards on the board. So, atleast in my case, still a paperweight rn
My neptune 4 max was printing well for a few weeks until the heater just stopped working, even got a nice microswiss hotend with new thermistor and sensor, and It still threw an error, waiting on a new print head assembly sent from elegoo
I'm glad they're sending a new assembly!
Lmk how you like that hot end. I just got one but am waiting to install it until something kills the one I have now
Hi Dave, I wish I had found this earlier.After the blob of death, I bought the new hotend and replaced it myself. But I am having another problem. After I replaced the hot end the z axis will not go down. I can make it rise but not lower it.
Any suggestions?
By the Way it is a neptune 4.
Sounds like either motherbaord or something is stuck in the screw threads that lowers the head. I'd send a video to their support people along with the serial number. They'll need that to help you.
I have to 4 Max and it's giving me issues on first layers. Also with the bed mesh. Tried a couple things like firmware and checking the code on Klipper. Still have issues. 😢
What code are you checking on klipper?
Thanks for the great video! I've been FDM printing for a few years and have never had a blob issue, my concern with getting the 4 series is this issue as almost every creator that got sent a machine to review seems to have had the issue - its great to know that Elegoo will send you a new print head if it happens, but is there anything to be done to help prevent it in the first place?
The reason that I want to get a 4 Plus/Max is obviously the larger build volume - which means larger prints, which means prints that will very often (by design, even) be left alone on the printer while I'm off doing other things, like sleeping.
The threat of the blob of death is very concerning - on my other 3d printers I've opted for new nozzles with ruby or diamond tips, which have really helped avoid any filament sticking to the nozzle in the first place as the coefficient of friction is just so much higher. With the 4 series seeming to have proprietary nozzles, it doesn't look like that's an option for me yet - in your opinion, is it better to wait it out and get a diamondback nozzle when they start making them? Or take your chances with the machine, maybe grab an extra print head for the parts drawer just in case of catastrophic failure, and dive in?
Thanks!
Hey, I just got the Neptune 4 Plus. I have it all assembled properly but when I turn the unit on There is no action on the display screen. No logo, no messages.. nothing. Did I get a bad display module or is there a fix. All cabling to the module seems good.
Figured it out... 230 to 115 selection on the left side sorry to bring worry
No problem. That switch should be somewhere more visible.
Dave, I just assembled my brand new Neptune 4 Max. When I turned it on the power light by the cable came on, but nothing else. While on hold I cycle the power button and the printer came on, and I calibrated it, and I did a test print of a banshee and it worked great. I cannot get my computer to see the printer on my network. I decided to move the printer to my office so that I can connect it with an ethernet cable to the network to see if that would work. When I went to turn it on nothing happened. I still get the light, but no boot-up sequence and the screen does not turn on. I have turned it on and off repeatedly for an entire day and it's just bricked. Any advice
Hello, I have some issues with printing in elegoo neotune 4 Pro. In the middle of the print it just stops printing and the name of the gcode changes to ,,shutdown’’. I didnt paused or changed filament or anything, it just stops printing. Please help
That's a weird one. Have you opened the g code file in a text editor? Could be the file got the shutdown command embedded somehow. Is this every print? Which slicer? Maybe some wrong gcode is in the start print code.
@@davetriesthis Its kinda often, i use prusaslicer but ive tried elegoo cura and orca slicer
@@davetriesthis + ive seen in klipper that it says ‘’klippy_shutdown„
Most of the klipper errors were fixed in firmware. If you do a firmware update and it doesn't work you should email support at 3dp@elegoo.com
Wife bought me an Elegoo Neptune 4 Max for Christmas, and it's my first printer. No real issues to speak of yet. One failed print from a blob, but it was a difficult print that I should have been wiser to add adhesion supports to. I caught it mid-print and it cleaned up nicely. I don't think this was related to Z axis alignment, as most of my other prints have come out great. Other than tightening the Y belt for the bed (was getting some shifting) I haven't had to do anything to get things running decently.
Glad to hear it. There's plenty of people for whom the machines are working perfectly. They just don't happen to be the ones posting to Reddit. /)
I have a Neptune 4 plus. I’m having problems with the gear on the extruder. It’s making a clicking noise while not pushing any filament out. I don’t know what it could be.
Do the firmware update for both the printer and the control panel. Do it twice for both (printer first then control) with a power down for a few minutes between them.
If this doesn't resolve the issue contact support. I had a similar thing and it was a crimped cable.
