How to Set Up BLTouch & CR Touch on Ender 3 (Pro/V2)
Learning how to set up the BLTouch & CR Touch on the Ender 3 is something that many people wonder how to do. I decided to write an article taking you through the main steps of how this is done, along with some videos that you can follow.
Keep on reading through this article to see how to set up the BLTouch & CR Touch on your Ender 3.
How to Set Up BLTouch on Ender 3 (Pro/V2)
Here’s how to set up the BLTouch on your Ender 3:
- Purchase the BLTouch sensor
- Mount the BLTouch sensor
- Connect the BLTouch Sensor to the Ender 3’s Motherboard
- Download and Install the Firmware for the BLTouch Sensor
- Level the Hotbed
- Set the Z Offset
- Edit the G-code from your slicer software
Purchase the BLTouch Sensor
The first step is to purchase a BLTouch Sensor from Amazon for your Ender 3. It has many positive reviews from users who have installed it on their Ender 3, as well as many other 3D printers out there.
One user said it’s a must-have for their Ender 3 and that they absolutely love it. They mentioned that the wiring was tricky but once they figured it out, it was very easy. The setup was difficult for some users, while other users had a simple installation.
I think it comes down to using a good tutorial or video guide to follow along with.
Another user said it works great on their Ender 3 and automates one of the most tedious tasks for 3D printers. He 3D printed a bracket to mount it, then edited his Marlin firmware to match it, being all done in a single day.
They said that it comes with a short and long cable, with the long one being enough to connect it from the print head to the motherboard.
The kit comes with:
- BLTouch Sensor
- 1 Meter Dupont Extension Cable Set
- Spare Parts Kit with screws, nuts, washers, x2 mounting springs, x2 housing shell 3 pin, x2 housing shell 2 pin, x2 housing shell 1 pin, x10 dupont terminals (M&F), and a jumper cap.
Mount the BLTouch Sensor
The next step is to mount the BLTouch sensor to the 3D printer.
With an Allen key, loosen the screws attaching the extruder head to the X-axis. Then attach the BLTouch sensor to its mounting bracket using the screws and springs provided in the BLTouch kit.
Run the BLTouch cables through the holes provided in the mounting bracket for proper cable management.
Again with an Allen key, attach the BLTouch sensor to the extruder head with the screws to where they were initially loosened from.
Connect the BLTouch Sensor to the Ender 3’s Motherboard
The next step is to connect the BLTouch sensor to the 3D printer. When ordering your BLTouch sensor, ensure you get an extension cable because the cables on the sensor might be too short.
The BLTouch sensor has two pairs of cables attached, a 2 and a 3-pair connecting wires, which would both be connected to the 5-pin connector on the Board.
Now attach the extension cable to the BLTouch sensor’s cables and connect it to the motherboard.
Ensure the brown cable from the 3-pair cable is connected to the pin labelled as the ground on the motherboard. The 2 pair cable should follow suit, with the black cable coming first.
Download and Install the Firmware for the BLTouch Sensor
At this point, you need to download and install the firmware for the BLTouch sensor so that it can function properly on the Ender 3.
Download the firmware compatible with your Ender 3’s board and install it.
Copy the downloaded file to an empty SD card and insert it into your Ender 3, then restart the printer.
The connection process and the firmware installation process discussed above are either suited to an Ender 3 V2, Pro, or an Ender 3 with the 4.2.x board.
For an Ender 3 with a 1.1.x board, the connection process requires an Arduino Board that is used to program the Ender 3’s motherboard.
This video from 3D Printing Canada demonstrates how to install and configure the BLTouch on an Ender 3 with an Arduino Board.
Level the Hotbed
At this point, you will need to level the bed. With the LCD screen on the Ender 3, use the knob to the main menu and then select bed leveling.
Now observe the BLTouch sensor mark out a 3 x 3 grid with dots across the hotbed as it levels the bed.
Set the Z Offset
The Z Offset helps to set the distance between the printer’s nozzle and the hotbed so that the printer can print models properly.
To set the Z Offset on your Ender 3 with a BLTouch, you should auto-home the 3D printer. Then put a piece of paper under the nozzle and move the Z-axis down until the paper has some resistance when pulled. Note the value of the Z-axis height and input that as your Z Offset.
