Neptune 4 Series Problems and What To Do About Them

[@davetriesthis]

Hey all! I have a new video that's a step-by-step guide for setting up a Neptune 4 Max so it....works!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWa9i6GcqMpngqs - Months of testing and working with Elegoo support on this to get you the steps you need. Hop on over to that video.

[@angelrodriguez6408]

Thanks Dave, I was working on a print and it went south 60% in. The blob of death not only destroyed my print but it also snapped the cables in the extruder. I reached out and the support team is sending me a new extruder at no cost. They were helpful from the minute i sent them an email with all the info and photos of the extruder. They even asked what software I was using and gave me advice on what to do.

[@davetriesthis]

I'm sorry to hear all that. I'm happy to hear that they're sending you one. They're really good people. It's a shame this printer is having issues they make such good tools.

[@TheAtomicSalad]

Just purchased a used one of these off of their website in good/boxed condition, and I'm glad I found this video! I knew I was buying a project and this video taught me a lot before it even arrived, thank you!

[@davetriesthis]

Glad I could help! Let me know how it goes.

[@GerhardtVenter-p6i]

I just received my Neptune 4 Plus (2 hours ago) and installed it, ran the calibration and levelling. Something went wrong with my first test print, I did the levelling again and started my second print. Perfect! So my first impression were very positive. Since I'm brand new at 3d printing, never had a machine or any experience, it was very good, and I have lots of hope for good printing. I didn't actually got to this video because of a problem, it was suggested - but have subscribed as it seems informative.

[@davetriesthis]

Oh hey thanks for subscribing. And yay KZbin for suggesting it. As a new printer what videos would you like to see?

[@joeking433]

How long have you worked for Elegoo? ;)

[@HouseProjections]

The 4 plus is my 2nd printer, but essentially but first one I'm seriously interested in. I'm learning as I go and so far have not had any problems [[knocking quickly on wood]]. I would say the biggest challenge for me as a "newbie" is a certain level or perceived knowledge even in basic tutorials. I often need to look up terms or pause tutorials to open a second window to first learn background info to understand the original video. The number of videos, like yours, offering step by step solutions are invaluable. Thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated.

[@smilloww2095]

Sounds like we're exactly the same. The Neptune 4 Plus is also my second printer but the first one where I'm really invested in figuting everything out.

[@HouseProjections]

@@smilloww2095 Same. I like it so far and I've had decent prints but still need to learn more. I bought an enclosure for it and that helped tremendously.

[@joeking433]

Get a Bambu printer and you won't be constantly bashing your head against the wall in frustration. ;)

[@DeltaYoutubes]

Thanks for all the tips. Got a N4 Pro and so far had the blob of death but i spotted it just before it reached any wires, heated it up and removed it with a sock. No other issues so far. Looks like Elegoo is doing a fair bit of effort with all the information and support for the customers.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad you got it before the wires. I keep a little steel brush (the kind you use in cleaning a firearm) near my printer and use that when it clogs.

[@SuperOgamiItto]

Thank you Dave for taking the time for these videos. I have Neptune 4 Max. Was printing well out of the box, and I did a Firmware update to eliminate the horrible print head stop noise. That worked great, but now my first layer comes out terrible and the part fan is always 100%. I've managed to decrease the fan by setting it to "silent" and a glue stick (which was needed before) is helping the first layer. The adage "If it ain't broke..." I will definitely check your link for the Orca Slicer Profile. Thanks again.

[@davetriesthis]

Yeah I hesitate to do firmware updates unless I have to. I felt like the axis issue was enough. At this point the Neptune 4 and 4 Max are humming along. The controller for the 4 Max stopped working after it fell while I was working on the printer bottom and it was on its side. But I can do everything with klipper but install the motherboard firmware or load files from thumb drive. Thanks for the comment about doing these videos. It's what keeps me doing them.

[@Beakerzor]

thanks for all these tips! I've been fortunate with the Elegoo 4 Max, it's been printing flawlessly for weeks now, I LOVE THIS PRINTER!!!

[@davetriesthis]

It really is amazing. And I'd rather have a company have teething pains when trying to give customers more value for their money than a company still offering slower printers when they could make klipper printers too.

[@joeking433]

And I'm the king of France! ;)

[@Beakerzor]

@@joeking433 all hail Joe!

[@joeking433]

@@davetriesthis I'd MUCH rather have a slow printer that works rather than a super fast printer that never works! I can't get a good print from this printer to save my life and I've tried everything!

[@pistolpete8518]

Got my eye on the plus as my first printer. You’ve got me spooked

[@hereunderduress]

I got the 4 pro and nothing but problems

[@lordslair5240]

3 max was great 4max not so much so far

[@JamesConklin-t7p]

Dont get it. Worst purchase ive ever made. 3 months and not one correct print

[@randomDIYguy-k4r]

If you don't need the large print volume the smaller machines seem to be better behaved in general. That said, the Neptune 4 Plus is the best medium size printer I have tried and overall very pleased.

[@Donbro]

truly a mistake, save and get the bambu...its a printer not a problem.

[@JeffJohnson]

I saw your post on reddit which brought me to the video. I got filament up in the print head. They way I fixed it was to take off the print head, heat it up and carefully with a small wire brush, clean off all the excess filament. On a side note, use those thin needles they give you to make sure there's no extra filament still stuck up there.

[@leeball4]

Thanks for this compilation and straight forward explanations. I've got a N4 Max and I really enjoy the machine, even with all the quirks. I've got a really early unit, got my preorder in within 5 minutes of it being launched and received it in mid-October. I've experienced all of the firmware bugs but fortunately none of the HW problems. I learned all about 3D printing on an Ender 3 so I'm used to babysitting the first hour of a print and live adjusting. Being able to accomplish that level of babysitting in 20 minutes with the N4 Max is a breath of fresh air 😂 I haven't updated the FW yet because I've been having too much fun printing huge stuff to do the update process. I will though because I'd like to reduce that 20 minutes to 0. My biggest issue with the printer is with the auxiliary fan, that thing is a beast and I've experienced the fan cooling the nozzle to the extent that it wasn't able to extrude filament. I no longer run it above 30% and for many prints turn it off altogether. Now, I don't use the Elegoo Cura, I took one look at it and said "there has to be a better way!!" then got the PrusaSlicer profiles from your channel (thank you). So, that being said the fan control might be handled better in Elegoo Cura, but I can't bring myself to use it lol. I really do wish printer companies would stop the practice of skinning a slicer and instead focus on making a finely tuned profile for one of the popular mainstream slicers. I really do like this machine and trusted it right out of the box to handle 16hr+ prints. It prints great and is lightning quick for such a huge bed-slinger. It's a gamechanger for me, the size and speed are allowing me to accomplish projects in a way that beats my ADHD before I lose interest and start something new, that's very satisfying. I can't wait to see what Elegoo comes out with next year, I hear they might have a coreXY machine coming Q1.

[@davetriesthis]

Thanks for all that feedback. I had not even thought about the part cooking fan. This could well be one of the causes of the blob. If it's cooling the filament at the nozzle it's got to come out somewhere and then the same part fan would cool it further into a blob. I tried to get a ender 3 max neo working for months before this printer so I'm very happy with this machine. I felt bad making this as I didn't want to seem like I was bashing the printer. I love it. And support has been great with my issues. Maybe hold off on the firmware for at least one more version unless you get those klipper errors.

[@leeball4]

@@davetriesthis I noticed the issue with the aux fan when it looked like the nozzle was scraping away at the bottom layers of prints. I found that the fan was coming on at layer 3 when I was printing 4 bottom layers, it was my mistake in the slicer. As I was diagnosing I saw it happening, turned off the fan, cranked the temp from 220 to 230 and it recovered. Then I noticed that I was having under extrusion problems later in prints as well, that's when I decided to limit the fans to 30% or turn off the aux fan altogether. Playing around in PrusaSlicer I've noticed that when I have "Detect Bridges" enabled the machine does a good job throttling the fan as I can hear it speeding up and slowing down as it prints and I didn't experience the nozzle cooling issue. But then I get a really noticeable over-extrusion at the layers where there's a bridge, i.e. a line around the circumference of the print. I have faith it will all get sorted in time. These big aux fans are new ideas and will take some time dialing them in. This is one reason of many why I wish we'd get better support for slicers instead of company branded copies of cura.

