Author Topic: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!  (Read 9100 times)

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #60 on: June 02, 2016, 02:33:22 pm »
Yes there only  3 endstops, but in his picture of the ramps board, he has something plugged in the Z- min pins.. so when he says connect the endstops as shown, I got confused..  I just got the firmware installed on my ramps..  keeping my fingers crossed.

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #61 on: June 05, 2016, 08:23:12 am »
I've finally figured out the wiring and configuration for my frankencube. The unit is printing better than it ever has.  Its quieter, faster, more accurate and much more flexible.  Can't post any pics for the next few days because our internet at home took a lightning strike.  I'll post a copy of the customised marlin firmware as soon as my home internet comes back online along with some revised wiring details and further instructions.
Hi Dan
 I have my ramps, wired as shown in the pictures, but when I try to install the firmware, I get errors, I think maybe I wired something wrong, can you take a picture of the wiring again, or just let me know..  Thanks Dan, I'm glad you put this together for us..

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #62 on: June 08, 2016, 02:48:15 pm »
I don't know for sure but installing firmware to the Arduino shouldn't require anything else than the Arduino itself. I installed firmware on my board while it was sitting on my desk and only RAMPS was connected to it. Uploaded just fine and when i booted it with only USB power and LCD attached, it had Marlin firmware running. I haven't connected it to the printer yet, need to to some wiring first.

So i think it's a problem with your firmware code. What kind of errors do you get?

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #63 on: June 08, 2016, 05:54:20 pm »
Thanks spegelius

That did the trick, like you said no wires attached just the ramps.. One of my endstops was shorted because of a solder break.. Do you know if the frankencube needs to be calibrated after the ramps is installed?    if so I need to find a  Caliper..

Thanks again,  I think I going to do a missing person report on Dan..lol

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #64 on: June 10, 2016, 10:21:18 am »
Heh, yeah Dan has been MIA for a while. But he did leave good instructions, shouldn't be too hard to figure stuff out.

About calibration: i think that what is mostly needed is to tune the DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT. I'm using
Code: [Select]
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   {80, 80, 80, 80} as that's what Dan has in his firmware and it should work with the A4988 stepper drivers. If not, then just change those values until it produces proper movements. Another thing is the Z-axis offsets, but as i haven't used Marlin ever before I don't know if there's a setting that can be tuned without changing the code and re-uploading the firmware.

Also i'm using latest stable version of Marlin firmware and that's bit different compared to what Dan was using. I think i got the values set up right, but that's to be seen when i get enough time to finish the installation, maybe this weekend.

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #65 on: June 12, 2016, 02:32:47 pm »
Heh, yeah Dan has been MIA for a while. But he did leave good instructions, shouldn't be too hard to figure stuff out.

About calibration: i think that what is mostly needed is to tune the DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT. I'm using
Code: [Select]
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   {80, 80, 80, 80} as that's what Dan has in his firmware and it should work with the A4988 stepper drivers. If not, then just change those values until it produces proper movements. Another thing is the Z-axis offsets, but as i haven't used Marlin ever before I don't know if there's a setting that can be tuned without changing the code and re-uploading the firmware.

Also i'm using latest stable version of Marlin firmware and that's bit different compared to what Dan was using. I think i got the values set up right, but that's to be seen when i get enough time to finish the installation, maybe this weekend.
Thanks my friend..   and I agree Dan did leave good instructions..  Thanks Dan.
Hopefully you stick around, just in case I get stuck..
I am now seeing if I can get the z axis offset, and maybe try my first print, in the next day or so.. good luck spegelius, with your project.

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #66 on: June 12, 2016, 03:01:26 pm »

Thanks my friend..   and I agree Dan did leave good instructions..  Thanks Dan.
Hopefully you stick around, just in case I get stuck..
I am now seeing if I can get the z axis offset, and maybe try my first print, in the next day or so.. good luck spegelius, with your project.

Thanks. When you get the z-offset figured out, do post it here as i'm unsure about it myself. If the offset is set in firmware, it's going to be a PITA to set as i'm planning to run prints from sdcard and not have PC connected to the printer...

I did the wiring and no smoke :). And it's working, partly:
- nozzle temp is read correctly and it heats up
- X and Y axes are moving, had to flip the connectors, though
- endstops for X and Y work, i can home the axes.
- fan seems to get power, but i need to remove the resistor i have installed (needed it because the fan is 12V and Cube uses 24V)
- LCD and controller works, haven't tested sdcard slot yet

Not working:
- Z doesn't move. Actually i can't even input a mm value with controller. I suspect that this is simply a misconfig i made in firmware, need to check that.
- E doesn't move, even though i can input movement length with controller. I need to check the wiring. The extruder stepper motor is not the default Cube motor, but i works with Cube's motherboard. I bought a new motor when is installed the Airtrippers bowden extruder because Cube's motor didn't have long enough axle and the drive gear is really stuck on it anyway.

