I have a P1S that’s about 2 months old and has started making a new noise. Actually, it might be 2 new noises. Both are random and sound like a high frequency vibration type noise similar to a phone on a hard surface when it vibrates or similar to the noise that holding an electric toothbrush against a hard surface or holding against an object sitting on a hard surface would make. (And I promise I don’t run around putting people’s electric toothbrush on random objects! -or anything else for you deviants…)
The first one I noticed seems to happen during Z motion when the bed is moving up or down and if I put my hand on the very bottom plastic I can feel it and it gets quieter. I’m assuming it’s the Z axis stepper motor? It’s probably not a big deal but I don’t like noises, especially new ones that I can’t track down.
The other happens when printing walls in just the X or Y direction, not both, and while moving fairly slow. I just heard this one when trying to locate the other and haven’t gotten far trying to locate it. Maybe somewhere in the hotend?
I guess I don’t want to dismiss something that could be the beginning of a problem. Along with the fact I don’t like strange new noises. Has anyone had any luck tracking down random noises or have any suggestions on things to look for? Or are there certain things that are more common or issues we should look for that can cause damage?
I know tracking noises down can be difficult with just about anything mechanical but any suggestions or common problems to look for would be great!
Did you check the tightness of the screws. All of them are supposed to have threadlock on them put since that’s a hand operation at the factory, who knows, maybe they missed one.
Well… since you haven’t isolated where the vibration is coming from, then simply check every screw starting with the frames. While we are talking about frames, have you tried some simple vibration-dampening tricks like taking gorilla tape and taping some mass to various parts of the printer. This low-tech approach while not very accurate will change the pitch of the vibration and at least allow you to isolate what part of the printer is vibrating most. Perform this test, one side panel at a time. Alternatively, have you tried putting something vibration dampening under the feet? a Simple cork based drink coaster will do the trick but you can get fancier with closed cell foam readily available at auto parts stores and Amazon.
My printer is in a cabinet I made with a vent fan to outside and an AC filter for the air that gets pulled in and not much space around it, so I’ll have to pull it out to go thru it and mess with it more. I guess I was hoping for some magic answer since I’ve gone thru this with other things and it can be difficult to track down.
I’m definitely up for more suggestions or things to look for but it’s probably just something vibrating or rubbing against something at the right frequency. And if I figure it out I’ll definitely update the thread.
Edit: I have some dense foam that’s made to kneel on when working that can sometimes be found in the dollar store, that I cut a piece off of for another project. Will try some of that and see if it helps but would also like to find the source…
