Some folks are pointing out that you can achieve this functionality with other sensors/switches and Klipper macros. They are absolutely right. I was happy to feature this kit as is, because Robert has engineered it really well. The compact form and RGB LED status lights are welcome bonuses. It's ideal for those with Orbiter extruders and easily adaptable for other extruders. Or recreate using other hardware. Whatever works best for you! Also some comments on wanting an encoder. Interestingly, Robert has a write up of all of the hardware he tried during development, including these, at the bottom of the page here: orbiterprojects.com/orbiter-filament-sensor/
Good write up and good video, but I'll slightly disagree that its engineered well. How does that ball bearing prevent wear either on the wall of the injection mold or on the switch cap over time? Quality filament sensors will use a cartridge bearing on one or both sides of the filament, or optical sensing, which won't wear as quickly if at all.
@@jaro6985 If I may reply. Friction with the filament is lower than friction between the ball and the housing walls. Therefore the ball will not roll much but filament will slip over it because of the lower contact surface, thus will not wear out he switch or the housing.
@@orbiterprojects yes totally true. Although, unless the ptfe tubing extends down far enough, preferably on both sides, the bearing and switch will push the filament out. And that is hitting against what? Has to be the wall of the housing right.
I am not in need of a filament sensor, but I still watched till the end, because there's always something interesting to learn in your videos, Michael!
this is one awesome addition there! Even without the runout functionality, i'd still be in for the easy way of changing filaments. I really hope there will be adaptations for other extruders in the future. Or even a standalone version for usage with bowden setups
I run a Prusa Mini+. I installed the Bondtech extruder which also moved the stock filament sensor into the extruder housing. Works like a champ, is way better than the stock extruder and no more filament sensor hanging off of the end of the Bowden tube. Highly recommended for all Mini users.
You have slowly over the last 2 years increased the complexity of your videos, it has helped me grow as a maker at a steady rate. Never feel like "oh I already know", it's all really engaging and well done. Thank You.
I only wish this had the ability to sense if the filament is moving. I'm more concerned about jams then running out. At least you can see when you are getting low on filament. Who knows when your hot end fan starts going bad and all of the sudden, heat creep, then jammed filament.
Most of my printers have a DIY encoder wheel jam sensor installed. a couple printed parts, a rubber band, an optical endstop and some mounting hardware. totals up to about 5 bucks if buying parts in small volumes.
@@tobikiss8213 if you search for diy filament runout encoder here on youtube Makers Mashup has a good video on the setup including a BoM. it uses an optical endstop, a 608 bearing, a number 27 or similar sized rubber band, two passthrough pneumatic fittings, a couple small chunks of ptfe tubing and some m3 screws.
I need this in my life. I'm currently doing major surgery on my Ender 5 Plus, converting it to coreXY via the Mercury 1 build, and I was just pondering today how to handle the filament sensor. This is the perfect thing, since I'm running a 1.5 Orbiter on a Dragon HF hot end. Going hunting for kits / STLs now, and I'm sure I'll be referring back to this video once I find one. Thanks Michael!
I have one of these on order and will be adding to the three printers I have with Orbiter on them. The auto load feature was why i loved the Prusa mk3 so much after using enders.
Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to that most of the functionality can be achieved with any sensor. Basically create a set of macros for, if sensor tripped then unload filament, when re-engaged load the filament.
I was thinking the same thing. You could even do it in Marlin. The issue I see is it required 2 IO pins and doesn't include jam detection. Filament quality has and continues to improve but with tricky, jam prone filaments that is a feature that is really important.
Just received mine this week and was suprise how little information there is, happy to found your video, installation helped a lot. Currently using so I can use a multi material set up where the sensor helps automatically pull/push other filament from two other orbiter on a ratrig. Hope this will work
I have both the BTT smartFilament runout and the orbiter 2.0 sensor. I like the BTT because it detected jams many times in my case but because it's mounted to the frame, around 50cm of filament will be wasted. On the other hand, the orbiter will save more filament but it won't detect jams "clog". As much as I like the convenience the orbiter sensor is offering on load/unload, i would rather have jams detected on long prints.
Agreed, I bought that sensor for my machine and all the workplace ones as well, it's a genius idea, just gotta be on the frame as you say, it's pretty heavy and big. Quite easy to screw it in tho. Frankly the load/unload button seems a bit silly to call it "smart". Heck you can just add another endstop on the head and do literally the same. And I think Marlin supports hardware buttons to run G-code macros as well.
Look I just stopped doing the robot talk that you were doing to yours and told it a little mild joke it loosened up a little and vwela got it! This is a great tool my friend.
I think I may end up trying to stick this on to my Hemera XS setup. I was going to just run the normal switch style, but if I can get it to load/unload properly, that's awesome! I'm even running on a Duet/RRF setup with a 1LC tool board, so the wiring just has to go to the front of the extruder. Very cool!
