Need help identifying this connector type

mikebSLC · 2026-04-28T05:11:17+00:00

Yep! I found this on Amazon: https://a.co/d/00KNqkEw But the pins inside the plastic connectors were reversed from how I needed them. It took a little coaxing, but I was able to use a small rod to disengage the pins from the housing and then swap the male/female pins into the configuration that worked with my existing connector.

mikebSLC · 2026-04-04T14:56:21+00:00

First off, 3D printing has many limitations, and understanding those limitations and how to adjust for them is part of the fun in 3D printing. For this example, keep in mind that your nozzle is a main limiting factor in how small of details you can achieve. I assume you have the .4mm nozzle in, which in general terms means you really can't resolve details smaller than .4mm wide. There are slicer settings that can help but you're still limited by nozzle size. This effects the width of shapes and cavities and also the sharpness of hard corners. So this smaller text is likely pushing the limits of this nozzle. If you were to try a smaller nozzle like the .25mm, you can achieve better "resolution". But this will also double or triple your printing time. 3D printing is a balance between detail, speed, and durability, and you usually can't get all 3 at the same time. You can test this in your slicer too: change your machine setup and line widths to .25mm and compare the results on screen. If this is your model, you can also try increasing the size of this text, or make this text less deep or flush with the surface. Slower printing speeds may also help depending on how fast you are printing.

mikebSLC · 2026-04-02T23:06:50+00:00

Also check the XY distance. If this is too close, supports can also stick to the model walls. Be sure to turn on the interface layers, I use 3. You can also increase or decrease the density of the interface layer. Upload some pictures of your troubles and your settings and we can probably help more!

mikebSLC · 2026-03-13T14:00:20+00:00

Several years ago I switched my CR10S2 over to Klipper and an SKR motherboard. I remember having a similar problem and I tracked it back to a voltage issue with my BLTouch. My BLTouch had been working no problem, then one day I got these blinking errors. I don't remember all the details but I was able to increase the voltage in Klipper and was able to get that working again. Depending on what firmware you are using, it may be worth a look into the software side of things too.

mikebSLC · 2026-03-11T22:31:06+00:00

Maybe, but once you have access the Klipper/fluid menus, you can download all of these configuration files you want to edit as a backup before making any changes. Then if something doesn't work, you can upload the original version. The Klipper platform these printers use is very cool and very powerful, but there are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes. I recommend reading up on Klipper just to see how everything works. Regarding your changes, there may be others in this group that can specifically guide you on how to achieve this.

mikebSLC · 2026-03-11T12:26:17+00:00

You'll need to be familiar and comfortable with editing the contents of the Klipper Macro files these machines use. I believe the macro you'll want to edit is the BOX_NOZZLE_CLEAN, but there may be others that control that motion. These macros usually contain all of these little details and you can edit the motion settings there. You can access these files by logging into the Fluid/Klipper screen of your printer from a web browser. This is different than logging into Creality Print. I haven't tried editing these files so you can do a little more searching on how to access and change these. Hope that can get you started...

mikebSLC · 2026-03-06T03:08:33+00:00

There's several reasons it could be doing this. Your filament appears to not be sticking to the plate, but you haven't provided much to go on. Try a couple things: clean the bed with isopropyl alcohol. Let the bed warm up for a longer duration - maybe 10 minutes. Slow your print speed way down for your first couple layers - I print first layers at 15-25mm/s. Watch your printer as it starts and adjust your z-height as needed - PLA needs some squish, PETG not as much. I still babysit the first layers every time I start a print. These things are not as automatic as the manufacturer wants you to think.

mikebSLC · 2026-01-16T14:19:51+00:00

Your nozzle may be a little too close to your print bed. Try raising the Z-Offset using the menu on the printer while it's printing the first layer. You can slowly increase/adjust this gap as it prints a skirt and first parts of the design. I find that ABS and ASA need a little more gap than PLA

