H2D filament cutter sensor bad?

So I have a new H2D and so far, I’ve had a lot of issues with it since i got it. Most I was able to solve pretty easily (I assume shipping issues were related) but this one has gotten me scratching my head. I think the hall sensor is bad but I know those are usually pretty solid devices.

I’ve already checked the cable connected to the sensor to be sure it’s intact, no tears and is seated properly. I’ve also checked the magnet actually magnetizes which it does. I also loosened the cut arm screw just a little (about 1 turn max) as I’ve been hearing people have success at doing that to fix it. I’m still getting errors.

Since the issue will crop up sometimes when I turn the unit on (straight after the display appears it already shows it), I thought about just removing the arm completely for testing just to see if it would claim to still sense it. Yes it does. Even with the arm laying on a table 10 feet away from it, it would seem the hall sensor still thinks it’s there. Should I assume at this point the hall sensor board is defective?

I did put a ticket in but I’ve seen on the forums that it can take several days to a week to even hear back and then I’ll have to spend a few more weeks back and forth with copy/paste responses. So in the meantime I wanted to see if anyone else had any ideas about it. It will give the error mid-print sometimes, right in the middle of a layer. It’s not even changing filaments since the prints are single color only. It also never happens on the left extruder, only the right side has the issue. If I exclusively use the left side I can print all day without issue (other then the fact that the error message about the right side will be on the screen).

Thoughts, suggestions? Other things I can try?

The way you described it, it does sound like a hall sensor issue. Are you able to attach the sensor to an oscilloscope to see if it is just the sensor before you replace the entire board? Can you take a look at the filament cutters and see if they are misaligned/worn down? I would also re-install firmware to see if there was some error during the flash that caused the sensor to not be programmed properly. Worse case is that it could be an electrical problem, or maybe you have a giant magnet on the right side of your printer :sweat_smile:.

Best of luck and let us know what the issue ends up being!

All fair points. I went down a rabbit hole and found out a friend of mine also has a H2D. He decided to “borrow” the sensor and try it in his unit (which is working) to see if it gives him the same error. It does not. So we tested the sensor again on my unit but plugged it into the left side (which so far has not had an error) and it works on the left. So now I’m wondering if it’s cabling or if it’s the TH board (I think that’s where it plugs into?). We also brought his sensor over to see if it would still give the error when I plugged it into the right side and it does. So clearly not the sensor.

I did have an electrical test done recently on all the outlets and they all produce the expected voltage and amperage within the +/- 1-2% acceptance variation including an “under load test” (these were done because I am installing some larger equipment in September that will require 240V with a dedicated breaker panel) and everything is in the norm. I did check for anything that could be a magnetic/electro-magnetic interference based on your advice (thanks for thinking about that) but the closest thing I would have is a microwave that is 28ft away. 1 interior wall is between them.

I did change out the blade as that was a common resolution step people talked about and mentioned on the wiki. As it’s brand new it would surprise me if the blade was dull already but you never know. If a filament crash happened I assume it could warp the blade.

I guess a sit and wait is in order.

I really need to by an oscilloscope. I feel like I’m the only one that doesn’t have one. I do have a Voltsmeter with amperage tester that I use. A pretty nice one. But an oscilloscope is in order. Maybe I can convince the wife to let me get one? Might have to wait a few months and make her some really useful prints on the H2D before I’ll get the green light for that. :laughing:

I did not try reinstalling the firmware. That might be an option. I’ll have to look up how to do that.

So it ended up being that both the PFC cable and the TH board were both bad. I ended up purchasing a PFC cable and TH board and when I replaced the board, it didn’t fix anything, when I replaced the PFC cable it didn’t fix anything but after replacing both of them together, the issue was resolved. Weird…

But the issue seems to be resolved.

odd that both failed, I wonder what could cause that. Glad you have it fixed now though!

It looks like there was a very tiny tear where the header goes into the TH board. Likely from shipping would be my best guess. Then powering the H2D and having a unseated cable might have damaged the header port. That’s the best I can come up with. But it’s been working very well now.