This is just out of interest, but did others also encounter issues with the RFID spool identification? In my case, it sometimes works, but most of the time (95%-ish) it doesn’t. With the spools shipped with the printer.
Clearly sounds like a HW issue, right? No! When I query the ID via fluidd, I always get the correct values after preloading.
Eventually I will switch to the custom firmware, anyway, as I plan to use OpenSpool. And as it is apparently no HW issue, this is going to work just fine I guess.
Interestingly it is not a hardware issue. Reading always succeeds (I can request the spool type in fluidd), but on the UI, it still states that the filament is unknown.
Gemini said that this is a well-known issue with the snapmaker U1 firmware and wrote some crazy things about index alignment and that a factory reset would fix it. It sounded a bit like hallucinating. That’s why I came here to check how well known that issue is. Apparently not so much…
Dang, I wish I could remember now… one U1 user discovered something specific and unexpected that was causing RFID interference (assuming it isn’t just miswired or other hardware problem).
I’m so sorry, it was months ago and don’t remember what it was!
The 2 units I have on hand don’t have any issues with RFID recognition. I’m quite curious about the specific reason or scenario, and how strong the interference needs to be to affect tag recognition.
I think I can rule out EMI as the root cause, there is nothing noisy nearby. I also placed my laptop away and even turned off the lights to rule that out.
However I have to correct myself. It IS a HW issue. My “findings” before seem to have been coincidence. Fact is: it almost (but only almost!) never works when the reading is triggered by the spool preloader. When triggering it myself it wors more often, but also less than 50% of the trials.
The coils seem to be well connected. It seems that they make two rounds each. If I had trouble only with one coil, I would assume a shortage within the coil, leaving me with effectively one round, explaining the ‘sometimes it works’ effect.
But all four? I can’t imagine a single source of error effecting all four coils, but still, all four coils are almost never, but sometimes, working.
This leaves me with the assumption of a batch issue with the coils (maybe wire with insufficient coating).
Anyway, I opened a ticket. Maybe Snapmaker send me another set of coils to test, let’s see
So far you seem to be the first to report a coil-reading issue. My guess is something on your unit isn’t fully assembled or there’s another problem—like whether the coil connector is secure. Explain the situation to support in detail; they’ll troubleshoot, and if it can’t be resolved, they’ll arrange a replacement coil.
We also have plans for a manual sync button for filament e-tags: earliest in the early-April release, or by June at the latest. Feel free to share any other suggestions here.
I found the issue: My U1 was connected to the mains via a power cord, which was partially wound up. Anyway not a good idea because of the heat trap, I know, but from that aspect, it was fine.
BUT: it apparently introduced CM noise into the printer, maybe even picked up by the printer itself. I wouldn’t have guessed that this can disturb the system that much!
That raises a point: to what extent has the U1 been tested for conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility. There are standards in many parts of the world.
As they have various (self-)certificats like CE, I am confident that the mandatory tests have been done and passed.
To be fair, RFID is a beast, the printer’s core functionality was not affected, and my setup obviously was very different from the standard test setup for the EMC tests.
Oh - not meant to be sarcastic at all! You mean because of the “(Self-)” statement?
Just wanted to emphasize that I do know that some of these certifications are self, declared. But really without any sarcastic meaning at all!
The stakes would be too high for SM, they will have done their duties.
I already start feeling bad mentioning it… I just think this is an interesting observation.
Just to be clear: I was talking about a partially rolled up extension rod. That’s not, as many believe, an inductor for the (DM) supply current, but it is one for CM noise. The EMC tests forsee precisely defined cable lengths and impedances. My setup was surely way beyond. I would be worried if the printer itself would have gone wild, but I can understand that RFID is not happy with it.
So don’t get me wrong please, I still love my printer and trust it. It was just interesting to me to see that effect.
