BLtouch for any 3D printer - Comprehensive step by step guide

If your bed is warped or you are just looking for convenience, a BLtouch is a great upgrade for your 3D printer. This video aims to be a complete guide to all things BLtouch. This ranges from an explanation of auto bed levelling, through to mounting, wiring, firmware, calibration, operation and customisation.
Free companion webpage: teachingtechyt.github.io/upgr...
0:00 Introduction
0:44 What is a BLtouch?
1:46 What to buy?
2:08 Genuine vs clone
2:33 Physical mounting
3:46 Wiring
PWM Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-w...
5:35 FAQ: Do I need a pin27 board?
6:12 FAQ: Can I use a custom pin for the yellow wire?
LPC1768 datasheet (SKR V1.3): www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-shee...
6:49 Marlin firmware configuration
Beginner firmware setup guide: • Updated Marlin firmwar...
8:26 Calibrating probe offsets
My dedicated video on this: • ABL offset guide inclu...
9:02 Basic BLtouch operation
9:43 The two ways to use a BLtouch when printing
10:37 Customisation - Grid points, speed, margins
11:56 Troubleshooting
My dedicated troubleshooting video: • 3D printer troubleshoo...
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Get Quality Resins from 3D Printers Online. 5% off storewide for Teaching Tech subscribers [Code: tech5]
3dprintersonline.com.au/
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: / teachingtech

[@sod16]

I just want to say that, although your content might not be considered "fun" and full of elaborate impossible 3D prints; the level of detail you provide and explanations of very difficult to find topics are all covered by yourself and I truly appreciate it. Thank you for admitting that these tutorials go out of date, and thank you for providing a permanent solution. Your work is wonderful and has really improved my technical knowledge of 3D printing. Just yesterday I was thinking "aaah what do I do, I want a BL touch" and boom, you delivered right on time. Love it mate!

[@karlosss1868]

Yep... totally agree.

[@kevingaukel4950]

Actually - it looks interesting. Not necessarily fun, but interesting.

[@TeachingTech]

Thanks very much for the kind words. I know this won't be popular on release but I hope that over time it can help many people.

[@sgby8210]

hello, so the matter is that I installed the V3.0 BLTOUCH on my ENDER 3 PRO (board version is V1.1.4 ) with TH3D (and an arduino uno card as isp burner) but when I start printing, while the homing, the Z stepper motor keeps the extruder on rising (moving up) and if I ivert the z-endstop cables, it hits the bed and keeps moving down (which is really bad). so it seems that the bl touch can deploy, stow if it touches the bed, but isn't considered as the new z-endstop... help me please !

[@notjndatz]

I agree with this sentiment. I've had printers that were set up by me out of a fascination for 3D printing, but I always lacked the technical knowledge to really make the printer do what I truly wanted it to.. and to do it well. These guides have allowed me to upgrade my tevo tornado to a quiet, accurate, and snappy machine that can now be used as a tool for all my other hobbies. Thanks so much for the thorough and enjoyable guides!

[@nutronik9]

Best channel to watch when you need a thorough walk through of anything 3d printing

[@TheFrobate]

Thank you for your posts and excellent direction. I just upgraded my ender 3 and could not have made the changes without the in depth technical information that your channel provides. Firmware mods and all, the machine works better than it ever has. Keep up the phenomenal work!

[@johnvodopija1743]

Ah the “Magic Smoke”. Classic! Another great video tutorial. Thank you very much for dedicating so much time to share your knowledge. I appreciate it. Cheers 👍😎🇦🇺

[@bwcdevices3028]

Mate, your content is fantastic. Its authoritative, comprehensive and really well presented. I just want to take the time to say thanks for all the help that you have given me. THANKS!

[@orbelgalvarado]

Dude you hit it out of the ball park. I was looking at all your videos but everything is consolidated now thanks.

[@cclumist]

Great information. More detail than any BLtouch guides I can find in the internet. Thanks a lot.

[@moridin1138]

I had just bought a BL Touch and then you post a video. Thanks so much for everything you do Michael! ♥️

[@MURD3R3D]

thank you so much for this video. ive been wanting a BL touch but I knew the process would involve firmware changes but this makes it look pretty straight forward. I think you may have convinced me. I cant express how much I appreciate content like this to help people become more knowledgeable and grow within the hobby.

