This is an old revision of the document!
Calibrate Extruder
1: calibrate E-steps per mm
We'll extrude 100mm of filament and measure what actually extruded:
- Connect USB cable from a computer to the Ultimaker Original+
- Connect Printrun / Pronterface to the printer: Baud rate: 250000. Any software that allows you to send single-line G-code commands to the printer will do. Examples include Simplify 3D, Pronterface, Repetier Host, and OctoPrint.
- Heat up your hotend to your regular printing temperature and ensure that the nozzle is in a position above the bed where it can freely extrude filament.
- change the filament to white. (to make the marks easily visible)
- In printrun set the extrusion length to 100mm and the speed to 50mm/min (needs to be slow!)
- with calipers, measure 120mm(!) from the underside of the feeder. It's possible to scribe the distance directly into the pastic with the calipers, but using a ballpoint mark is also possible
- Send the command M83. This will ensure that your printer is interpreting the following extrusion commands in relative mode.
- extrude 100mm(!) at 50mm/min
- G1 F50
- G1 E100
- cool down hot end
- measure from the underside of the feeder to the mark made previously. If it measures 20mm you're good and you can skip the next steps. If not, keep reading.
- Get the existing E-steps/mm value
- send M503
- look for the line “echo: M92 X78.74 Y78.74 Z200.00 E868”
- look for the E-value in the line. In this case: 868
- 120 - measurement = actual extrusion distance
- in this case: 120 - 21mm = 99. (We're 1mm off)
- Desired extruded distance / actual extruded distance = correction multiplier:
- 100 / 99 = 1.0101010101
- Correction multiplier × original extruder steps/mm = calibrated extruder steps/mm:
- 1.0101010101 × 868 = 876,7676
- Send new value to the printer:
- M92 E876.7
- Save setting in memory
- M500
- Test if it was saved:
- M503
- Look for the line “echo: M92 X78.74 Y78.74 Z200.00 E876.70” and check the E-value.
Do another extrusion test. Keep repeating these steps until the measurement after extruding is exactly 20mm.