Which tool is enabled after startup?

taconite

Hey guys,

because I have a Delta Printer (D-PATCH) with several tools I would like to determine on startup which tool is in the effector. In the "normal" programming world I would use a remanent integer variable and assign a number to it in all "pre"-Macros. On statup I would check for the number and run a pre-Macro according to that.

Does anyone has a idea how I could achieve that?

Best Regards
Adrian

dc42

At startup, no tool is selected unless you include a T command near the end of config.g.

In RepRapFirmware 3 you can access the current tool for the object model, it's in "state.currentTool". A negative value indicates that no tool is selected.

Edit: on re-reading your post, I think you may be asking asking to determine in a tool changer whether a tool is loaded, and if so, which one. To determine that, you will need to have a docking switch on each tool, either to indicate that it is docked on the effector, or alternatively to indicate that it is parked (if it is not parked you may infer that it is docked to the effector). This is what I do on my E3D tool changer.

taconite

Thank you for your reply. I need to rephrase the question.
Let's imagine 1 Tool (e.g. Tool 0) is selected and in the effector. When a emergency stop is triggered or a powerloss or the print is finished without parking the tool and the printer is power cycled, the printer doesn't know that Tool 0 is still in the effector and therefore thinks that it is empty. If now the user is selecting a tool a crash may occur.

I have one sensor at the effector to check wether it is empty or not but I don't get any information about what tool is in the effector. I would like to avoid 1 sensor for each tool because I have no endstops or inputs to spare. An easy variable workaround would fix that.

dc42

A variable would only solve that if it was persistent between power cycles.

On my tool changer I avoid the need for additional wires and inputs on the main board by using a tool board for each tool, and connecting the dock sense switches to those.

If you have a spare analog input, you could use that for the effector docking sensor, and use different value resistors on each tool.

taconite

sure but remanent variables would fix that.
Mh possible but to be honest I would like to avoid using tool boards (as I would like to stick to Duet2 + Duex 5). And a dock sense switch is in my setup just impossible to fit.

BTW I thought the Duet does only have digital inputs (apart from the Z-probe)

EDIT: with the analog in idea tools can't change "docking places"

dc42

@taconite said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

BTW I thought the Duet does only have digital inputs (apart from the Z-probe)

Have you used up all the thermistor inputs?

EDIT: with the analog in idea tools can't change "docking places"

Why not?

taconite

@dc42 said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

Have you used up all the thermistor inputs?

oh nope I have some spare you are right

@dc42 said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

Why not?

Let's say Tool 0 (with resistor Value of 1kOhm) is in Docking Station 1 so when the sensor reads the analog value for 1kOhm Tool 0 is parked in Docking station 1. But what is if I interchange the tools and Tool 1 is no long in Docking Station 1 but 3 e.g. if i want to change the setup and interchange tools (just 5 docking station but 10 tools). With a fixed value this is not working.
With a fixed/non-volatile/remanent variable the printer doesn't care if it is Tool 0 or Tool 1 because it knows what the last tool was it picked up.

dc42

What I meant was to use an analog 'tool loaded' input on the effector using pogo pins, instead of just a switch. That would allow you to tell which tool is loaded.

PS - however, it's also possible to use a single analog input to connect several tool dock switches. Connect all the switches in series, and connect a different value resistor in parallel with each switch.

taconite

Yeah I understood what you wanted to say its just only working when Tool 1 will always be at docking station 1 because in the SW the resistor value will be assigned to 1 docking station but I would like to make it independent from that.

makes sense, however, I'm afraid I can't fit tool dock switches. That's why I wanted a software solution in the first place.

dc42

I guess you could use M559 and M29 in the tpost and tfree files to write a short macro file to SD card when a tool is loaded or unloaded. Then run that macro file at the end of config.g.

taconite

like this?

;in Tpre of T0
M559 P"Toolselected.g"
T0
M29 

;in Tfree of T0 (or alternative write "nothing into the file")
M30 P"Toolselected.g"


;At end of config.g (maybe this will throw an error if there is no such file)
M98 P"Toolselected.g"

taconite

so this method is not working. After M559 the M29 is not recognized

taconite

Could s.o. please assist me?

Phaedrux

@taconite said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

After M559 the M29 is not recognized

Do you get any error messages or what specifically happens?

what firmware version are you using?

taconite

@Phaedrux said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

@taconite said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

After M559 the M29 is not recognized

Do you get any error messages or what specifically happens?

what firmware version are you using?

@Phaedrux thank you for your reply

when i put the commands into the console the file is created (with 0B) but nothing is written to it. Every command I put in the console is just ignored and not executed. I don't get any error messages:

When I try to delete the file it says that is still open (even after the M29) so i need to shut down the printer:

If I run it in a macro nothing seems to happen. After multiple M29's i get this message:

FW:
Board: Duet 2 WiFi (2WiFi)
Firmware: RepRapFirmware for Duet 2 WiFi/Ethernet 3.1.0 (2020-05-15b1)
Duet WiFi Server Version: 1.23

dc42

@taconite, are you running a Duet in standalone mode, or with attached SBC?

PS - this works for me:

if state.currentTool==0
  M560 P"/sys/SetTool.g"
  T0
  <!-- **EoF** -->
elif state.currentTool==1
  M560 P"/sys/SetTool.g"
  T1
  <!-- **EoF** -->
else
  M560 P"/sys/SetTool.g"
  T-1
  <!-- **EoF** -->

Phaedrux

@taconite said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

3.1.0

Upload this zip file to the system tab to update to 3.2

https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/releases/download/3.2/Duet2and3Firmware-3.2.zip

taconite

Sorry for the late reply. I updated to 3.2. and it seems I found an error - but need to investigate it further.

@dc42 You are correct. This is absolutly working - the file is created. The only thing that is not working - and I kind of feel stupid about it. When I try to run the Macro e.g. M98 - it just says "Changing tool" but nothing is happening. Normally when I just select the tool manually it is set active

taconite

Any idea why this is happening?

Phaedrux

@taconite said in Which tool is enabled after startup?:

and it seems I found an error - but need to investigate it further.

What did your investigation turn up?