[@joenetoneable]

Hello Dave you are a God send. I have been trying to get my screen on the Elegoo Neptune 4 pro to work in leveling. I recently updated to the latest firmware and it messed up my leveling it would zero out and stay there. I tried everything from using my imac on lan to use SSH with Putty to update in Fluidd. Nothing worked until your video showed me how to update the screen with a micro sd card inserted into the screen on the printer and now I am back in business. Nobody else had this information. You are awesome.

[@davetriesthis]

Thank you so much for the nice things you said. I'm glad it helped. One reason I made it was that I didn't see the whole process explained and another videos.

[@ryanlackner4912]

Thanks for the blob tips! Support has been emailed, and now we wait. Appreciate this informative video.

[@davetriesthis]

Good luck! Hope they get back to you quickly.

[@ryanlackner4912]

@@davetriesthis They have not, but I ordered a new hot end from Amazon for $22 yesterday and it's already installed. I know holidays are definitely going to be slower, and it's good to have the extra. Is anybody else having issues loading .gcode files from the USB drive? Sometimes they'll load and show the preview/elegoo logo and printing times ... sometimes it's a black box and it doesn't load. But it's the same files, sometimes they print, sometimes they don't!

[@jakeiswayblack3377]

thank god for this video! I got maybe 3 prints off before I started getting the blob of death. I got upset and discouraged and set my neptune 4 aside for several months. I hope this will fix my issue; I got a ton of stupid stuff to print lol

[@r27b]

Dave, thanks. New guy and first printer, and your videos have been great. Just managed to do the firmware update successed ( :) ). Your videos alongside Elegoos are really helpful. Thanks for doing this.

[@davetriesthis]

You just made my week. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this comment.

[@mikegarwood8680]

Thanks for the sage advice. Despite the "issues" I'm looking at the 4 Max (not my 1st printer, per se, but it has been the better pat of 5 years since my last effort). As an aside, the z-height paper trick comes from the machining world. A piece of copy/print paper that is sold in reams of 500 sheets has a fairly "uniform" thickness of .0035" (check with a micrometer), and when dialing in the z-height offset on a mill for a cutter (end-mill, for example), the machinist will take a small portion from a sheet of paper and wiggle it back and forth under the cutter until it starts to drag. Then the cutter is raised to a fixed height above the work, followed by moving off to a side where the work will not be impacted by lowering the cutter. Reduce in Z by the distance raised + the .0035" and establish 0. It should be within a couple "tenths" (.0001") of the actual work height. This works for both CNC and manual mills.

[@robsmith3189]

This video was a life saver - I followed all your tips and finally got a perfect print off my new Neptune 4 pro! Definitely earned my sub - thank you so much!

[@davetriesthis]

Oh I'm glad to hear that!! What did you print?

[@kenkrugger]

Thank you! I’m glad I’m not going crazy. I just got the 4 plus and it prints like a dream but the z offset blob of doom issue was driving me crazy. I really had no other problems when using Elegoo Cura but I can’t wait for updated profiles in latest versions. Thanks for the firmware instructions. I hope it fixes the offset problem. Great video!

[@thedwithalive]

Did it help for you?

[@kenkrugger]

@@thedwithalive yes. Totally solved it.

[@kenkrugger]

@@thedwithalive I am 20 hours into a three day print right now

[@XxDementisxX]

@@kenkrugger so what did you do to fix it, im getting emotional trying to make it work

[@kenkrugger]

@@XxDementisxX I updated to the latest firmware and re-leveled the bed. Unfortunately I am only slicing on Elegoo’s version of Cura until I find a profile for the 4 plus on a more current slicer. I was having a really hard time getting anything to stick to that bed surface so I roughed it up with 220 grit sandpaper. I’ve had several successful prints after all that. I’m on day two of a three day print right now and it’s working perfectly. I also switched back to standard supports because this older version of Cura locks up my computer when I try using tree supports. I hope this helps. Good luck.

[@Donkeyearsa]

I just bought a Neptune 4 Max and have spent 2 days trying to get a print done. It'll print a xyz cube but when i try to print a model, it is either too close to the bed or too far. I've leveled it a dozen times. BTW, I've had over 10 years experience with 3d printers and this is the most frustrating NEW one i've ever dealt with. The features sound great, but if I can't get it to work.... also it takes 25 minutes or more to heat the bed from room temp to 70 degrees C.

[@kanzzon]

Hey Dev, great video, just got my new neptune 4 pro, was using ender 3 v2 and this is a big step up for me. I was under the impression that auto leveling was going to make my live easier, but oh boy I was wrong!! Never the less, I enjoy learning how to to get this thing up to speed.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad I could help!

[@joeking433]

Why didn't you buy a Bambu printer???

[@lokiwolfwood7942]

Hey Dave I just wanted to say thanks for all the info. First Print my N4 Max sounded like it was dragging the nozzle. After that print fail I leveled everything and started a second print. Adjusted the Z on the fly cause it was still dragging. that print came out great. After that I received the Blob of Death. Not to happy. but now I have a place to start. Thanks again Now I get to contact support.

[@davetriesthis]

I hope it all gets worked out for you!!

[@Gojira_Wins]

It's pretty interesting that people are having so many issues with these printers. I purchased the Neptune 4 Pro and haven't had any of these issues even though I am still running the stock firmware from when I bought it. I did have an issue with the nozzle being pushed into the build plate but that was because I installed a glass bed and the PEI wasn't on it. Once I stuck the PEI sheet on top of the glass bed, I fixed the issue with the warped build plate and the homing issue. The sensor they used for the Z axis is magnetic, so without the magnetic PEI sheet, it will keep going downward. Otherwise, the Z axis for the nozzle height works for me without any issues, I dont have any print problems that weren't user error and the printer is very stable. I keep telling people who buy these printers to keep the firmware stock and to NOT update it the moment they pull it out of the box. In my experience, the stock firmware is much more stable and if you have to specifically ask Elegoo for a firmware based on your Printer Serial number, it's straight up not ready. People are taking an Alpha build firmware then getting mad that their printer doesn't work right. At that point, it's user error for making that judgement to update it. Elegoo should stop giving out firmware updates until they have a stable build again.

[@davetriesthis]

Normally I also advise not to update firmware but that grinding x axis homing was the max and plus were likely to mess up calibration. I don't think the newer firmware is any more alpha than the original firmware in this case. :)

[@joeking433]

BS.

[@ChinaAl]

Wow! Wonderful. I just bought the Neptune 4 plus and it's being delivered tomorrow. This will be a great help

[@davetriesthis]

Check out this newer video too. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWa9i6GcqMpngqs

[@ChinaAl]

!@@davetriesthis Uh oh! sorry it was the 4 pro not plus

[@bryceerrey7802]

Super useful, software and firmware updates fixed an issue where the printer was crashing 6 hours into a print. Now I've done a few 12 hour+ prints without issue.

[@davetriesthis]

Good to hear. I'm glad it helped! It's a great series of printers I want to see people have fewer problems!

[@christophergrace1085]

I didn't know you needed to put an SD card in the screen... figure they would make it more accessible! But this does explain why they included a micro SD and reader with my plus!

[@Blackpanda13-14]

I really like your review and the way you're trying to help people with the problems they are having instead of just bashing the printers. I just got a Max and have been trying to get ahead of some of these issues since I did some research ahead of time. The problem I'm having trouble getting past is the layer shifting that happens at different points. I am going to be checking the adjustments on all the little things tonight when I get home, but just wanted to see if you had any specific experience with that issue. Thanks!

[@davetriesthis]

Thank you for the compliments, I appreciate it. Can you tell me a bit more about your layer shift, and what slicer you're using?

[@DexTroysArmy]

I got the same problem. I am using the cure version from elegoo. I checkd evrything that i could find but it still not better next thing i will to is to update the firmware. Do you have any other tipps?

[@smilloww2095]

Does layer shift mean that the postion on one of the axis changes as a result of the belt skipping a tooth? Cause that is something that seems to have happened to me twice.

[@tanegg]

Hi. I just try to do my second project on Neptune 4 plus and I run into leveling issues. It like the print head does not save the distance from the bed and it too high from the printing bed to adjust the knobs.

[@davetriesthis]

That's a firmware issue. Check out the section in the video on that.

[@jserr9682]

I was going to buy this printer but after seeing all. this issues i may run into not thank you ill get something else .....Thank you for this video you save me time and money you Rock!!!

