New printer, missing power cable, closed bite valve, missing cartridge error

#1

Hi All,

I purchased a brand new Form 2 and I’ve run into several issues I could use your help with.

There was no power cable in any of the boxes, neither was there one in the finish kit. I found one around the house and got the printer running, no problem.
The cartridge bite valve was sealed shut, something I was told to check by the dealer. Lots of squeezing revealed no slit, so I gently made one with a scalpel and all seems fine. The printer is on the wifi network, but for some reason Preform can’t find the printer. The IP address when entered manually also doesn’t help. I connected via usb and managed to update the firmware.

But both before and after the firmware update I’m also getting a no cartridge error. The contacts are all looking good (it’s a new printer, new cartridge after all) but I can’t get passed the no cartridge error.

Any tips on how to solve this?

Thanks everyone

#2

Hey there @Stevejack,

Thanks for taking the time to post! I’m so sorry you’ve run into a couple issues with your new Form 2. That’s certainly not the experience we want any of our customers to have, especially right at the beginning of their ownership.

In order to resolve this issue most efficiently, please reach out to our support team at the link below and we’ll take whatever steps are necessary to get you printing ASAP. You should hear back from us within 1 business day and we’ll be on our way. Again, I’m so sorry for the less than ideal experience you’ve had thus far. If you have any questions for me here please don’t hesitate to ask.

https://support.formlabs.com/s/contact-support?language=en_US

#3

I’ve had issues with the no cartridge thing a few times now. I’ve learned that if you push the cartridge all the way to the bottom then raise it up VERY slowly and gently it’ll recognize once you hit the “sweet” spot. Not the greatest quality, but hey, it works. And rather than waiting on FL to send a whole new cartridge you can get it to work this way.

#4

Thanks Aalfaro, I managed to get it working like this from a suggestion on one of the facebook groups. Basically lift the cartridge slightly, and insert a small wedge between the cartridge handle and the plastic surround to keep it in place and apply slight pressure on the chip.
Works great like this, but if I try to open or close the vent cap it will shift and give me the no cartridge error until I re-seat it with the wedge.
I was worried it would lose contact during a print, but so far (many hours of printing) it hasn’t been an issue.
Thanks for your help

#5

Due to these issues they changed the behavior of the cartridge detection.

Once it is detected and the print is started, you can basically take the cartridge out and replace it for a random other one. My printer just continued printing… lol.