Edit the G-Code from your Slicer Software
Launch your slicer software and edit its Start G-Code so that it homes all axes before printing. This is to ensure that the printer knows its initial position before printing.
To do this on Cura Slicer, take the following steps:
- Launch your Cura slicer
- On the top menu bar click on “Preferences” and select “Configure Cura”
- Select Printers then click on Machine Settings.
- Edit the Start G-Code text field on the left by adding “G29;” directly under the G28 code.
- Now run a test print to see how it performs, especially the Z offset. If the Z offset is not accurate you can fine-tune it till it is just right.
Check out this video from 3DPrintscape for a visual demonstration of how to set up a BL Touch sensor on your Ender 3 below.
How to Set Up CR Touch on Ender 3 (V2/Pro)
The following are the steps taken to set up CR Touch on your Ender 3:
- Purchase the CR Touch
- Download and Install the firmware for the CR Touch sensor.
- Mount the CR Touch
- Connect the CR Touch to the Ender 3’s motherboard
- Set the Z offset
- Edit the Start G-Code of your Slicer Software
Purchase the CR Touch
The first step is to purchase a CR Touch Sensor from Amazon for your Ender 3.
One user who had been running three printers with the BLTouch decided to try out the CT Touch. He installed it on an Ender 3 Pro which took him just around 10 minutes to do, including updating the firmware.
He mentioned that the CR Touch was more accurate than the BLTouch, and his overall print quality drastically improved.
Another user said this upgrade saved him plenty of time and said it should have been an in-built component of the Ender 3 V2.
One user said he got the CR Touch sensor because he was tired of leveling his bed manually. Installation was easy and installing the firmware was no issue. It’s a good idea to follow a good YouTube video to properly grasp the concept of how to install this.
Download and Install the Firmware for the CR Touch sensor
To configure the CR Touch sensor, the firmware must be installed on the Ender 3 for the sensor to function. You can download the CR Touch sensor firmware from the official Creality website.
Once you have downloaded the software, extract the document on the downloaded zip file to an empty SD card. Then insert the SD card into the Ender 3 to upload the firmware.
Now open the Ender 3’s about page using the LCD screen to confirm the version if the printer’s firmware version is the same as the uploaded firmware version. If it is the same, you can now remove the SD card.
Mount the CR Touch
The next step is to mount the CR Touch on the extruder head.
Select the appropriate mounting bracket for your Ender 3 from the CR Touch kit and attach the sensor to the mounting bracket using the screws in the kit.
With an Allen key, loosen the screws on the extruder head. Now, you can place the CR Touch mounting bracket on the extruder head and screw it to where the original screws were removed on the X-axis.
Connect the CR Touch to the Ender 3’s Motherboard
With the extension cables in the CR Touch kit, plug one end into the sensor. Then unscrew the screws covering the metallic plate covering the motherboard.
Disconnect the Z stop connector from the motherboard and connect the cable from the CR Touch sensor to the 5-pin connector on the motherboard.
Set the Z Offset
The Z Offset helps to set the distance between the printer’s nozzle and the hotbed so it’s at the right level for printing successfully.
To set the Z Offset on your Ender 3 with a CR Touch, you should auto-home the 3D printer. Then put a piece of paper under the nozzle and move the Z-axis down until the paper has some resistance when pulled. Note the value of the Z-axis height and input that as your Z Offset.
Edit the Start G-Code of Your Slicer Software
Launch your slicer software and edit its Start G-Code so that it homes all axis before printing. This is to ensure that the printer knows its initial position along the X, Y, and Z axis before printing.
To do this on Cura Slicer, do the following steps:
- Launch your Cura slicer
- On the top menu bar click on “Preferences” and select “Configure Cura”
- Select Printers then click on Machine Settings.
- Edit the Start G-Code text field on the left by adding “G29;” directly under the G28 code.
- Now run a test print to see how it performs, especially the Z Offset. If the Z Offset is not accurate you can fine-tune it till it is just right.
Check out this video from 3D Printscape for more details on how to set up CR Touch on your Ender 3.