I bought the 4 Max and printed a few things successfully but today nothing will stick to the build plate. I have tried many different temp settings and re leveling, etc. with no luck
Just bought a Neptune 4 max, just watching all videos I can to get good results. I’ve had a resin printer for 2 years. Just getting into filliment printing.
It's a different world. Resin is more detailed and fun in a chemistry sort of way. Filament is fun in a "watch this then use this" way.
Hey Dave, I'm new to 3D printing/ELEGOO Neptune 4. I just got the printer for Christmas, but I've been having issues with trying to use the latest version of ELEGOO Cura 5.6. I noticed in the video that you mentioned the lack of official support for the Neptune 4, and that the "best" version to use is the 4.8. Do you know if there have been any recent updates on Neptune 4 support? Also How can I contact their team to ask about supporting Neptune 4 on ELEGOO Cura 5.6?
I had some luck with the newest version. If you haven't, you should try it out. They got some good predefined settings
Great video! FYI: If you are doing the microSD card firmware update for the controller, the microSD card MUST BE FORMATTED FOR FAT32. If not, it wont be recognized by the touchscreen controller.
Just got my first blob of death on my Neptune 4 pro. It's been steady as she goes but I've also only had it a week. Thanks for the tips!
You're welcome. I'm working on another video with more tips for working with these printers after months of collecting ideas and doing testing. Coming soon!
Thank you so much for this video. I just recently bought the Neptune 4 plus and level the bed got it to print. Started a print job and went to bed when I woke up I had the blob of death. I found your video very helpful and we'll see if they reply to my email.
I'm glad it helped. Follow up with their response if you can. I'd like to see how it goes for you.
It was great customer service. They responded very quickly and have a new part sent out which I will see in 5 to 10 business days.@@davetriesthis
So, I got a neptune 4 max. 1st run went great, other than my own blunder on the slicer. It saves my z offset, but all other leveling keeps going out of wack after running a print. Now, every time I run a print, the nozzle catches the brim and pulls the print off the table.
Thank you.. I have the Npro4 and you are correct in saying that the support from Elegoo has been awesome to work with as I failed to RTFM before updating the firmware.
Great to hear! Print on, Alfred.
Just bought Neptune 4 Pro at Walmart and got "MCU shutdown: ADC out of range..." on startup. Never even got to level the bed yet. I did turn the on/off switch off and waited a few minutes and back on and same error BUT I never unplugged the power cable, I'll try that tonight. Also, I did not get one of those orange thumb drives with mine. Just the black "Giveaway" one with a 512MB SD Card in it. I also did not get the two extra print nozzles that others have gotten??? I have sent pics to Elegoo support but I think they are sleeping now. Nice video thanks.
When my filament raps around the head and Hardens I just put the printer in preheat mode and with some long thin plyers I slowly and carefully get the wet junk out. It works and can save you form having to get a new heat end.
It works unless the filament wraps around the thermistor and heater wires and cools. Then the hot end is toast. The wires are about a mm thick and there's no way to remove the filament from around them without breaking them
hey Dave or anyone.... i just bought a neptune 4 but when i print the nozzle hits the infill... level is perfect on the first layers and when i get past the infill all seems to be good again... im desperate and want to go back to my neptune 3 but i want a faster printer. so plz help me
Good tips sir. First time printer. Second printer is the Neptune 4. So far so good, my current issue is the mesh profiles being saved correctly. I've been running the klipper bed_mesh_calibrate command and manually renaming it to "11" for my profiles to load properly.
I have found the community is much better supported by the company than anycubic. My first experience was with that the Kobra 2 Neo, and although it worked, it didn't work as well as this. Not to mention the creature comforts elegoo has packed in. Makes all the difference.
Yeah I'm not sure what's up with that "11" for the profile. I've recently tried to do the calibration via the Fluuid web interaface and it seems more problematic than the control pad. The one big thing on the control pad is you have to remember to save the auto calibration (small disk icon top right) or when you exit it won't remember the calibration.
I've also run the calibration by manually entering G-Code, which I have to look up as I'm not that familiar with it, and it seems the G-Code to save the calibration works well.
I have a Neptune 4 and I cannot get the bed mesh leveling to work properly, my variance is 0.334mm which is massive, even though I have pain stakingly leveled the bed manually, and leveled the X axis gantry to the bed. the problem is that the L/H side of the print bed is always too close and the R/H side is too far away. At the moment I am manually turning the knobs after mesh leveling to get a half decent first layer. Its like the firmware is applying the mesh leveling in the opposite direction? I can watch the Z steppers and they are moving while the head moves back and forth on the x axis, but its in the wrong direction. Any advice??
@@Rickshaw199
Here are the many things I did to get perfect first layers.
