DYZE DESIGN Docs

# Automatic Pellet Feeding System

# What's in the box

Item Quantity
Pellet Feeding System Controller 1
Air venturi for ¾” hose 1
¾” hose 3.8m
6mm Nylon hose 2m
Worm clamp 2
Elbow PTC 1

# Identify your version

A new version of the Pellet Feeding System has been released recently. The new version features easier firmware updates and seamless integration with our Aurora™ ecosystem. To identify your version, check the IO face on the controller, the new version has two ethernet ports and a micro SD card slot. The older version has only a usb port.

PFS Version

For the old version, please refer to the old version documentation (opens new window).

# What you need

  • 24VDC Power Supply with a minimum of 2A The controller's operating voltage range is 22V to 26V.
  • 3D Printer Controller (Optional): To enable the printer to pause when you are out of pellets, you'll need a controller running compatible firmware such as:
    • Dyze Aurora Motion I/O Controller
    • Marlin
    • Repetier
    • RepRap
  • Compressed Air Supply: See our compressor section for details.
  • NPN Pellet Sensor: This type of sensor is provided by default with our Pulsar™ and Pulsar Atom™ extruders.

WARNING

Our pellet feeding system includes a specially designed corrugated hose, optimized for vacuum operation. If you choose to replace this hose, ensure the replacement is rated for vacuum applications to maintain system performance.

Additionally, the hose serves to dissipate electrostatic charges which helps prevent pellet clogs. To use this feature properly, connect the embedded metal wire to the AC ground.

# Compressor requirements

This setup corresponds to the requirements for a 100% duty cycle of the pellet feeding system. In most cases, the system will run for about 20 seconds every 4 minutes with the Pulsar running at 2 kg/h, resulting in a duty cycle of about 8%.

A full duty cycle (100%) would require the following compressor:

  • a recommended pressure of 80 PSI (5.5 bar)
  • an airflow of 10.7 SCFM (18 m3/hr)

The venturi creates a small vacuum on one side, thus the hose should be rated accordingly:

  • Venturi inlet vacuum hose of 72”H2O or 18 kPa

# Minimal Setup

Many parameters can affect the actual requirements, such as:

  • Air pressure
  • Vertical lift
  • Tube conveying distance
  • Bends and sharp corners
  • Type of pellets being conveyed

Our recommended minimal setup is:

  • 1HP / 8 gallons compressor
  • Pressure regulator set to 80 PSI

# Wiring the air tubes

Compressor Input

  • VENTURI : Connect the Venturi Valve to the Pellet Feeding System Controller with Ø6.00 mm or 1/4" OD Hose
  • COMP : Connect the Compressor to the Pellet Feeding System Controller with Ø6.00 mm or 1/4" OD Hose

WARNING

Make sure the tubing you are using is rated for your regulator and compressor pressure rating.

# Installation

Mount the unit on your printer, close to the control board. Use 4x M5 bolts threaded into your printer. The housing requires bolts longer than 9mm. Venturi Mounting Dimensions

Venturi Mounting Example

# Connectors views

Front View Front View Terminal Block Detail Side View Side View Terminal Block Detail

# Wiring

  • We recommend using ferrule crimps for the wires of the sensors, power and the output.

    Ferrule crimps are recommended

    Ferrule crimps are recommended

  • POWER CONNECTOR :

    • + : Connect to the 24V DC power supply, positive lead
    • - : Connect to the power supply, ground lead

  • SENSOR CONNECTOR : Connect the capacitive sensor (packed with your Pulsar™)

    • + : Connect to the positive wire of the capacitive sensor
    • S : Connect to the output of the capacitive sensor
    • - : Connect to the ground wire of the capacitive sensor

  • OUTPUT CONNECTOR : Optionnal The output is used to send a signal to your control board if a problem is detected. The signal HIGH voltage will be the same as OUTPUT_+. For example, if the pellet feeding system tried to feed the extruder, and after the routine, the extruder still doesn't detects pellets, a HIGH output will be sent. The firmware should be configured to pause the print and wait for the user to fix the problem.

    • OUTPUT_+ : Connect to your control board logic voltage. Range : 3VDC to 24 VDC
    • OUTPUT_S : Connect to one of your control board input
    • OUTPUT_- : Connect to your control board GND

TIP

When using the Automatic Pellet Feeding System with the Dyze Design Aurora Ecosystem, wiring the OUTPUT CONNECTOR is not required. The pause signal is automatically transmitted via the Dyze Protocol.

