Help! Broke a wire while cleaning a blob

Bambu Lab A Series Troubleshooting
1

We have an A1 Mini, and twice now have gotten the “blob”. The first time we (really my 12 year old son) followed video instructions and cleaned the blob. The second time it happened, while he was cleaning the blob he broke a wire (photos and video below) and now the head won’t heat, so he can’t get the rest of the blob off. And we won’t be able to figure out how to fix the broken wire until the blob is gone.

Any advice?

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2

Looks like the video uploaded as a static image. If any other photos would be useful let me know. And/or I could try posting the video to YouTube and providing a link.

3

A heat gun? Issue there is heating stuff you don’t want to heat since the air flow isn’t super controllable.

4

What would folks think about using a soldering iron very carefully? Melt a spot, pry it off. Melt a spot, pry it off. Etc.

5

Just don’t go crazy with it, you don’t need to get it all.

Put the soldering iron on the nozzle around the latches for 30 seconds to a minute. Loosen it enough to undo the clasp and take the nozzle out.

You should be throwing away the hotend heating assembly anyways. It doesnt matter that it has a little bit of crud on it.

6

@CincinattiDesigns: Thank you!

And we are noobs so I have questions…

  1. Are we throwing away the “hotend heating assembly” because the wire is broken, or is that something we should be doing whenever we get a blob?
  2. Is this the part you mean? HzdaDeve Heating Assembly Kit for A1 Mini/A1 Hot End Heating Component with Heater Cartridge and Thermistor Temperature Sensor Heat-Insulating Base Clip for Bambu Lab 3D Printer Accessories: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
  3. Are the “latches” you are referring to the pieces on the side of that item?
  4. Will I need to replace anything else? The nozzle?

Thank you!

EDIT: Found the official Bambu part: Hotend Heating Assembly - A1 Series | Bambu Lab US Store

7

Questions are good.

  1. You are throwing it away because the wires are broken. The heater, thermistor, and clasps come as an assembly aka hotend heating assembly. Most of the time you can get away with not replacing it, this is just because it has broke. I always recommend keeping a spare heating assem, this is a very common issue. The best way is to practice bed cleaning, maintence, and calibrations so it doesnt happen again.
  2. The kits from Amazon are, for the lack of better words, ■■■■. They are enticing to get 1 day shipping but they cause problems.
  3. By the latches I mean the clasp that holds the nozzle. Included in the assembly as mentioned above.
  4. Doesnt look like it in the pictures. Take a look at the fan to check for damage. To clean the nozzle you can clean them off. I have boiled them or taken a heat gun to them. A nylon brush is nice to clean them up.
1 Like
8

I did the same thing… twice… and it’s a $20 fix. You just have to buy a new heating component. Installation takes all of 30 minutes. Good luck!