I've got no gripes with my "traditional runout sensor" per se. It does a job and don't find it particularly fiddly to work with. There is a thing that does cause trouble in relation to the sensor though: It's a mendel style printer with a direct extruder and the higher the printhead gets, the bigger the difference in filament length between printhead in the middle of the x-axis and printhead on one end of the x-axis. Long moves on the x-axis therefor will move filament back and forth through the sensor and back on to the spool, causing bad spooling and filament tangles. Of course the problem only becomes really bad, when the print has been going on for a while, causing late failures of prints. Super annoying. I plan on installing a bowden tube to assure filament length between spool and printhead doesn't change anymore. Yes loading and unloading will be more work, but I just really hate failed prints. As an alternative, maybe one could install one way bearings gripping the filament, so it can only move towards the printhead, but not back.
@@dirtdart81 on a direct extruder? why? In the meantime, I got it installed and use it on longtime prints. Works just as intended, no issues whatsoever.
@@bogusF sorry, I should have been more specific. Having one way bearings could keep the filament from being able to retract, depending on where they were installer. Could cause the extruder teeth to chew filament, or motor to skip
From memory, Marlin supports hardware buttons and customizing the G-code after a detection event, so you can basically do all that with Marlin as well. Checked: Marlin 2.1.2 indeed can do this. You can configure hardware buttons to run G-codes (a sequence at that), and the filament runout script can be changed from just an M600 filament change, to something else. At most it will not make a distinction between load and unload on the button.
Most of the stuff I print is very small, so runout is rarely an issue. What does cause semi-frequent print failures on my machine is the filament crossing over itself on the spool and tying itself into a knot. For some reason filament movement sensors seem to be much harder to source and much more expensive, which is really annoying.
Interesting design. I have the old style with end stop type switch. This has not been tested since I rarely have long print runs and change the spool before long prints. This is a much better design though. Dave.
Not sure if I'll be getting this, but it would definitely be a useful thing to have on printers; looking at the date of the video and thinking of all the printers that have come out since, it's really a shame none of them have included something like this..
I've only ever used the prusa mini and it's filament sensor. Never had any problems at all. I've got it connected to the extruder via some PTFE. works the same as this.
Can't wait to see both hall-effect filament width (supported by Klipper already) and the encoder features to be a part of these "smart" filament sensors. Unfortunately most of these "filament runout" only do the one thing, detect when the filament has run out. But it does not help when there is a jam in the extruder, or when the extruder is not extruding as fast as expected (skipping steps), or when the filament diameter keeps changing. All of these features are already supported by Klipper, but unfortunately there is no available sensor that includes all three in one.
I've got prusa mini style oiptical sensors on my Anycubic Mega X, which really needs it, and even on the little Voron 0.1, I switched the mini to an internal bondtech filament sensor
These are really smart though. I've had more jams than run outs, I care more about knowing it's going smoothly! The Prusa laser sensor was intriguing, but since they ditched it the only real smart sensors are the Biqu Smart Filament Sensor and the Duet 3d Smart Sensor. I'd like to see those compared!
Its amazing what is considered “smart” these days. Seems like a normal runout sensor with an extra button. A smart sensor would be one that feeds back to the main board how much filament has been extruded to improve print quality. Eg if under extruding then the movement of xyz needs to slow down.
The BTT Smart Filament Sensor does just that, it has an encoder wheel to tell if there was a blockage or runs out, and the hardware connection is identical to a normal sensor, all the difference in signal is that it toggles on and off the output every ~7mm of filament. You could tell if you're under extruding heavily with this if well calibrated and the software supported it. Funny that he even covered that sensor on his channel already, just one big problem on it is it's weight, it's quite substantial. It's the kind of stuff you mount on the frame and run a bowden tube to the head even if it's a direct extrusion machine.
I have a question for you I'm looking to increasing the speed in PrusaSlicer for my 3MKS+ it's hard to find just the right setting. I'm using Bondtech LGX for Prusa MK3S - With Magnum. If you have any time can you PLEASE help me. Maybe a video on speed on a prusa? Keep up the good work.
Nice Video, as most of the time ;) I will upgrade my Ender 6 with a 1.5 Orbiter inc. the sensor. X/Y will be upgraded to linear rails as well + BL Touch and Neopixel ... Stock Creatlity Board and Screen
so on mine when it does the autoload on a orbiter 1.5 it grabs it but then it jams right after the gears because it never goes into the filament path below the gears. not sure what to do to fix this.. any ideas?
At the moment i am installing the orbiter v2.0 on my ender 5 pro with a skr mini e3v3 board running klipper. I also have the filament sensor but i need to figure out what pins to start using. As i think to see in your video you run it on 5 volts, if so is that working fine? Learned a lot from your videos so keep on going.
So when the filament runs out, does the printer finish the current layer? Or does it stop at the next instruction and later return to that point? I ask wondering if you need some distance between the sensor and the extruder to buffer the completion of the layer.
It will finish the current extrusion, not layer. Personally I prefer it this way, because if the layer is a long one, the filament might rear the drive gears and not be able to retract.
