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Fitting the toolhead

Your terraPen ships with the stepper toolhead not attached. Fitting it is the first thing to do, and it is the only assembly required.

Solenoid machines

If you have an earlier terraPen with a solenoid pen lift, your toolhead is already fitted — skip to First time setup.

You will need the hex key supplied in the box.

Steps

  1. Unpack the toolhead and hold it up to its mounting on the carriage.
  2. Connect the 4-pin connector. Push it home until it seats fully. Do not force it — if it resists, check the alignment rather than pressing harder.
  3. Position the toolhead against the mounting and fit the four screws.
  4. Tighten them evenly with the hex key — firm, but do not over-torque them.
  5. Tuck the wires away neatly, using a cable tie if you need one.

That is the whole job. Once the toolhead is on, continue to First time setup.

Do not leave the wiring loose

The carriage moves the full width of the bed, at speed, for the length of a plot. A trailing loop of wire can snag or drag across your paper. Route it so it follows the carriage without catching on anything.

The stepper toolhead

The stepper gives roughly 14 mm of Z travel. It is the default toolhead in terraForge, so you should not need to change any configuration to use it.

Do this before powering on

It is easier to work on the machine with no power connected and nothing able to move.