[@davetriesthis]

My pleasure, though my longterm goal is to continue to give Elegoo feedback so they can address this. It's an amazing printer, I just love it, and the 3 Max is the most rock solid printer I"ve used. I hate to turn people away but buyer's remose is worse.

[@RMerritts66]

The 4 max is my first printer and it seems Letting the print bed heat soak at temperature for about 15-20 minutes before leveling helped a ton, just because the sensor says one part is 60c doesn’t mean the whole thing is.

[@thedolenorway]

Following that logic it would be a good idea to follow the same procedure before printing to get a consistent first layer right?

[@RMerritts66]

@@thedolenorway correct

[@Beakerzor]

5:40 the extruder core assembly only costs $20 to replace (once they will have them in stock) so even if you damage the thermistor cable, it's not the end of the entire printer (once they have them in stock)

[@davetriesthis]

Yup. This was more about the fact they don't have them and even if they did people with printers that are down hate to wait for parts. I know this from quite a lot of experience. :) It's the first part I'm going to stock up on. Well that and .6 nozzles

[@Beakerzor]

@@davetriesthis yes, I cannot wait for some nozzles, I was planning on getting one of those diamond made ones, but I guess I can give up on that dream. I cannot complain, this printer is FAR exceeded all my expectations, and the customer support is AMAZING!!!

[@davetriesthis]

I think we will see third party nozzles pretty soon. It's just a matter of retooling for the different nozzle length. I never saw the result but someone posted they were trying a bambu x1 unit as they seem to be the same shape and screw mounts.

[@mklhy]

I just got my Neptune 4 plus about a week ago, the first 5 or 6 prints of my own design came out perfect, i switched to a different color of the same elegoop pla + filament, and have not been able to get a working print since. I tried switching back to the old filament, releveling and setting the z offset several times, even replacing the nozzle. First couple layers seem to go down fine, but as it gets any height it seems like its not extruding enough, it get stringy and inevitably fails. My printer seems to have come with the latest firmware. I'm kinda at a loss here. Any Ideas?

[@davetriesthis]

It sounds like the filament is likely wet. Even new filament in the package can be too wet to print properly. If you're getting stringing this is most likely the cause. I just reviewed this and I like it a lot amzn.to/3yb75bg But I also have this and it works well and is not particularly expensive. amzn.to/4fgNHdw

[@mklhy]

@@davetriesthis Thanks for your help and suggestions! Drying also didn't help unfortunately, but I contacted elegoo as well, sent them a couple pictures, and they had me check a few things, none of which fixed anything. However, upon further exploration, it became obvious that it is a gear problem. you can both see and hear the gears skipping, even when just loading filament. The weird part is that there were no visible signs of any gear damage. I let them know and they are gonna send me a whole new print head assembly. Their response times and desire to resolve issues quickly is truly fantastic and commendable. Thanks again!

[@absolutelydahling7217]

Good tips sir. First time printer. Second printer is the Neptune 4. So far so good, my current issue is the mesh profiles being saved correctly. I've been running the klipper bed_mesh_calibrate command and manually renaming it to "11" for my profiles to load properly. I have found the community is much better supported by the company than anycubic. My first experience was with that the Kobra 2 Neo, and although it worked, it didn't work as well as this. Not to mention the creature comforts elegoo has packed in. Makes all the difference.

[@davetriesthis]

Yeah I'm not sure what's up with that "11" for the profile. I've recently tried to do the calibration via the Fluuid web interaface and it seems more problematic than the control pad. The one big thing on the control pad is you have to remember to save the auto calibration (small disk icon top right) or when you exit it won't remember the calibration. I've also run the calibration by manually entering G-Code, which I have to look up as I'm not that familiar with it, and it seems the G-Code to save the calibration works well.

[@Rickshaw199]

I have a Neptune 4 and I cannot get the bed mesh leveling to work properly, my variance is 0.334mm which is massive, even though I have pain stakingly leveled the bed manually, and leveled the X axis gantry to the bed. the problem is that the L/H side of the print bed is always too close and the R/H side is too far away. At the moment I am manually turning the knobs after mesh leveling to get a half decent first layer. Its like the firmware is applying the mesh leveling in the opposite direction? I can watch the Z steppers and they are moving while the head moves back and forth on the x axis, but its in the wrong direction. Any advice??

[@absolutelydahling7217]

@@Rickshaw199 Here are the many things I did to get perfect first layers. Bed mesh as good as you can get, I used screw_tilt_adjust, which can be a bit tedious, but gets the bed as perfect as you can. Followed by the glue. Lots of good videos on how to apply. But I tend to apply while cold, once on the x, let it dry, then on the y, let it dry. Z offset is next. And honestly. Fuck the paper method. Use it to get close, but really dial it in while you print. Do a first layer test, 30mm/s bed wide. And adjust it on the fly. If it's flying off the bed, lower it, if it's smooshed, up it a touch. Once you get a half decent first layer. Calibrate the filament (this is honestly the most important step, as it just gets better and more consistent from here). Start with a temp tower (I use orca slicer for all my calibration) followed by flow test, pressure advance and retraction. I have not had a failed print or bad bed adhesion in a loooonnng time. But it took me just as long to get the right "flow" of steps. There is an optimal order, but allot of that info is obfuscated, gate kept, or up for debate. Before all the aforementioned steps though, make sure to calibrate your extruder, make sure your gantry is square and everything is tight and level. (once again, great videos about it online regarding the extruder calibration)

[@toddcomte8210]

Thank you so much for this video. I just recently bought the Neptune 4 plus and level the bed got it to print. Started a print job and went to bed when I woke up I had the blob of death. I found your video very helpful and we'll see if they reply to my email.

[@davetriesthis]

I'm glad it helped. Follow up with their response if you can. I'd like to see how it goes for you.

[@toddcomte8210]

It was great customer service. They responded very quickly and have a new part sent out which I will see in 5 to 10 business days.@@davetriesthis

[@FX2LTD]

I think my main problem at the moment, after updating the firmware, is that in long-time print jobs, the Z-Axis goes crazy. It needs to be constantly adjusted upwards. I thought it was because with the heat the bed plate deforms, but I am starting to think that - as in my first printer, the Creality Ender3 S1 Plus - the rotating wheels of the bed just get loose, and by unscrewing, the bed goes up.

[@Kenne707]

I just got a Neptune 4 max , I like the whole idea of the new machine , It's my first one and I was not happy with the directions , I am not as young as I was and the size of the print was very difficult to read , it was necessary for me to install it into a laptop and magnify it to get a clear picture . that was the only real thing I was unhappy about until I started it and nothing much happened . I have uploaded the updated firmware and loaded it several times ,before finding out about the micro card , Now I will try again , I can't wait to see it working ...

[@jroc00070]

Dave just wanted to say thanks. Your supplementary guidance on the firmware update was great, the official Elegoo upgrade doc is not ideal. Thanks again, all updated now.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad to hear it! The firmware update really confused me the first time I tried to do it. :)

[@jroc00070]

@@davetriesthisBy the way, in case this should help anyone else, included with my N4M came with a SD card, and even more conveniently, a USB type A adapter, taking away the annoyance of having to buy an SD card for the firmware. It was in a plastic bag labelled “Giveaway”, so let’s call that another “Successed!”

[@toddstum3367]

Thank you.. I have the Npro4 and you are correct in saying that the support from Elegoo has been awesome to work with as I failed to RTFM before updating the firmware.

[@davetriesthis]

Great to hear! Print on, Alfred.

[@Kaynstein]

I have a Max. Bad choice as a first Filament Printer since it's hard to get it to print well for a beginner. Almost nothing but problems. Had the Z-Offset error, the bed mesh is often not applied (correctly). My Filament Settings were almost perfect from the start as a friend of mine made perfect prints with the same settings on his machine. We eliminated several Problemes like a crooked gantry, too tight eccentric nuts, the bed levelling and so on but after one to two prints the whole thing screws up and it has to be meticulously calibrated over hours to crank out up to three prints again before failing all the same for no apparent reason

[@davetriesthis]

Sorry to hear that. That's a bummer.

[@snapap690]

Hey Dave. GREAT VIDEO!!!!!! I've Been looking for a few days to try and find someone who actually talks you through the process on updating these neptune 4 series. The only thing i was finding that was decent was a person moving a mouse and with a blurry screen, and didnt even say or show anything about having to put the sd card in for the screen update. i was almost going to send elegoo another message, which by the way I didnt see anything about it either when I asked the first time about getting it updated.