[@radicalxedward8047]

So glad you do these guides. Upgraded my Ender 3 from a 4.2.2 board (thinking I had the old 8 bit) to a BTT SKE E3 Mini v2 w/ BLTouch and filament runout sensor having never worked with any of this stuff before and there were basically zero problems (though some things could have been a little clearer). I’ve never had an open source based project go that smoothly before.

[@ccyblissketch9453]

I can say that you're the one who explains everything thoroughly and for that you are the best. Your website is the ultimate guide a 3d printer fan needs and with those videos, personally, I don't need anything else to make my printer work. Thank you for your dedicated time.

[@gareglydian673]

I couldnt have installed a BL touch without this video. The content seemed so daunting but you made it easy so thanks so much. Its really something else when you decide to make a video that you know won't be popular but you post it knowing that you have helped people through something that they thought was impossible. Im studying to be a TAS teacher and I can truly say that your videos will make me a better teacher one day

[@BowserMG]

I'm new to 3d printing. In fact I just got my Ender 3 v2 just a couple of weeks ago. Your content is making this hobby much easier to enjoy. Keep up the good work.

[@rowlandstraylight]

This, and your new website page is a really great explainer. Bookmarked for useful help responses.

[@bradleygilmore]

Wow this is so detailed! I'm going to be installing this later this week. Thanks for the helpful info and the updated guide!

[@rossreynolds2858]

concise without being short on specifics, reliable information delivered clearly. you sir are the F*&g gold standard when it comes to this kind of technical how to.

[@mattholsten7491]

Can't thank you enough for this video! I had smelled a little smoke when I tried (and had problems) putting this together myself and and brushed it off as the smell of filament, and only because you mentioned the "magic smoke" thing did I go back to realize the connection arrangement was the problem I was having! Cheers and thank you! Keep it up!

[@snowwolvesproductions]

I really appreciate your attention to detail and your through explanations. Keep up the good work! Thanks!

[@bobblelooble3530]

Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your content. I keep fruitlessly searching for answers to my questions and at some point my husband will ask "Does Teaching Tech have a video on that?" Most of the time you do, and I can immediately stop my search and get on with solving my problem. Thanks!

[@greigarmaximus425]

I subscribed because I think you have been blessed with knowing and teaching the material really well. Much appreciated!

[@shadowrundas]

this is perfect i just got my BLtouch in the mail yesterday!

[@gizmobowen]

Thanks for the refresher and all the work to develop and maintain the website.

[@josephiaccino8395]

Me: I wonder how up to date this video is? Him: *wearing Danny Ric shirt* Me: Perfect! This is brand new

[@877cms]

Very helpful thanks a lot! I have now got a working BLtouch after considering it for a long time :)

[@JAYTEEAU]

Great stuff Michael. Clear and concise as always. Cheers, JAYTEE

[@sillydilly2725]

You're a very effective technical communicator. I always take away something new with your videos. Thank you!

[@thewicked8642]

Awesome video. I was nervous about adding the BLTouch to my Ender 3 Pro, as I've seen the videos about different wiring and main board configurations. This video gave me more confidence in what I was doing during the install. Thank you. Your videos are very informative and insightful.

[@Kekht]

Thank you for your hard work on text documentation.

[@M3g4t0n]

Big thanks to you, Teaching Tech! I've been able to install the BL touch on my Ender 3 Max without (well not without but not your fault) a hassle!

[@SimPilot-dl8zy]

Thank God for your channel. I am still having a heck of a time getting my BL Touch to work again on my CR 10s Pro but I will keep at it.

[@Obeythenerds]

Hands down best BLtouch guide!

[@IAMSatisfied]

Thanks, Michael... I really appreciate your thoroughness in the information you provide in your videos... you're truly filling a much needed niche in the 3D printing world.

[@Maximum_Twang]

THANK YOU! this is exactly what I needed.

[@ltnthacker]

Thank you for all the work you did on this, it is appreciated.

