How Do I Calibrate My Titan Extruder and Test Print?

DocTrucker

I then went and did a M307 H0, and took the results and updated the heater details in the config.g.

On my machine I thought H1 was the hot end and H0 the bed?

deckingman

….............The cooling issue doesn't make sense to me at all,..................

I've been down this road, not with a volcano but with a 5 colour Diamond that uses 5 (modified) E3D heat sinks and also with the 3 colour Diamond which uses 3 E3D Lite heat sinks. In simple terms you need a hot zone where the filament melts and cold zone where it stays rigid (so that the extruder can push it into the hot zone). Necessarily there is a transitional zone between the two and this is where the heat break comes in. It is designed to keep that transition as short as possible so one side is hot and the other cold. If heat creeps up towards what should be the cold end, then you get partially melted filament which, when pressed by the incoming cold rigid filament, will get squashed out sideways as if it swells. This will then cause a blockage (partial or complete). You need to keep the cold end cold to prevent this heat creep and the associated "swelling" of the filament in the heat break region. Hence the need for cooling. In theory, a heat sink on it's own might dissipate enough heat by transferring it to the air around it but if the air is static, it will itself warm up and make that transfer less efficient. Hence the need for a fan to replace the warmed up air with fresh cold air.

I've seen a lot of posts from people with E3D hot ends who experience blockages and many more from other people who don't. It seems to me that people fit any old fan to the heat sink without any thought to the flow rate capability of that fan. I can't help wondering if those who have problems are just using a lower flow rate fan than these who dont't have problems. Or perhaps users who have problems are in a part of the world where the ambient temperature is higher. I don't have an E3D hot end to test but certainly the cure for the heat creep issues on the 5 colour Diamond (with 5 E3D heat sinks) was to use a bigger fan.

The other thing that can cause a blockage is too much retraction. What happens here is that molten filament gets pulled up into the the cold zone where it will then cool and solidify.

HTH

AaronGreen

@deckingman

Just wanted to say thanks for a great write-up on the hot end issue. It's been this long since I've touched my printer because I had the whole Christmas break, back into work, then moved house, and frankly I just needed a break from the printer after calibrating for a whole year straight.

Every time I introduce a better part, it takes a bit of fiddling around and incurs a few new issues. Introducing the Duet was a big change, followed by a proper hot end. The funny thing about the clone was how well it worked in any condition, but it gave me very little know-how about the science you mentioned.

For now, I just need to go in for another calibration and see if I can get it working again. It's been heating the bed up to scorching temperatures on start up, with no input, which is a new issue. And I never fixed the issue with the printer sliding across the print early in the peace, then straightening up after 50 layers or so. There's no explanation how it can slip consistently at the beginning, and go straight up later. It's not a mechanical issue, so I'm stumped.

AaronGreen

Error since updating to Firmware 1.21:

G28
Error: G0/G1: insufficient axes homed

DocTrucker

Have you already seen the release notes about adding "S2" to moves before an axis is homed?

Phaedrux

@AaronGreen:

Error since updating to Firmware 1.21:

G28
Error: G0/G1: insufficient axes homed

You're probably trying to move an axis before it's homed. Probably raising the Z axis.

From the 1.21 upgrade notes.

On Cartesian and CoreXY printers, normal G0 and G1 moves are no longer allowed before the corresponding axes have been homed. In particular, if your homex.g, homey.g and homeall.g files raise Z a little at the start and lower it at the end, you will need to add the S2 parameter to those G1 Z moves. Otherwise the G1 Z move will be refused unless Z has already been homed and the homing macro will be terminated.

AaronGreen

@DocTrucker:

Have you already seen the release notes about adding "S2" to moves before an axis is homed?

I did catch the notes a few days ago, and have tried implementing it, but I'm formally an animator, not a programmer, so I have no idea precisely which file and what lines of code should include 'S2'.

I threw it in here (under Lift Z):

; homeall.g
; called to home all axes
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Sat Mar 04 2017 15:46:00 GMT+0100 (W. Europe Standard Time)

; Relative positioning
G91

; Lift Z
S2 G1 Z5 F6000

; Course home X and Y
G1 X-235 Y-215 F4000 S1

; Move away from the endstops
G1 X5 Y5 F5000

; Fine home X and Y
G1 X-235 Y-215 F250 S1

; Absolute positioning
G90

; Go to first bed probe point and home Z
T0 ; select first hot end
G91 ; Relative coordinates
G1 Z3 F200 ; Lower bed to avoid hotend dragging in bed.
G90 ; Absoulte coordinates
G1 X170 Y125 F3000 ; Go to first bed probe point and home the Z axis
M401 ; Deploy probe
G30 ; Probe
M402 ; Retract probe
G1 Z10 ; Move nozzle up 10mm

It homes X and Y, then throws this error:

G28
Error: Bad command: S2 G1 Z5 F6000
Error: G0/G1: insufficient axes homed

AaronGreen

Additionally, since 1.21, it's heating my bed up on startup, over a 110degs-c, AND won't start the WiFi module, so I need to run M552 S1 in Pronterface with a USB connection every single restart.

