Force-Sensing Resistor Setup for Accurate 3D Printer Bed Leveling

3D printing has revolutionized what people can easily make at home, and when you have everything set up correctly, producing a new part is simply a matter of pressing a few buttons. The rub here is that you may have to spend some time getting everything in check, and one of the most important adjustments is making sure your bed is level. This procedure often involves sliding paper underneath your nozzle and feeling resistance between it and the bed, a process that’s subject to interpretation and thus error.

To make things a bit more concrete, Antzy Carmasaic (AKA Antzy X) has come up an Arduino Pro Micro-powered tool that won’t entirely automate the process, but should make it much more accurate. His device, aptly named “FS-Touch,” uses a force-sensing resistor between the nozzle and the bed to measure applied force. Once a reference measurement is taken, you can slide it under the nozzle at different points, adjusting the height to match.

User interface is via a simple button and a 7-segment display, and after the reference reading is taken, the outer segments spin around the center to tell you which way to twist the adjustment knob. The faster it spins, the further you are from your proper zero point.

Instructions, PCB files, and code are available in the FS-Touch’s write-up, and a demo and clips of it being built are seen in the video above.