SV06 slowly became unusable — head crashing, bad first layers, and I don’t understand why

Sovol SV06 Fully Open Source 3D Printer
1

I’ve had my SV06 for about a month. Out of the box, I followed the setup steps:

Auto Z-align

Auto home

Z-offset using the paper test

It printed well at first. I noticed some geometry issues (squares weren’t square), so I adjusted the Z steps. Then I noticed the walls were over-extruded, so I calibrated the flow rate. That’s when prints started failing.

Over time, it got worse:

First layers started having gaps

The nozzle started crashing into the bed, especially toward the edges

It began colliding with prints and knocking them loose

Adjusting Z-offset made things even more inconsistent

Eventually, I reset the EEPROM and started over. I re-did the whole setup process — same steps I did originally — but now I can’t get a reliable print at all. It’s like the auto bed leveling system just… isn’t working correctly anymore.

I read that a firmware update addresses a similar issue — but I already have firmware 2.0.0A, which came installed from the factory. So that shouldn’t be the problem, right?

Also, this might be anecdotal, but when it does auto bed leveling, it doesn’t look like the nozzle even gets close to the bed — it’s hard to tell how it’s detecting anything. I’m new to 3D printing, so maybe I’m misunderstanding how it’s supposed to behave, but something feels off.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of slow breakdown — where the printer worked fine, then calibration made things worse, and now it just can’t print reliably?

2

Hello,
You should do a factory reset and do the first initializations again.
Then, rather than adjusting the z-offset, do a full calibration using Orcaslicer or something else.

3

Is your nozzle tight? Check it while HOT.

If so raise the extruder and extrude while watching the nozzle. Plastic should flow straight down and make a smooth round string. Try several different speeds. Damaged nozzles and partial plugs will make you nuts. If you have a spare put it on. If you don’t have a spare get some

4

First, the factory z align is not the best way to do it. The correct way is described here at 8:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH7nQ1z6Y1M Second, I added the gcode “G29; bed leveling probe” right under “G28; Home all axes” to the slicer startup code, so that the bed probe is done before every print. And third, the z offset needs to be tuned while printing. Just print anything for the first layer, and use the display and menu to get the z offset correct, and save it. Steps 1# and 2# need to be done periodically, if something is off. Finally, once the first three steps are done, the build plate needs to be washed with mild temperature water and dish soap. Make sure it is rinsed well. And once the build plate is clean do not touch the top surface, ever. If all that is done, it is just a matter of getting nozzle and bed temperatures correct. I am using PrusaSlicer, and the stock settings work fine to get started. The PLA bed temp might be a little low, I would go with 65C.