Ferrule crimps are recommended

  • SWITCH CONNECTOR: Optionnal The switch should be of type SPDT On-Off-Mom and accessible to the user. This will override the state of the venturi and allow manual interaction with the pellet feeding system. For example, if a user needs to disable the ventury in order to switch material, the switch should be set to ""OFF"". If a user needs to fill the hopper before starting a print, the switch sould be hold to "MOM" for the required amount of time. When the user is ready to print, the switch should be set back to "ON"
    • SWITCH_OFF : Connect to the deactivation pin of the switch (On position)
    • SWITCH_COM : Connect to the common pin of the switch
    • SWITCH_PRIME : Connect to the prime side of the switch, momentary part of the switch (Momentary position)
  • CONTROLLER CONNECTOR : Optionnal Works similary to the SWITCH CONNECTOR:, but controlled using one output from your controller.
    • CONTROLLER_OFF : Connect to a I/O of your controller, which will be use for deactivation, Range : 3VDC to 24 VDC
    • CONTROLLER_GND : Connect to the gnd of your controller
    • CONTROLLER_PRIME : Connect to a I/O of your controller, which will be use to prime the system, Range : 3VDC to 24 VDC
  • RS45 CONNECTORS : Optionnal Only works with the Aurora controller. This port allow data transfer and data logging on Aurora.

WARNING

RISK OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CONTROLLER. Using the wrong voltage on OUTPUT_+ could cause damage to your control board. When the alarm is activated, the voltage on OUTPUT_S will be equal to OUTPUT_+. The max output current is 15 mA A control board's logic voltage is not always the same as its power input voltage. Please refer to the manufacturer's specification for more details.

# Led status

The LED indicates the current status of your system.

  • LED #1 : Power status. When on, the device is powered.
  • LED #2 :
    • When used with Aurora : Dyze Protocol Activity
    • Other use : Firmware version information
  • LED #3 : Valve activation status. When on, the valve is activated.
  • LED #4 : SD card status. When on, the SD card is present and no error is detected.

# SD card: firmware update

TIP

When using the Pellet Feeding System with the Aurora Ecosystem, the firmware from the SD card is ignored and the firmware version is managed by the Aurora controller.

  • The SD card can be used to perform a firmware update.
  • The new firmware should be copied directly to the root directory of the SD card.
  • When the SD card is put in the PFS, the unit will update itself automatically at the next boot up.
  • Once the update is successfully completed, the PFS will make the bootup sound (the AlarmEnabled parameter must be set to true).
  • There is currently no firmware update available. When it will be available link will be here

# SD card Status

SD card LED blinks interpretation:

  • 2 Blinks : No SD card detected.
  • 3 Blinks : SD configuration error. config.ini not detected or invalid.
  • 4 Blinks : No Firmware is detected on the SD card or the firmware is invalid.
  • 5 Blinks : Eeprom configuration error.
  • 6 Blinks : Eeprom error.

# Venturi Installation

Check out our drawing page (opens new window) to get the 3D STEP file. Design your bracket according to the available mounting options.

Follow the instructions below for a safe installation of the Pellet Feeding System.

  • Position the venturi valve between hoses connecting the hopper/pellets container to the Pulsar Extruder
    • The valve vacuum side should be shorter than 1 meter (3 feet) for the suction to work correctly.
  • Install ¼” NPT to 6 mm push-in fitting on the venturi vacuum
  • Connect the 6 mm hose between the controller and vacuum
  • Connect the capacitive sensor to the controller
  • Connect the power to the controller
  • Fill the Pulsar™ or Pulsar Atom inlet with material
    • You may use the "MOM" side of the switch if you connected it, or your user interface if it is wired and configured.
  • Calibrate the sensor’s sensitivity (see calibration procedure)
  • Connect the hoses to the Pulsar™
  • Connect Air supply to the controller

# Good practices

Good practices

  • Venturi Material Exhaust oriented upward
  • Avoid sharp turns in the hose
  • Material inlet hose oriented upward
  • Material hopper/container converges into a funnel
  • The hose transporting the pellets must have a limited length below the inlet of the bulk material
  • Adjust the open time of the controller according to the length of the hose between the venturi and the pellet extruder.

WARNING

Avoid any of the details mentioned below!

