Vacuum pump

The vacuum unit that lifts pellets from the material source up through the corrugated tube into the Hopper. Switched on/off by the firmware via the FEEDING socket — the middle one on the power box, under the panel box on the right side.

Note

The vacuum pump is not a special Ginger Additive part — it is a standard ash / shop vacuum cleaner. Any equivalent unit works; match the characteristics below (power class, latching power button) rather than a specific brand or model. The key requirement is that its own power button can stay permanently ON, because the printer controls it by switching the socket — see the operating rule below.

Function

• Sucks pellets from a floor-level bucket up to the hopper
• Cycles automatically when the hopper level sensor signals empty
• Connected via the corrugated tube

Location

Standalone unit, typically placed near the printer with the corrugated tube routed up to the hopper. Power cable plugged into the Feeding socket on the power box (under the panel box, right side — see Power outlets (power box)).

Specifications

Parameter	Value
Voltage (EU)	220–240 V
Voltage (US / non-EU)	110 V (different model)
Power	~1 kW

All three power box sockets are 220V

A 110 V vacuum plugged into the power box burns out. In 110 V regions the supplied vacuum is 110 V-rated: feed it from a 110 V supply, or step the machine’s supply down. Always check the unit’s rating before plugging it in.

Its ~1 kW matters for more than the socket: on a single mains circuit it is the load that tips the machine over the limit and causes undervoltage shutdowns. See Hopper suction problems.

Critical operating rule — button must stay ON

Caution

Always leave the vacuum unit’s power button switched ON. The printer controls the vacuum by powering the feeding socket on/off — it cannot turn the unit on if the button is in the OFF position.

Correct setup:

1. Plug the vacuum into the Feeding socket on the power box (under the panel box, right side)
2. Turn the vacuum unit’s own button to ON — leave it there permanently
3. The printer will cycle the socket automatically during printing

If the vacuum button is OFF, the hopper will run empty mid-print with no warning until the printer beeps “material absent”.

How it works

1. The capacitive level probe in the hopper wall switches off — material has dropped below level
2. Firmware activates the FEEDING socket on the power box (powers the vacuum)
3. Vacuum pulls air from the hopper, creating suction in the corrugated tube
4. Pellets are lifted from the material source to the hopper
5. The vacuum stops after a fixed time, about 3 seconds. The cycle is not ended by the level reading
6. After 5 seconds the probe is checked again. Still off? Another round runs, up to four rounds in total
7. Four rounds with no material arriving → the buzzer sounds, 3 s on and 17 s off

Why it works in repeated bursts

Each round is a fixed-length burst, not a fill-until-full. Heavy or slow-moving material simply needs several rounds — that is normal, not a fault. What is a fault is reaching the buzzer. See Hopper.

The timings live in the firmware of the dedicated feeding board, not in Klipper — full breakdown under the auto feeding firmware.

Intake: the pickup end must stay in the material. Drawing from a plain bucket, keep the tube end buried in the pellets — if it lifts above the surface it draws only air and nothing moves. Drawing from a D1 dryer, the pellet gate under the tank does this for you: it meters the pellets in and admits the air that carries them. Just make sure the guillotine above it is open before printing.

Maintenance

Cleaning the feeding filters is part of routine machine maintenance. Everything else on this unit is a standard shop vacuum and needs no scheduled attention from you.

Clean the filter more often if you run recycled material containing strings or microplastic — that is the one material type that actually clogs it.

Known issues

• Hopper suction problems — the most common feeding-related complaint
• Current spike during the suction cycle can cause undervoltage → see Klipper MCU communication lost
• Vacuum running but no pellets moving → almost always a leak at the hopper-tube joint

Test it works

Caution

Do not open the hopper to test the vacuum. The suction only exists because the hopper is sealed — with E17 off there is nothing to pull against and the system cannot work. Test it closed.

With the hopper closed and its gasket and filter in place:

1. Check the probe LED on the side of the hopper. Off means material is below level — the condition that should trigger a cycle
2. Enable the FEEDER toggle on the display
3. The vacuum should run a burst of a few seconds. If it does not run at all, work through Case C — starting with the vacuum’s own power button
4. Watch the probe LED. Once material covers the probe it switches on and the cycles stop
5. If bursts keep repeating and the LED never comes on, material is not arriving — see Hopper suction problems

Recommended setup

• Material source close to the printer — a short run is easier to keep rising
• Tube always rising — no sagging, no U-shaped sections, no descending stretch where pellets can fall and pile up. See Corrugated tube
• Split the mains load across the two power box inputs — the vacuum’s startup inrush is what crashes the printer when everything shares one circuit

Related notes

• Hopper
• Hopper suction problems
• Corrugated tube
• Power outlets (power box)
• Klipper MCU communication lost