This article present you the procedure on how to set your ZOffset without any LCD screeen on your Scalar S 3D Printer.

This article presumes that you are using Marlin firmware (RC8 or newer) and a Scalar S 3D printer without LCD screen.

Requirements

• Consider having your extruder calibrated (Procedure here)
• Connect your 3D printer to your PC using the USB cable
• Install Arduino IDE for the drivers (Installation procedure here)
  • Windows
  • Mac OSX 10.7 ou plus récent
  • Linux 32 bits
  • Linux 64 Bits
  • Linux ARM
• Download and unzip Pronterface
• Download the test Gcode
  • Scalar S

Starting Pronterface

Once unzipped, browse inside the pronterface folder and launch « pronterface.exe » in « Administrator » mode via the right click context menu

Pronterface GUI is starting

ZOffset calibration

Select your printer COM port (mine is COM13)

Push the « Connect » button to start the connection.

If the connection is working properly a list of text and parameters should be displayed on the console output on the right side of the application.

The information we are interested in are:

• Marlin firmware version (RC8 or newer)
• ZOffset current value here at the bottom (here is -0.10mm)

In order to adjust Zoffset we are going to print a calibration part compatible with Scalar S and a 1.75mm filament.

Click on the  « Load File » button

Then browse for the file « Scalar_S_Calibration_retraction.gcode » that you previously downloaded

Clock on the « Print » button

If you first layer is still too high you need to:

1. stop printing by pressing the « Off » button
2. Change the Zoffset using command M851 Zxxxx with xxxx being the new zoffset
3. Save the new value using the  M500 command
   
4. Start a new print in order to check the effect of the new Zoffset
5. If it’s still not good, perform again step 2

Here we show how to change the Zoffset by typing command M851 Z-0.3 into the console.We send the command to the printer using the « Send » button located at the right of the text input field.

Note that:

• In order to lower the nozzle on the first layer your ZOffset must be « Negative« .
• Decrement the offset using steps of 0.1 or 0.2 (ex: go from -0.10 to -0.30)
• If your nozzle seems to far away from the bed, consider decrementing of 0.5mm

Start again a new print using the « Restart » button

Save your new Zoffset using command M500