[@davetriesthis]

I'm glad I helped. When I had to upgrade my Neptune 3 pro and could not figure outback how to do that screen part. Especially because they call it TF card in their documentation.

[@sweetdawg9979]

Just got my first blob of death on my Neptune 4 pro. It's been steady as she goes but I've also only had it a week. Thanks for the tips!

[@davetriesthis]

You're welcome. I'm working on another video with more tips for working with these printers after months of collecting ideas and doing testing. Coming soon!

[@PrecurserGD99]

Really enjoyed this video, the only issues I've had so far is the grinding issue while homing. I have a Neptune 4 Plus. Still kind of setting the printer up and looking for profiles that might work. Thank you for the advice of the Elegoo Cura splicer, I may try the regular Cura. The only printer I have tinkered with is the Creality CR-10. With its fair share of issue I've fixed. Its been a good learning experience. Trying to install a filament out switch on that as well. I am new to Linux, Klipper, and Fliud as I still have to install them on this crappy laptop of mine. Was hoping to remedy the grinding, but also might shoot and email to Elegoo Support.

[@davetriesthis]

Have you had any success?

[@jamesfields7]

I bought a couple of these thinking they would have fixed the issues by now. Nope...trying to return them now...Going to buy a Bambu Lab

[@coltonbarber9457]

i got the Neptune 4 pro and it has been GREAT! although i have run into an issue with firmware update.. but i'm sure Elegoo support will help me get back up and running. i have (before the update) printed lots of things with some tight tolerances and it nails it every time! this is my first printer and it has been a fun process to learn

[@flexiondynamo]

Solid. The Neptune Max is my first Elegoo FDM printer and I am super excited about printing helmets and Terrain. Having had an MK3S for years I've been spoiled with the (slow...) consistency but hindered by that print volume. Hoping Elegoo prioritizes these fixes and larger nozzles.

[@davetriesthis]

The good news is I've talked a bunch with their media team and they were really open to me helping compile a list of issues.

[@joelmember]

I bought a Neptune 3 pro last year and it worked great. I think I'll be avoiding Elegoo this year. Thanks for the review.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad I could help. Enjoy that Neptune 3 Pro, it's a rockstar.

[@nathanshobe]

Wife bought me an Elegoo Neptune 4 Max for Christmas, and it's my first printer. No real issues to speak of yet. One failed print from a blob, but it was a difficult print that I should have been wiser to add adhesion supports to. I caught it mid-print and it cleaned up nicely. I don't think this was related to Z axis alignment, as most of my other prints have come out great. Other than tightening the Y belt for the bed (was getting some shifting) I haven't had to do anything to get things running decently.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad to hear it. There's plenty of people for whom the machines are working perfectly. They just don't happen to be the ones posting to Reddit. /)

[@cinebydiego]

Please make a part 2 if possible! So many helpful tips!

[@davetriesthis]

What tips would you like??

[@cinebydiego]

@@davetriesthis bed meshing for sure!

[@richardwilliams3179]

I received a 4plus for Xmas and having a real hard time with traming, i can get a good first layer test, print a first layer test again with the re-print button and it will come out a mess. The few prints I've got to complete look wonderful i just cant seem to get a consistent first layer.

[@huguesgauthier6067]

I will receive my neptune 4 plus in a few days, what steps should I take to configure it correctly?

[@davetriesthis]

Here give this other video of mine a watch. Neptune 4 Max -You MUST do these steps to get good prints and fix the problems. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWa9i6GcqMpngqs Applies to the plus as well as the max.

[@MrBillywr]

I have a Neptune 4 max. Nothing but issues. I am on the current firmware loaded 3 times to try and fix my issues. 1. Input shaper errors out. 2. Printer stops randomly before finishing model, print head just stops where it’s at. The digital display does not show an error it still thinks it’s printing the temp still shows 215 and 70 on the bed. But the bed and print head are cold. 3. Elegoo rapid filament broke of in the extruded and in the tube below the gear melted in the extruder. I am not able to get it out with out breaking the extruder. I have been working with support for over 2 weeks I am currently waiting on extruder replacement. But I believe that that they need to send me a mains board because of my issues. Well it looks like I the part will not show up until next year sometime. Right now I have $500 paper weight. I you are interested in this 3d printer wait 2 - 3 months to see if the issues are fixed.

[@GluFPV]

They're not yet. Just got mine yesterday and it's MCU, extruder heat, and bee heat errors. Read something about wires being backwards on the board. So, atleast in my case, still a paperweight rn

[@williamsanchez6941]

Just bought a Neptune 4 max, just watching all videos I can to get good results. I’ve had a resin printer for 2 years. Just getting into filliment printing.

[@davetriesthis]

It's a different world. Resin is more detailed and fun in a chemistry sort of way. Filament is fun in a "watch this then use this" way.

[@sinnedyesmar]

Thanks for this excellent review. Have a new Max4. Oh, man...... My Raise3D N2+ never gave me any problems, but this is a disaster. Blob of Death, yes, a couple of times. My experience is that the machine is quite under powered, with only a 450w power supply. My heated bed is much colder than the setting or the thermistor feed back. I assume it isn't working at all, or was never calibrated at all. Bed is set to 60, but is actually only 45. This may account for our bed adhesion issues at first. Bed now set at 70 gives us a bed temp near 60. One wonders if the nozzle temp is similarly way off. We also have weird transient signals, for instance a bed temperature change causes the nozzle to overheat for about two layers giving us a fat donut ring on the part. Some of your followers comment about layer shifting. We had this severely at first. There is an inherent problem with trying to slam a Y-axis print bed back and forth violently, particularly if it is expected that a little squat nema17 is going to stop all that mass. The layer shifting seems to be happening because the y axis motor is skipping steps from the mass of the print bed. We thought it was the belt slipping teeth, but its actually the motor can't hold that much force so it skips steps. We slowed our Max4 way down since its far more important to us that we get quality successful prints rather than mediocre/failed fast ones. Our conclusion is that a bed-slinger is not built for speed, so why go there... Regarding the comment about the blob of death being caused by oozing around the nozzle threads, I don't think this is causative. I'm getting good successful prints now that are 40 hours. I have no oozing. What I have experienced is that when my first layers fail, and I have a detached part, it sticks to the nozzle and is dragged around for hours while the head keeps printing. The filament still printing has no where to go except into the blob, which is now wicking upwards into the print head, past the silicon sleeve, into the heat sink and wiring. We have worked with the Max4 for about 6 weeks now and can recommend that this be put inside an inclosure to avoid parts splitting from temperature stresses, get a temp probe and set your bed correctly since the machine's own temp control is nonsense, and use an enclosure heater. We may upgrade the power supply to at least 600w, and see if Kilpper allows us to calibrate the bed temp to reality. The Max4 has promise only if run carefully.

[@davetriesthis]

Thank you for all of this, it's very helpful. I'm particularly interested in whether you get success with an updated power supply (and where you get it) as I think that's an issue too. I agree with the comment about the first layer failure but i also found something today that killed two prints in almost the identical place (two of the same print, since I had to run it again) although no blob of death. I had sliced in prusa and their organic supports are super thin. When I came to look at the print and saw it had failed, there was dried filament on the part cooling fan output hole. Not like a string of filament but a circular piece like what you describe forming around the nozzle. I wonder if it had been thrown off the nozzle and otherwise would have made a blob. I'm also getting frustrated at the six diffeent slicers I have open right now to try to get good prints. I have a nice profile from a youtuber that runs well, but Cura 5.x crashes with it sometimes. Elegoo cura does the shortest predicted times, but it's prediction is not great. And Orca's built in profile seems to be running way slower than the others. A print that prusa said would be 2.5 days (but more like 3 based on the 10% it had finished) would be 6.5 days. That's a big difference between even inaccurate slicing estimates. I think the Plus and the Max might suffer, as you're indicating too, from underengineering for the speed/mass of the machine itself. It's throwing things around with a lot of force, the table I built of 2x4 and MDF that can take the vibration of two regular sizes printers is wobbling like crazy under this. I had to reinforce the supports and use weight to dampen it. I think the plus and regular 4 benefit from the faster speeds, but I think maybe the speeds of the Max and Plus shouldn't have been listed as high as the 4 and Pro.