1. WiFi module won't start when switched on.
2. Bed heats up with full power.
3. Can't Home All axis.

DocTrucker

Move the S2 to the end of the line:

G1 Z5 F6000 S2

…rather than:

S2 G1 Z5 F6000

dc42

G1 S2 Z5 F6000 will also work. The important thing is that the actual command (G1 in this case) comes first.

AaronGreen

OK, updated homeall.g, homez.g and I get this error:

G28
Error: G0/G1: insufficient axes homed

It homes X and Y first, then stops. Does anyone have a copy of their homeall.g file so I can have a look at it and appropriate it for my printer? Is there anything else I need to update?

dc42

Please post your current homez.g and homeall.g files

AaronGreen

; homeall.g
; called to home all axes
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Sat Mar 04 2017 15:46:00 GMT+0100 (W. Europe Standard Time)

; Relative positioning
G91

; Lift Z
G1 S2 Z5 F6000

; Course home X and Y
G1 X-235 Y-215 F4000 S1

; Move away from the endstops
G1 X5 Y5 F5000

; Fine home X and Y
G1 X-235 Y-215 F250 S1

; Absolute positioning
G90

; Go to first bed probe point and home Z
T0 ; select first hot end
G91 ; Relative coordinates
G1 Z3 F200 ; Lower bed to avoid hotend dragging in bed.
G90 ; Absoulte coordinates
G1 X170 Y125 F3000 ; Go to first bed probe point and home the Z axis
M401 ; Deploy probe
G30 ; Probe
M402 ; Retract probe
G1 Z10 ; Move nozzle up 10mm

homez.g:

T0 ; select first hot end
G91 ; Relative coordinates
G1 S2 Z10 F200 ; Lower bed to avoid hotend dragging in bed.
G90 ; Absolute coordinates
G1 S2 X170 Y125 F3000 ; Go to first bed probe point and home the Z axis
M401 ; deploy probe
G30 ; Calibrate Z-axis
G1 S2 Z10
M402
G1 S2 Z2 F200 ; Raise bed to 2mm.
G1 S2 Z10

AaronGreen

Also, I just found out that my bed is moving backwards on the Y axis on start up, along with heating.

The only thing different about my printer before and when it was working is the 1.21 update.

1. WiFi module won't start when printer is switched on, and requires a third-party program to run M552 S1 to start.
2. Bed heats up with full power.
3. Bed moves backwards slowly on Y axis until Y stop on start up.
4. Can't Home All axis because the G-code is incomplete.

dc42

This line in homeall.g:

G1 Z3 F200 ; Lower bed to avoid hotend dragging in bed.

needs the S2 parameter added.

Regarding the issues on startup, please post your config.g file.

AaronGreen

;Config.g

; General preferences
M111 S0 ; Debugging off
G21 ; Work in millimetres
G90 ; Send absolute coordinates…
M83 ; ...but relative extruder moves
M555 P2 ; Set firmware compatibility to look like Marlin
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1 ; Set axis minima
M208 X340 Y250 Z280 S0 ; Set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 X1 Y1 Z1 S0 ; Define active low and unused microswitches
M558 P5 X0 Y0 Z1 H10 F200 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to modulated, the axes for which it is used and the probe + travel speeds
G31 X-44 Y0 Z7.03 P50 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height

; Z-offset (Z0.9). Higher value LOWER nozzle height
; Lower value RAISE nozzle height

M557 X10:340 Y10:240 S68 ; Define mesh grid

M307 H3 A-1 C-1 D-1 ; disable heater 3, which makes it available for use to control the BLTouch

; Drives
M569 P0 S1 ; Drive 0 goes forwards - X
M569 P1 S0 ; Drive 1 goes backwards - Y
M569 P2 S0 ; Drive 2 goes backwards - Z
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 goes forwards - Extruder

M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1 ; Configure microstepping with interpolation 16
M92 X160 Y160 Z1600 E615 ; Set steps per mm 16

M566 X600 Y420 Z12 E120 ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min) - (JERK)

M203 X6000 Y6000 Z500 E400 ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)

M201 X1000 Y1000 Z1000 E250 ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)

M204 P1000 T1000 ; Set Max acceleration for P=printing moves and T=travel moves
M906 X1600 Y1600 Z900 E1000 I30 ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30 ; Set idle timeout

