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🧙 E-Steps Calibration Wizard

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🔥 Step 1: Heat the Nozzle

E-steps calibration must be done at printing temperature.

💡 Send to printer: M104 S{TEMP} then wait with M109 S{TEMP}

✏️ Step 2: Mark Your Filament

Mark the filament exactly 120mm from the extruder entrance.

Instructions:
  1. Measure exactly 120mm from extruder entrance
  2. Mark clearly with Sharpie (thick mark!)
  3. Make it visible and permanent

⚡ Step 3: Extrude 100mm

Send extrusion commands slowly to your printer.

G-Code Commands (in order):
G91
G1 E100 F100
G90

⚠️ Use F100 (slow speed) - Fast extrusion causes inaccuracy!

⏱️ Countdown Timer:
60

~60 seconds to complete extrusion

📏 Step 4: Measure Remaining

Measure distance from entrance to your mark.

Instructions:
  1. Measure from extruder entrance to your Sharpie mark
  2. Record the remaining distance (e.g., 23mm)
  3. Calculation: 120mm - Remaining = Actual extruded
Expected: ~20mm (ideal means 100mm was extruded)

🧮 Step 5: Calculate New E-Steps

The calculator will compute your new value.

Current E-Steps: -

Requested: 100mm

Actual: -mm

Your New E-Steps
-
Formula:
New = (Current × Requested) ÷ Actual

✅ Step 6: Apply & Verify

Send final commands to your printer.

M92 E###.##
M500
M503
⚠️ Critical Steps:
  1. Send M92 with your new E-steps
  2. MUST send M500 to save to EEPROM!
  3. Send M503 to verify it was saved

🎯 E-Steps Calibration Guide

Complete Guide with Interactive Calculator

🖩 Interactive E-Steps Calculator

Enter your measurements below and get instant results!

📥 Input Values

⚡ Quick Presets

Click to load common starting values:

🔄 Reset

Clear all saved data:

📊 Test History & Statistics

Track your calibration tests and see consistency over time.

Date & Time Old E-Steps Actual Extruded New E-Steps Error % Action
No test history yet. Run a calculation to start tracking!

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1Check Current E-Steps

Connect to your printer and send:

M503

Look for the line: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z400.00 E###.##

The last number is your current E-steps. Write it down!

2Heat the Nozzle

E-steps must be calibrated at printing temperature:

M104 S200    ; Heat to 200°C (adjust for your filament)
M109 S200    ; Wait for temperature
Temperature Guide:
  • PLA: 200-210°C
  • PETG: 230-240°C
  • ABS: 240-250°C
  • TPU: 220-230°C

3Mark Your Filament

  1. Cut filament flush with extruder entrance (or note the position)
  2. Measure UP exactly 120mm from the entrance
  3. Mark clearly with a Sharpie at the 120mm point
  4. Make the mark thick and visible!
Visual Guide: 
    Filament:
                    ↑ 120mm mark (Sharpie) ← YOUR MARK
                    |
                    |
                    |
Extruder entrance → [===]
                    |
                   \|/
                 Hotend

4Extrude 100mm

Send these commands to extrude exactly 100mm slowly:

G91          ; Relative positioning mode
G1 E100 F100 ; Extrude 100mm at 100mm/min (SLOW)
G90          ; Back to absolute mode
⚠️ Critical: Use F100 (slow speed). Fast extrusion causes motor skipping and inaccurate results!

Wait ~60 seconds for the extrusion to complete before measuring!

5Measure the Result

  1. Measure the distance from the extruder entrance to your 120mm mark
  2. Write down the remaining distance (e.g., 23mm)
  3. Calculate actual extruded: 120mm - Remaining = Actual
Example:
  • Started with mark at: 120mm
  • Remaining distance: 23mm
  • Actually extruded: 120 - 23 = 97mm

Ideal result: Remaining should be ~20mm (meaning 100mm was extruded)

6Calculate New E-Steps

Use the calculator above! Simply enter:

  • Current E-Steps (from step 1)
  • Requested: 100mm
  • Actual: What you measured (e.g., 97mm)

Or calculate manually:

Formula: 
New E-Steps = (Current E-Steps × Requested) ÷ Actual

Example:
Current: 424.09
Requested: 100mm
Actual: 97mm

New E-Steps = (424.09 × 100) ÷ 97
            = 42,409 ÷ 97
            = 437.20 steps/mm

7Apply New E-Steps

Set your new calculated value:

M92 E437.20  ; Use YOUR calculated value
M500         ; ⚠️ SAVE TO EEPROM (DON'T FORGET!)
M503         ; Verify it saved correctly
⚠️ CRITICAL: You MUST send M500 to save changes to EEPROM. Without this, your changes will be LOST when you restart the printer!

8Verify Calibration

Test again to confirm accuracy:

  1. Mark filament at 120mm again
  2. Extrude 100mm: G91 → G1 E100 F100 → G90
  3. Measure remaining distance
  4. Should be ~20mm remaining (±1mm is acceptable)
Success Criteria:
  • ✅ Within ±1mm: Perfect!
  • ✅ Within ±2mm: Acceptable
  • ⚠️ More than ±2mm: Recalibrate

📊 Common E-Steps Reference Values

Extruder Type Typical Range Your Printers Notes
Sprite Pro (Direct) 420-430 425.0 ✅ Ender 3 Max
Micro Swiss NG (Direct) 420-430 424.09 ✅ Ender 5 Plus
BMG Clone (Direct/Bowden) 415-420 - Popular upgrade
Orbiter 2.0 690 - High gear ratio
Sherpa Mini 690 - Voron design
Hemera 397-410 - E3D direct drive
Titan 400-415 - E3D design
Creality Stock (Bowden) 93-95 - Original Ender 3
✅ Your Values Are Normal!

Both your printers (425.0 and 424.09) are within the expected range for direct drive extruders. Only recalibrate if you're experiencing actual extrusion problems.

🔧 Troubleshooting

❌ Extruder Clicking During Test

Causes:

  • Extruding too fast
  • Temperature too low
  • Partial nozzle clog

Solutions:

  • Reduce speed to F50 (even slower)
  • Increase temperature by 10°C
  • Clean nozzle with cold pull

❌ Inconsistent Results

Causes:

  • Filament diameter varying
  • Wet/old filament
  • Extruder tension issues

Solutions:

  • Use fresh, dry filament
  • Check extruder gear tension
  • Measure filament diameter

E-Steps Calibration Guide v2.5.3

Part of the 3D Printer Calibration Suite

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