[@ilikewhatilike3124]

could the variance in the bed temps because it's a larger open surface that it's shielded to the environment by and encasement like some printers? I know that I watch the Fluidd from my bedroom when I'm printing in another room and I peek the temperatures and they will constantly fluctuate (albeit minor; 1-5 F) presumably because of this. I haven't noticed any variance in the extruder yet tho. Apologies if this is a silly suggestion I'm honestly really new to 3d printing. Also, I get a decent amount of failed prints, usually recalibrating the bed level or applying adhesive to the bed solves most issues but I definitely want to look into setting up something like Octoprint that can survey my print and look into ai that has been trained or can be trained based on failed prints so that it can detect a failed print and pause the print until I can take a look at it if I'm not around.

[@LiquidLogic1]

Great video! FYI: If you are doing the microSD card firmware update for the controller, the microSD card MUST BE FORMATTED FOR FAT32. If not, it wont be recognized by the touchscreen controller.

[@davemcgee1546]

Hello Dave been looking at budget printers to upgrade my Anycubic I3 mega and have look at this Neptune 4 pro. What are your thoughts on the pro? Thanks in advance

[@davetriesthis]

The Neptune 4 pro is great. I also just got in the Anycubic kobra 3 and it's excellent as well.

[@davemcgee1546]

@@davetriesthis thanks I just ordered the 4 pro

[@joeking433]

Why wouldn't you order a Bambu A1???

[@JoeyandreaHaas]

I have had a Neptune 4 Pro for two months and am just now having software issues, which are causing other issues with sensors. I bought a Neptune 4 Plus the beginning of December and it has had issues since I opened the box. Again, issues with firmware, but the bed would not level properly, the sensors were not reading properly, after trying to auto level, I wouldn't get any values in the box with all the offset information and the Z axis would never stay in the correct offset position. I've been in touch with support, and they have been pretty good and even sent me 3 boxes of filament so far as compensation, but sadly I'm still having firmware issues and my Plus still doesn't work correctly. I really wish support would do something to make problem solving more efficient, especially considering how much we spend on these printers. I really hope one day to actually be able to use the N4 Plus I spent $450 on lol.

[@davetriesthis]

Yeah it's frustrating. The z-axis was solved with a firmware update for most people and a factory reset or firmware update erases all saved values so goes back to the 0 offset adjustment.

[@dblusion]

What do you do if your printer goes up and starts making a grinding or vibration noise? I have the latest update but still does this.

[@davetriesthis]

Could you tell me more about when this is?

[@mikemonaghan3471]

Excellent information Dave. Thanks for sharing. I'm about to pull the trigger on a Max. It's good to know Elegoo is responsive to their customers.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad to help. I hope you have a good experience as it's a great printer.

[@ChickenBoom]

how about pausing it and then failing to resume (filament loading but head stays in place after resume)

[@davetriesthis]

Never seen that one. Since it has auto resume after power loss maybe switch off for a free mins and then on again?

[@SpringfieldFatts]

Thanks for this, I've got buyer's remorse setting in on this thing especially after the Bambu A1 has come out. Feeling like I should of dished out for better kit...

[@joeking433]

Bingo! If you didn't need large prints you'd be insane to buy the N4Max over the A1!

[@gordonrain7152]

Howdy Dave! Really appreciate your videos, but I've got a dandy for you (since you asked)...I've added a Neptune 4 PRO to my collection of printers and long story short; First 3 prints ran through it beautifully, I was really impressed. Performed a re-setting of Z-height, went fine, the machine tells you to 'Save' and restart, so I saved and restarted...problem is, it won't restart....it's literally DEAD. Pulled the plate underneath, checked for 24v DC, nada, not lights, nada. I even performed the silly unplug/replug of the wires in the display, still DEAD. Whadayathink?

[@davetriesthis]

Ugh. Sounds like motherboard unfortunately. There's no dude on there. You have it on 110v right (this isn't likely to be the issue just asking) I'd email support this along with you serial number and a video of it being dead. Show them the cord plugged in and switching the power and nothing happening. When it's powered on there's lights that are visible under the chassis. These are status lights on the motherboard. You can see them under the front right (when facing it) corner. There are no lights correct? If there are lights it's a dead controller.

[@gordonrain7152]

@@davetriesthis Howdy Dave! Many thanks for being a 'man of your word' and replying to my query so expediently! I must say, that is honestly refreshing... I have been in contact with Elegoo's service team and (as you also claim) they have been excellent. They did do their due diligence to confirm the ingredients of my problem but, they are already sending out a new motherboard and switches plus a complimentary roll of PLA+ as a solution to the issue. I have to wait 7-10 days for shipping, and perform the maintenance myself but I'm OK with that as long as it addresses the problem. Again, many thanks for your input and I will be checking out your channel and subscribing in support!

[@ftumchgtumch732]

Lychee Slicer has settings for the Neptune 4 plus. Also I'll note that the 4 Plus comes with a microSD and USB adapter for it. (it comes in a bag labelled 'Gift') I had no issues with this printer, and after assembly and cal it ran its first print without a hitch. Looking forward to fine tuning now.

[@davetriesthis]

I have to know what your user name means!!

[@andrewsansabrino591]

e@Dave Tries This, Thank you for making a channel that really helps. So few on KZbin like to do anything but review and bash. So I'm new to 3D printing. Bought a new N4 Max 2 weeks ago based on some decent research and thought I made a great decision. With the exception of the test print, I have had constant issues. Leveling is a nightmare (hours spent on this). Z Axis constantly changing. Error messages about print bed not heating. Terrible bed adhesion. Finally thought I had it dialed in after a few small successful prints. Went to bed printing a screen stand for it and woke up to Blob of Death. I really want to love this printer because of the sheer size and what I know it has the potential to make but it is getting harder to not box it back up and leave it for the FedEx man on the step. Sent my email to Elegoo this morning and I hope to hear back soon. Will Elegoo replace it again if it happens again? Is it worth buying another printhead to always have as a backup? Keep up the great work @Dave Tries This

[@davetriesthis]

My pleasure. I just did this post on Reddit recently with things I've learned. Maybe it will help. I'll be making a video on this. www.reddit.com/r/elegoo/comments/1c0q6wr/neptune_4_max_tips_after_2_review_units/ Their support is great and helpful, but getting a part they send you from China to replace something is annoying. If you're getting repeated issues, box it and return it. I know some people who bought on amazon, shipped back ones that didn't work, then bought another and it worked fine.

[@thronex4741]

Just the calibration about the bed leveling the prints don't stick to it when I start the printer for the first time during the day

[@davetriesthis]

It's a good idea to clean the bed if things aren't sticking (mild dish soap like Dawn) but also let your bed warm up before you print. I often give it about 15-30 minutes to warm up. It will improve adhesion. Usually the reason the first doesn't stick and subsequent ones do is because the second print has had enough time to warm up.

[@thronex4741]

@davetriesthis let the bed warm up for 15 to 30 mins and then print will help? Also if the place I stay is dusty then it's better to clean the pei sheet and then start?

[@erikrummel6277]

I’m planning to get the Neptune 4 Max. Thanks for figuring out some of the bugs!!!!!!

[@davetriesthis]

Did you buy it?

[@fingers323]

Very helpful thank you. I been on the fence on getting the Neptune 3 plus or 4 max...with the all the raising issues the 4 have, I think I'm just going to go with the 3, since it will be my 2nd printer. I started with the Ender 3 Pro , 2 years later now I want to start printing bigger prints.

[@davetriesthis]

It's a good call though personally I'd go for that 4 and work through the issues. The speed of the printer is pretty amazing. If you're good with the print speed on the 3 it's excellent and at a good price.

[@thedolenorway]

If your primarily looking for bigger, why is the 3 Max not a part of the picture? Cheaper than the 4 Max and larger than the 3 Plus. I'm looking at bying my first 3D printer. It's frustratingly many variables at play, and unless money is not an issue there seems to be no clear winners. My wallet wants me to get a Neptune 3 Pro, that seems to be a lot of printer for the money. My slightly tamed desire lusts for a 4 Max as I feel like a smaller build volume puts a cap on my creativity. The main issue with the 3 series seems to be the lack of manual bed levelling. If you are lucky it will never be an issue, if you are not it can become a nightmare. The 4 series seems to have some teething issues, and the lack of nozzle availability. There is also the issue presented by the KZbin channel @ProgramThoughts about weird precision anomalies. I don't have the experience to tell if that is a real concern or easily fixable like a lot of commenters seem to think.