I've been thinking about an extruder mounted sensor for a while but I have too many other things on the go to do anything about it if there is ever a 2-step product (unbox, plug in) then I'll probably buy it
What I want is something with a filament counter, so I can calibrate e-steps easier. There are couple diy projects, but would like an off the shelf add-on.
I have one of these, I was going to put in in my V0.1, but it was too tall, so it is going to go on my Ender when I get around to redesigning the toolhead.
That EVA carriage .looks interesting. I may use it for my dbot. Does it / the rat rig have a limit switch on it for the x axis ? I can't see one on the designs ?
I’m a lazy bum. Can anyone tell me if Klipper supports jam detection now? I haven’t looked into it for a while. My biggest 3D printing peeve is not running out of filament, it’s having filament in the pathway, but it just not extruding as expected. I want to fit something like the BTT smart sensor, but last I heard, that one was not compatible with Klipper.
Thank you for the video, I have been looking at orbiter with filament sensor and while I want to build a dual single nozzle direct remote extruder based on the idea of orbiter and make this work on Marlin, this is a good record in my references list. I'm surprised by the poor quality of your printed parts though - both, the sensor housing and the parts we can see on the printer. I think there is room for improvement in that department and please, take it as supporting and friendly advice only :). "like" from me.
Is it possible to interface this wonderful device to a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint?, if this doesn't work with Marlin, I don't see a reason why we couldn't develop a driver to interface to a Pi, or even a Pico.
Prusa's filament run out sensor is at the end of a Bowden tube, so inserting through that sensor is no different than inserting the filament without a sensor.
After having this extruder and sensor for a couple months now, I must note not with everyday use, it has now started to flash the sensor run out and stopping prints and ejecting the filament all by itself!! Sometimes the flash is so fast you can’t see it but this now means I can’t leave it printing at all! So now having 2 printers that are useless unless I remove the g-code which worked well for a period… such a shame!
I'm not that surprised, the ball bearing touching a switch idea just does not seem very good. If you look inside there might be wear due to filament motion.
@@jaro6985 this may be the case, but I haven’t looked into it e.g. disassembled. I’m just very surprised given the short period used and the genuine part provided in the kit and only using PLA/ PETG with it being 99% non Matt filament, that’s it’s giving a problem already. Big shame as the idea and concept it great, think the path needs to have a metal sleeve in it though or something 🤷♂️ CF would have killed them in a couple prints I’d say if it’s wearing where you said.
@@GAMERSW0RLD yes, metal sleeve would be a good idea. On their website they mention adding sheets of paper and resoldering the switch to offset it more. But that might not last forever.
Idea for a new video: Ender 3 with Marlin 2.1.2. Do the new input shaping following their instructions and test print file. I tried it, but I my print looked exactly the same from the bottom on the top.
Nice but...anyway to add this to the EBB36 CAN BUS? looking at adding a 5v>3.3v regulator to the sensor, to find one small enough to fit is the question Awesome content as always
Speaking of smart tech, has there been any updates to the closed-loop stepper motor video you did? Lot's of unanswered questions in the comments, I'd love to know if you stuck with them or not?
Nothing worse than a _optimal misplaced_ Creality stupid Filament Sensor with (insult to injury) "proprietary" software extension. *Kudos to the Orbiter makers* _and_ your *Vid* 😇👍
Hello I still been watching all your videos and I just wanted to ask you if you could make a new video on how to use the new version of kiri moto for cnc machining like you did years ago on your mpcnc low rider cnc machine you built I have made my own cnc machine and it uses a mks gen l v1.0 motherboard and marlin firmware like the cnc machine you built so I just need to know how to use the new version of kiri moto to make my machine cut out pcbs and wood 🪵 and if you do make a new video on kiri moto I will definitely watch it and like the video for you 😀 thank you for reading my comment.
0:04 all the ones I've seen are as simple as it can get, just a button in a tube. The one on my printer you just shove it in and it comes out the other end right into the extruder..
Thanks for the awesome guide mate, I have my orbiter and runout sensor setup on a Voron 0.1 and it all works great except when I test the runout by cutting the filament. The print stops but does not lift and go back and then when I try to resume it just errors. Should I remove the pause, resume etc macro's from the printer and mainsail config files and just have the ones in the runout sensor config file? Anyone able to help that may know please.
You don't need the fancy orbiter sensor to make this work, I implemented all these features with some gcode macros and a regular dumb endstop switch runout sensor Edit: It even does something better that the orbiter doesn't: when you insert filament with the hotend cold, it will pull the filament a few mm for it to engage with the extruder's gears, then heats up the hotend, and once it's hot it pushes the filament along my entire bowden tube and then does the purge
This is a cool setup, but I don't think you should've included the word "smart" in the video title, since "smart" has a specific meaning for these sensors and the one you are reviewing is not "smart". It's a simple (but useful) filament-presence sensor in a compact form factor. An actual "smart" filament sensor measures the feed speed of the filament so it can also detect filament jams. I recently added one to my printer and so far I've never needed the runout detection, but I have had so many prints saved by the jam detection (mostly due to accidental excessive flow rates, or spool issues/tangles). That said, the load & unload buttons are a nice feature.