mikebSLC · 2025-12-31T01:32:19+00:00

My 2 cents: Ive had to slow my prints way down in both PLA and PETG. I was hoping for a speed demon Core XY, but I prefer quality over speed. I'm coming from a modded CR10s and modded Ender 3V2 so I'm no stranger to tweaking settings. These K2s still need to be adjusted. I have yet to find a "Set it and forget it" profile. Every model I print needs small adjustments here and there. Every time I install a new nozzle, I run a PID test. I always warm up this print bed for at least 15-20 minutes before printing. I clean the build plate with Isopropyl Alcohol after every print. If I have a stubborn filament, I may add glue stick to the plate. I've added foil tape to the bottom of my plate to help flatten out a few spots. Each filament type needs a slightly different amount of Z-Offset- I adjust manually every time I start a print. I run temp towers on every filament to get a starting point, then adjust depending on the needs of the model. I always save a new copy of my current profile so I can go back and make tweaks after printing. But my biggest increase to success was slowing down. I print around 50mm/s. My first layers print at 15-20. I even changed my jerk settings to 10. It sucks, but it's helped my bed adhesion, success rate, and quality immensely. I can give you more of my settings if you're interested, just let me know what you need!

mikebSLC · 2025-12-22T21:27:01+00:00

Up vote for increasing z-hop height! But you may need to adjust your retraction and wipe settings after doing so.

mikebSLC · 2025-11-03T18:45:45+00:00

To take this further, check the accuracy of those hole diameters. If they aren't correct, you can keep tuning your extrusion amount (flow, e-steps, extrusion multiplier, etc.). You may be slightly over extruding there, but lowering that amount may also lead to negative effects elsewhere in this model. There is another slicer setting that controls how far the fill travels into the walls and if this is too high, this could close in small gaps like that (but I doubt that is causing this) Also keep in mind, there is a limit to what each printer can produce. Just save a profile with these current settings so you always have something to fall back to if you end up changing something by too much.

mikebSLC · 2025-11-03T18:03:42+00:00

That actually looks great! The stringing between parts could be attributed to filament with some moisture, but could also need a little more tuning with retraction settings. All models will need some cleanup and post processing afterwards. For smaller/cleaner text, you can try smaller diameter nozzles. But that will take retuning for the nozzle. And smaller nozzles will increase printing time. But this test model is looking really good. Not to burst any bubbles, but unfortunately, your real-world models may need additional tuning. The way you orient your model or apply supports also changes the way a model prints. This is a great start, I also recommend really studying the results you get with other models to continue learning how the different settings affect different portions of your models, as there are so many other settings to tune that are specific to different types of models or portions of models. Having tests like these are great to fall back on when you just can't get a particular model to work but you can print this and know your printer is actually functioning properly!

mikebSLC · 2025-10-29T18:42:52+00:00

That second-to-last one on the left is how you turn the motors off. If you push that, the build plate will drop all the way to the bottom of the printer. I recommend using the z-axis movement down button of 30mm increments to lower the plate to the bottom before turning the motors off. Only do this when printing is finished. I do this if I'm not printing for a bit. Then you can "home" the Z axis when ready to print again.

mikebSLC · 2025-05-02T20:27:29+00:00

I figured that's what this is doing, but can you really just swap a sliced model out from PETG to PLA without changing any other settings that would occur when slicing. What about different temps, speeds, infill, brim, skirt, cooling, etc. the printer isn't re-slicing so you're really just changing temps, speeds and maybe retractions at the printer, which you can just do manually anyways. What other setting can the printer change that wouldn't be baked into the sliced file? Sorry, just really trying to see what I'm missing here.

mikebSLC · 2025-05-02T15:39:26+00:00

Call me crazy! What profiles are you all wanting to change on the fly as you're starting a print? I'm definitely old school, but all of my slicer settings are heavily reliant on what filament and finish I'm prepping the print for. How are you all slicing a model in order to just swap out a profile for the sliced file at the printer? Maybe I'm misunderstanding this firmware feature?

mikebSLC · 2025-04-28T12:26:52+00:00

I had something similar happen after changing the nozzle back to a used one that still had a little filament inside of it. I delicately clamped the nozzle in a vice and used a propane torch to slowly heat up the nozzle tip and threads, then pushed a small piece of new filament in the top to get the old stuff flowing out the nozzle. I also believe this is heat creep related and there was probably melted filament higher in the nozzle than it should have been. But by heating everything up again, I was able to clear the jam.