[@leeball4]

Go for the 4, if you've been printing on an Ender 3 you can print on anything and it will seem easy in comparison. I'm not a hater either, I love(d) my Ender 3, it enabled me to learn everything I know about 3D printing and gave me the courage to tackle my own mechatronics projects. I'm just saying you've got the skill to work around issues with immature firmware on a superior machine with more potential. The firmware will come.

[@fingers323]

@@leeball4 yeah i ended up going with the 4 plus 😂...so now is just the waiting game ships out sometime in December

[@MrCowboy6588]

Thanks for the great video! I've been FDM printing for a few years and have never had a blob issue, my concern with getting the 4 series is this issue as almost every creator that got sent a machine to review seems to have had the issue - its great to know that Elegoo will send you a new print head if it happens, but is there anything to be done to help prevent it in the first place? The reason that I want to get a 4 Plus/Max is obviously the larger build volume - which means larger prints, which means prints that will very often (by design, even) be left alone on the printer while I'm off doing other things, like sleeping. The threat of the blob of death is very concerning - on my other 3d printers I've opted for new nozzles with ruby or diamond tips, which have really helped avoid any filament sticking to the nozzle in the first place as the coefficient of friction is just so much higher. With the 4 series seeming to have proprietary nozzles, it doesn't look like that's an option for me yet - in your opinion, is it better to wait it out and get a diamondback nozzle when they start making them? Or take your chances with the machine, maybe grab an extra print head for the parts drawer just in case of catastrophic failure, and dive in? Thanks!

[@MrHellsing76]

So, I'm hitting an issue with my Neptune 3 max I know this is a video about the 4 series, but I'm at my wits end, all the axis work, the temp is fine, but no matter how many new hotends, or Proximity sensors I replace, the Homing fails on the Z, going up a little bit, and then a little bit more, I've bought a new hotend with new sensor, same problem, I've swapped with the hotend from the Neptune 3 plus, same problem, I'd replaced the Proximity Sensor from another defective 3 Max, same problem. It gives me the red light so the sensor works, until it needs to work. What is going on with this machine?

[@davetriesthis]

Have you reached out to support? My guess would be a motherboard issue or the cable to the z axis isn't on correctly.

[@johnslugger]

*The Bambu versions of slicer for all Elegoo printers IS THE VERY BEST. They even give smoother prints without all the banding by using corrective G-Code that the others do not have. In-fact my Bambu slicer can print small 1/2" over-hangs without any wasteful supports!*

[@pauloates9028]

Sir I had the blob of death and it was all over the back of the print head. When I removed it I broke the wires off. Elegoo sent me a new hot end and I replaced it. Now when I try to level it. I start with the manual leveling and then do the automatic. When I do it shoves the nozzle down hard on the bed. I tried to set the z access but it still returns to pushing the nozzle hard against the bed like it thinks that the bed is lower than it is. How can I fix this

[@mohdshakkirmohdjamal3143]

I have the same problem..how u fix it

[@Nova-ii1ou]

Hey Dave, I'm new to 3D printing/ELEGOO Neptune 4. I just got the printer for Christmas, but I've been having issues with trying to use the latest version of ELEGOO Cura 5.6. I noticed in the video that you mentioned the lack of official support for the Neptune 4, and that the "best" version to use is the 4.8. Do you know if there have been any recent updates on Neptune 4 support? Also How can I contact their team to ask about supporting Neptune 4 on ELEGOO Cura 5.6?

[@Kaynstein]

I had some luck with the newest version. If you haven't, you should try it out. They got some good predefined settings

[@bradaguilar49]

When my filament raps around the head and Hardens I just put the printer in preheat mode and with some long thin plyers I slowly and carefully get the wet junk out. It works and can save you form having to get a new heat end.

[@davetriesthis]

It works unless the filament wraps around the thermistor and heater wires and cools. Then the hot end is toast. The wires are about a mm thick and there's no way to remove the filament from around them without breaking them

[@BAD-Canon]

I’m new to 3d printing by like a week. I’m using orca slicer and followed your tips on the newer video for bed levelling. I’m curious if printer profiles have improved? I’m using what was recommended for Neptune 4 max by orca.

[@cedricmaltais5662]

I’m having so much issues with my N4Max I wish to update de firmware but I don’t get everything you explained here …. Any video that do it step by step ? I’m getting lost in all that stuff

[@BenderTheOffender]

One more thing: If you want to print TPU, and the extruder keeps on jamming (no filament extruded, extruder making ticking noises), reduce the tension of the spring inside the printhead. Too much pressure on the filament will lead to jams. For TPU, as little tension as possible is the best. You have to remove the hotend cover and use a 2mm hex driver. Turn it clockwise for less tension, turn ist counter clockwise for more tension. So turn it clockwise as far as you can, print 0.2mm layer height, and not faster than 30mm/s.

[@davetriesthis]

Good notes for TPU! I've had both extruder clicking from jams and from a defective extruder drive motor. The gears were slipping and it sounded exactly like a jam but after I got it up to temp and got the nozzle off, there was no filament in at all. So I eventually got to taking the extruder off the motor and the drive mechanism of the motor was slipping.

[@francoisgravel4139]

Thank you Dave. I have my new Neptune 4 Max for 5 days now and it is not working as expected. Seems like I found the best trick to stick to the bed,... white glue diluded 2:1 with water, apply to the bed and let dry it at 50 deg bed. But still all my print have the same issues, the print head seems to rub on the parts and breaking my supports and/or fills. Seems like the Z is going dowm too much!!!!!

[@davetriesthis]

Have you re-adjusted the z-axis? The pei bed doesn't need/shouldn't have glue. Adhesion issues on the pei surface are caused by 1) oil on the surface. Including/especially the oil on your hands. 2) bed temperature. Be sure you're not set to cool plate as the surface. 3) slice your models with the infill or gyroid. Grid can cause the head to knock over the print if it's tall.

[@Ferineas]

Thanks for this video. I ordered EN 4 MAX yesterday, so hope everything will work fine. But probably I'll need this advices :D

[@altheaftermath]

Super useful thanks for the video. I have a Neptune 4 max printed great at first, but now it drags filament around and most prints are spoiled on the first 1-5% of the prints. Anytime would be appreciated. Thanks!

[@davetriesthis]

That sounds like the x axis offset is too high. Give it another shot leveling it. Sounds crazy but it also might be that the nozzle is too low so the filament is getting pulled by it. In either case check the offset.

[@deanroadifer6013]

Thanks for the info. I just got my new Neptune 4 plus today and got it set up and printed the idol and it came out perfect. I also downloaded the new Cura 5.6 for elegoo today and will install it on my working computer tomorrow. Have you had any experience using the .6 and .8 nozzles on this machine?

[@davetriesthis]

I haven't used them although I have a .6. The profiles in elegoo, at least as of when 5.6 was released, didn't have any changes for the .6 or .8. Volumetric flow and speed etc were all the same. Which makes for a bad print.

[@jensnielsen7734]

ok dave just because your vid helped me out ill relate my story for you. first of all thankyou, im back to printing again, turns out with all the available slicers and what nots i some how screwed up the software somewhere, i thought i had actually burnt out my stepper motor on my extruder( neptune 4 plus),it wouldnt load filament just rock back and forth,so i called up warranty and got a warranty request started , I DIDNT NEED TO DO SO, after watching your vid i was convinced it couldnt be hardware as machine was only 2 weeks old, so i methodically loaded the newest firmware shut down machine ( as you said in vid) loaded tft file in controller "sucessed" , shut down again and repeated it all a second time , like you said sometimes it takes two attempts to load the firmware so i just did it twice. Now its printing again and we are making stuff just as fast as before, as for loading profiles and using other slicers ( this is how i ended up here) im just gonna stick with cura until orca has an official release for the neptune 4 plus as a newbie i should probably take it slow and try to learn some shit first before screwing up the printer again.

[@davetriesthis]

I'm glad you got it working! I had an issue with my extruder that was similar to this. In my case it was a clearly crimped cable I had installed poorly and they sent me the new cable. That do-the-firmware-twice thing is the ticket. :)

[@MikeAnderson-n5r]

Have a Neptune 4 Max. My second printer (first was a Bambi Lab X1C). Just had a weird print fail… grinding noise woke me up, the long part fan is impacting the edge of the part. Because the part is a large flat piece that covers most of the bed, no way to rehome. Can’t restart after pausing because the print head seems to be lost.

