EZABL Pro Hardware and Accessories FAQs #
Which size sensor do I choose? #
We have three sizes of EZABL Pro available; the standard 18mm sensor, the 12mm “Mini” sensor, and the 8mm “Micro” sensor.
These three operate the same way in terms of installation, function, and usage. There are only two somewhat-significant differences between the sensors, namely the LEDs on top of the sensor itself and the calibration distance.
- The 18mm sensor has a green LED to indicate power as well as a red LED to indicate when it is triggered, whereas the 12mm “Mini” and 8mm “Micro” only have the red LED.
- The 12mm “Mini” sensor needs to be mounted and calibrated 1mm closer to the bed than the 18mm sensor. This is a very minor difference and is noted in our installation instructions.
- The 8mm “Micro” sensor needs to be mounted 1mm closer to the bed than the 18mm sensor, similar to the Mini. The 8mm does not require any further calibration.
It should be noted that our OEM sensor mounts are designed for the 18mm sensor. Our 12mm “Mini” and 8mm “Micro” sensors do include adapter rings so the sensor can be used with our normal mounts, and you can print your own replacements using the STL file for the adapter rings from our STL package, available here.
Most printers can use the standard 18mm sensor. However, there are some models that require the 12mm “Mini” or smaller due to space limitations on the actual printer itself. We do not have a complete list, however, we do know the following printers require smaller sensors:
- Wanhao D6
- Tronxy X5SA/Pro
Do you have an OEM mount available for ______ printer? I don’t see my printer listed. #
Maybe! We only have a selection of mounts for the most commonly-requested printer models available as ready-to-sell accessories.
However, we do have a wide variety of mounts in our STL package, which is available to download for free. These can be printed on your own printer if you like, or we can print one to include with your order.
If you would like for us to include a mount that is not currently available, please contact us prior to placing your order and we can discuss the availability of other mounts.
If you need a mount independently of your EZABL kit purchase, we have our standard selection available here. If your desired mount is not listed here, please contact us prior to placing your order and we can discuss the availability of other mounts.
You may be able to find an acceptable EZABL mount for your printer on a model-sharing site such as Thingiverse. There are a wide variety of fan shrouds and sensor mounts available from the community, and you may find one that suits your purpose.
Which accessories should I purchase for my EZABL Pro™ kit? #
Optional Power Supplies #
The EZABL Pro™ kit comes standard with a white wire. This white wire is intended to run from the control board to your printer’s power supply to provide power for the sensor and control board. Please see the “Directly Wiring Power” instructions within Section 2 of our EZABL installation guide.
If you are not capable or comfortable with this power method, we have alternatives available in the form of AC and USB adapters. These are available as accessories to the EZABL kit, or available separately if desired.
Solid Bed Mounts #
Solid bed mounts are spacers made of ABS and Aluminum. They are designed to replace the springs used to level the bed, so that the bed is fixed in place and can no longer move.
This can be beneficial when using an EZABL Pro™, as this type of system relies on the bed to be relatively flat to function properly. If the bed moves too far out of alignment, the sensor may no longer function correctly until the bed is re-leveled.
Due to the tolerance for “slant”, you may be required to “shim” one or more corners of the bed in addition to the mounts. This can be aided by the EZABL Pro™, which can output each data point it reads during leveling. You can use this data to “shim” the corners using simple hardware-store washers, nylon are best to use not metal.
Given these last two points, we HIGHLY recommend that you install solid bed mounts AFTER you are 100% sure your EZABL Pro™ is working as intended. If the probe fails, the nozzle of your printer may dig into the bed and cause damage that could otherwise have been avoided.
Solid bed mounts may not work on every printer model. Specifically, those printers with frames near the bed-leveling knobs or those with control boxes mounted directly and closely under the Y axis may not have enough space to fit. Our spacers are 23mm in height on average. You can estimate or measure from the bed to the carriage to see if you can fit 23mm in place of your existing springs. If you can fit a 23mm spacer there, our bed mounts will work just fine.
