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Questions Before Purchasing 3D Chameleon for Creality K1C

Hi everyone,

I'm currently using a Creality K1C, and I'm seriously considering purchasing the 3D Chameleon kit. The total cost, including shipping to Germany, is $234.15 USD. With import costs, I'm estimating an additional 19% VAT, which would bring the total to around $278 USD (about €256). Given the expense, I have a few questions before committing to the purchase.

Syncing with the K1C's Direct Drive Extruder/Hotend: How does the 3D Chameleon sync with the variable extrusion rate of the direct drive extruder in the K1C? I'm worried that if it doesn’t sync properly, during long prints, any mismatch in filament feed—especially without a buffer—could lead to failed prints as they both pull and push on the same filament.
Capabilities Beyond Layer Color Change: Does the 3D Chameleon only support layer-by-layer color changes, or can I also "paint" different sections of an object in the slicer and have it print those sections in different colors? This feature would be a huge selling point for me.
Print Quality Concerns: I understand that the 3D Chameleon itself is printed at a 0.20mm layer height—will this still provide enough detail and quality for reliable operation? I've also seen some reports mentioning filament slippage and that setting up the 3D Chameleon can be tricky, especially with limited documentation.
Power Plug Compatibility: I noticed that the 3D Chameleon comes with a US power plug, which won’t work here in Germany. Is it possible to get the kit with the correct plug for Germany, or would the included power source be unusable for me? If not, could I opt out of the power source to save on shipping weight and reduce unnecessary waste?

I’d appreciate any insights or experiences you can share before I blow that stash of fun money. Thanks for your help!

10 comments

10 Comments

Bill

Aug 26

When the 3DChameleon isn't moving the filament, it doesn't have a grip on it. They do not ever run at the same time except during the loading/unload process, so this isn't an issue. During printing, the filament will be pulled through the 3DChameleon.
You can change the color at any time. The custom gcode is inserted into the "Tool Change GCode" section of the slicer... which you can do at any time mid layer or between layers. The modern slicers with color painting, for example, can have up to as many color changes per layer as you have colors.
The 3DChameleon is only loading/unloading the filament, it has no interaction with the printer during a print itself, and therefore has no ability to effect the quality of the print. If you start with a good working printer and profile before you add the 3DChameleon, you should expect 100% the identical output after it's installed. There is even a bypass on the 3DChameleon that allows you to use it as if the 3DChameleon isn't even installed.
Sorry, we only include US power supplies... I have no idea what power supplies the rest of the world needs, and we do so few international sales, it doesn't make sense to inventory them. They're literally just a few $ and most people already have the appropriate ones, it's standard 12v 1a power supply, but 9v up to 24v, 1a or greater will work just fine as long as it is using the 2.5mm plug.

Sorry for the late response... I just got back from China this weekend, and still trying to catch up on this, as well as my sleep schedule.

Bill

hipemaf432

Aug 26

One of the most current read threads yet Bill doesnt care to respond.

Cody Akers

Aug 25

Honest reason I left it alone man,I ended up getting a Bambu p1s with ams.....i get on here hoping for motor encoder instructions but nothing still so my k1 Max is still old single filament,my chameleon is just setting in a box.....coming weeks for round 2 updates have turned into months

3dcoded

Aug 18

Since the K1C runs Klipper, I would recommend looking at this instead: https://github.com/3DCoded/3MS

hipemaf432

Aug 21

Replying to

First off, thanks for taking the time to respond, 3dcoded. It’s really appreciated, especially since Bill hasn’t bothered to engage. I do have a few questions and concerns about your solution:

Stepper Motors Per Filament: Your system uses one stepper motor per filament, which could become a significant issue when scaling up. I’m planning to work with up to 8 different filaments, and I’m concerned about how this setup will handle that. Do you have any suggestions or potential workarounds for this situation? Managing so many steppers seems like it could get complicated, both in terms of hardware and control.
Print Quality: The images provided on GitHub don’t look very promising to me. The print quality is really important in my application, and I’m worried that the current state of the system might not meet my standards. I understand that you’re still in the development phase—I've noticed the ongoing updates and the addition of sync with the extruder—but I’m curious if you have plans to improve the print quality or if there are settings that might help achieve better results.
Secondary Board Connection: I’m also interested in how to connect a secondary board to the K1C. This is crucial for expanding the system, but I couldn’t find much documentation on it. Could you provide more details or add more comprehensive documentation on this process? Clear guidance would be incredibly helpful, not just for my own setup, but also for the entire K1 series community looking to expand their systems.

Thanks again for your work on this project, and keep doing what you seem to like!

Edited

3dcoded

Aug 21

Replying to

I'd be happy to answer your questions:

For systems with many filaments, controlling many steppers shouldn't be a problem. Only one stepper is activated at once. If you plan on using many filaments, you can use a controller with more stepper ports (e.g. A BTT Octopus) and submit a Controller Request. In terms of managing multiple steppers, the process is the same for any number of filaments. First, you sync an extruder with

SYNC_TOOL TOOL=

, then you simply use G1 commands to move the filament. The "SYNC_TOOL" command automatically desyncs all the other tools.

2. The 3MS doesn't directly impact print quality. I haven't noticed any decrease in print quality, aside from occasional color bleed (which can be solved with a larger purge amount).

3. To connect a secondary board to Klipper, you plug it into a USB port of the Klipper host. For most printers, this is an external Raspberry Pi. For the K1/K1C, since Klipper is internal, the secondary board would plug into the USB of the printer itself. As long as you have SSH access to the printer, connecting a secondary board isn't too difficult. The documentation already covers the software side of this process here.

3dcoded

Aug 22

Replying to

There's an ongoing discussion for setting up the 3MS with a K1/K1C/K1 Max printer here.

Cody Akers

Aug 18

id pick somthing different,with out some type of encoder you'll spend so much time messing with it that you may become divorced lol

hipemaf432

Aug 21

Replying to

Thank you for your honest feedback. I truly value the walking headache i call my wife! But i don't wanna loose my sanity over a MMU, i’ve realized that this option isn’t worth the investment, especially since I haven’t received any responses to my questions in the general forum. It seems that when problems arise, I’d be left in a difficult spot, as noted by others who’ve shared their experiences.

Lawrence Marks

Aug 24

Replying to

Dude, seriously. I don't know if this unit is terrible, but its terrible for the K1. Probably because the extruder is notorious for being a piece of crap. I've spent nearly 6 months trying to get mine to work now, and I have to agree with the divorce comment. My wife is pissed at how much time I've spent on this. Probably 20 hours a week, for what... 24 weeks? It's still not working btw. But like I have felt every two weeks for the past 6 months... it's close.... lmao.

Hard to recommend this for a K1 though, I struggle to say they are compatible.