BLTouch doesn't always deploy Duet 3 6HC

ctilley79

Having an intermittent issue where the bltouch doesn't always deploy. The light stays red, and the nozzle crashes. It's a new build and the cables seem to be well connected. I am trying to narrow down a way to replicate it, but having trouble figuring out a process to do so. Anyone else having an issue? I'm on RRF 3.2 Final.

Phaedrux

Remove the pin and clean it. There is a set screw on the top of the probe. Remove it and the pin can be slid out. Sometimes they get little wisps of filament stuck to the pin.

ctilley79

@Phaedrux I have done that, but this issue seems to behave a little differently. For one, the bltouch should send an error code when the probe doesn't deploy. Second. Usually when you probe the bed, the probe will deploy and the led will turn off.

When the probe isn't deploying the light remains red which on other printers i have, sends an error that the probe was already triggered before the homing move started. That behavior makes me believe the issue is not a wisp of filament but firmware related.

Phaedrux

Please post your config.g, homeall.g, deploy and retract macros.
Post the results of M122 and M98 P"config.g"
What version of BLtouch? How exactly is it wired? Photos?

ctilley79

@Phaedrux It's wired just like the official duet wiki on the subject. You'll see from my config.g what port. It's the bltouch v3.1. M98 P"config.g" gives me a warning that my bed heater is overpowered.

config.g

; Configuration file for Duet 3 (firmware version 3)
; executed by the firmware on start-up
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool v3.2.1 on Sat Jan 09 2021 15:21:32 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

; General preferences
G90																; send absolute coordinates...
M83																; ...but relative extruder moves
M550 P"Duet 3"													; set printer name
M669 K1															; select CoreXY mode

; Drives
M569 P0.0 S0													; physical drive 0.0 goes backwards
M569 P0.1 S1													; physical drive 0.1 goes forwards
M569 P0.2 S1													; physical drive 0.2 goes forwards
M569 P0.3 S0													; physical drive 0.3 goes backwards
M569 P0.4 S1													; physical drive 0.4 goes forwards
M569 P0.5 S0													; physical drive 0.5 goes backwards
M569 P1.0 S1													; physical drive 1.0 goes forwards

M584 X0.1 Y0.0 Z0.2:0.3:0.4:0.5 E1.0							; set drive mapping
M671 X-50:-50:350:350 Y0:375:375:0 S3							; Z Lead Screw Leveling probe Point Mapping


M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1											; configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X160.00 Y160.00 Z400.00 E415.00								; set steps per mm
M566 X720.00 Y720.00 Z30.00 E3000.00							; set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X14400.00 Y14400.00 Z720.00 E4000.00						; set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X3000.00 Y3000.00 Z200.00 E4000.00							; set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X1200 Y1200 Z1200 E700 I40									; set motor currents (mA)and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30															; Set idle timeout

; Axis Limits
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1												; set axis minima
M208 X300 Y300 Z250 S0											; set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 X1 S3														; configure sensorless endstop for low end on X
M574 Y1 S3														; configure sensorless endstop for low end on Y
M574 Z1 S2														; configure Z-probe endstop for low end on Z

M915 X Y S3 F0 R0 H400											; configure stall detection for X and Y sensorless homing

; Z-Probe
M950 S0 C"io7.out"												; create servo pin 0 for BLTouch
M558 P9 C"^io7.in" H3 F340 T14400								; set Z probe type to bltouch and the dive height + speeds
G31 P500 X0 Y21 Z2.73											; set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
M557 X20:280 Y30:270 P4											; Define mesh grid


; Bed Heater
M308 S0 P"temp0" Y"thermistor" T100000 B3950					; configure sensor 0 as thermistor on pin temp0
M950 H0 C"out0" T0												; create bed heater output on out0 and map it to sensor 0
M307 H0 B0 S0.6													; disable bang-bang mode for the bed heater and set PWM limit
M140 H0															; map heated bed to heater 0
M143 H0 S120													; set temperature limit for heater 0 to 120C

; Nozzle Heater
M308 S1 P"1.temp0" Y"thermistor" T500000 B4723 C1.19622e-7		; configure sensor 1 as thermistor on pin 1.temp0
M950 H1 C"1.out0" T1											; create nozzle heater output on 1.out0 and map it to sensor 1
M307 H1 B0 S1.00												; disable bang-bang mode for heater  and set PWM limit
M143 H1 S280													; set temperature limit for heater 1 to 280C

; Fans
M950 F0 C"0.out4" Q10											; create fan 0 on pin out4 and set its frequency
M106 P0 S0 H-1													; set fan 0 value. Thermostatic control is turned off

M950 F1 C"0.out5" Q10											; create fan 1 on pin out5 and set its frequency
M106 P1 S0.6 H1 T45												; set fan 1 value. Thermostatic control is turned on

; Case Fans
M950 F2 C"0.out7" Q10											; create fan 2 on pin out7 and set its frequency
M106 P2 S0.4 C"Case Fan 1"

M950 F3 C"0.out8" Q10
M106 P3 S0.4 C"Case Fan 2"