Solid bed mounts are available as standalone items if desired.
Arduino Uno Bootloader Kit #
Our Arduino Uno Bootloader kit is used ONLY on specific printer mainboards. Generally speaking, most printers using mainboards that have ATMega 1284p processors require a bootloader to be installed.
Printers with mainboards that have ATMega 2560 processors generally do not require them, but they can be used to reinstall the bootloader in case of an emergency. For example, if you accidentally flash bad firmware to the board, you can use this kit to recover it from being “bricked”.
Printers with 32-bit mainboards do NOT require a bootloader kit.
More information can be found at bootloader.th3dstudio.com, or Contact Us with any questions you may have.
This is a fully-functioning Arduino Uno board. It can be used for a multitude of other purposes if you are inclined to tinker with electronics…
Our Arduino Uno Bootloader Kit is available as a standalone item if desired.
Installation FAQs #
What does the switch on the EZABL Pro™ Control Board do? #
The small switch built into the EZABL control board is designed to reverse the polarity of the Z endstop wires used to provide a signal from the control board to the printer’s mainboard. If you are not getting a good signal from the EZABL to the printer, this switch can be used to correct this.
More information can be found in our EZABL installation guide, specifically section 7 titled “Sensor/Endstop Test.”
Where can I download firmware for my printer? #
We have versions of our Unified Firmware available for certain printer models. You can find the downloads page for all of our firmware here: Firmware.TH3DStudio.com
If your printer is not listed, you may wish to use a standard Marlin installation or customize the manufacturer’s firmware to use the EZABL. We have instructions for using the EZABL with all “vanilla” Marlin installations here: EZABL Firmware Setup for “Vanilla” Marlin
Can I use the EZABL Pro with standard Marlin installations or other manufacturer’s firmware? #
In most cases, yes. Our EZABL Pro™ can be used with any Marlin-based firmware by following these instructions: EZABL Firmware Setup for “Vanilla” Marlin
We also have some basic settings and instructions for Duet-brand boards, found here: Duet Board Setup Information
Please note that we do not provide technical support for any firmware other than TH3D Unified Firmware.
Can I use the EZABL Pro sensor without the EZABL control board? Can I connect the EZABL Pro sensor directly to the mainboard of the printer? #
No. The EZABL Pro sensor cannot be used without the EZABL control board. This system is designed to be a replacement for a stock Z endstop microswitch and cannot communicate without the control board for this reason.
Software FAQs #
Do I need to do anything in my slicer for the EZABL Pro to function? #
Yes! You do need to update the Starting Gcode in your slicer so the printer knows to probe the bed before each print.
We have our own recommended starting Gcode that works for most printer models and most slicers. This is designed to replace your existing Starting Gcode in your slicer. Our recommended starting Gcode can be found here: EZABL Bed Leveling Starting Gcode
At a minimum, you need to add a “G29” (bed-leveling) command after the last G28 (auto-home) command in your existing/standard starting Gcode. Using a G28 to auto-home AFTER running G29 to probe the bed will not work, as doing so forces the printer to ignore the data from the G29 by design.
Is the EZABL Pro compatible with OctoPrint or other remote-access software? #
The short answer is yes! Our EZABL Pro™ is compatible with OctoPrint, and may also be compatible with other software.
The long answer is that OctoPrint doesn’t actually care whether you have an EZABL installed or not. OctoPrint is simply a management interface used with a wide variety of printers. You do NOT need to change any settings or do anything special in OctoPrint for the EZABL to work as expected.
OctoPrint has community-made plugins available that make use of the data from the EZABL. For example, one highly-recommended plugin is “Bed Visualizer.” This plugin takes the data from the EZABL and converts it to an image. This image represents how level your bed is according to the sensor. This data can help you level the bed when necessary, or help you shim your solid bed mounts during installation.