[@michaelgallo8085]

I am a novice to the Additive Manufacturing world and have to say I learn something new each time I visit your Channel. I have taken your words to heart to start without using ABL and a BL Touch so I can get to know my machine on what it can do -- focusing on it's limitations so I can troubleshoot effectively. That's not to say that I did not go out and immediately buy a BL Touch when I ordered my 3D Printer. I have it installed and since day one could not get it working. I have followed your calibration guide to much success. This video has finally put my BL Touch in operation with successful repetitions of running the first layer gcode from your calibration guide. I have since turned it off but now know that it is working as intended. Thank you!!

[@avirammoran499]

Fantastic as unseal. Excellent place to reference when making changes to my printer. - Thank you!

[@alanjean2914]

Excellent, for a beginner like me this is perfect to improve my technical knowledge. Thank you for all the time that you must spend making those videos. You got one more subscriber and like others have said ... Keep up the phenomenal work!

[@phaetonrudegar5193]

Thank you so much you not only taught me how to install the BL Touch you taught me how to debug my noob custom build. I bought a garbage kit and wound up replacing just about everything. Now I have a fully assembled pile of custom parts and a Repetier Server. The printer refuses to move because I locked everything down too tight with safety. Now I am stepping through with minimum config additions. Finding your video at this time is just what I was wishing for. I am expecting an inevitable firmware config issue. My full firmware build compiles and installs but locks everything to the off state. Your videos have been helpful through this whole process.

[@tuoppi42]

Perfect timing, got the probe on Thursday.

[@garylangford6755]

YOU LEGEND THANKYOU! That stuff about using the abl as a probe saved me!!

[@gunnerkobra]

Just received mine today, excellent timing.

[@tomhofmann5277]

Hi! Allow me to just repeat verbatim what 'BWC Devices' has posted a few months ago. It reflects exactly what I want to say. "Your content is fantastic. It's authoritative, comprehensive and really well presented". There are a few (not many) knowledgeable people out there doing excellent videos on 3d printing and I really enjoy their content, but you, sir are head and shoulders above the rest. Congratulations, many many thanks and please do keep up good the work! All the best from Argentina

[@darkragnarok484]

Dude, thanks to you, I set up my sensor and did what I wanted, to reduce the scanning radius of the sensor so that it does not go beyond the edges of the table. Prosperity to your channel!

[@joemama1010]

been having trouble with setup this helped a lot! Thanks!

[@vitorwarnecke]

I am planning on doing a auto bed leveling with a servo and the end stop for my Ender 3 Pro. The most chalanging part for me is the firmware configuration. Thank you for this video, now I am more confident on doing it!

[@peterdocter4659]

Love these vids, VERY helpful keep it up man!

[@kruyf73]

Thanks for the guide. Really like the probing margin.

[@davidduncan4236]

Another winner. Thanks for your hard work.

[@oyyy-ch9gx]

Thanks so much! Super useful, detailed and well explained. Cheers!

[@chuchigates]

Thank you for your videos and detailed instructions.

[@TitanTrigger]

Man, I decided to go into 3D printing and only followed your vids after getting an Ender3... I've had such a stress-free journey so far! I can tell that's not the norm and I think I have you to thank for that! \:D/

[@arsayu]

Just a week ago I upgraded ender 1.1.4 to 4.2.7 and I did know what to do with BLtouch. Even on Creality yt channel and web they said to use it on LCD adapter. Thanks to you and you videos I successfully connected on dedicated port. What to say... Million thanks for your videos.

[@jefferylittleton1005]

Thanks so much for this. I've had my BLTouch for 2 months and during that time I haven't printed anything. I've been so frustrated until I worked my way through this. I'm not done yet, but I'm almost there. I couldn't do it without you. I will add that there are different options for compiling with a skr mini V2 and it won't start automatically. Another person below said that the correct selection is "STM32F103RC_btt_512K"

[@BrennonA]

This is gonna be nice and helpful when I finally replace my bad original BLTouch with the new version tomorrow - thanks!

[@robfrei6375]

Thanks - planning on adding the BLTouch upgrade to my BIQU B1 soon.

