IR Probe 1.4
Overview
These 3D Printer IR Probes use modulated infra-red LEDs to accurately detect proximity to the print surface, allowing for automatic bed-levelling while printing.
Compared to mechanical probe solutions - such as a servo and microswitch - these probes have the advantage of requiring no moving components, weighing less, and having a higher degree of repeatability and reliability. Compared to inductive or capacitive probes, these boards are less dependent on the material of the print surface, working even on glass, and do not require any special electronics or wiring to interface with most printer control boards. Combined with a high degree of immunity from background IR sources, these boards are ideal for nearly any printer build.
We've designed these probes to mount to a standard 30mm fan - this means they're immediately compatible with all E3D V6 and Lite6 HotEnds, mounting directly to the fan with no modification or adaptor necessary. Additionally, these boards use a lightweight cable with a compact connector, in order to make wiring as easy as possible.
To mount to a printer without a suitable 30mm fan, all that is required are two screw holes. These should be spaced 24mm apart horizontally, and at a distance of 22mm above the tip of the nozzle. See the attached mechanical drawings for further information.
These probes will trigger at an approximate distance of 3mm from the print surface. Recommended mounting height is that the bottom edge of the PCB be 1-2mm above the tip of the nozzle, and the probe's Z-offset can be tweaked in firmware to achieve the desired bed-levelling results.
Advantages
- Easy to install:
- Mounts directly to E3D V6 & Lite6, printable adaptors available for many other hotends & printers (see Hotend Compatibility)
- Plugs directly into many common control boards through included cable (see Electronics Compatibility)
- Works with many common bed surfaces
- Lightweight (<3g)
- Compact
- No moving parts
- High repeatability for accurate bed levelling
Specifications
- Dimensions: 30.00x23.75mm
- Weight: 2.5g (excluding cable)
- Trigger distance: 3mm from edge of PCB
- Trigger Repeatability: 0.005mm (5µm) Standard Deviation
- Included Cable Length: 100cm
Improvements from 1.3
Compact Form Factor
- capacitor C1 decreased in height to reduce profile of board, easier to fit probe in tight spaces
- smaller JST-SH connector used, connector no longer protrudes from body of probe
Selectable Digital or Analog Output
- separate output pins for both modes
- mode no longer dependent on automatic detection of control board
Improved Control Board Compatibility
- strong pull-ups on certain control boards no longer prevent probe from working
General Improvements
- faster boot time (<1s instead of 6s)
Backwards Compatibility
V1.4 is largely backwards compatible with V1.3. The mechanical mounting holes and dimensions are identical, and all mounting arrangements for V1.3 should work fine with V1.4.
Notably, the provided cable is different, so a re-wire may be necessary to swap to V1.4.
HotEnd Compatibility
These are the HotEnds we've tested with or had reports of success with. If you're interested in trying something different, or if you've tried a different HotEnd with our probe, let us know how it went!
HotEnd | Compatible | Adaptor Required | Notes |
E3D-V6 | Yes | No | Mounts to fan duct with existing screws |
E3D-Lite6 | Yes | No | Mounts to fan duct with existing screws |
E3D Chimera | Yes | No | Mounts to fan duct with existing screws |
E3D Cyclops | Yes | No | Mounts to fan duct with existing screws |
E3D-V6 or Lite6 with Volcano | Yes | Yes | Printable adaptor available here. |
Mark8 Extruder + Hotend Combination | Yes | Yes | Printable adaptor available here. |
Electronics Compatibility
These are the boards we have tested the probe with. It is likely the probe is compatible with other boards as well - if you try a different control board and it works, let us know so we can add it to the list.
Configuring Firmware
IR Probe Firmware Setup (Marlin 1.1.0+)
IR Probe Firmware Setup (Marlin 1.1.0-RC4+)
IR Probe Firmware Setup (Marlin 1.1.0-RC1+)
IR Probe Firmware Setup (Smoothieware)
Notes
After receiving power the on-board LED will flash twice, indicating the board is ready for use.
Buy It
Resources
Links
STL Placeholder / Model of IR Probe V1.4 (Thingiverse)
Printable mount for MaxMicron printers (Thingiverse)
Printable mount for Geeetech Prusa i3 X (Thingiverse)
Printable mount for MK8 Extruder + Hotend combo (Thingiverse)
Printable mount for MK8 Extruder + Hotend combo (Thingiverse)
Printable mount for NEMA-17 motors (Thingiverse)