Meh not really all that smart. What I want is a geared optical extrusion wheel sensor that acts like a reverse extruder to count how much filament is going through it. With a large over-drive I think the error tolerance can be dramatically reduced and it can input accurate reverse e-steps to compare it with the extruder's output. In theory it should work with all extrusion problems like jams, clogs, underextrusion as well as over-extrusion.
With 20$ you can get a Klicky/quickdraw probe + another switch as a normal filament runout sensor. So basically to me this is completely useless. I think that the 3D printing scene is sometimes prone to overcomplicate things that should be easy and, most importantly, to create needings supposed to address problems that actually do not exists.
I stopped watching at 2:17. No Marlin, no go. Not going through the headache to learn about Clipper just to add this feature. Shame - it looks like a nice and light direct drive extruder.
I really hope this channel doesn't become focused on Klipper and Reprap compatible content only. I'm guessing the vast majority of viewers are still using Marlin. So videos like this one are of no interest to those people.
Why would you think I would only focus on one firmware or another? There is no evidence to suggest this. Klipper specific videos make up a fraction of what is on this channel.
I dont use filementout sensor, but if I should have one, it would be the Prusa mini filementout sensor. Elegant, with the magnet, and simple, NOT with a switch. Great video as always 👍 Thanks for sharing your expirences with All of us 👍😀
Amusing violence in this one Michael. Pretty slick widget, may have to do a respin for my sherpa mini, I won't buy the kit, Ill do the board from scratch. Reterminateing cables I'd just terminated..if I had a nickel.....
This is all well and good, but I run into so many random rolls that have a sharp enough bend that the filament wont pull off the spool when at the end and the extruder stops and just grinds the filament down. No normal (pre the extruder) sensor will fix this.
Are there smart sensor monitor functions for the 10S Pro??? I think we have room for more serious sensor inputs but no idea what is available in kits like this. Thank you for your videos.
I've had so many problems with runout sensors in the past that I had just given up on them. And I'm not willing to switch out for an orbiter yet, but I think I'll be seeing if I can replicate a lot of this in other ways. Thanks!
Some folks are pointing out that you can achieve this functionality with other sensors/switches and Klipper macros. They are absolutely right. I was happy to feature this kit as is, because Robert has engineered it really well. The compact form and RGB LED status lights are welcome bonuses. It's ideal for those with Orbiter extruders and easily adaptable for other extruders. Or recreate using other hardware. Whatever works best for you!
Also some comments on wanting an encoder. Interestingly, Robert has a write up of all of the hardware he tried during development, including these, at the bottom of the page here: orbiterprojects.com/orbiter-filament-sensor/
Good write up and good video, but I'll slightly disagree that its engineered well. How does that ball bearing prevent wear either on the wall of the injection mold or on the switch cap over time? Quality filament sensors will use a cartridge bearing on one or both sides of the filament, or optical sensing, which won't wear as quickly if at all.
@@jaro6985 If I may reply. Friction with the filament is lower than friction between the ball and the housing walls. Therefore the ball will not roll much but filament will slip over it because of the lower contact surface, thus will not wear out he switch or the housing.
@@orbiterprojects yes totally true. Although, unless the ptfe tubing extends down far enough, preferably on both sides, the bearing and switch will push the filament out. And that is hitting against what? Has to be the wall of the housing right.
I am not in need of a filament sensor, but I still watched till the end, because there's always something interesting to learn in your videos, Michael!
this is one awesome addition there! Even without the runout functionality, i'd still be in for the easy way of changing filaments. I really hope there will be adaptations for other extruders in the future. Or even a standalone version for usage with bowden setups
I run a Prusa Mini+. I installed the Bondtech extruder which also moved the stock filament sensor into the extruder housing. Works like a champ, is way better than the stock extruder and no more filament sensor hanging off of the end of the Bowden tube. Highly recommended for all Mini users.
You have slowly over the last 2 years increased the complexity of your videos, it has helped me grow as a maker at a steady rate. Never feel like "oh I already know", it's all really engaging and well done. Thank You.
I only wish this had the ability to sense if the filament is moving. I'm more concerned about jams then running out. At least you can see when you are getting low on filament. Who knows when your hot end fan starts going bad and all of the sudden, heat creep, then jammed filament.
That's a really good point, and actually that's pretty easy to detect... Just need a rubber traction wheel and an optical encoder with a little code.
Rotary encoder
New one just got released in case you still want that functionality
@@DapperDangus Can you provide a link/video to the new one that monitors filament movement?
I have been debating klipper for two years. This may actually get me off my butt to do it. That is spectacular. Thanks for the video.
Nothing to debate mate! You gotta try it.