[@Project_Paladin800]

Thank you for the Video it was perfect timing bc i got my BLtouch in today for my anycubic X

[@Craigs_Adventures]

Thank again for another fine teaching video.

[@trevornelson7524]

Best guide. Nicely done

[@williammiller7543]

Thanks for the video. I had problems with my nozzle and Capricorn tube and had to take my hot end apart and then needed to redo my Z-Stop dimension. Your video was very helpful and I also learned that there is a Z-Stop Wizard in Marlin, thanks to you. I'll give this a try next time I redo my software. Looks very easy.

[@AtrumNoxProductions]

My Ender 3 v2 will be here today. And my BLTouch should arrive soon. I will definitely keep this in mind. Thank you!

[@saschaschneider6355]

If the V2 has a bed that works like the one on the "regular" one and on the Pro then nylock nuts and improved springs are the better investment. Total costs: under 5 bucks and the bed becomes super stable. I can go weeks to months without leveling.

[@pellcorp]

Ive finally started using my OG Ender 3 again, after upgrading the mainboard to 4.2.7 and getting the creality auto bed leveling addon working. No mount parts to print and the right cable out of the box. Id tried a 3D touch, and was not successful. The most frustrating part of this process was getting marlin working. I find that the bl touch is a bit fussy, but I can't deny the improvements in print quality, as far as successful first layers. It definitely is a game changer for me. Id also recently swapped out the glass bed for a magnetic surface, with the bltouch no issues even though my bed is now noticeably not flat! I definitely used TT guides for this process, so thank you. Oh, I also found that setting the port and baud rate to auto on octoprint solved the connection issues. I can't say why it does, but I came across the idea in a forum post and it worked! Go figure!

[@Battlewear]

I havent 3d printed in over a year... I was in the process of upgrading to a new motherboard and started to find it very daunting with the new Marlin.. With your information Im excited to get that done and get the BL Touch installed..

[@Battlewear]

@Teaching Tech - Do you have a Marlin guide for the BIGTREETECH SKR E3 DIP V1.1 Control Board with TMC 2208 UART

[@wordreet]

Great info my man! Hehe, maybe I'll finally get around to installing the BL Touch that I purchased nearly 3 years ago!!!!!!

[@tonyaramouni2368]

thank you for this video, I have installed the BLtouch and since have not been able to properly print. fixed some of the issues and hoped that I find to get clean prints.

[@johnwolfram2689]

great video. Thanks for spending the time to make it.

[@jeroen9424]

It's a very good guide. I won't get an abl probe, but I have used your website to help me along with getting good prints. I use manual mesh bed levelling

[@greymichael1]

This video just solved a 3 day hunt for the solution to my problem. Thank you! Solution: Change "Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN" to PB1 for Creality V4 boards.

[@BlueJeebs]

Lol if you post this a week earlier I wouldn't have fried mine this weekend 😃 I'll follow this with my next attempt

[@jorgetucson8196]

Damn

[@avirammoran499]

Frying makes perfect.

[@LordHonkInc]

Sorry to hear that =/ hope you don't get discouraged, once you get it set up a BLTouch is really a godsend.

[@kruyf73]

magic smoke?

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

Its times like this I wish BLTOUCH sensors were cheaper.

[@BryantPoston]

Thank you. Used your guide to install the BL touch on my Ender3 Pro 4.2.7 board and after some tweaking, it's printing a Benchy! Thank you

[@duncancampbell9742]

awesome explanation and a great resource

[@robertfrick]

You’re timing is perfect as I am ready to tackle this tonight. I have tried before using your previous two Ender 3 guides. I have the née V2 4.2.7 board and the V2 BL Touch and the time this weekend to at temp it. Thanks Again.

[@dksix1905]

I'm too unfamiliar with the workings of Marlin and most everything else 3D printing-related but this is an excellent first step in understanding.

[@Brklynguy69]

Thank you just what I was looking for..

[@jeoq8566]

Always very usefull vidéo ! Thank you so much !

[@tonywharton5220]

I've had a clone on my Ender 3 for about 3 years. I can't remember the make but it came as a kit to connect to the original Ender 3 board. Set up using TH3D.

[@SwedishCrack]

Thank you for your helpful information.

