Tunell 3D Printer Filament Monitor (Version 4)
3D Printer Filament Monitor
Find filament feeding faults before they ruin your print
We've all been there - a print job that ran out of filament just before the job finished; stuck filament because the spool was loaded incorrectly, a jammed hot-end due to accumulation in the nozzles - when these problems occur, we usually lose the job due to air-prints.
With the Tunell Filament Monitor, you can catch these filament feeding problems quickly so that you can fix the problem, instead of throwing the partial print away. For long-running prints, this indispensable upgrade will quickly pay for itself as it saves time and money lost to failed prints.
The Tunell Monitor uses a mechanical 24 PPR (positions-per-revolution) encoder to detect filament travel as you print. If the filament has stopped moving for longer than the (adjustable) time-out period, a fault signal is sent to your printer.
Features:
- Easy to use
- Pauses your printer when filament feeding problem is detected
- Easy connection to FlashForge Creator, Wanhao Duplicator 4, and MakerBot Replicator (original) using a 4-pin latching cable (included).
- Successfully used with other machines: Ultimaker, Ultimaker 2, MakerBot Replicator 2, MakerBot Replicator 2X, RAMPS.
- Supports dual-extruder systems (with the "Double monitor" option)
- User-adjustable timeout for filament motion
- Connection point for external pause button
- Connection point for external alarm / relay / signaling LED
- Current-limited output and reverse-voltage lockout circuit to guard against wiring mistakes.
- Bypass mode operation to temporarily disable filament monitoring.
- Ultra-Low Profile
- Powered by Atmel mega168. Arduino programmable using a ISP hardware programmer (like AVRISP mkII)
- Version 4 - Latest version with design updates and improvements byToyBuilder Labs
- Based on the original design by Aaron Tunell
About the Tunell Monitor, Version 4
ToyBuilder Labs manufactures and sells the latest Tunell Monitor (Version 4) in collaboration with the inventor of the original Tunell filament monitor, Aaron Tunell. (That's why it is called the Tunell Monitor, and not Tunnel Monitor!) The Tunell Monitor Version 4 electronics is a new design incorporating a number of updates over the original Tunell monitor, making this a hacker-friendly design for alternate uses:
Tunell Monitor General Operations Guide
Click here for the Tunell Monitor V4 Operations Guide: 
Printer-specific installation guide
|
Machine |
Installation Instructions |
Installation Video |
Mounting Hardware (STL) |
Soldering Required? |
Other Notes |
| FlashForge Creator Pro | |
 |
 |
No | |
| FlashForge Creator Pro 2016 | |
|
No | ||
|
MakerBot Replicator (Original) |
|
|
D/L from Thingiverse | No |
Same basic steps as FlashForge Creator Pro |
| MakerBot Replicator 2 (Requires Sailfish Firmware) |
|
D/L from Thingiverse |
Yes |
||
| MakerBot Replicator 2X (Requires Sailfish Firmware) |
|
D/L from Thingiverse | Yes | ||
| Ultimaker 2 (Marlin based) | No |
See also Marlin and Others General Info |
|||
| Fusion3 F306 (Marlin based) | |
D/L from Thingiverse | No | Contact manufacturer to ensure you have the right firmware for your specific printer. | |
| Marlin and Other General Info | |
||||
| Smoothieware |
Preliminary implementation discussions. and Github pull-reqeust (accepted) of bulge-sensor code changes to enable Tunell monitor.[2] |
The bulge-sensor signal monitoring can be used with the Tunell monitor to detect filament outage. |
[1]: Thanks to tinkergnome and gpb01 on the Ultimaker Forum
[2]: Thanks to Leon Grossman and Arthur Wolfman
Other Installation Information
- For best results, securely mount the filament monitor to your printer.
- Brackets for mounting the monitor to the MakerBot Replicator and Replicator 2, can be downloaded from Thingiverse
- On some printers, you may need to solder a connection to use the monitor. See the connection documentation (below) on how to connect the monitor to your printer.
- LATEST UPDATE: gpb01 on the Ultimaker forum, with help from tinkergnome, have successfully deployed the monitor on an Ultimaker 2. See this post on the installation steps and this post on the enhanced firmware that made it possible to use the Tunell Monitor with the Ultimaker 2.
Compatibility:
- MakerBot Replicator 2, 2X, original Replicator, and Thing-O-Matics running the Sailfish firmware upgrade. (Sailfish Thingiverse Page.)
- FlashForge Creator, Wanhao Duplicator, MBot, CTC, and other clones of the MakerBot Replicator with the Sailfish firmware.
- Ultimaker 2 running the tinkergnome firmware for Ultimaker 2
- Marlin-based printers with a available end-stop / expansion I/O-pin, running Marlin firmware with pause-support upgrade.
- Other printer controllers that supports external pause signaling.
Important lead time notice
We are currently back-ordered on Tunell Monitors, as they are built and tested in small batches. Please allow a 1 to 6 week lead-time for your order to be filled.