Current BL-touch firmware is really still v 1.0.2?
That's the version that people got working for BL-Touch v3.1?

My Ender-6 was delivered with firmware version 1.0.4.
In case something goes wrong with that firmware, i want to have a backup of my current firmware.
But the latest non-BL-Touch firmware on the various creality download sites is only v.1.0.1.

@admin rather than post files in this forum, can you also please arrange to update download site with newest non-BL-Touch firmware (at least v.1.0.4)?

thanks!

@sblakey8 best to check and post in the ender 6 forum for ender 6 stuff.

https://forum.creality.com/topic/1005/bl-touch-connection/3

To plug into the little board near the extruder you indeed need a cable with the same connector on both ends. It's called molex Picoblade, or unofficially/incorrectly/knockoff named "JST 1.25" 5-pin. Have not seen ready-made cables sold yet. You have to make it yourself.

• Either from bl touch extension cable:
  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqs6rGUX9yw
• Or from normal cables. I used this
  https://www.ebay.de/itm/JST-GH-1-25mm-Stecker-Stecker-28AWG-Kabel-Connector-2-10-Pin-Micro-Mini-1-25/183673793236
• Or crimp on your own connector

Recommend you read up good on firmware and know what you're getting yourself into, because the only support coming from creality in this forum at the moment is a link to (probably) outdated firmware. There are so many people screwing their printers up, probably by doing something wrong in the flashing process.

The guide and help here seems to be more coherent
https://forums.creality3dofficial.com/download/

Do what you want, but I'm not going to flash anything yet myself, until i can find a backup of my current firmware v1.0.4 (or newer). All they have posted now are older ones. I don't want to join the "bricked" thread, so I'm patiently waiting..................

Probably somebody else knows, but in the meantime, maybe you try some of the checks/adjustments mentioned here
https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html

Should be able to narrow it down before spending the time on another of those globes.

@jgates19966 unfortunately, if you've tried everything, there is indeed nothing else you can do

Can be frustrating but it takes experimenting... Even different colours of the same filament type/brand on the same printer can behave differently.
Some are more sensitive to settings than others. Keep track of exactly what you've tried and what works/doesn't (especially around temperatures).

Lots of resources out there. I like this one https://teachingtechyt.github.io/troubleshooting.html#firstlayer or youtube.
Good luck

maybe it's time to post a success story here...

and i take it back. creality DID post a how-to for BL Touch on Ender-6:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjK9ECebMA

I can confirm that the firmware 1.0.4.9 and BL touch 3.1 do play nice together.
i used one that was labelled for ender-3 v2.

bought another picoblade connector (pre-wired), cut the big connector off the bl touch cable, wired the new one up colour-for-colour (ok, green was supposed to be white). otherwise it was plug and play, following the video exactly step by step.

i'm pretty sure using a fresh-formatted empty sd card is a step missed by a lot of people who later have problems. or not having the bl touch connected during flashing (or "brushing" as creality calls it) or during startup. and dont forget to disonnect the Z end-stop. if testing before mounting the unit, make sure it's vertical so the pin can drop freely.

also, before i soldered on the new cable end, i tested with some alligator clips. the ender did NOT like that at all: all the stepper motors growled like an angry wolf pack whenever BL was plugged in. pretty scary, but luckily the final cable solder job stopped this. I assume it was interference with PWM.

only thing left to solve is how to store the bed mesh and z offset, so it doesn't have to measure after powering off.

@jan141282 said in Firmware for Ender 6 to support BL touch V3.1:

I have also placed the bl-touch wit the latest firmware and it works the only problem is that the settings aren't written
in the EEPROM of the mainboard but on the micro SD in the file eeprom.dat . so if you replace the sd wit an other you settings are gone.

you're right about the eeprom.dat on sd card - weird that they would do that! maybe it is a mistake?

i was finally able to get the bed level measurements to stay also, by measuring directly after flashing the BL firmware. then power off, remove sd card, delete the firmware .bin file (keep eeprom.dat!), and put sd back in the printer.

@Pyrolev787 Very happy to report that both of these are now posted at creality3dofficial

https://forums.creality3dofficial.com/download/ender-series/ender-6/

There are lots of guides out there for other creality printers, but unfortunately not much for ender-6 yet. Might take a while for one of those flashy creality how-to videos, but never know. Hope somebody will shed some light eventually though. In the meantime trial/error and keep googlin' i guess....

@GZZ agree 100%, should not be on SD!

And that also seems backwards: that disable auto bed level means it doesn't read stored values. Annoying.
You'd think disabled = read & use the stored mesh,
Enabled = will measure again before print, so don't necessarily need to read.

If you have the right G code in your slicer though, and there is a valid mesh, it should be ok to leave ABL off in the lcd menu but still read & use the stored mesh... But I haven't had a chance to try yet.

Should be able to bypass the whole faulty menu by using serial terminal, although I don't think that solves the SD card mistake. Probably needs firmware editing.

@dman said in Firmware for Ender 6 to support BL touch V3.1:

Hi, I have BLtouch version 3.1. The cable between the BLTouch and the PCB has only 1 JST connector for the BLTouch. The other end of the cable just has female headers to connect to the adapter boards.