[@hartstwo]

Thank you for the update.

[@droney_baloney]

"outdated" guide for my outdated printer and hardware upgrades... perfect! 🤣 Recently got a Second printer (SV04) with a bed leveler and it made me question why I didn't add one to my OG Ender 3 way earlier...

[@BreydonsRC]

Awesome vid. Thanks!

[@themanyone]

I just update the firmware to get the good bed-leveling grid code, and do it manually. Save once and forget it. This works as long as I don't mess with the print bed. But I'm going to install this on another printer, where I try different bed surfaces, and other experiments. So thanks for posting info about it.

[@youtuberwatcher3764]

I always enjoy watching your t-shirt :)

[@feldmanjared]

Using all your videos (this one, Updated Marlin firmware setup guide - VS Code and Auto Build Marlin, Creality 32 bit V4 board guide - Ender 3 V2, BLtouch & more, Master your 3D printer firmware: Github Desktop guide for beginners) I managed to finally build my own version of Marlin. Still not the easiest and most clear thing to do, I imagine folks in the comments will still have issues.

[@radicalxedward8047]

The one thing that was tricky for me with the BLTouch setup I just finished a couple days ago was configuring the firmware and different ABL options. Looks like this video should have better detail on that than previous ones judging by the description. (Ended up using bi-linear leveling instead of UBL which is now much simpler to use and run consistently without problems.)

[@deathruddlesdeathruddles5438]

This was the missing piece of the puzzle for me. Brand new to 3d printing and swapped the mainboard on the ender 3 pro before I'd even printed anything! fool! haha. This has saved me! I can't say thanks enough!

[@jcoghill2]

OMG have I jumped into it now as I sit here holding my little black box. I'll have to come back to actually do the install. It's like batch programming and I've done it before years ago, I just didn't expect to have to go there for this. Back soon.

[@zarpjj]

Thank you for this video, very helpfull

[@ianide2480]

My first controller board, I had to solder a wire for the servo control pin heh. I am glad that the SKR that I have now has dedicated pins though, setup was WAY faster. Not sure if you covered it in a different video but X,Y offsets are rather important to make sure that the Pin actually touches the bed. It might have been a good addition to show some more detail on this. It certainly wasn't a difficult thing for me to figure out but Marlin made some changes from one version to another on how/where in the firmware these are changed. I actually physically modified my printer to make certain that my pin can actually touch the entire bed, just in case I wanted this functionality down the road, it hasn't been a problem so far but I modified the printer anyway, easy to do since this a design completely of my own. I enjoy modifying the printer more than actually printing stuff...

[@ghak545]

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY GOATED.

[@TannerOff]

Yes very helpful thank you. Will update if my z offsets start saving

[@TheSuperSofasurfer]

Thank you for the great video ;)

[@mrb2917]

Not one guide on KZbin mentions that you should carefully manually level your bed before running auto bed leveling. Yes a BLtouch will make up for any tilt but why make the z axis more active during a print than necessary?

[@tylersutton2216]

ikr

[@swampcritterisbackbaby1740]

Josh Bardwells tutorial mentions it.

[@ColdHawk]

This dude is so good

[@niklasahlfors6564]

I bought Trianglelab 3DTouch and it works perfectly fine using SKR Mini E3 2.0 with Bigtreetech firmware

[@Mr99ZK]

Great video, it cleared up a couple issues I was wondering about such as the probe margins. Hopefully you will have added the CR Touch to your web page. I will check it out and see if I can get my CR Touch to work with your instructions. Supposedly it is a drop-in replacement for the BL Touch.

[@r1ckyy-]

Nice shirt! Team papaya is everywhere!

[@vittorioqwerty]

very nice video, i was looking to buy a bltouch but i was afraid to not be able to install it, thanx

[@GaryGraham66]

Brilliant!

[@stevehobson8304]

Haha love your shirt! Go Dan! :)

[@chivalryking5241]

I dont know but i followed this down to the tee and a piece of the motherboard fried! Buying a 4.2.7 board hopefully this will solve all the issues going forward!

[@francistaylor1822]

Its my must have upgrade for any printer, they make levelling issues much more trivial