Setting up Cartesian Printer.
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You need to decide where you want X=0 Y=0 to be. That in turn will fix which is the X axis and which is the Y axis. If you choose front left, X will be left-right and Y will be front-back. If you choose rear left then X will be back-front and Y will be left-right.
Having chosen where the origin will be, set the X and Y motor directions so that +X and +Y move the head away from that corner. You may need to swap the X and Y motor connections over to achieve this.
Then use config tool to specify whether each homing switch is at the low or the high end of its axis, to generate the correct M574 command and homing files. You don't need to home to the origin, you can home to zero on some axes and to max on others.
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My understanding is that the standard configuration is that X=left to right, and y=front to back. If that is the case I'd rather keep it that way.
X0 and Y0, by which I assume you mean home/limit switch are in the front/left of the gantry.
It's almost correct…+ve moves X out of the home/corner, and moves the Z/build plate down.
The only problem is Y, which needs -ve to move out the the home/corner.
Is there anything I can change here in config.g that will fix that? Would M574 X1 Y1 S1 do it? nope, doesn't
M574 Z0 S0 ; Define active low and unused microswitches
M574 X1 Y2 S1 ; Define active high microswitches
M558 P1 X0 Y0 Z1 H5 F120 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to unmodulated, the axes for which it is used and the probe + travel speeds
G31 P500 X0 Y0 Z2.5 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height; Drives
M569 P0 S1 ; Drive 0 goes forwards
M569 P1 S0 ; Drive 1 goes backwards
M569 P2 S0 ; Drive 2 goes backwards
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 goes forwards -
With that configuration, the origin will be at the front left. As your limit switches are also in the front left corner, they are both low end switches. So use M574 X1 Y1 S1.
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With that configuration, the origin will be at the front left. As your limit switches are also in the front left corner, they are both low end switches. So use M574 X1 Y1 S1.
Thank you.
I re ran the config tool and that's what I ended up with.
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Run the temp auto tunes on both the hot end (PT100) and the bed (thermistor).
Hot end:
Gain 895.7, Time Constant 305.4, Dead Time 11.5, Max PWM 1.0, Load Change P5.3, 10.23, D42.6
Bed:
Gain 108.0, Time Constant 554.5, Dead Time 11.0, Max PWM 1.0, Load Change P83.6, 13.81, D641.4
Not sure what it all means, but I'll put it up in case there are any glaring issues there.
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Those figures look OK to me. Now add these M307 commands in config.g:
M307 H0 A108.0 C554.5 D11.0 B0
M307 H1 A895.7 C305.4 D11.5 P0.5I am suggesting the P0.5 for the hot end to slow down heating, because your hot end heater is so powerful. The B0 for the bed is to switch to PID mode, which should give you better temperature control.
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Those figures look OK to me. Now add these M307 commands in config.g:
M307 H0 A108.0 C554.5 D11.0 B0
M307 H1 A895.7 C305.4 D11.5 P0.5I am suggesting the P0.5 for the hot end to slow down heating, because your hot end heater is so powerful. The B0 for the bed is to switch to PID mode, which should give you better temperature control.
Nice one.
That brought the 2 temps within 0.2-0.3 degC of each other.
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OK, getting happier now.
Very impressed with the accuracy of the temp management, it really seems to hold right on the dot once up to temp. Of course I'd like to test real life temps at each point but I don't have an instrument to do it with yet.
Probing/homing height seems to be accurate and consistent as well, so that's all good.
I've now set up the automatic probing at 5 points, moving clockwise around the 4 corners of the board and ending up in the center.
I've already checked it with a straight edge and it's bent like a banana (I knew that and plan to make a new cast ally one in the future), but I've leveled it reasonably well with a feeler gauge manually.
I ran the auto probing (G32) 3 times in a row, and it was reasonably consistent.
After I finished I moved the extruder and started getting:
G28
Triangle interpolation: point outside all triangles!Can't see any reference to it in the wiki, what's that all about?
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You can ignore that triangle interpolation message when homing, it's harmless. One of these days I'll fix it.
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Can I change the retraction settings without going through the whole config tool again?
My Z is a direct drive and I understand the factory setting is more like 0.5-1mm at a higher speed.
I understand this can be controlled both by the firmware and the slicer as well? Does the slicer setting overwrite the default firmware setting? Should I just leave retraction at zero, then enter my setting/speed of choice through S3D to suit whatever material I'm printing with?
