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Power outlets (power box)

The G1’s mains sockets are on the power box, located under the panel box on the right side of the printer (not on the rear panel). They are labelled Forced, Feeding, and Bed. Each one has a specific function — they are not interchangeable. Connecting an appliance to the wrong socket is the source of a few common first-boot issues.

Layout

Section titled “Layout”

The three sockets on the power box, in order from the top:

  Forced    ← Always-on, low-consumption accessories only


  Feeding   ← Vacuum pump (feeding system)


  Bed       ← Bed heater

Assignment

Section titled “Assignment”
Socket labelFunctionNotes
ForcedAlways-on / freeFor low-consumption accessories only: charging a laptop, powering a camera, etc. Do not connect high-consumption loads here (and never the bed heater)
FeedingVacuum pumpSwitched by the feeding logic — turns on when the printer needs to suck pellets
BedBed heaterSwitched by the firmware thermal control — turns on/off based on target temperature

Why the distinction matters

Section titled “Why the distinction matters”
  • The Bed socket runs through the thermal control relay → the bed turns on only when commanded by the firmware
  • The Feeding socket is pulsed by the feeding system → only on when sucking pellets
  • The Forced socket is always live → it bypasses all control. It is sized for small accessories (a laptop charger, a webcam), not for anything that draws significant current. Connecting the bed heater or another high-power device here makes it heat/run uncontrollably until a hardware safety trips

Powering the power box

Section titled “Powering the power box”

The power box itself is fed by two main switches — “main” and “bed” — which can be wired to two separate mains lines/circuits. This splits the printer load from the bed-heater load. See Power supply 24V.

Common first-boot mistake

Section titled “Common first-boot mistake”

The most frequent wiring error on a freshly delivered machine is the bed heater plugged into the Forced (always-on) socket instead of the Bed socket. See Bed heater on wrong outlet for the fix.

Section titled “Related notes”