3D Chameleon - Part 2 - Hardware Set up - Chris's Basement - 2024

[@williamsteele]

Another awesome installment! The only thing I'd change is the position of the #1 and #4 filaments... they should all be equal to the #2 and #3 positions in the tubes, about 1" above them. That way the loading/unloading distance is all equal.

[@ChrisRiley]

Thanks Bill! I will make sure to put that in the next video.

[@jameswang9257]

Thank Chris for this awesome set-up guide! This is the best guide I could find online, and much easier to understand than the original one from 3D Chameleon. Really looking forward to watching part 3, I can't wait to set up my own 3D Chameleon which has been lying around for quite some time.

[@ChrisRiley]

Thanks, part 3 coming soon!

[@danconnolly8937]

Well these vids are so helpful. Bought my Chameleon before Christmas and still learning and struggling. Very much looking forward to next video. Thank you so much.

[@ChrisRiley]

Glad to help! I have struggled as well, but I think I have found some ways to make it easier. Stay tuned!

[@woodwaker1]

Chris, I wish your videos were done when I got mine. Mode 3 seems like a big improvement. I will have to get my unit back out and try it again. Would also like to see you set it up with it being switched via the mainboard vs the physical switch. Thanks for all of your work on this series.

[@williamsteele]

If you have the older machines, you'll need to upgrade the firmware to get Mode 3. See the instructions in Chris' previous video on this... it has the perfect explanation and demonstration on how to do it.

[@ChrisRiley]

Hey Dave! Let me know when you start on it, I will come over and help!

[@woodwaker1]

@@ChrisRiley Thanks Chris - I sent an e-mail to you

[@gaxon1920]

Carrot Patch from the Enraged Rabbit Project works great to manage the filament rewind.

[@ChrisRiley]

Thanks!

[@ggaub]

Buffer 100%. There are no printable rewinders that are reliable enough for full and empty spools. It will either rewind too much, or not enough, except for the "sweet spot" of a spool with just the right amount of material on it. Unless there's an open source AMS out there, go with a buffer. My favorite, easy to use buffer, is the FIlament Retract Bank by TNDave. Easy to load, without having to open up a cartridge and finagle the filament through it, just move the paddle, and push the filament through.

[@ggaub]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jojTcpdqjdp7oZo

[@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass]

there is a printable one with a dial for adjusting the clutch. You could set it based on the spool when you load it up

[@ChrisRiley]

I'm working on something now. Thanks guys!

[@lachlanwilger5044]

Thanks for the update! I’m considering getting a 3D Chameleon myself.

[@ChrisRiley]

Let us know what you think!

[@user-bt9ek2dv2y]

Awesome video! I was considering the 3D Chameleon but was on the fence about setting it up. Watching your videos has been extremely helpful and I feel more confident in setting one up when the time comes (waiting for when the 3D Chameleon MK4 comes out). Thanks again!

[@williamsteele]

The current Mk3 is the identical hardware to the Mk4... the only difference is the firmware and the optional accessories that will be available... but they'll all work on the current hardware. (Our products are always upgradable.)

[@user-bt9ek2dv2y]

@@williamsteele Great! Thanks for the info!!

[@user-bt9ek2dv2y]

@@williamsteele Hi Bill, what's included in the optional accessories? Thanks

[@williamsteele]

@@user-bt9ek2dv2y We won't be announcing those until April at the Rocky Mountain RepRap Fest.

[@user-bt9ek2dv2y]

@@williamsteele ok, thanks! Can't wait!!

[@elliot3147]

Nice. I just got mine and it is taking a while to figure out. I wish my ptfe tubes were clear like yours. Mine are white.

[@ChrisRiley]

Not sure when they changed that, I think mine are FEP instead of PTFE.

[@3dmedicvince449]

I've been awaiting this video. Outside of some wiring issue, I'm ready to follow along with this.

[@ChrisRiley]

That's great! Thanks for watching!

[@nmulvaine]

I am slowly going through putting mine onto my saddened AnkerMake M5. Eager for the next part as that's where I am at

[@ChrisRiley]

Coming soon!

[@27TMAN27]

Will this series potentially cover hooking up the controller directly to pins on a printer board running klipper? so it can be controlled via macros rather than the physical switch?

[@ChrisRiley]

I hadn't thought of that, but it's a great idea, I will look into it.

[@davidbarrett7424]

I heard Bill say on an interview that his controller wasn’t strictly needed and it was possible to connect motors etc direct to a motherboard and have klipper scripts for ‘direct’ control. I completely understand Bill has to have a “plug and play” solution for “novice users” but IMHO direct control is far more appealing 👍

[@alankirkland3881]

​@@ChrisRiley The Klipper would really be useful. I've been looking for an excuse to get the Octopus board.