M950 F4 C"0.out9" Q10
M106 P4 S0 C"Exhaust Fan"

; Tools
M563 P0 S"Extruder" D0 H1 F0									; define tool 0
G10 P0 X0 Y0 Z0													; set tool 0 axis offsets
G10 P0 R0 S0													; set initial tool 0 active and standby temperatures to 0C

; Custom settings are not defined

; Miscellaneous
;M575 P1 S1 B57600												; enable support for PanelDue
M501															; load saved parameters from non-volatile memory
T0																; select first tool

; homeall.g
; called to home all axes
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool v3.2.1 on Sat Jan 09 2021 15:21:33 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
G29 S2            ; disable bed mesh compensation
G91                     ; relative positioning
M400                    ; make sure everything has stopped before we make changes

M913 Z30          ; Z motors to 30% current
G1 Z10 F300  H2   ; drop bed Z relative to current position
M400
M913 Z100         ; Z motors to 100% current
M280 P0 S160	  ; Reset bltouch in case it didn't have vertical clearance for self test.
G90               ; abs positioning

; Home X
G91               ; relative positioning
M400
M913 X25 Y25      ; XY motors to 25% current
G1 H1 X-310 F4000 ; move until motors hit X min and stall
G1 X20 F3000      ; go back a few mm on X
M400
M913 X100 Y100    ; XY motors to 100% current
G90  			  ; abs positioning
G1 X150 F10000
; Home Y
G91               ; relative positioning
M400
M913 X25 Y25      ; XY motors to 25% current
G1 H1 Y-320 F4000 ; move until motors hit Y min and stall
G1 Y20 F3000      ; go back a few mm on Y
M400
M913 X100 Y100    ; XY motors to 100% current
G90               ; abs positioning

; Home Z
M400
G90               ; absolute positioning
G1 X150 Y129 F6000   ; go to probing point (between two Z rods, 30mm bltouch offset)
M400
G30               ; Probe and home Z (pass 1)

m122
=== Diagnostics ===
RepRapFirmware for Duet 3 MB6HC version 3.2 running on Duet 3 MB6HC v1.01 or later (SBC mode)
Board ID: 08DJM-956BA-NA3TJ-6J1F4-3SJ6T-KVAUV
Used output buffers: 5 of 40 (10 max)
=== RTOS ===
Static ram: 149788
Dynamic ram: 62864 of which 76 recycled
Never used RAM 146104, free system stack 126 words
Tasks: Linux(ready,101) HEAT(blocked,271) CanReceiv(blocked,809) CanSender(blocked,352) CanClock(blocked,352) TMC(blocked,53) MAIN(running,1217) IDLE(ready,19)
Owned mutexes: HTTP(MAIN)
=== Platform ===
Last reset 03:43:01 ago, cause: software
Last software reset at 2021-02-03 12:20, reason: User, none spinning, available RAM 146104, slot 2
Software reset code 0x0012 HFSR 0x00000000 CFSR 0x00000000 ICSR 0x00400000 BFAR 0x00000000 SP 0x00000000 Task Linu Freestk 0 n/a
Error status: 0x00
Aux0 errors 0,0,0
Aux1 errors 0,0,0
MCU temperature: min 34.3, current 38.5, max 38.8
Supply voltage: min 23.8, current 24.0, max 24.1, under voltage events: 0, over voltage events: 0, power good: yes
12V rail voltage: min 12.1, current 12.1, max 12.2, under voltage events: 0
Driver 0: position 44640, standstill, reads 32548, writes 28 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/1023
Driver 1: position 3360, standstill, reads 32548, writes 28 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/1023
Driver 2: position 22292, standstill, reads 32553, writes 23 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/259
Driver 3: position 0, standstill, reads 32553, writes 23 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/206
Driver 4: position 0, standstill, reads 32553, writes 23 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/190
Driver 5: position 0, standstill, reads 32553, writes 23 timeouts 0, SG min/max 0/172
Date/time: 2021-02-03 16:03:57
Slowest loop: 159.64ms; fastest: 0.04ms
=== Storage ===
Free file entries: 10
SD card 0 not detected, interface speed: 37.5MBytes/sec
SD card longest read time 0.0ms, write time 0.0ms, max retries 0
=== Move ===
DMs created 125, maxWait 13040273ms, bed compensation in use: none, comp offset 0.000
=== MainDDARing ===
Scheduled moves 13, completed moves 13, hiccups 0, stepErrors 0, LaErrors 0, Underruns [0, 0, 1], CDDA state -1
=== AuxDDARing ===
Scheduled moves 0, completed moves 0, hiccups 0, stepErrors 0, LaErrors 0, Underruns [0, 0, 0], CDDA state -1
=== Heat ===
Bed heaters = 0 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1, chamberHeaters = -1 -1 -1 -1
Heater 1 is on, I-accum = 0.0
=== GCodes ===
Segments left: 0
Movement lock held by null
HTTP* is doing "M122" in state(s) 0
Telnet is idle in state(s) 0
File is idle in state(s) 0
USB is idle in state(s) 0
Aux is idle in state(s) 0
Trigger* is idle in state(s) 0
Queue is idle in state(s) 0
LCD is idle in state(s) 0
SBC is idle in state(s) 0
Daemon is idle in state(s) 0
Aux2 is idle in state(s) 0
Autopause is idle in state(s) 0
Code queue is empty.
=== CAN ===
Messages queued 53530, send timeouts 0, received 107075, lost 0, longest wait 1ms for reply type 6042, free buffers 48
=== SBC interface ===
State: 4, failed transfers: 0
Last transfer: 3ms ago
RX/TX seq numbers: 27671/27671
SPI underruns 0, overruns 0
Number of disconnects: 0, IAP RAM available 0x2c8a8
Buffer RX/TX: 0/0-0
=== Duet Control Server ===
Duet Control Server v3.2.0
Code buffer space: 4096
Configured SPI speed: 8000000 Hz
Full transfers per second: 36.36
Maximum length of RX/TX data transfers: 2912/784