Bed mesh as good as you can get, I used screw_tilt_adjust, which can be a bit tedious, but gets the bed as perfect as you can.
Followed by the glue. Lots of good videos on how to apply. But I tend to apply while cold, once on the x, let it dry, then on the y, let it dry.
Z offset is next. And honestly. Fuck the paper method. Use it to get close, but really dial it in while you print. Do a first layer test, 30mm/s bed wide. And adjust it on the fly. If it's flying off the bed, lower it, if it's smooshed, up it a touch.
Once you get a half decent first layer. Calibrate the filament (this is honestly the most important step, as it just gets better and more consistent from here). Start with a temp tower (I use orca slicer for all my calibration) followed by flow test, pressure advance and retraction.
I have not had a failed print or bad bed adhesion in a loooonnng time. But it took me just as long to get the right "flow" of steps. There is an optimal order, but allot of that info is obfuscated, gate kept, or up for debate.
Before all the aforementioned steps though, make sure to calibrate your extruder, make sure your gantry is square and everything is tight and level. (once again, great videos about it online regarding the extruder calibration)
i got the Neptune 4 pro and it has been GREAT! although i have run into an issue with firmware update.. but i'm sure Elegoo support will help me get back up and running. i have (before the update) printed lots of things with some tight tolerances and it nails it every time! this is my first printer and it has been a fun process to learn
Dave just wanted to say thanks. Your supplementary guidance on the firmware update was great, the official Elegoo upgrade doc is not ideal. Thanks again, all updated now.
Glad to hear it! The firmware update really confused me the first time I tried to do it. :)
@@davetriesthisBy the way, in case this should help anyone else, included with my N4M came with a SD card, and even more conveniently, a USB type A adapter, taking away the annoyance of having to buy an SD card for the firmware. It was in a plastic bag labelled “Giveaway”, so let’s call that another “Successed!”
My Neptune 4 Neptune plus leveling is failing on the whole right side. 😬 paper won’t pass through. Help?! And the home is too high from the board.
How do you know the home is too high? If the paper doesn't pass through it's not too high
I'm currently experiencing an issue with my N4 Plus where I'll get a Klipper error after the hotend has been at printing temperatures for a few minutes. The wires all looked fine when it first happened, so I thought that it was possibly the hotend itself. I replaced it and checked all of the connections. They all looked good and things seemed to be back to normal.
Within a few minutes of printing the Klipper error appeared again. So maybe replacing the hotend didn't do anything at all. Now I started thinking that maybe it had something to do with the cable leading to the extruder; maybe there was a kink in the cable or something, but it looked fine. That's when I tried letting the machine cool off and rest for a while and then simply turn the nozzle up to 200 and just let it sit there to see if the error would appear again without even trying to print anything. It reached the desired temperature and after about five minutes the error occurred. That's where I'm currently at with it; still to be resolved.
The klipper error is often firmware. If it's a hardware issue it's harder to troubleshoot but support will ask you to try. Update the firmware which is on their site. Then take a picture of the firmware number on your screen. They'll ask for that too. Email them as they'll have you go through more steps.
Dave, thanks for all the guidance on the 4 max. Question about the silicone bushings….the pack I received from Amazon by Creality seems to have two heights…I think you mentioned to use the shorter ones? And toss the taller ones?
My pleasure!
See how your bed looks when you're done. If the bumpers are not compressed at all and the sides of the bed are lower than the middle then use the longer ones instead.
@@davetriesthis Dave another question please…my N4 max when homing hits the bed and grinds away (on the Z axis)… I updated firmware to the .65 version and persists…now wondering whether sensor is broken somehow (how do I fix) or other? Thanks Dave
I bought the 4 plus as my first printer. Have printed a few pieces now. The most annoying for me is the Y axes vibrating noise when it moves fast between printing positions. Found somewhere that it coukd be an issue with the bed being warped from the adjustment knobs and make lower rails rub. But didn't try to disassemble it yet.
I also have some stringing and adhesion problems but it may come from the PETG (jake3D PETG) not being adequate for 100mm/s printing.
I wish more people realized they have to adjust speed for different filaments. Have you done a temp tower for the filament to see if it's just the wrong temp? And did you dry out the filament? Fast printing hates wet filament.
Thx for your advices!
I received my new Neptune 4 Plus last week and used it (3 days) without any problems until a power outage.
Since this event, nothing has worked properly.
I've upgraded the firmware without difficulty.
Now, everything is more or less back to normal except for one detail.
It is no longer possible to configure the network.
When I click on the WAN option, the printer LED flash and a message mentioning that the printer is starting up appears on the screen.