[@MikeAnderson-n5r]

Also: the first layer is like a “skin” on the second and later layers, and the sparse infill was cubic… am now reprinting at slower speed and using honeycomb sparse infill, seems to be printing more stably.

[@jmpeller]

Great video, Dave. Thanks for posting.

[@davetriesthis]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@yoululauren5340]

I am looking for a bigger printer for a while, 4 plus has the features I want, and within budget. However, I have concern about not able to use latest version of Cura. If I don't have better choices, I will wait for the profile for 4 plus to be ready on Cura.

[@davetriesthis]

The excellent Orca Slicer just updated to 1.8 and it has profiles for the Neputne 4 line. I use Orca more than Cura these days, and I've got three Neptune 4 machines right now running prints sliced on Orcan and they look great.

[@JohnnyDCactus]

Hello, thanks for the advise and the video. I bought a Neptune 4 pro about a week ago and printed multiple small projects without any issues. For the past 2 days iv been trying to print larger thing which require a decent amount of infill. The issue im currently facing is the Nozzle rubbing against the infill. I have disabled combing and enabled Z axis hop and even changed infill type from Grid to Triangle with no success. I have even sat there changing the Z axis as it prints and even after changing the axis by an entire +1mm it still grinds against the infill. im running out of options and im not sure what to do as im fairly new to the hobby. would greatly appreciate the help. Thank you!

[@davetriesthis]

The main problem here is that both grid and triangle have the same issue when it comes to printing things, which is that the printed moves across the print before it has time to cool. Since the printhead moves across the exact same surface every pass, you end up having a knock over the item. Grid should absolutely not be the default in slicers. Switch to Gyroid for your default pattern. If you're using an infill pattern, like triangle or grid and use more of it, you're more likely to have the print knocked over. A bigger print doesn't need more infill to keep from getting knocked over, more infill just makes the print heavier. If you want more, strength in your print increase the number of walls. Walls are usually one wall by default three makes it much stronger and makes it very strong. When I do a very large print, I decrease the info amount or I use an info like adaptive cubic. This ends up using very little infill but I the walls to three or four to get a more solid print. Higher and Phil at this point just makes the print more dense, uses more filament, and takes longer to print. Z axis offset should be set once, and once it is done properly, you should not change it again. It's either right and you get a good first layer or it's wrong and you don't. Go back and set your Z height and tested using something like a temperature tower or a benchy. If that comes out right your z axis offset is right.

[@JohnnyDCactus]

@@davetriesthis This was very insightful!! thank you very much!

[@russshanks5913]

Just bought Neptune 4 Pro at Walmart and got "MCU shutdown: ADC out of range..." on startup. Never even got to level the bed yet. I did turn the on/off switch off and waited a few minutes and back on and same error BUT I never unplugged the power cable, I'll try that tonight. Also, I did not get one of those orange thumb drives with mine. Just the black "Giveaway" one with a 512MB SD Card in it. I also did not get the two extra print nozzles that others have gotten??? I have sent pics to Elegoo support but I think they are sleeping now. Nice video thanks.

[@youngwolf20]

I just got my neptune 4 plus and the head is slamming into the print bed any time I try to level it. then it comes back with the firmware message you showed on your video. it has left a notable indent on the print bed. thankfully I didn't have the plate on it.

[@mosesthemouse]

Ty, I have had the wire issues, once from blob, and once because I shifted the clip while changing nozzles. 4 plus. I get great prints for a while, then it seems my z offset changes from moment to moment. Like I'll use the level button, save the offset and restart, hit the level button again, and get a different z offset

[@n0od1es]

My brother just bought the 4 plus, got it all set up and was doing a test print of a benchy when the filament broke in the extruder/hot end, he was able to get the filament out however it seems like there is something still stuck between the extruder and the hot end, after multiple attempts to dislodge what it is to no success, any thoughts?

[@PetridesArt]

Dave, thanks for all the guidance on the 4 max. Question about the silicone bushings….the pack I received from Amazon by Creality seems to have two heights…I think you mentioned to use the shorter ones? And toss the taller ones?

[@davetriesthis]

My pleasure! See how your bed looks when you're done. If the bumpers are not compressed at all and the sides of the bed are lower than the middle then use the longer ones instead.

[@PetridesArt]

@@davetriesthis Dave another question please…my N4 max when homing hits the bed and grinds away (on the Z axis)… I updated firmware to the .65 version and persists…now wondering whether sensor is broken somehow (how do I fix) or other? Thanks Dave

[@gwjones12]

Hi Dave, My very first 3D print is the Neptune 4 Max, got it shipped to me in Canada in early December 2023. The setup manual was not that great (all pictures, very few words). The manufacturer's assembly video was better but still missed some details like: i) unpacking; I thought I got all the foam, but when I tried to slide the bed back and forth it was rubbing on more form. Got rid of that to find it still didn't feel like it was sliding it's full extent... there were 4 plastic blocks under the bed too. ii) the diagram of how to screw the print head to the bar was way to small to show the level of detail that would have been required to put them in - shows a front view when really you need a back view to see the screw placement. That 3rd back screw hole is difficult to find. iii) Took me a couple of KZbin videos to figure out how to get the folded cable into the clip on the Z axis and where along the cable the clip fastened. iv) there's black zip ties included in the box - what are they for? v) Is the main ribbon cable supposed to be flopping off behind the print head - is it going to touch a large print job - is that what the zip ties are for - again, where do they go? vi) more spare parts a) what I think is a nozzle cleaner? A spare nozzle, or maybe one that's a different size? No clue. Final note, the "U disk" (they mean a USB Drive) fits in the printer but not into my laptop - it won't fit in the hole, to wide... weird. Well, after all that, and watching your warning video I dove in and followed the simple instructions to print the default "buhda" - it worked perfectly! So happy it's all going well!

[@davetriesthis]

Zomg I ran into the four plastic block issues too but i don't think everyone had them. I talked to @unclejessy about it, and I don't think he had the blocks, or he was just smart enough to take them out. It was grinding so badly I was sure it was broken until one calibration attempt it shot one out the back. If you think these manuals are bad, I just started testing a printer with by far the worst translations to english of any printer. I'd rather build IKEA stuff than deal with that.

[@deep6predator1]

thank you so much Dave, very much appreciated, i am suck now with two 4 max's, my first one worked flawlessly,, then crashed and will not print, my second one, i got last week printed great first print now same as first. what i gather from your vid is its firmware. i load a file on my thumb drive, it moves around about 30 seconds then freezes or locks up. and just sits there, the bed does not heat either. whats your advice? THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@talhashaukat8245]

Can you explain how to setup the a Axis properly as it’s my first printer and sometimes my printer head just takes the material right off the plate . I try adjusting it with piece of paper several times as instructions said lower the print head till you cannot push it in but with a gentle push or more force is required. I am a Medical student I just want to print stuff like bones and skeletons mainly and sometimes as a hobby things I designed in blender . I am currently using orcs slicer for G code , should I switch to some other slicer .

[@davetriesthis]

Sounds like you've zeroed out the z axis just fine. This sounds like adhesion issues. Often that is from a print bed with oil on it. Can come from fingers when trying to remove things. Take off the flexible metal print bed, wash with dawn or other gentle dish soap. Let air dry. Then wipe it with IPA. You probably have access to 99% which is great but 70% will do well. If you mean though that the print head is dragging prints across the bed then your z axis is probably a bit low. Raise it in .1 or .01 increments and try to print again.

[@cristispy127]

I own a neptune 4 pro and most of the problems presented by you I also had them. I hope that the gentlemen from elegoo wake up to the task and make a profile on the latest version of the cure, it is embarrassing to sell thousands of printers and not I am concerned about a problem discussed on all forums and groups. I asked where to buy replacement nozzles, they said that they will sell soon if I have problems to contact them. I bought high flow nozzles from China, I hope there is some quality in them.

[@davetriesthis]

Let me address the nozzle issue since it's the one you said you were concerned about. The printers started shipping a few months ago and less for the plus and max. Nearly 100% of users want a .4 nozzle even if they'll buy a .2 or .6. It's the standard size. A much smaller part of the user base wants those .2 and .6 etc nozzles. They'll have nozzles in all the sizes. It's a new product and the other companies that make nozzles haven't done the tooling yet to make these because they're new and making a new nozzle takes a while. That at least is a problem that will end.