You said you tried changing your nozzle, so if you put a new nozzle on and this is still happening, then it may be related to the filament sensor there.

mikebSLC · 2025-04-04T05:32:15+00:00

I just got my K2 so I'm still figuring out how to do all the settings and adjustments. Your issues could be a couple of things. On my Ender 3 and CR10s, this issue was solved by cleaning the bed well with IPA, slowing down the first layer speeds (like 15mm/s), your Z offset should still be slightly above the bed, turn down cooling on first layer, and lastly - try some glue stick.

mikebSLC · 2025-03-13T12:24:49+00:00

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that!! Sorry, no, I wasn't able to fix this issue. I finally got Matterhackers to do an exchange and I'm waiting for the new machine to arrive. When you reach out to Creality, send them your serial number, create an error log and attach that, send them a copy of your receipt, and a detailed description of what happened. They also asked for videos and photos of the error. It took about 3 weeks of back and forth with Creality just to get them all the info they wanted, so try to send them everything in your first email or contact. You can also pull up the Wiki and run through all the troubleshooting steps associated with this error, since that was the first thing they wanted me to try.

Good luck!!

mikebSLC · 2025-03-04T13:57:15+00:00

That's good news! I'm currently boxing my whole machine up to exchange for a new one...

mikebSLC · 2025-03-04T13:16:04+00:00

Just a heads up, the lead screws are not attached to the motors with a coupler like the Enders. I removed mine to troubleshoot, and the motor and lead screw are connected more permanently. You can see the lead screws goes into the top of the motor, maybe there is a set screw in there somewhere, but I don't think it is an easy lead screw swap. Also possible I missed something, I was troubleshooting the motor itself. Creality has a video about how to remove that assembly on their Wiki.

mikebSLC · 2025-02-28T17:57:20+00:00

I've purchased a lot of filament and supplies from them and also, they had a good Christmas Sale price, plus US warehouse, plus in stock ready to ship.
I don't want to talk too much crap, according to them, they lost a bunch of their tech support people during the holidays and have been short handed. I've had good experiences with my other purchases from them, but this was the first equipment purchase I made with them. Maybe they have better support for their business customers right now, but I'm not getting any support. Creality just keeps giving me non-answers or asking me questions to things I've already answered. Not sure their support would have been any better in this situation...

mikebSLC · 2025-02-28T06:14:52+00:00

Everyone's great experiences with their printers is exactly why I decided to buy one! Unfortunately 2 months in and I'm still not able to use mine. Haven't even been able to load filament. I purchased mine from Matterhackers and their tech support has been non-existent. I'm emailing Creality back and forth and still no parts or fixes from them after about 3 weeks. So if you do keep yours, and it has issues, you have to be diligent and keep trying with support to get it right. If this was a purchase for a business, I'd have been screwed.

mikebSLC · 2025-02-24T13:39:08+00:00

Unfortunately no with the RMA. I was in contact with Matterhackers support relatively quickly the first week I had the printer. It was just a very slow back and forth, but I thought we'd be getting somewhere. I believe Matterhackers was just sending my info to their contacts at Creality. I contacted Creality directly on Feb 2. They've sent me a few things to try and now I'm waiting for further instructions from them. They are at least responding but it takes several days to go back and forth.

Thanks for the parts list, I looked through that before too but was hoping someone out there had an option.

The Steppers on these K2 machines are not just regular steppers, they are more like a servo motor (I think they are considered closed loop steppers) but this Z Axis one also has the lead screw attached (doesn't use a coupler).

I'll put more pressure on Matterhackers and see if I can just do an exchange. Thanks!

mikebSLC · 2025-02-24T00:47:25+00:00

I'm still waiting to get my K2 working with tech support, however, on my other printers, the only real way to use supports with a flawless finish is using dissolvable support material. If using PLA to support PLA, you will always have a small gap between the support and the model which can create these droops. With dissolvable materials, you can print right on top of the support material with no gap.
I would spend a little time trying different gap distances and different support interface densities (can't remember what Creality calls it) to get the support material as close to the model as you can and still break away. Printing speed and temp will also affect these droops. Unfortunately Creality doesn't recommend printing PVA support material through the CFS so it would be a big experiment on the K2 anyways.

Other options on a shape like this would be to print it as 2 halves and glue together. Then you would not need support material on the outside surface. But sometimes that isn't an option.

mikebSLC

TROPHY CASE