Both Z and E get power to the connectors and all the A4988 drivers have proper vref voltages (needed to tune them down, by default they give 0.63V which is too much).

Some pictures of the messy setup which i hope i can get cleaned up later: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qyosfww7zud15l4/AAAp6i1h_ljRp9sGNML-bRyya?dl=0

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #67 on: June 13, 2016, 07:35:32 am »
Thanks. When you get the z-offset figured out, do post it here as i'm unsure about it myself. If the offset is set in firmware, it's going to be a PITA to set as i'm planning to run prints from sdcard and not have PC connected to the printer...

I did the wiring and no smoke :). And it's working, partly:
- nozzle temp is read correctly and it heats up
- X and Y axes are moving, had to flip the connectors, though
- endstops for X and Y work, i can home the axes.
- fan seems to get power, but i need to remove the resistor i have installed (needed it because the fan is 12V and Cube uses 24V)
- LCD and controller works, haven't tested sdcard slot yet

Not working:
- Z doesn't move. Actually i can't even input a mm value with controller. I suspect that this is simply a misconfig i made in firmware, need to check that.
- E doesn't move, even though i can input movement length with controller. I need to check the wiring. The extruder stepper motor is not the default Cube motor, but i works with Cube's motherboard. I bought a new motor when is installed the Airtrippers bowden extruder because Cube's motor didn't have long enough axle and the drive gear is really stuck on it anyway.

Both Z and E get power to the connectors and all the A4988 drivers have proper vref voltages (needed to tune them down, by default they give 0.63V which is too much).

Some pictures of the messy setup which i hope i can get cleaned up later: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qyosfww7zud15l4/AAAp6i1h_ljRp9sGNML-bRyya?dl=0
I was having alot of problems with the Marlin firmware, so I tried the Repetier Firmware, the download page, let you configure the firmware before you download it, and it explains what all the different values are, which for me being new to the 3d printer world was great..
 Everything was moving as it should, after the upload..
I'm using a mk8 extruder china clone version, and instead of extruding it just makes a clunking nosie, also the hot end says it heated up, but still cold, I think i might  get rid of the mk8, and get a E3D J-head Hotend 1.75mm..
Check your E and Z  max acceleration,  in the configuration h, make sure it's not set to 5000, if it is, set it to 1000, This worked for me when my Y axis wouldn't move with marlin..

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #68 on: June 14, 2016, 12:37:31 am »
Ok, good to know there's alternative, i have heard about Repetier before but didn't really know what it is. Interesting.

I got Z and E working; Z was a misconfiguration on my part, i had swapped min and max positions so the length was probably -140mm :). No wonder that it didn't work.
E was not moving simply because i tried to move it without heating the nozzle; Marlin (wisely) prevents this so there's no damage to se extruder setup when trying to extrude cold filament.

I didn't get a print made yet, but played around with Pronterface and Simplify3D. I had some trouble with S3D as it didn't seem to want to send commands to the unit... probably a problem with the previous firmware settings i used with original Cube2 motherboard.

Also i need proper Start g-code and end g-code, i'll try the ones posted previoulsy in this thread.

For the Z-offset, the method seems to be to move Z, Y and Z to the actual 0-position then selecting Set offsets.
And the Z kept falling down after 2 minutes, which was fixed by disabling stepper timeout for Z.

Getting there... :)

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #69 on: June 14, 2016, 03:00:47 pm »
No progress with the printer, had other errands to do whole day, but i forked the Marlin github repo and pushed my Cube2 config there: https://github.com/spegelius/Marlin. Use branch Cube2_RC. It's based on 1.1.0_RC6 as i forgot the switch to stable branch before starting... well time will tell if the RC is has bugs

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #70 on: June 14, 2016, 07:06:55 pm »
No progress with the printer, had other errands to do whole day, but i forked the Marlin github repo and pushed my Cube2 config there: https://github.com/spegelius/Marlin. Use branch Cube2_RC. It's based on 1.1.0_RC6 as i forgot the switch to stable branch before starting... well time will tell if the RC is has bugs
Thanks spegelius
Yeah I just keep hitting walls, when I first started this project, I thought just have to wire it up and install the custom firmware, and would be good to go.. I going to try your config..  I'll post back, if any luck..

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #71 on: June 15, 2016, 06:59:26 am »
Thanks spegelius
Yeah I just keep hitting walls, when I first started this project, I thought just have to wire it up and install the custom firmware, and would be good to go.. I going to try your config..  I'll post back, if any luck..
[/quote]
I uploaded last night, but can't get my full graphic smart controller lcd, to work with the firmware.. I tried  #define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER
  and #include <U8glib.h>
The lcd shows the menu, but I can control anything, the knob on the lcd, if i press, or turn it, it wont control through the menu.. 
Hey spegelius,  do you know, if you can take a configuration h, file from one marlin firmware, and install it to a different marlin firmware??