Most of my printers have a DIY encoder wheel jam sensor installed. a couple printed parts, a rubber band, an optical endstop and some mounting hardware. totals up to about 5 bucks if buying parts in small volumes.
Do you have a small list of the parts? If yes. Would you mind sharing😅
@@tobikiss8213 if you search for diy filament runout encoder here on youtube Makers Mashup has a good video on the setup including a BoM. it uses an optical endstop, a 608 bearing, a number 27 or similar sized rubber band, two passthrough pneumatic fittings, a couple small chunks of ptfe tubing and some m3 screws.
I know the Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder uses an encoder made from an opto-isolator and a bontech-style extruder-gear (the idler side)...
Pretty interesting indeed, Michael! Thanks! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I need this in my life. I'm currently doing major surgery on my Ender 5 Plus, converting it to coreXY via the Mercury 1 build, and I was just pondering today how to handle the filament sensor. This is the perfect thing, since I'm running a 1.5 Orbiter on a Dragon HF hot end. Going hunting for kits / STLs now, and I'm sure I'll be referring back to this video once I find one. Thanks Michael!
what toolhead are you using? I bought an ender 5 plus as well for the mercury 1 but waiting for me to get sick of the ender 5 before i upgrade as well
@@afkafkafk I'm using EVA, but not the latest, I think mine is either 2.3 or 2.4, or a mix of both.
I have one of these on order and will be adding to the three printers I have with Orbiter on them. The auto load feature was why i loved the Prusa mk3 so much after using enders.
I never knew about this! I just installed Rome to my ratrig. This would make such a better inline sensor!
Thats a cool idea. Ill steal it and use with my current sensor :D thank you
Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to that most of the functionality can be achieved with any sensor.
Basically create a set of macros for, if sensor tripped then unload filament, when re-engaged load the filament.
I was thinking the same thing. You could even do it in Marlin. The issue I see is it required 2 IO pins and doesn't include jam detection. Filament quality has and continues to improve but with tricky, jam prone filaments that is a feature that is really important.
@@LathanM the bigtreetech one still has the jam protection. I would also bet on the fact that someone will make a Chinese clone of this thing.
Just received mine this week and was suprise how little information there is, happy to found your video, installation helped a lot. Currently using so I can use a multi material set up where the sensor helps automatically pull/push other filament from two other orbiter on a ratrig. Hope this will work
I have both the BTT smartFilament runout and the orbiter 2.0 sensor. I like the BTT because it detected jams many times in my case but because it's mounted to the frame, around 50cm of filament will be wasted. On the other hand, the orbiter will save more filament but it won't detect jams "clog". As much as I like the convenience the orbiter sensor is offering on load/unload, i would rather have jams detected on long prints.
Agreed. I rarely end up with filament running out, but I've had a couple of large prints fail recently due to jams.
Agreed, I bought that sensor for my machine and all the workplace ones as well, it's a genius idea, just gotta be on the frame as you say, it's pretty heavy and big. Quite easy to screw it in tho.
Frankly the load/unload button seems a bit silly to call it "smart". Heck you can just add another endstop on the head and do literally the same. And I think Marlin supports hardware buttons to run G-code macros as well.
Look I just stopped doing the robot talk that you were doing to yours and told it a little mild joke it loosened up a little and vwela got it! This is a great tool my friend.
congratulations your videos are always well detailed and thank you very much for what you do
you are a guru of 3d printing
I think I may end up trying to stick this on to my Hemera XS setup. I was going to just run the normal switch style, but if I can get it to load/unload properly, that's awesome! I'm even running on a Duet/RRF setup with a 1LC tool board, so the wiring just has to go to the front of the extruder. Very cool!
Please post your modified design. I am interested in the same for a stock Revo Hemera.
Thanks for share your experience on LDO Obiter Sensor!
Was looking to upgrade my Ender 3 Pro even more with the Triangle Lab DDE v2 kit incl. this sensor solution. Not even in doubt anymore :D
I've got no gripes with my "traditional runout sensor" per se. It does a job and don't find it particularly fiddly to work with.
There is a thing that does cause trouble in relation to the sensor though: It's a mendel style printer with a direct extruder and the higher the printhead gets, the bigger the difference in filament length between printhead in the middle of the x-axis and printhead on one end of the x-axis. Long moves on the x-axis therefor will move filament back and forth through the sensor and back on to the spool, causing bad spooling and filament tangles. Of course the problem only becomes really bad, when the print has been going on for a while, causing late failures of prints. Super annoying.
I plan on installing a bowden tube to assure filament length between spool and printhead doesn't change anymore. Yes loading and unloading will be more work, but I just really hate failed prints. As an alternative, maybe one could install one way bearings gripping the filament, so it can only move towards the printhead, but not back.
That could be dangerous depending on retraction distance
@@dirtdart81 on a direct extruder? why?
In the meantime, I got it installed and use it on longtime prints. Works just as intended, no issues whatsoever.
