Came back to a printer that won't turn on

[TheOrvinator]

Hi guys,
I have a HIC Prusa i3 3DP-12. This is my first time working with a 3d printer, and it’s fun! After assembly, I printed 2 parts with no problem and was very pleased with the quality. However, the 3rd part was estimated to take 5 hours, so I started it and left it. I could have sworn I heard some clicking while I was gone, but it didn’t register in my mind, and I honestly may have made it up. When I came back, the print was only half finished, and the printer was off, even though the power switch was still on. Now, no matter how many times I unplug it and flip the switch, there is no response at all. One thing that was interesting was that afterwards, I was manually turning the screws for the Z-axis and the left one made a snapping sound before turning in my hand as it normally would. I’m not sure if a stepper motor blew out and fried something, or if my control board or power supply went dead. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

[wirlybird]

Check for blown fuses and bad connections. Verify the wall outlet is still working! Like a breaker popped on a power strip.

After these things it will be tracing where the power stops at. Do you get power out of the power supply etc.

[TheOrvinator]

Ok, finally got a voltmeter and poked a bit. Turns out, the signal stops right after the power switch on the control board! I’m hoping HIC will replace the switch. In the meantime, can I simply just bypass the switch and wire the power supply right into where the switch would connect?

[jfield]

Some switches have a fuse in them? Does yours? Of course if it does, and it did blow, the question is why?

[TheOrvinator]

Hmm. I don’t know if mine has a fuse. How would I find out? And if it does, how would I find out why it blew?

[jfield]

I’ve seen some machines that come with a switch with a replaceable fuse in it. Not sure if this is what you have. Also unplug the power cord and check that the connector crimps are good and tight.

[wirlybird]

Some of mine are like this and some actually have a fuse inside on the board. good pic of the switch. I never noticed the little space where the fuse is until I searched for it. Easy to over look.

[TheOrvinator]

Hey guys,
To update, after waiting for 4 weeks for a replacement switch (embedded in the cage) from HICTOP, I finally received it, installed it, and found that it completely solved the problem! Thanks for the help.