I'd also like to change the Z probing speed, as the second time I run the config tool I sped it up a little and it's a bit noisier.
I can't find this information in the wiki, what G codes would I be looking for?
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Normally people set the retraction in the slicer. On printers with mixing extruders, it's typically better to select "Use firmware retraction" in the slicer and define the settings in firmware instead. If you don't select "Use firmware retraction" in the slicer then the firmware retraction settings are not used.
To adjust the probing speed see https://duet3d.com/wiki/Configuring_RepRapFirmware_for_a_Cartesian_printer#Z_probe_section.
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Normally people set the retraction in the slicer. On printers with mixing extruders, it's typically better to select "Use firmware retraction" in the slicer and define the settings in firmware instead. If you don't select "Use firmware retraction" in the slicer then the firmware retraction settings are not used.
To adjust the probing speed see https://duet3d.com/wiki/Configuring_RepRapFirmware_for_a_Cartesian_printer#Z_probe_section.
Yes thanks, that's what I'll do as it will allow different retraction settings for different materials (recipes) to be saved in the slicer.
Do we have a wiki for setting up the extrusion rate/steps per mm/feed rates for a direct drive extruder?
I emailed you a bunch of questions about speed settings etc (sorry, didn't realize it was Sunday morning there) if you could when you have time.
Had an issue with it refusing to heat, which may have been me firing too many commands at once, and hopefully isn't the mystery issue which keeps blowing mosfets at my house.
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You may find this helpful for extruder steps/mm calibration https://reprappro.com/documentation/commissioning-introduction/calibration-duet/#Extruder_calibration. You will need to expand the "More information" heading.
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You may find this helpful for extruder steps/mm calibration https://reprappro.com/documentation/commissioning-introduction/calibration-duet/#Extruder_calibration. You will need to expand the "More information" heading.
That's great. I'll try it tomorrow, thanks as always
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Got the extruder tuned nicely, 122 steps/mm so you weren't far off the money David.
Set my load/unload filament settings accordingly, height, temp, all seems ok.
Tried the test dodecohedron (or whatever it is) and it failed. Too high off the deck and seemed confused in one corner.
I've drawn a simple 50mm cube and tried to slice on the med/0.2mm pla setting in S3D and I'm having a problem.
It's not heating the extruder, only the bed, but still initiating the print when the bed reaches temp.
I've got the primary extruder set as T0, and added the bed as T1. Reversing T0/T1 makes no difference, bed heats only.
I've left all the settings pretty much standard other than to mess with temps/fans over the first 3 layers a bit.
If anyone would tell me what I've got to do to get both bed and extruder to heat before printing, and any other good pla settings for S3D in general, I'd love to get a print off tonight.
Cheers,
and I'm a dumbass as it heats the bed first then the extruder
Looking good but the fans dropped the extruder temp enough to give trouble. I'll slow them right down and try again
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You don't need to set up a tool for the bed. Set up tool 0 to be your hot end. You may need to select tool 0 before you start the print, depending on your S3D start gcode.
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You don't need to set up a tool for the bed. Set up tool 0 to be your hot end. You may need to select tool 0 before you start the print, depending on your S3D start gcode.
OK, but if I want to start the bed temp off hotter then drop it a bit can I set it up as tool 1?
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There is no need, because S3D lets you change the bed temperature after the first layer anyway,
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I am most certainly not unhappy with this print!
Considering the machine's not completed and I've just used the default S3D medium/0.2 pla menu with a couple of fan and bed temp tweaks, this looks pretty good.
First print failed as I started with no fan for the first layer, then 100% layer 2, which cooled the hot end rapidly.
Next print I set it at 0 for the first layer, 20% second layer and 40% third layer and it's solid as a rock.
Extruder temp 205 first layer then 200 after that and bed 60 first layer then 50 after that.
Haven't even looked at all the other S3D and printer settings because I didn't expect it to print lol.
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Actually printing pretty well.
Possibly a little bit of under extrusion on the top surface, but measured at 49.95mm on both sides, which is nice and close to the files measurements.
Does anyone know how and where I'd add some homing files at the end of the print?
I'd like to drop it to the bottom of the Z axis and home the tool into a corner automatically when the print finishes.
At this stage it just stops with the nozzle still touching the print.