@@bogusF sorry, I should have been more specific. Having one way bearings could keep the filament from being able to retract, depending on where they were installer. Could cause the extruder teeth to chew filament, or motor to skip
Very interesting informational video, thank you.
Nice video, Cheers, Robert!
Thanks for your great designs!
From memory, Marlin supports hardware buttons and customizing the G-code after a detection event, so you can basically do all that with Marlin as well.
Checked: Marlin 2.1.2 indeed can do this. You can configure hardware buttons to run G-codes (a sequence at that), and the filament runout script can be changed from just an M600 filament change, to something else.
At most it will not make a distinction between load and unload on the button.
Most of the stuff I print is very small, so runout is rarely an issue. What does cause semi-frequent print failures on my machine is the filament crossing over itself on the spool and tying itself into a knot. For some reason filament movement sensors seem to be much harder to source and much more expensive, which is really annoying.
Interesting design. I have the old style with end stop type switch. This has not been tested since I rarely have long print runs and change the spool before long prints. This is a much better design though.
Dave.
Not sure if I'll be getting this, but it would definitely be a useful thing to have on printers; looking at the date of the video and thinking of all the printers that have come out since, it's really a shame none of them have included something like this..
I've only ever used the prusa mini and it's filament sensor. Never had any problems at all. I've got it connected to the extruder via some PTFE. works the same as this.
Can't wait to see both hall-effect filament width (supported by Klipper already) and the encoder features to be a part of these "smart" filament sensors. Unfortunately most of these "filament runout" only do the one thing, detect when the filament has run out. But it does not help when there is a jam in the extruder, or when the extruder is not extruding as fast as expected (skipping steps), or when the filament diameter keeps changing. All of these features are already supported by Klipper, but unfortunately there is no available sensor that includes all three in one.
I just love the filament sensor on my prusa mk3s. It's very similar to this one, missing the button, but has not one hard coded temperatur.
Tremendous! Thank you!
I've got prusa mini style oiptical sensors on my Anycubic Mega X, which really needs it, and even on the little Voron 0.1, I switched the mini to an internal bondtech filament sensor
Great video! I'd love to see a video where you modify this orbital filament sensor with a Revo Hemera!
These are really smart though. I've had more jams than run outs, I care more about knowing it's going smoothly! The Prusa laser sensor was intriguing, but since they ditched it the only real smart sensors are the Biqu Smart Filament Sensor and the Duet 3d Smart Sensor. I'd like to see those compared!
Pretty cool.
Reminds me of the MMU ERCF. Similar but different.
Its amazing what is considered “smart” these days. Seems like a normal runout sensor with an extra button.
A smart sensor would be one that feeds back to the main board how much filament has been extruded to improve print quality. Eg if under extruding then the movement of xyz needs to slow down.
The BTT Smart Filament Sensor does just that, it has an encoder wheel to tell if there was a blockage or runs out, and the hardware connection is identical to a normal sensor, all the difference in signal is that it toggles on and off the output every ~7mm of filament. You could tell if you're under extruding heavily with this if well calibrated and the software supported it.
Funny that he even covered that sensor on his channel already, just one big problem on it is it's weight, it's quite substantial. It's the kind of stuff you mount on the frame and run a bowden tube to the head even if it's a direct extrusion machine.
I have a question for you I'm looking to increasing the speed in PrusaSlicer for my 3MKS+ it's hard to find just the right setting. I'm using Bondtech LGX for Prusa MK3S - With Magnum.
If you have any time can you PLEASE help me. Maybe a video on speed on a prusa?
Keep up the good work.
I’m just printing a mount for my new btt smart filament sensor
So much EVA in a TT video :D I love it!
there is a typing error in the description, it says "ailed" but i think it is supposed to say "failed" (first sentence)
The Tip streamline comment is great, I have trouble with the Prusa MMU und a code change like this can change everything
Nice Video, as most of the time ;)
I will upgrade my Ender 6 with a 1.5 Orbiter inc. the sensor.
X/Y will be upgraded to linear rails as well + BL Touch and Neopixel ... Stock Creatlity Board and Screen
Thanks, this was really cool
Great video and good info.
so on mine when it does the autoload on a orbiter 1.5 it grabs it but then it jams right after the gears because it never goes into the filament path below the gears. not sure what to do to fix this.. any ideas?
At the moment i am installing the orbiter v2.0 on my ender 5 pro with a skr mini e3v3 board running klipper. I also have the filament sensor but i need to figure out what pins to start using. As i think to see in your video you run it on 5 volts, if so is that working fine? Learned a lot from your videos so keep on going.
So when the filament runs out, does the printer finish the current layer? Or does it stop at the next instruction and later return to that point? I ask wondering if you need some distance between the sensor and the extruder to buffer the completion of the layer.
It will finish the current extrusion, not layer. Personally I prefer it this way, because if the layer is a long one, the filament might rear the drive gears and not be able to retract.