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #72 on: June 16, 2016, 12:58:00 am »
I suspect that using Configuration.h from different version of Marlin probably wont work. But that depends on how much changes those versions have... Using the Verify function in the Arduino IDE should show if it's compatible, but that won't tell you if all needed values are there...

I got mine printing :). I used the Set offsets in Prepare-screen after manually moving the Z to proper position and now it prints on proper level. I used Pronterface to control the printer and sliced with Slic3r for now. Need to set up Simplify3d later.

I also changed the bed 0,0,0 coordinate from center of the bed to the default corner. Shouldn't matter as long as you configure the slicer sw to know where the origin is. If it's at the center, you need to set the 0-pos offset accordinly (70mm in the case of Cube).

Tuning the extrusion steps was relatively simple: detach bowden tube from the nozzle, ask to extrude 100mm of filament and the measure the actual length. In my case, with MK8 bolt, i needed to change default 80 to 147 and now it outputs almost exactly 100mm when asked.

I'll post the start and end g-codes i used this evening.

I had few problems after the first succesfull print:
- it seems that either Pronterface or Marlin has a bug: if you start Pronterface, use the manual movement controls to move Z and then start a print, Z always overshoots by ~1mm. So what you need to do is to start Pronterface, load the file and start printing right awa, don't touch the controls. I'm going to be printing from sdcard after i get things tuned so this is not a big bug, but caused some fustration yesterday  :D
- my laptop's battery died during the second print and the printer was just the waiting for commands. That's what you get for buying a gaming laptop ;).

General impression about the printer now: fast, fluid, more precise, less noise, mostly easier to use, more verstatile. As Dan said at page 1, don't think, just do it :). Best upgrade to this printer so far and i have done quite a lot of them.

spegelius

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #73 on: June 16, 2016, 10:03:19 am »
Start g-code:
Code: [Select]
G21                                ;metric values
G90                                ;absolute positioning
M82                               ;set extruder to absolute mode
G28                                ;move to endstops
G1 Z15.0 F2500             ;move the hotend to 15mm
;G92 E0                           ;zero the extruded length
;G1 F200 E10                  ;extrude 10mm of feed stock
;G92 E0                           ;zero the extruded length again
G1 X0 Y0 Z0.4 F1000    ;move Z close
G1 X50 Y0 Z0.1 F1000  ;move 50mm to right and Z closer

End g-code
Code: [Select]
M104 S0                                      ;extruder heater off
;M140 S0                                      ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
G91                                              ;relative positioning
G1 E-1 F300                                ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle
 to release some of the pressure
G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F2000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
G28 X0 Y0                                   ;move X/Y to min endstops
 so the head is out of the way
G28 Z0                                        ;home Z
G90                                             ;absolute positioning

Also updated configuration in github. Needed to enabled sdcard, now it's printing from it

soso2

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 18
    • View Profile
Re: FrankenCube v0.1 Its ALIVE!!!
« Reply #74 on: June 16, 2016, 03:24:08 pm »
Start g-code:
Code: [Select]
G21                                ;metric values
G90                                ;absolute positioning
M82                               ;set extruder to absolute mode
G28                                ;move to endstops
G1 Z15.0 F2500             ;move the hotend to 15mm
;G92 E0                           ;zero the extruded length
;G1 F200 E10                  ;extrude 10mm of feed stock
;G92 E0                           ;zero the extruded length again
G1 X0 Y0 Z0.4 F1000    ;move Z close
G1 X50 Y0 Z0.1 F1000  ;move 50mm to right and Z closer

End g-code
Code: [Select]
M104 S0                                      ;extruder heater off
;M140 S0                                      ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
G91                                              ;relative positioning
G1 E-1 F300                                ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle
 to release some of the pressure
G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F2000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
G28 X0 Y0                                   ;move X/Y to min endstops
 so the head is out of the way
G28 Z0                                        ;home Z
G90                                             ;absolute positioning

Also updated configuration in github. Needed to enabled sdcard, now it's printing from it
Spegelius Thanks so much for this..
Are you using Ramps 1.4 with the A4988, ?  also what Lcd panel are you using?? I actually put your values from the config h, into the marlin i'm using.. I couldn't get my Reprap smart controller to work with the RC..  If you are using the A4988 drivers, did you dial down the voltage?  just wondering.. 
I just getting things to work out, thank to you past reply, I calibrated my extruder, though x axis seem to move slow, and the z axis is super fast..