P1S Cannot read SD card

Bambu Lab P1 Series Troubleshooting
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I have had my P1S for under a month. I tried to insert a new SD card, when pushing down to take out the original card it had a strange feel then upon releasing it (to pop up so I can take it out) it made sort of a ping sound but I was able to remove the SD card. When trying to insert my new card it will not stay in the down position. I have checked and I cant see any debris in the card slot so I dont think that is the issue.

Im concerned Im going to need a new part - I just don’t know what part and how big of a pain in the butt its going to be to repair… Can anyone point me to the correct part for the SD card reader assembly?

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First, contact Bambu and open a ticket. Since you’ve had it about a month, they may send you the board for free.

As parts replacement goes, this one is not that hard. However, I would suggest you remove or tape down the glass door and lay the printer on a cushion, like a bath towel, on a work surface where you can be seated comfortably. There is nothing riskier than poor posture during a repair in an awkward space; it invites fatigue, which leads to rushing and mistakes, such as pulling on wires instead of connectors. All of these can be easily avoided if you are sitting comfortably.

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The part you need is the AP (Access Panel) interface board. It’s hidden behind the front bezel and is hard to reach, which is why I make such a big deal about comfort and posture.

Here’s the link: AP Board for P1P

However, before you replace it, since you’re resigned to doing so and can’t use the printer without it, try removing the board first to gain access to the SD card. There may be some debris lodged in there that you can remove with a toothpick or sewing needle.

They have a wiki on how to service that component. It’s only four screws and 3 connectors. The trickiest part, and easiest to screw up, is the ribbon cable for the camera. Just lift up the grey tab, and it will ‘unclip’ the cable, allowing it to slide out. If you have to pull, you’re doing it wrong. Also, remember to use needle-nose pliers on the white connectors (JAE and Hirose-style). Never pull on the wire itself. For the WiFi connector(the one with the gold contact and 90 degree bend), just carefully pry under the connector, it pops off easily.

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here is a good video which illustrates how the spring latch works on an SD card slot. If you opt to try to repair the slot, this may help visualize what may be going on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsFHOxYTCck

I would wager that you may have debris stick in this spot in the screen grab.

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BTW: Here is one video from a guy who had a similar problem with his SD card on his Raspberry Pi. He found a low-tech solution. I include it only because it might give you some ideas.

https://youtu.be/Qtac_If7EFo

Good Luck :four_leaf_clover:

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Thank you @Olias

I will begin the disassembly today, hopefully it is something in the slot if not then no harm anyway. I have opened a ticket so hopefully I hear back soon from support.

My understanding -per the repair page is the P1P AP Board will NOT work in a P1S. It mentions it in the 2nd and 3rd sentences on the page you sent over ‘Replace the AP Board for the P1 Series’… If you have different information please let me know, but so far as I can tell the the P1S AP board is what I need but I do not see it for sale.

Thanks again Olias!

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Yes the boards are different in the coding but they are the same externally so the replacement link Olias gave is the right one. I had the same problem and Bambu sent me a new AP board. I desoldered the original SD card slot on my original AP board and solder a new one from aliexpress (10 for about $2 :)) and fixed it, I now have the new AP board Bambu sent me as a spare.

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Oh thats amazing - Im going to grab a new SD card slot on AE…

Thank you very much @philch !!

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Hope you have some skills soldering that small a component, I needed a magnifier (actually an electronic microscope) to solder these small tabs on the board (I think 9 in total) but this is also due to my poor sight :). Open a ticket with Bambu, explain in details your issue, they will provide you with a replacement AP board.

What I would do if in your shoes, I will perform the quick temporary fix Olias has linked and print with it until you receive your new AP board and then only try to unsolder and resolder a new micro SD card slot on your original board so that in case you fail the repair, you will still have the new board on hand.

And btw, I checked my order and I bought them from amazon instead, they were 3 times more expensive but got them the next day :slight_smile:

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So

Unfortunately @Olias and @philch it seems your advice was incorrect. Support advised me the AP board I purchased (the P1S board listed in this thread) based on the advice here is useless to me and I must wait for a P1S board to arrive. Its a real bummer…

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Sorry but you misunderstood my post if you purchased the P1P board thinking it will work in P1S but I understand now how you got misled. I did not read Olias post entirely and thought wiki extracts he posted were just to show you how to remove and reinstall it. I hadn’t noticed he gave the link to purchase the AP board. My post was indicating they were the same externally but the coding was different. Sorry we misled you. You can return it I hope.

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If you are using a sandal LAN, often plugging in/removing the micro SD card, then it would be better to get a micro SD to SD card extension cable. Cheaper to replace that, and you won’t be fiddling with micro sd cards.

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So, I finally received my P1S AP board. Installed it, passed all tests and then it forced an upgrade (actually a downgrade) to firmware ver 01.06.00.00… Now it prints terribly and a lot of the basic functions (like updating Factor K value for filaments) don’t work… Do any of you know of any ways to force an update to firmware. Is there a way to install firmware from a file rather that OTA??? @philch @Olias ??

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You can downgrade using the handy app. For the P1 series I believe the earliest available firmware is 1.41 as of last week.

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@Olias Thank you very much! I must admit I have not used handy so I did not realize it could do that. Upon downloading all of the features normally used are working again. FYI Firmware 1.6 is NO BUENO at least for a P1S…

Thanks again @Olias

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