[@filker0]

Thanks for the information. I got my Neptune 4 pro yesterday - it's my first 3D printer. I assembled it carefully, plugged it in, and did all the things it says to do in the book; as far as I can tell, the firmware that is installed is the latest. When I went to do the test print, the only real problem I had was that the tension on the dual-gear feed mechanism in the extruder needed to be adjusted several turns (which made me nervous I was doing something wrong) for the rapid PLA filament that came with it to be pulled into the hot-end of things. The test print took 38 minutes, and looks pretty much flawless, so I'm pretty happy there. I do have some issues with the directions from both the tutorial that came on the thumb drive and in the printed manual: * They say to use a sheet of A4 paper to do the Z offset calibration; A4 is a dimensional specification for how the paper is cut and does not refer to the weight/thickness of the paper. It would be much more useful if they gave the weight (I have some 27, 28, 32 and 34 lb laser and inkjet printer paper, and was not sure which to use - it would have been better if they provided a controlled sample to use for the adjustment. * The instructions are not at all clear as to whether '+' or '-' reduces the gap between the nozzle and the print plate. * There was no mention of the red filament that I assume was between the filament drive and the nozzle, since it came out first * No mention the glue stick that comes with the printer; it (along with the USB micro-SD/TF card adapter card in the bag labeled "Giveaway"). I didn't use it it for the test print and that caused no problems I saw. - I'm not quite sure when I am supposed to use it I am a bit concerned that the choices in the UI on the touchscreen seem not to include all of the filament types the printer can handle such as nylon and "rapid PLA". I don't know if this is an issue or not - I still have a lot to learn and I've not yet received the filament I ordered at the same time I ordered the printer, not all of it "rapid" PLA, , so I will have to wait to know if there are any real problems.

[@robbierollz]

I just bought the 4 max as my first printer and it arrives today. I have a lot of learning to do but I found this helpful. At least now I know what to check. Thanks @filker0

[@salaria201]

@filker do you have drift problem along z axis diagonally?? Try to print a cylinder and check if it is with in tolerances at different places.. I checked on different forums and seems a generic problem in 4 pro.. i have also ordered the same and this info is making me nervous..

[@davetriesthis]

* They say to use a sheet of A4 paper to do the Z offset calibration; A4 is a dimensional specification for how the paper is cut and does not refer to the weight/thickness of the paper. It would be much more useful if they gave the weight (I have some 27, 28, 32 and 34 lb laser and inkjet printer paper, and was not sure which to use - it would have been better if they provided a controlled sample to use for the adjustment. >> A4 is especially weird as a measuring device as we don't have A4 paper dimensions in the US. The thickness they want is the thickness of standard, not higher weight, printer/copier paper. You can also get a feeler gague whcih is more precise. Here's the one I have, the bummer is i only need one thicknes but there's no single-thickness feeler. amzn.to/3GisiQR * The instructions are not at all clear as to whether '+' or '-' reduces the gap between the nozzle and the print plate. This drives me mad as well. I have a sign near my printer to remind me. To go from a negative value toward 0 turn counter clockwise. www.canva.com/design/DAF1ZBqY3H0/J4vk28M0KlALvBGyI-jmRA/edit?DAF1ZBqY3H0& That's a graphical explanation. * There was no mention of the red filament that I assume was between the filament drive and the nozzle, since it came out first Printheads are tested before leaving the factory. The red filament is the remainder of the filament they used. They tend to use whatever is on hand. * No mention the glue stick that comes with the printer; it (along with the USB micro-SD/TF card adapter card in the bag labeled "Giveaway"). I didn't use it it for the test print and that caused no problems I saw. - I'm not quite sure when I am supposed to use it >> The gluestick is largely used for the smooth plates that used to come with printers. The PEI plates that come with the Neptune series now don't generally require any gluestick. If you get prints not sticking it's best to take the plate and wash with warm water and a bit of dish soap before the first print, and to clean with rubbing alcohol prior to printing. Grease of any kind makes prints not stick, and just touching the bed when removing plates can leave grease or oils. Alcohol removes them. * I am a bit concerned that the choices in the UI on the touchscreen seem not to include all of the filament types the printer can handle such as nylon and "rapid PLA". >> The choices on the touch screen are simply for preheating, not for the right settings for the printer. Settings for different filament types is done in the slicing software. Preheating is used to save time when starting a print as you can do it while you're slicing your model, and it's also used to heat the bed and head for good auto calibration.

[@juhajuntunen2557]

A4 is usually normal copier paper 80 grams/square meter. It doesnt really matter what paper you use, thin or thick because this is mean to made sure printhead is same distance all over bed, like say 0,05mm . When first layer is printed, it got equal distance from print bed and start is best possible. Automatic measuring and correction do not remove that problem if, say, one corner is 2mm lower, it makes print crooked/twisted.

[@jenniferrusso-y6v]

I have the Neptune four pro and I was not sure about which filament to purchase. I used the regular PLA filament and it did fine with my first two projects. But then I realized that Elegoo sold rapid filament. When I switched my rapid filament for my regular PLA filament the projects did not print as well. Do I need to change any speed or heating or ANY parameters for the PLA that is rapid or should it just work the same as the regular?

[@c.rutherford]

I sure hope the Neptune 4 series can work with regular PLA filament! If your first two projects printed fine, then it looks like it does. Let us know otherwise. I would hate to be limited to the 'rapid' product

[@joeking433]

I can get most prints to print on the N4Max but a few of my own cad models that print fine on other printers won't print on the Max. The temperatures never get over zero. Any ideas why this happens? I've used Cura. and Orca and the same problem exists.

[@fourthdivision2052]

Hey, I just got the Neptune 4 Plus. I have it all assembled properly but when I turn the unit on There is no action on the display screen. No logo, no messages.. nothing. Did I get a bad display module or is there a fix. All cabling to the module seems good.

[@fourthdivision2052]

Figured it out... 230 to 115 selection on the left side sorry to bring worry

[@davetriesthis]

No problem. That switch should be somewhere more visible.

[@2001pulsar]

Got the 4 pro. New firmware is different, and had to adjust the cura 5 settings a bit to get things right for PLA. Now started using PLA+ and it's quite different from normal PLA. Bed adhesion seems to be the biggest issue, especially with flow, temperature, extrusion and bed levelling correct. Z hop is my main issue now, as it's intermittently applied by cura and collisions seem unavoidable on larger or complex prints.

[@PWIZZLE7]

Neptune 4 Pro... it has issues where it drags the nozzle across the printed areas. it's only occasionally and I'm not sure which parameter to adjust to fix it

[@davidbehrmann8624]

In a different video i saw it was said to turn of combing in the settings. Hope this helps

[@randomDIYguy-k4r]

I was in the middle of my first big print and a support tree got knocked off the build plate mysteriously. I bet this is what happened

[@tux9714]

Have this happen all the time, looking for more answers as well

[@Blackrhyme7]

Happening to me on some prints, where I can hear nozzle slightly catching infil as it moves across the print. I usually adjust z offset mid print to help with the issue. To me it seems like z steps are not fully achieved what I mean that instead 0.2mm step it does 0.18 and after few layers the head is low enough to start catching the print

[@mosesthemouse]

The z hop doesn't work right , use avoid printed parts instead

[@terencejackson569]

Thanks Dave, I got my max for Christmas, was printing fine , until the dreaded blob of death. I ordered two new complete extruders and elegoo is sending a new hot end.

[@davetriesthis]

I didn't know extruders were available now!!

[@JessTolman-h1z]

@Dave tries this, I was having firmware issue and attempted to update it. I am running the Neptune 4 pro and once I got everything updated and started up my machine it just goes into standby mode. I have call IT on this and they gave me a new update firmware file for both the screen and the machine, but it still gets stuck in Standby. Have you seen this happen before or is it just me and I messed something up. Elegoo is sending me a new motherboard as well.

[@davetriesthis]

I haven't seen the standby issue. I'd guess it's a motherboard issue if they're sending it. I did one recently and it's super easy. Take a bunch of photos of where all the cables plug in to be sure. Make sure you unplug one cable at a time and plug it into the same place in the new one. Took me about 20 minutes but I thought it would be hours.