Phaedrux

Is it failing to deploy during homeall, or when doing a G29? Or both?

dc42

Try adding a small delay after deploying the probe. The simplest way is to use the R parameter in the M558 command. 0.1 sec should be sufficient.

Remove the ^ in front of the pin name in the M558 command. It's only needed on Duet 2 when using the Z probe input pin or expansion connector pins. Using it on Duet 3 reduces the noise margin.

ctilley79

@Phaedrux said in BLTouch doesn't always deploy Duet 3 6HC:

G29

It seems to be random. Sometimes it's home all, sometimes it's during my bed level routine. Seems to happen more if the machine has been idle for a while, or after a change in config.g. The odd thing is when i catch it and quickly halt the machine, the next time around it works flawlessly.

@dc42 I'll try adding a delay and see if that helps.

EDIT: Adding a delay did not help. Edited the config and saved., ran homeall after the machine came back up, and probe did not deploy. E stopped the machine and tried again. Probe deployed. at a loss here.

User3D

@ctilley79 My BL-Touch used to go in blink state too ,So I've this line to change its mode to ALARM RELEASE in my config at the end and even at start and end of bed.g . Try this I suppose.
For deployment problem I would suggest you to increase dive height that is H parameter's value in M558 which is 3 right now. Mine is 8.

Phaedrux

Try a slower dive speed as well. The Bltouch likes it slow. Try F120.

Dive height should be a bit more than the trigger height. 2.7 and 3 is pretty tight. Try H5.

How long of a delay did you add with the R parameter? Try R0.5

ctilley79

@User3D It's not going into blink state though. the led is staying solid like it never got the signal to deploy. The bltouch is not erroring out. The next time around though it works.

Phaedrux

That sounds like an intermittent signal issue. May be worth replacing the entire servo signal cable and crimped ends.

ctilley79

@Phaedrux I was afraid you were going to say that

Phaedrux

You could try doing a stress test. Create a macro file with M401 and M402 commands separated by a short G4 S1 pause and have it repeat that many times. See if it can reliable deploy and retract while still. Then try adding some movement commands in between to move the head around while deploying and retracting.

ctilley79

@Phaedrux I like that better. will report back

ctilley79

@Phaedrux Ok. I ran this macro inside a 100 iteration loop a few times while jostling the cable bundle around and the probe worked flawlessly. The dive height you mentioned I see where you're coming from, but let's say my Z axis is at Z130 and I home all. I raise the gantry by a little bit, home x, y, then probe the bed, the probe doesn't deploy even at that height. It's not like it doesn't have enough time to deploy.

Phaedrux

Do you have another BLtouch to test with?

ctilley79

@Phaedrux Not a spare one. Hell, if I have to take this apart I'll use one of the Super Pindas I recently snagged. It's nice being able to probe the actual surface, but I love the fact inductive probes have no moving parts.

ctilley79

@dc42 Ok. I might have some way of repeating this. I left the machine idle for a few hours and ran the below macro. It executed the entire loop and the probe did NOT deploy or retract. Not even once. Using DWC I hit the emergency stop. As soon as the machine came back up I played the macro and the file executed all iterations successfully. It seems this could be related to the machine being idle and no longer being able to send the signal over the io port. I don't think this is a cable or connector issue due to the fact that the machine did not move an inch before or after hitting the estop.

while iterations < 20
	echo iterations
	G4 S1.0
	M401
	G4 S0.5
    M402
    continue

dc42

I suspect that If the firmware thought the probe was already deployed at the start. RRF remembers whether M401 has been used to deploy the probe, and only sends the deploy command if the probe is not recorded as having been deployed. If you send several M401 commands without an intervening M402 command, RRF counts how many M401 commands you sent, and only retracts the probe when you have sent the corresponding number of M402 commands. This is to allow M401 and M402 commands to be used in nested macro files

One consequence of this is that if the probe enters an error state, as well as resetting the error you should send M402 a couple of times to ensure that RRF knows that the probe is retracted.

However, none of this is relevant to G29 probing failing if you have set the probe type to 9 in M558, because for probe type 9 the deploy and retract files are sent every time a point is probed.