3D Printing

**BARX2** · #1 08-23-2017, 11:48 AM

I've been having a lot of fun with the Monoprice Select Mini V2. I'm using Cura software with it. At first I was printing from the microSD card. When I switched to printing directly from Cura over USB I found the quality was better and the parts printed in about half the time. I have no idea why. Wifi camera watching the printer and a low profile Raspberry Pi case.

**rickstef** · #2 08-23-2017, 12:24 PM

the quality and time is probably due to the faster connection to the computer over USB, the processing of the file is done on the computer, not in the printer, taking time and speed away from what the printer does best.

**JohnGay** · #3 08-23-2017, 01:53 PM

From what I know, either way you're sending gcode, either over USB or on the SD Card. So the quality should be the same?
The reason most people use SD Cards rather than directly connected is the chance of the PC going to sleep during a long print and then your print just fails. Whereas when the gcode is on the SD Card the printer just runs as long as it takes to print.
Of course these are just generic comments. My experiences with 3D Printers are with a MakerBot2 and a Delta Printer at my local Makerspace. The MakerBot can run over USB, but we almost always use SD Card for the reason listed above.
The Delta printer we have actually has all the software on-board and you login over Network to import, slice and print your designs in it's own Web server. So, again, it's running everything local to the printer rather than relying on a separate PC.
I do not know how the Monoprice printers are set-up, so I don't know why you're seeing these differences in print quality and speed.

**BARX2** · #4 08-23-2017, 04:08 PM

I think the difference in quality is that when you print from the computer it chooses the defaults and they are higher temperatures than I would choose. I chose 200/60 manually, but the program always uses 210/70. It sticks to the bed better at those temps.

**wagnmkr** · #5 08-23-2017, 04:09 PM

The only problem I know of in printing directly from the computer via usb are the tieing up of the computer for the length of the printing time (up to 16 hours sometimes). If, for some reason the computer quits, it will be in the 14th hour of a 15 hour print. (Don't ask how I know this). I usually use a card to print from.

Tom

**BARX2** · #6 08-23-2017, 04:10 PM

Also, as Rick said, the processing is done on the computer. I imagine the printer doesn't have an Intel i7.

**BARX2** · #7 08-23-2017, 04:12 PM

I print from my home server which is on full time - and on a UPS. I haven't connected the printer to the UPS because you're not supposed to put printers on a UPS. I haven't checked if it's OK to put a 3D printer on a UPS.

**BARX2** · #8 08-23-2017, 04:14 PM

One last thing to add. When I print from the computer, parts that take 10 hours to print from the SD card print in about 3.5 hours.

The main problem I have is that sometimes parts stick so tight to the bed I have to whack them off with a paint scraper. So far, no damage to the bed. It has some special surface, not glass. I don't use tape, because it always comes unstuck.

**RyanShort1** · #9 08-23-2017, 05:02 PM

Some SD cards read faster than others - know this from the photo industry. Maybe a faster SD card would print faster?

**BARX2** · #10 08-23-2017, 05:03 PM

I hooked the printer to the UPS and it looks OK. The load fluctuated between 48 and 108 watts. That's the printer (printing), Dell tower PC, and Netgear router.

(Why are my "portrait" style pictures always showing sideways??)