I've been thinking about an extruder mounted sensor for a while but I have too many other things on the go to do anything about it
if there is ever a 2-step product (unbox, plug in) then I'll probably buy it
What I want is something with a filament counter, so I can calibrate e-steps easier. There are couple diy projects, but would like an off the shelf add-on.
BTT Smart Filament Sensor. Pulses every 7mm of filament from my memory, but I don't think it _should_ be used that way, tho you can do it no doubt.
I may try this on my bmg clone on my Sidewinder.
I have one of these, I was going to put in in my V0.1, but it was too tall, so it is going to go on my Ender when I get around to redesigning the toolhead.
That EVA carriage .looks interesting. I may use it for my dbot. Does it / the rat rig have a limit switch on it for the x axis ? I can't see one on the designs ?
This looks awesome! I wonder if it could be put in the sherpa mini as-is, since at a glance they look to have the same shape 🤔
I’m a lazy bum. Can anyone tell me if Klipper supports jam detection now? I haven’t looked into it for a while.
My biggest 3D printing peeve is not running out of filament, it’s having filament in the pathway, but it just not extruding as expected.
I want to fit something like the BTT smart sensor, but last I heard, that one was not compatible with Klipper.
Can you do a video on how to setup marlin input shaping
Thank you for the video, I have been looking at orbiter with filament sensor and while I want to build a dual single nozzle direct remote extruder based on the idea of orbiter and make this work on Marlin, this is a good record in my references list. I'm surprised by the poor quality of your printed parts though - both, the sensor housing and the parts we can see on the printer. I think there is room for improvement in that department and please, take it as supporting and friendly advice only :). "like" from me.
Is it possible to interface this wonderful device to a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint?, if this doesn't work with Marlin, I don't see a reason why we couldn't develop a driver to interface to a Pi, or even a Pico.
I also got one of these, afraid of damaging the flex clip, it's very difficult to install the pcb.
Prusa's filament run out sensor is at the end of a Bowden tube, so inserting through that sensor is no different than inserting the filament without a sensor.
After having this extruder and sensor for a couple months now, I must note not with everyday use, it has now started to flash the sensor run out and stopping prints and ejecting the filament all by itself!! Sometimes the flash is so fast you can’t see it but this now means I can’t leave it printing at all! So now having 2 printers that are useless unless I remove the g-code which worked well for a period… such a shame!
I'm not that surprised, the ball bearing touching a switch idea just does not seem very good. If you look inside there might be wear due to filament motion.
@@jaro6985 this may be the case, but I haven’t looked into it e.g. disassembled.
I’m just very surprised given the short period used and the genuine part provided in the kit and only using PLA/ PETG with it being 99% non Matt filament, that’s it’s giving a problem already.
Big shame as the idea and concept it great, think the path needs to have a metal sleeve in it though or something 🤷♂️ CF would have killed them in a couple prints I’d say if it’s wearing where you said.
@@GAMERSW0RLD yes, metal sleeve would be a good idea. On their website they mention adding sheets of paper and resoldering the switch to offset it more. But that might not last forever.
Idea for a new video: Ender 3 with Marlin 2.1.2. Do the new input shaping following their instructions and test print file. I tried it, but I my print looked exactly the same from the bottom on the top.
Nice but...anyway to add this to the EBB36 CAN BUS? looking at adding a 5v>3.3v regulator to the sensor, to find one small enough to fit is the question
Awesome content as always
Derek, my patron who brought this product to my attention, has installed his on an EBB36 board and it is working nicely.
@@TeachingTech anyway to get a link to his website/page
is there a reason you're not enabling pullups with the ^ symbol before the pins?
OR you simply weight your spools and see before starting a print if it will complete given the estimation of used filament in the slicer.
12:12 What a legend!
He assumed I've understood stuff...
Speaking of smart tech, has there been any updates to the closed-loop stepper motor video you did? Lot's of unanswered questions in the comments, I'd love to know if you stuck with them or not?
Oh man what color filament is at 1:23?! I gotta have it lol
Nothing worse than a _optimal misplaced_ Creality stupid Filament Sensor with (insult to injury) "proprietary" software extension. *Kudos to the Orbiter makers* _and_ your *Vid* 😇👍
Hello I still been watching all your videos and I just wanted to ask you if you could make a new video on how to use the new version of kiri moto for cnc machining like you did years ago on your mpcnc low rider cnc machine you built I have made my own cnc machine and it uses a mks gen l v1.0 motherboard and marlin firmware like the cnc machine you built so I just need to know how to use the new version of kiri moto to make my machine cut out pcbs and wood 🪵 and if you do make a new video on kiri moto I will definitely watch it and like the video for you 😀 thank you for reading my comment.
I want something like this for the sprite hotend.
I want it :D
I'll try to do something for my E5+ after all the mods i do (Hopefully successful :P )
Do you have a Bondtech CHT style nozzle to test this with? I'm wondering if the 3 melt zones would effect the unloading enough to jam it up. Thanks!
The only possible issue is the blob that he shows, otherwise no unloading on CHT hot is not really an issue.
