I first formatted it on the Mac in Fat32 MBR format. The printer said the card wasn’t formatted and couldn’t format it itself, it always resulted in a timeout.
I then formatted the card in FAT32 GPT format, same behavior except now the printer can format the card.
Despite being able to format it, it always says that the card is not inserted and no videos can be saved.
What else could be the problem - previously the card was used as an OS in a Raspberry PI.
So the obvious troubleshooting question: Have you tried another SD card? The one’s supplied with the printer are notoriously unreliable. Also, if your card was physically corrupted, even if you can format it in the printer, that is no guarantee that the partition table was damaged beyond repair, a common problem with SD cards that erroneously report capacity yet are not readable.
Alternatively you could format the card in a Windows machine that has the full format ability. I can’t speak to how this can be accomplished on a MAC.
Hello, thank you for your answer. There was no SD card included with the printer.
I tested 3 different cards with 2x 128GB and 15GB each which ran in different setups.
When formatting I get either no response or a timeout or a message that the formatting was successful and then the next time I print I get a message that the card is not formatted.
I formatted the cards in the printer or on a Mac using the CLI
OK. Then I must assume that you know how to perform a low level format. However, I am dubious when it comes to MAC OS because of the non-standard gotchas I’ve been burned by at the CLI. They are supposed to be POSIX compliant… until they aren’t.
Just a note: Bambu printers support a maximum of 32GB cards. While larger cards may work, you cannot format them beyond 32GB. To avoid issues with a misread partition table, ensure you are using a card that is 32GB or smaller. Also, if formatting at the CLI takes less than a minute, you are definitely NOT performing a low-level format, as that should take longer. It would be much simpler to take a brand new, virgin 32GB card and format it directly in the printer. That is your best test case. Currently, you have too many variables to consider, including the OS, hardware, and SD card, just to name a few.
Two questions:
Assuming you purchased this new, an SD card ships with every Bambu printer. Did you check the box to make sure you didn’t accidentally toss it? It contains many models that you may want to print for initial test purposes.
If you did not purchase it new, has an SD card ever worked at all? How do you know the reader wasn’t defective from the previous owner?
Hey, I bought the Bambu Lab X1C 3D Printer new about 2 weeks ago. There was no SD card in the box, so I checked again.
I also tried a 16 Gb card which also showed the same behavior. I don’t assume that three cards are defective at the same time, especially since they were previously used in prod, e.g. as Rasperry PI OS.
Regarding formatting via Mac CLI, I used the following command, which shouldn’t do a quick delete:
If it worked on a Raspberry PI, that’s about the only other test I can think of. I hate to say it, but at this point it’s looking like a defective reader slot. Two things you can try. First is take an air duster and blast out the connector to ensure that there is no contaminant interfering with your card. If you have lighted jeweler’s loupe, do a visual inspection. Second, take the device apart and reseat the connector of the AP board.
To those who have SD card issues.
Mine started when installing card into P1s (have had it now 14 months) the LCD monitor went off then back when card removed. Solved by down loading files from card to laptop. Then formatted using windows 11 to Fat32 . All now working.
