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Power Panic

Relevant for

MK4 family
XL family
MK3 family
MK3.9 family
25 comments
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The printer can fully recover from a complete loss of power without the need for batteries or a UPS. A special sensor detects mains voltage, and in case of an interruption, it immediately shuts down the heatbed and extruder heating, leaving enough power in the capacitors to store the position and lift the print head away from the print. In case of a very short power failure, the printer will attempt to continue printing immediately without waiting for user interaction.

If you want to test the power panic on MK3/S/+, check Testing safety features (MK3/MK3S).
Keep in mind that power panic doesn't work if you use the on/off switch on the PSU

Resuming the print

When the power comes back, the printer will give you an option to continue the print. Keep in mind that during extended periods without power, the bed will cool down and the printed object can detach itself from the sheet plate. So, before resuming the process, check the following: 

  1. Make sure that all objects are still attached to the steel sheet plate.
  2. Follow the instructions on the LCD screen and resume the print.
  3. Stay with the printer for about 10 minutes and make sure that the printing process continues without any problems.
 

13 comments

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alex3D
Will this ever get released for the mini? Been talked about for quite a while
A Printer
how long is a "short" power outage?
mchahn
I also had a power failure and was not offered a chance to resume.  I accidentally knocked the power cord out.  The head moved to the edge of the bed so it had time.  I don't know what the panic cable is (the link here gives a 404) but I would think it is connected since the head moved away. Also, when I pull up failure stats it says the last version had a power outage.
I have a mks3+ with firmware version 3.10.0-4481.
William H. - Official Prusa

Seems there may be some link issues in the translated versions. Please see https://help.prusa3d.com/en/article/testing-safety-features-mk3-mk3s_2079/.

Peter
I have lost several prints due to power outages. Sometimes the option to restart an interrupted print is given sometimes not. When I do restart or if it restarts automatically (short outage) it never and I mean never has it restarted without a shift in X or Y axis. Other than this I'm very pleased with the MK3+ printer. I'm using a UPS now to protect the printer but it still glitches when the UPS kicks in. Any suggestions to fix this?
Giuliano - Official Prusa CS
Hello. Unfortunately if the power outage lasts too long, it's not always possible to resume the print. If that was not the case, perhaps the power panic cable was not functioning all the times. I suggest to inspect the wire to see if they are pinched or damaged and to check the connector and the port at the Einsy board.
FergyMcFerguson
Approximately how long do the capacitors keep the memory alive? What the approximate amount of time a power failure can last and still being able to retain the ability to restart the print?
haevaristo
Humm.. just had a power loss 4 hours before finish on a 17hour print job.... I returned power but there was no option to resume print.... firmware 3.10.0-4481, printing from sd card...