Yeah i fell in the same trap, believing they might have come with cables for Ender-6. It seems they are not being sold yet.

Do you know which JST connector is needed to connect to the PCB mounted to the frame?

It's exactly the same as what goes into the bl touch itself. I learned that these smaller connectors are technically not JST connectors (JST being a company), they are "Picoblade 5-pin" connectors designed by company Molex. If you buy from an electronics shop, that's the right name. If you buy from amazon/etc, then the same are sold with the (wrong) name "JST 1.25mm 5-pin".

Or you can buy a bl touch extension cable, which has 1 of those on one end, and something else on the other. Maybe you can find the right extension kit that plugs into what you got with your bl touch. If not, you probably have to do some cutting and soldering.

In any case, you need to end up with a cable with identical connectors at each end, and pay attention to the wiring!

This is how mine ended up.

You mean bl touch was working before this happened? Was it after a firmware upgrade that it started happening?

Could be loose/wrongly connected wires somewhere too (new bl touch?). Or maybe even interference with bl touch cable if it's wrapped around something or not neatly wired.

There is also a 1.0.4.9 bl touch firmware now.

@Carlu3D ok in this case I understand. You are paying a bit for convenience, and the ender 5's are quite tried and true. I was thinking you can go more bare parts, but would require more work.

If you want more volume, ender 5 plus is bigger.

Moreover, since you are printing clay, 2x Z screws are probably a safer bet for carrying weight.

The bed heater always comes installed, but you can leave it, and probably just unplug it.

Kris Kersey, Kersey Fabrications on youtube, has a lot of videos for both ender 5's, including pretty in-depth stuff like editing/customizing firmware in case you need to do that.

@Carlu3D there is bound to be a cheaper way, but ok.. probably say do a lot of reading and research. mainly read up on how gcode works and might be applied to do what you are trying to do
https://marlinfw.org/meta/gcode/

I feel so violated! Wasn't a fan of this rebranding to begin with. Now I'm definitely removing Creality Slicer.
Both Cura and Creality Slicer work and slice without internet for me. Maybe it asks access for the Marketplace and website links, and update checker. But I'd also be interested to hear what the connection is used for, if it doesn't slice without it for some people.
Thanks guys for shedding light on it.

@BaDboD yeah you're right, they are more commonly known that way. Worth an edit. Just doing my futile part to not propegate misnomers
JST being a producer of connectors, but who didn't design and don't even make this kind of connector...
I've been tryin, but could not come up with a coherent analogy.
I just have no idea how Molex didn't manage to keep a cool name like "Picoblade" mainstream, and why people found JST to be a better/easier name.

• If you want to find those connectors on aliexpress or amazon, "JST 1.25 5-pin" is the search term.
• If you want to find some in a reputable store, or need drawings or spec sheets, it's "Molex Picoblade 5-pin".

The little one on BL Touch itself is a Molex Picoblade type, or unofficially/incorrectly/knockoff/(edit: although far more commonly) named "JST 1.25" 5-pin.

https://forum.creality.com/topic/1408/ender-6-and-bl-touch?_=1626717604296

If you just need the body, you can probably source that from your favourite electronics shop
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0510210500/242845
https://www.reichelt.com/at/en/molex-crimp-housing-picoblade-1x-5-pin-socket-molex-510210500-p186200.html
(if you happen to need to order a bunch of other things to make shipping cost worthwhile)
then use a pin or something small/sharp to open the housing to pull out the existing crimped terminals and snap into the new one.

@Bosco suggest you have a read and see if this applies

https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#steppers

@BaDboD said in CR-10 Smart , auto leveling. how?:

@telephasic err, eeprom is saved on the SD-card? What is this? Is 'hip hop' back in fashion? I don't have an sd card inserted, it hasnt asked for one.

Haha I know it's pretty terrible, but an undocumented "feature" of ender-6, thought maybe cr10s too. It never asks for SD card.. if there is one inserted, the mesh is saved there. If not, I guess it's just not saved. Their workaround to avoid mentioning this and requiring an SD card by just recommending measuring before every print.

@BaDboD I don't actually have this printer, so somebody else will chime in hopefully.

From what I've seen on ender-6, there are generally never any error notifications- if something messes up, it just freezes and may need power cycled. Maybe hooking a serial terminal up to it will give an indication for you.

Also after successful leveling (ender6+BL) there is no notification, just all the squares in the grid are filled.

In the video after his successful leveling, it looks similar.

Wondering if your malfunctions have somehow to do with EEPROM saved on SD card (if inserted).

@BaDboD maybe it helps
https://youtu.be/ODUuQPit2Ek?t=4600
He had a loose bed that messed up leveling.
Tightened, then just hit 'back' after leveling.

@lwsmiser with bl touch, agree it's in the middle of the bed.

https://youtu.be/Jmu5Fh_nPtw?t=182

But without bl touch, does it not stop at rear right after a home command, like this?

https://youtu.be/yhRKsGrsxh8?t=240

I admit I was mixing "home" and origin or 0,0,0 in my earlier post. Will clean it up.