[@ligu0rien]

Just bought my Chameleon yesterday. Planning to implement it to one of my Flsun V400 Delta printer. Looking forward to thinkering with this :) Thanks for your video :)

[@ChrisRiley]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with your projects!

[@scottfarrell1506]

I'd love to see how you implement it.

[@ligu0rien]

@@scottfarrell1506 Sadlly haven’t recived it yet…Some delay with the delivery service. But it’s on the way…

[@DJMovit]

Great video, can't wait to see the next video.

[@ChrisRiley]

More to come!

[@scottfarrell1506]

Three questions: 1) Will there be more videos in this series? 2) If you find a buffer solution, will you post it? 3) When do we get to see it print?

[@ChrisRiley]

Coming Soon Coming Soon Coming Soon ; ) Thanks for watching!

[@Sunbound77]

Looking for an inexpensive way to add a MMS to my x5sa direct drive, and this might be the ticket. My concern is any jamming in the line, like during a filament swap, the enlarged blob of warm filament that just got yanked out of the hotend; that causing the jam. Can't wait for part 3.

[@ChrisRiley]

Coming soon! Thanks for watching

[@jjptech]

29:26 I thought that a filament rewinder was the best solution, but after seen the MK4 video where he is using basically sensorless homing to automate the filament measurements, a rewinder could trigger or mess with those features, so using the rewinder will need to to use the MK3

[@ChrisRiley]

Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what works best. We will see what we can do for the new version as well.

[@ajciccone88]

Been following this series because i have strongly been considering getting a 3d chameleon for my k1 Max. But i do not see too many multi-colored prints with it and the ones i do see can easily be done with filament swaps or have bleeding. See lots of comments about how its more work than it's worth to set up and doesn't really work. Would love at the end of the series for you to give your final thoughts and show some more involved multi colored or material prints.

[@ChrisRiley]

I definitely will, thanks for watching!

[@DaleThomasNYC]

This is awesome! Did you do the 3rd video? These videos have been the best at explaining how to set this up! Thank you so much!

[@ChrisRiley]

Coming soon!

[@madmaxh3]

@ChrisRiley Hey Chris, I think it would be great if you added another installment, now that Bill has come out with the MK4 with sensorless commands.

[@ChrisRiley]

Absolutely! I will be adding more videos on this for sure.

[@HackMonkey]

Interesting that you installed it remotely verses using the Chameleon as the extruder, which is how I saw it recommended for the Mini. Did you choose this option because it is more universal, or do you think it is a better solution than using the Chameleon as the extruder? I tried using the Chameleon as the extruder, it don't go well, and was rather clunky with the scripts needed. It couldn't maintain a grip on the filament for reliable printing. Interested to see how you load it. When I used it remotely on the P1P, it would grind the filament into the gears, and eventually all that force broke the coupling on the ECA fitting, in the extruder. I never was able to figure out how to have the extruder feeding to grab and pull the filament in smoothly, like the Prusa MMU does.

[@ChrisRiley]

Hey Scott! Exactly, I was trying to use it in the more common config option. I have seen the "installed on" setup, it does look like that would be more consistent. I might give that a try after I get these videos done. I have found it challenging to get it to grip, but not grind. I've been playing around with the different bearing caps with limited success.

[@timmallard5360]

Great Video! I had no clue there was the tap 3x fast to clear the command. I was trying to make some simple Klipper Macros to aid in loading. That alone will simplify things allot! I still wonder what Mode 1 is. The documentation on the website is kind of all over the place. Thanks for helping make sense of this

[@ChrisRiley]

Glad it helped! More to come

[@williamsteele]

The tap 3 times is a "clever hack" that will clear out the active command. Each command is up to 3 taps... but if those taps are less than the time of a single pulse, it still processes them, but they don't do anything. I do it at the start of all my prints just to force it out of any commands that might accidently have been left in process. Make sure they about 50ms long. Our K1 Profile on Printables contains them in the Start GCode if you want to see how to implement it. Chris' future video on the gcode will do that as well.

[@ChrisRiley]

@@williamsteele Thanks Bill! Yes, all that good stuff will be in video 3.

[@chrisbecker7599]

Great video. Didn't even know about the feed in the middle of the y tube. GREAT TIP!! Is your g-code video out on this yet? Thats where I'm struggling and I was wanting to hit that one next, but not able to find it.

[@ChrisRiley]

Coming soon!

[@HackMonkey]

I didn't know that bypass hole was in the Y tube either, for about a year after I got the Chameleon! That needs called out better! Are the clear tubes FEP? The included milky PTFE tubes I got made it really hard to see where the filament was when setting it up. Those would be so much better! Bill has made reference to activating the Chameleon on the Mini directly from the Buddy board with an M42, rather than the switch. But I have never found specific instructions on where to connect on the board or pin #. Hoping you might run down that path!