I can not see that working on soft TPU like a 95a
It does not detect filament jams and adds weight to the printhead. So BTT Smart Filament Sensor is still better.
0:04 all the ones I've seen are as simple as it can get, just a button in a tube. The one on my printer you just shove it in and it comes out the other end right into the extruder..
Would this mount to a Sherpa Mini?
Would think so with a new housing
Wish it would detect jams
I was too excited and thought it was smart enough to provide dynamic feed and retraction rate.
Filament Runout Sensors should be integral to all print heads.
Sounds like this sensor can’t tell if the filament jams
Thanks for the awesome guide mate, I have my orbiter and runout sensor setup on a Voron 0.1 and it all works great except when I test the runout by cutting the filament. The print stops but does not lift and go back and then when I try to resume it just errors. Should I remove the pause, resume etc macro's from the printer and mainsail config files and just have the ones in the runout sensor config file? Anyone able to help that may know please.
Too bad it doesn't detect filament jam :(
You don't need the fancy orbiter sensor to make this work, I implemented all these features with some gcode macros and a regular dumb endstop switch runout sensor
Edit: It even does something better that the orbiter doesn't: when you insert filament with the hotend cold, it will pull the filament a few mm for it to engage with the extruder's gears, then heats up the hotend, and once it's hot it pushes the filament along my entire bowden tube and then does the purge
That behaviour isn't inherent to the orbiter sensor, you just need to move line 122 at 13:05 above line 112
This is a cool setup, but I don't think you should've included the word "smart" in the video title, since "smart" has a specific meaning for these sensors and the one you are reviewing is not "smart". It's a simple (but useful) filament-presence sensor in a compact form factor. An actual "smart" filament sensor measures the feed speed of the filament so it can also detect filament jams. I recently added one to my printer and so far I've never needed the runout detection, but I have had so many prints saved by the jam detection (mostly due to accidental excessive flow rates, or spool issues/tangles). That said, the load & unload buttons are a nice feature.
Now only if we could buy raspberry pi s so we could have a small simple enough solution to run klipper on.
200mm is a lot
Easily changed as covered in the video.
Meh not really all that smart. What I want is a geared optical extrusion wheel sensor that acts like a reverse extruder to count how much filament is going through it. With a large over-drive I think the error tolerance can be dramatically reduced and it can input accurate reverse e-steps to compare it with the extruder's output. In theory it should work with all extrusion problems like jams, clogs, underextrusion as well as over-extrusion.
With 20$ you can get a Klicky/quickdraw probe + another switch as a normal filament runout sensor.
So basically to me this is completely useless. I think that the 3D printing scene is sometimes prone to overcomplicate things that should be easy and, most importantly, to create needings supposed to address problems that actually do not exists.
Duet filament sensor is better.
I stopped watching at 2:17. No Marlin, no go. Not going through the headache to learn about Clipper just to add this feature. Shame - it looks like a nice and light direct drive extruder.
Yup, agreed. Same here.
klipper is actually much easier to use than marlin
@@Mr_Pewpy_But-Whole only if you have a pi already. Buying one now is not worth it.
I really hope this channel doesn't become focused on Klipper and Reprap compatible content only. I'm guessing the vast majority of viewers are still using Marlin. So videos like this one are of no interest to those people.
The more content that's made for Klipper, the more people will become aware/interested and move away from the relatively archaic and useless Marlin.
i think most people are switching to klipper and reprap.
marlin is just becoming less useful
@@Mr_Pewpy_But-Whole yup, agreed. same here, only one printer left on Marlin in my workshop
Why would you think I would only focus on one firmware or another? There is no evidence to suggest this. Klipper specific videos make up a fraction of what is on this channel.
I built this all from scratch, the STL files do not fit the extruder. Significant changes need to be made. (v2.0)
I dont use filementout sensor, but if I should have one, it would be the Prusa mini filementout sensor. Elegant, with the magnet, and simple, NOT with a switch.
Great video as always 👍
Thanks for sharing your expirences with All of us 👍😀
I would like to buy this kit for my Ender 3 Pro running klipper. That would definitely give me some peace of mind
Amusing violence in this one Michael. Pretty slick widget, may have to do a respin for my sherpa mini, I won't buy the kit, Ill do the board from scratch. Reterminateing cables I'd just terminated..if I had a nickel.....
Love the video. I got the Sensor a few days ago and can’t wait to add to my v0.1 along with an SKR Pico Board
This is all well and good, but I run into so many random rolls that have a sharp enough bend that the filament wont pull off the spool when at the end and the extruder stops and just grinds the filament down. No normal (pre the extruder) sensor will fix this.
Are there smart sensor monitor functions for the 10S Pro??? I think we have room for more serious sensor inputs but no idea what is available in kits like this. Thank you for your videos.
I've had so many problems with runout sensors in the past that I had just given up on them. And I'm not willing to switch out for an orbiter yet, but I think I'll be seeing if I can replicate a lot of this in other ways. Thanks!