; Heaters
M143 S285 ; Set maximum heater temperature to 285C

M305 P0 R4700 T100000 B3950 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0 - BED
M305 P1 R4700 T100000 B3950 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1 - HOTEND

M307 H0 P96.0, I3.285, D603.9 ;Bed
M307 H1 A250 C999 D4.5 B0 S1 ;Hotend

; Tools
M563 P0 D0 H1 ; 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

; Network
M550 PCLU ; Set machine name
M552 P0.0.0.0 S1 ; Enable network and acquire dynamic address via DHCP

; Fans
M106 P0 S0.3 I0 F500 H-1 ; Set fan 0 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P1 S1 I0 F500 H1 T45 ; Set fan 1 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned on
M106 P2 S1 I0 F500 H1 T45 ; Set fan 2 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned on

; Custom settings are not configured

AaronGreen

If there's a vanilla config that comes with 1.21, maybe I should just start with that, then bring across some specific parameters for my printer.

dc42

This line:

@aarongreen said in How Do I Calibrate My Titan Extruder and Test Print?:

M307 H0 P96.0, I3.285, D603.9 ;Bed

is completely wrong. I suggest you delete it, restart the Duet, run bed heater tuning (M303 H0 Sxxx where xxx is the highest bed temperature you normally use), then run M500 to save the new M307 parameter to config-override.g. As you do not have a M501 command at the end of config.g to run config-override.g (which is a perfectly valid choice), you will then need to copy the M307 H0 line from config-override.g into config.g.

AaronGreen

@dc42 said in How Do I Calibrate My Titan Extruder and Test Print?:

is completely wrong. I suggest you delete it, restart the Duet, run bed heater tuning (M303 H0 Sxxx where xxx is the highest bed temperature you normally use), then run M500 to save the new M307 parameter to config-override.g. As you do not have a M501 command at the end of config.g to run config-override.g (which is a perfectly valid choice), you will then need to copy the M307 H0 line from config-override.g into config.g.

OK, ran through that process thanks. I copied the data across and it appears to be stable.

; Heaters
M143 S285 ; Set maximum heater temperature to 285C

M305 P0 R4700 T100000 B3950 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0 - BED
M305 P1 R4700 T100000 B3950 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1 - HOTEND

M307 H0 A90.0 C700.0 D10.0 S1.00 V0.0 B1 ;Bed
M307 H1 A250.0 C999.0 D4.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H2 A340.0 C140.0 D5.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H4 A340.0 C140.0 D5.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H5 A340.0 C140.0 D5.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H6 A340.0 C140.0 D5.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H7 A340.0 C140.0 D5.5 S1.00 V0.0 B0
M307 H1 A250 C999 D4.5 B0 S1 ;Hotend

AaronGreen

I'm unable to test the bed heater control, as I can't home the printer.

I've checked all the connections since moving, and everything is in place, however when I home the printer just rams X with the grantry and Y with the bed. The sensors are in place as well, so I'm guessing something isn't correct in the config again?

;Config.g

; General preferences
M111 S0 ; Debugging off
G21 ; Work in millimetres
G90 ; Send absolute coordinates…
M83 ; ...but relative extruder moves
M555 P2 ; Set firmware compatibility to look like Marlin
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1 ; Set axis minima
M208 X340 Y250 Z280 S0 ; Set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 X1 Y1 Z1 S0 ; Define active low and unused microswitches
M558 P5 X0 Y0 Z1 H10 F200 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to modulated, the axes for which it is used and the probe + travel speeds
G31 X-44 Y0 Z7.03 P50 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height

; Z-offset (Z0.9). Higher value LOWER nozzle height
; Lower value RAISE nozzle height

M557 X10:340 Y10:240 S68 ; Define mesh grid

M307 H3 A-1 C-1 D-1 ; disable heater 3, which makes it available for use to control the BLTouch

; Drives
M569 P0 S1 ; Drive 0 goes forwards - X
M569 P1 S0 ; Drive 1 goes backwards - Y
M569 P2 S0 ; Drive 2 goes backwards - Z
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 goes forwards - Extruder

M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1 ; Configure microstepping with interpolation 16
M92 X160 Y160 Z1600 E615 ; Set steps per mm 16

M566 X600 Y420 Z12 E120 ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min) - (JERK)

M203 X6000 Y6000 Z500 E400 ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)

M201 X1000 Y1000 Z1000 E250 ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)

M204 P1000 T1000 ; Set Max acceleration for P=printing moves and T=travel moves
M906 X1600 Y1600 Z900 E1000 I30 ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30 ; Set idle timeout