MP Select Mini: Bed not heating - Broken Wire

[Nifty]

UGH!

Just about 10 days into having this printer and I noticed that my bed wasn't heating up properly, so I checked underneath and found the negative lead basically cut in half!

I'm not dying to package the printer up and sending it back to Amazon (only about 10 days old), but I also don't want to take responsibility for having to solder / fix this myself.

Thoughts?

 

[The Hat]

Well spotted @Nifty, so I checked mine and it is indeed a design fault, but in a different way to yours. (It maybe the same problem)

I observed the movement of these cables underneath the platform and I noticed they rub off the belt gears and the positive cable was badly scored and scratched from the intermittent contact.

I tried many things to prevent the contact with the gears, and in the end I settled on four cable ties in a row just at the point of contact and now these cable ties are protecting the live cables from any further damage, I also took some slack out of the cables.

There’s no way I was sending my baby back to anyone...

 

[ninj]

If you do solder it yourself make sure you get an nice shiny joint. Heated beds (especially when running from a 12V supply) take a fair current and any resistance in joints and connections can be a fire risk. It would be better to solder a wire to the tab on the heated bed rather than repairing the wire. If you have to get new wire make sure it's of the correct gauge (current rating) to handle your bed current. Then, of course, follow @The Hat's tips. While you're at it, it's also worth checking the terminal connections on your main board as loose joints there are common reasons for 3D printers to catch fire.

 

[apetitphoto]

It might be worth investigating more flexible wires for all the wires running through that bundle. If one breaks, it's probably going to happen to the others. But I'm an alarmist...

 

[te36]

In an imaginary world, you could report that you had to fix the device yourself, and you get a discount from the vendor and he would soon improve the quality of the device for future customers. I have not been able to get this type of flexibility from Amazon though.

In the Amazon world, i would order another select Mini now and make sure to use a credit card with warranty extension in case you're not already doing that already. Then try to apply suggestions like those from TheHat proactively in a non-destructive fashion. HSC should have all type of cables, cable ties, heat resistant tape etc. (if you're in the South Bay).

Once baby 2 is hardened & running and before 4 weeks are over, send back baby 1 to Amazon.

If you do not have Amazon prime, a second order may involve additional shipping cost, then you would need to initiate a return & replace. I forgot how fast you would get the replacement then.

 

[apetitphoto]

I've been away from the Bay Area too long; I had forgotten about Halted...

 

[te36]

And they had to move to a new, smaller space. The whole block from Central all the way to Costco was flattened. No idea what they will build there.

 

[Nifty]

Thanks guys. I'm also worried that a DIY fix may void my ability to return it to Amazon and might even void my warranty on the printer itself.

I emailed MP and I'll wait to see what they say / suggest before I dive into anything with my soldering iron

 

[The Hat]

I emailed MP and I'll wait to see what they say / suggest before I dive into anything with my soldering iron

I wish I had your patients Nifty...

I’ve started to have delusions of grandeur, and am thinking of going bigger, but I will have to discuss finance with Mrs The Hat first, I can’t go it alone on this one either, a trouble halved so they say.

Tomorrow is a new day and if I play my cards right then I should be able to announce some good news regards a new printer, I’ll be in bondage till Christmas over this...

 

[te36]

I always thought that functional pieces for the household would be a great way to increase the WAF.
I've just always been set back by 3D modeling complexity and material (resolution, stability) limits.

Here's two ideas from Maker Faire for decorative 3D printing.

One was still made old-style from wood but could be a great fit for your forum nickname

The other one was from a female 3D artist. I thought they looked really cool. Just a tad expensive otherwise i'd have bought one.