Bad practices

# Sensor Calibration Procedure

Tools Needed :

  • Small flat screwdriver
  1. Fill the Pulsar™ inlet with pellets
  2. Turn on the pellet feeding controller to power up the sensor
  3. Turn the screw on the sensor counterclockwise until the red LED turns off
  4. Turn the screw a quarter turn clockwise at a time until the red LED turns on

# Pellet Feeding System logic and configuration

The configuration procedure depends on how you are operating your Pellet Feeding System:

  • Aurora Ecosystem: Configuration and logic are fully integrated and managed via the Aurora interface.
  • Standalone / Third-Party Controller (Marlin, Repetier, RepRap): Configuration is performed manually using a text file placed on an SD card.

# Aurora Ecosystem setup

When operating the Pellet Feeding System within the Dyze Design Aurora Ecosystem, no manual configuration file (config.ini) or SD card setup is required. The unit communicates directly over the Aurora communication bus.

To adjust logic parameters, navigate to Configuration > Accessories. From this page, you can configure Supply Duration, Burst Number, and Alarm Activation. Refer to the following image :

Aurora Configuration

# Standalone / Third-Party Controller Setup

  • To configure the parameters, a text file named config.ini has to be added to the root directory of the SD card.
  • The parameters are:
    • SupplyTime : in milliseconds, default = 10000. Represents the duration of the supply time in the alarm sequence.
    • BurstNumber : number of burst cycles, default = 3.
    • AlarmEnabled : true or false, default = true. Disables/enables the audible alarm (buzzer), but the alarm output remains active.

WARNING

These 3 parameters must be present in the config.ini file to be considered!

  • If the config.ini is valid, the parameters will be updated automatically at the next boot-up and kept in the PFS memory.
  • Here's an example of how it should be written in the config.ini file:
SupplyTime = 10000
BurstNumber = 3
AlarmEnabled = true

# Pellet Feeding System logic

Controller Logic

x : corresponds to BurstNumber

y : corresponds to SupplyTime

# DIP switches

The Pellet Feeding System controller features an internal DIP switch located on the main PCB inside the enclosure. This switch is used to set a unique device identifier when integrating the unit into a Dyze Protocol Network.

The DIP switch configuration is only relevant when using the Pellet Feeding System with the Dyze Aurora Ecosystem; for standalone operation or third-party controllers, the switch positions can be safely ignored.

Within the Aurora Ecosystem, the DIP switches assign a unique Device ID to each unit:

Single Unit: If your setup includes only one Pellet Feeding System, any DIP switch position will work.

Multiple Units: If you are running two or more units on the same network, you must ensure each device is set to a distinct Device ID to avoid communication conflicts.

To adjust the Device ID:

  1. Remove the four corner screws on the controller enclosure.
  2. Lift off the cover to access the main PCB.
  3. Set the DIP switches to the desired ID, according to the following table. Dip Switches configuration
    ID SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4
    1 OFF OFF OFF OFF
    2 OFF OFF OFF ON
    3 OFF OFF ON OFF
    4 OFF OFF ON ON
    5 OFF ON OFF OFF
    6 OFF ON OFF ON
    7 OFF ON ON OFF
    8 OFF ON ON ON
    9 ON OFF OFF OFF
    10 ON OFF OFF ON
    11 ON OFF ON OFF
    12 ON OFF ON ON
    13 ON ON OFF OFF
    14 ON ON OFF ON
    15 ON ON ON OFF
    16 ON ON ON ON
  4. Resecure the cover with the four screws.

# Firmware

This section shows you how to enable a pause feature when the Pellet Feeding System detects that you are out of pellets and the alarm is raised.

# Aurora Ecosystem

To enable the pause feature when a pellet runout is detected, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the System > Configuration page.
  2. Make sure the device is listed in the Devices tab.
  3. In the Accessories tab, click the Add button, then select the Pellet Feeding System type.
  4. In the Tools tab, link the Pellet Feeding System accessory in the Pellets Feeding System field.

Once this is configured, if a pellet runout is detected during a print, the print will pause and the pause macro will be executed.

# Marlin Firmware

You can use the filament runout feature.

See our doc: https://docs.dyzedesign.com/filament-sentinel.html#marlin-firmware

# Repetier Firmware

See our doc for the filament runout feature: https://docs.dyzedesign.com/filament-sentinel.html#repetier-firmware

# Reprap firmware

https://docs.dyzedesign.com/filament-sentinel.html#reprap-firmware

Last Updated: 11/11/2026, 12:13:11 PM

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