3D printers are a product of many distinct components working together, both on the software and the hardware fronts, with each element playing a vital role that is necessary for the 3D printer to operate correctly and conduct the printing process successfully.
As a result, the failure of any component, no matter how small it is, can render the 3D printer inoperational until the necessary solution is applied, making it vital to be careful about the maintenance of every part.
Today, our topic is the loud beeping sound that an Ender 3 can unexpectedly emit at times, which is practically the universal sign that there is a factor preventing an electronic device from functioning as intended but does not really convey a lot of information as to what the problem exactly is.
So, what can cause the Ender 3 to emit a loud beep sound?
As there are plenty of distinct reasons that can cause the Ender 3 to emit a loud beep sound, we have listed the most common ones below:
- The firmware is flashed improperly.
- The firmware is defective or incompatible.
- The thermistor is loose or misplaced.
- The thermistor is damaged or malfunctioning.
- The heating block is mispositioned.
- The SD card is incompatible or broken.
- The LCD panel is wired improperly.
- The mainboard is malfunctioning.
Next up, we will take a deeper look into the factors that can cause the Ender 3 to emit a loud beeping sound, find out what we can do to resolve the problems that can trigger this sound, and finally, go through some methods of turning off the beep sound that occurs as a result of pressing a button on the LCD panel.
Table of Contents
What Can Cause the Ender 3 to Emit a Loud Beep?
A loud beep that comes out of your Ender 3 at an unexpected time can both be frustrating due to how it catches you off-guard and also worrying at the same time, as such a sound is often a sign that something is not operating as intended.
Below, we have listed the most common factors that can prompt your Ender 3 to emit a loud beep, followed by descriptions that explain the situation at hand:
- Improperly flashed firmware – An unexpected issue during the flashing of the firmware, such as the data not being transferred correctly, can cause the firmware to be broken, triggering the beep sound.
- Defective or incompatible firmware – Problems with the firmware code or the firmware being incompatible with the Ender 3 will prevent it from running correctly, and the Ender 3 can emit a beep sound as a result of this problem.
- Loose or misplaced thermistor – A loose or misplaced thermistor will throw the temperature readings of the 3D printer, which can trigger a false thermal runaway alert.
- Damaged or malfunctioning thermistor – Similar to a loose or misplaced thermistor, a thermistor that isn’t functioning as intended can also trigger a false thermal runaway alert and cause the Ender 3 to emit a beep.
- Mispositioned heating cartridge – A heating cartridge that isn’t positioned correctly can also generate issues with the temperatures, causing the actual temperature and the expected temperature to not equal each other and trigger a thermal runaway alert.
- Broken or incompatible SD card – Using an SD card that is damaged or not correctly formatted to be compatible with the Ender 3, especially for the flashing process, can cause the firmware to fail and cause the Ender 3 to emit a beep.
- Improperly wired LCD panel – An improperly wired LCD panel, including wire damage, will prevent the panel from working as intended, and the Ender 3 can emit a beep as a warning.
- Malfunctioning mainboard – A malfunctioning mainboard, practically meaning that the Ender 3 won’t be able to operate, can also be the reason behind the beep sound, which once again signifies a critical error.
How to Stop the Ender 3 from Emitting the Loud Beep Sound?
As looking for ways only to stop the loud beep sound does not address the issue behind it, our primary focus should be on resolving the problem triggering the Ender 3 to emit this sound rather than the sound itself.
Here are our detailed solution recommendations for the issues that can cause the Ender 3 to emit the loud beep sound:
- Download and re-flash an updated version of Marlin firmware. We recommend downloading the latest version from the Marlin firmware website and flash it to your Ender 3 without any modification to rule out the possibility of the firmware being the problem.
- Ensure that the thermistor is positioned correctly. The thermistor should be placed in the small hole meant to hold it, with the wire screwed on just enough to keep the thermistor in place.
- Ensure that the heating cartridge is positioned correctly. The heating cartridge should go all the way into its slot without sticking out from either side and screwed on tightly to the hotend.
- Use a new SD card formatted with the correct filesystem and partition table. We recommend using an SD card that is 8 GB at most, both for flashing and regular use (while there is no official statement regarding this, there are community reports that larger SD cards can cause problems), formatted with the FAT32 file system and the MBR partition table.
- Check and fix the wiring of the LCD panel. We recommend entirely disconnecting the LCD panel wiring, checking the cables for damage, and carefully re-doing the wiring while consulting the manual to ensure that you connect the ribbon cable to the correct port.
- Replace the thermistor. The thermistor is a relatively cheap component that is pretty straightforward to substitute, making replacing it a good idea to ensure there are no issues related to it.
- Replace the mainboard. When all else fails, a mainboard replacement may be necessary to solve the problem. Fortunately, it’s possible to find replacement mainboards for the Ender 3 relatively easily, with the official Creality online shop being the best option.
How to Turn Off or Dampen the Ender 3 LCD Screen Button Press Beep (Buzzer)?
While there is no denying that the buzzer plays a vital role in informing us of critical errors, the fact that it makes a beep sound every time we click a button on the LCD panel can become pretty annoying over time.
Below are various methods you can employ to silence or dampen the beep sound that the Ender 3 emits as a result of pressing a button on the LCD screen:
- Disable the beeper from the firmware – It’s possible to unset the beeper pin in the firmware, which will entirely disable the beeper from working as the firmware won’t have access anymore. For instance, in Marlin, you can find the BEEPER_PIN parameter in the mainboard file that belongs to the mainboard you’re currently using and set its value to -1. We only recommend using this method as a last resort since entirely disabling the beeper will cause you to miss potential critical alerts.
- Place a beeper silencer over the buzzer – You can 3D print a small beeper silencing part, such as this, and place it over the beeper of the Ender 3 to reduce the beeper sound by a considerable amount.
- Place a piece of electrical tape over the buzzer – Finally, a simple but effective solution is placing a piece of electrical tape over the buzzer, which will muffle the sound and bring it down to a level where it’s more tolerable.
Wrapping Up
An unexpected loud beeping sound is never a good sign in the context of electronic devices, and unfortunately, the situation is no different in the case of the Ender 3.
To quickly recap, issues with the firmware, the thermistor, the heating block, the SD card, the LCD panel, and the mainboard can all cause the problem of your Ender 3 emitting loud beeps unexpectedly, making this a rather complex issue that may take some time and effort to solve.
On the other hand, even if your Ender 3 is operational despite the beep sound, we highly recommend finding the culprit behind it before moving forward with the printing process, as the beep is most likely a sign that something isn’t working as intended.
Happy printing!
Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.