DIY Prusa i3 bed probe induction switch mount

thingiverse

I make robots for Marginally Clever. Your support lets me take the risks so you don't have to. In theory, the 3d printer can probe the print bed and get a perfect first layer without the user having to endlessly recalibrate. In a previous thing I tried a switch on a servo arm: the arm lowers the switch, probes the bed, and then retracts the switch. In practice this solution was bad. the probed values were inconsistent, and the software thought the bed was on a crazy angle that didn't match reality. Now I'm trying an induction switch. It doesn't have to touch the bed, it doesn't have to move, and so the probe results should be more consistent. Update 2018: induction probes are now standard on Prusa i3 MK2+. Instructions Used one LJ12A3-4-Z/BY Inductive Proximity Sensor from Marginally Clever. Printed this part. Attached the mount to the side of the extruder head (see photo) Altered my Marlin configure.h by following various instructions 1, 2 and using some common sense. Don't skip testing!