It is possible to use the printer, but the network function is somehow gone.
Have you gotten it working?
Just bought the Neptune 4 Plus and I'm worried about The Blob after watching videos with it mentioned all night.
Can I assume if the firmware is fixed that the Z offset will not reset, so this will not happen?
Or is it just something that inevitably happens with this printer regardless. I have never seen it happen 3d printing and I have had Sovol and Creality printers, but never used an Elegoo before.
It seems there should be some way to ensure the wires don't get covered in PLA so you're not stuck waiting a week for a replacement print head (if you can get one).
Give this newer video of mine a look. Has a full walkthrough on setup. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems.
ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
@@davetriesthis will do thanks & subscribed.
One thing going for it is looking online the Neptune 4 series seems to be very popular right now
Really enjoyed this video, the only issues I've had so far is the grinding issue while homing. I have a Neptune 4 Plus. Still kind of setting the printer up and looking for profiles that might work. Thank you for the advice of the Elegoo Cura splicer, I may try the regular Cura. The only printer I have tinkered with is the Creality CR-10. With its fair share of issue I've fixed. Its been a good learning experience. Trying to install a filament out switch on that as well. I am new to Linux, Klipper, and Fliud as I still have to install them on this crappy laptop of mine. Was hoping to remedy the grinding, but also might shoot and email to Elegoo Support.
Have you had any success?
I just got my Neptune 4 plus about a week ago, the first 5 or 6 prints of my own design came out perfect, i switched to a different color of the same
elegoop pla + filament, and have not been able to get a working print since. I tried switching back to the old filament, releveling and setting the z offset several times, even replacing the nozzle. First couple layers seem to go down fine, but as it gets any height it seems like its not extruding enough, it get stringy and inevitably fails. My printer seems to have come with the latest firmware. I'm kinda at a loss here. Any Ideas?
It sounds like the filament is likely wet. Even new filament in the package can be too wet to print properly. If you're getting stringing this is most likely the cause.
I just reviewed this and I like it a lot
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But I also have this and it works well and is not particularly expensive.
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@@davetriesthis Thanks for your help and suggestions! Drying also didn't help unfortunately, but I contacted elegoo as well, sent them a couple pictures, and they had me check a few things, none of which fixed anything. However, upon further exploration, it became obvious that it is a gear problem. you can both see and hear the gears skipping, even when just loading filament. The weird part is that there were no visible signs of any gear damage. I let them know and they are gonna send me a whole new print head assembly.
Their response times and desire to resolve issues quickly is truly fantastic and commendable.
Thanks again!
This may be a stupid question but I have the Neptune plus and I want to update the firmware but I’m still confused. Do I download the firmware on my computer and then stick the usb into the printer or is there a download on the machine itself?
You have to download the firmware. There are two files. One goes on a thumb drive which goes into the printer and you restart. The other goes on a microsd card and get inserted into the controller after you unscrew it. There's instructions toward the end of the video and some in this too Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems.
ua-cam.com/video/C5ZZnfse4LI/v-deo.html
hey dave, just purchased neptune 4 plus,came w/ 2 thumb drives,which 1 do i use ,how do i get my laptop to link up with it, neptune is already on my wifi at the house, that was easy
For firmware update there's one file that needs to go on the micro sd card to update the printer and then that same micro sd card is used to update the controller but you have to erase it between uses. The end of my video has some more about that and there are reasonably good instructions in the firmware download.
To connect to the machine you use your web browser. You go to the Neptune control panel and look in the settings in the wlan section and get your IP address. Enter that in your browse and it will load the interface.
Also, you can connect your slicer directly to the interface. It's in the settings for the printer preferences. You put that same IP address in the panel in that dialog that asks for the address to your printer.
Just received 4 Max (my second printer overall) and it has some challenges, but I'm glad I bought it now and not 2-3 months ago when there were a lot of problems. Mine was shipped with firmware version after major fixes, and sd card with a card reader was included labeled "giveaway", they included PVP glue also. Main concern is leveling, because bed is so large that there is a heat expansion and everything shifts 0.05-0.2mm in a span of 25 minutes, so you need to wait before leveling and calibrating your bed for big prints.
But I also noticed a lot of extruder skipping printing PETG, maybe it's slippery and I need to increase the gear force a little?
That's possible. There's an extruder tightening bolt recessed on the side of the tool head. I can't remember if it's 2.5 or 3mm. And iirc counter clockwise is to tighten
@@davetriesthis I found the problem, the nozzle was just too low and couldn't push filament fully, I just Z offset mid printing on first layers if I hear clicking