[@ChrisRiley]

I'm not sure what these tubes are acutually. They cam with the Chameleon 1 I got years ago and I've been using them since. I would like to have another set, so maybe I will try to find some like them. Activating it via the board is something I'm going to do for sure. SO much content with this one. I would like to do it in Marlin and Klipper.

[@C650101]

Cool, but all that button pressing takes alot of time. Would be great if could just directly connect to klipper and have it use GPIO to do switch without bumping a switch. Sounds like several seconds overhead between switches.

[@ChrisRiley]

I plan on looking into have the firmware do the changing. That will save a lot of time. Stay tuned.

[@C650101]

@@ChrisRiley yeah, ditch the timers , and jus5 use arduino serial funtion to send extruder commands

[@victordalisay482]

PART 3 Please!

[@ChrisRiley]

Working on it!

[@tratzum]

Is there a link to your spool mount anywhere? I think I would rather go that option then mounting to the top of my enders frame.

[@ChrisRiley]

This is the one that came with the Pallette 2 years ago. This design is similar. www.printables.com/model/507657-3dchameleon-spool-holder-printed-side

[@Scicluna83]

Hi Chris, Instead of using a switch can the cable be plugged into the main board and use printer firmware/gcode to trigger a virtual switch to achieve the same thing?

[@ChrisRiley]

Yes, and that is something I will be looking into, I think that is a great idea.

[@Scicluna83]

@@ChrisRileylooking forward to it I just mounted a Lgx lite in direct drive mode on my anycubic i3 mega and looking to add a 3d Chamelion to the mix and using a virtual switch would be more efficient

[@rvamerongen]

At 20:20 shouldn’t you put the packing tape all at the same distance measured from the output of the wire adapter.

[@ChrisRiley]

I correct that in a later video. Thanks!

[@rvamerongen]

@@ChrisRiley Nice solution.

[@mienmoeke]

Hi. Is this usable on a Creality CR10-SE?

[@ChrisRiley]

Yes. you can make it work on anything, but it takes a lot of work.

[@arielmarshall5501]

Would you prefer this over a mmu3 for a Prusa mk3s+?

[@ChrisRiley]

No, the MMU3 has a lot of stuff built in that makes it work really well on the MK3. For the MK3 I still think the MMU3 is going to be a better choice.

[@arielmarshall5501]

Thanks for responding, looking into the multi material options.

[@PedroGomes_27]

Is this better that the ERCF2?

[@ChrisRiley]

I can't say as I've never built or used one.

[@chrisc9213]

Isnt MK4 the latest version? when will it be release?

[@AzaB2C]

Had this question too, noticed on Chameleon's website some blurb about MK4 official release being at RMRRF ~April 20th. MK3 and MK4 have same hardware, but different firmware. Hopefully 3D Chameleon creator @williamsteele will confirm/correct my understanding. Cheers!

[@williamsteele]

@@AzaB2C Yes, that's exactly right.

[@chrisc9213]

@@AzaB2C Yes this is confusing why give a demo or unboxing if the device is going to be replaced in upcoming months and obsolete. Not sure of the value.

[@williamsteele]

@@chrisc9213 They're the same installation... it's literally the same hardware. (He printed the Mk4 parts in the pervious video.)

[@chrisc9213]

@@williamsteele Ok so you are saying that you can print the MK4 parts today and because the hardware is the same., this means the difference between MK3 and MK4 is only software?

[@shugghead8538]

Way too much hassle. I'll just get the X1C with the AMS.

[@ChrisRiley]

Thanks for watching

[@scottfarrell1506]

Enjoy your, "Failure to retract filament from the toolhead", errors.

[@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass]

the thing I don't understand is how they will feed into the extruder at the same timing if they are all 25mm from the black coupler part. The top two are closer than the bottom two, wouldnt that make them different lengths? When it unloads during color changes it goes back the same amount every time, so shouldn't the lower ones have the filament just barely into the black part and not 25mm away? That way they are all the same distance into their respective paths. Am I missing something? (currently struggling to get mine to work)

[@williamsteele]

It'll only be wrong on the first load... after that, it will always unload each one to the proper position. I would then mark that position and use it going forward. However, you're correct, #1 and #4 should be loaded to the same position, 1" above the #2 and #3 extruder, just to either prevent blobbing or to make the tool change gcode simplier by not having to deal with it.

[@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass]

​​@@williamsteele Before a print I have them loaded to where they always end up after being unloaded. It ends up being a little over an inch away for the top ones, and right at the coupler for the bottom ones. Am I going about this right? Or should I just do 1 inch for all?

[@williamsteele]

​@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClassThat's perfect. You're doing it right. The 1" is just the first time.

[@ChrisRiley]

👍🙂