A few questions regarding switching to Duet
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I am pretty new to the whole 3d printing world and I am upgrading from a chinese kit with a preconfigured controller.I just recently pieced together a P3Steel kit and tried to set up a Smoothieboard with no luck.I couldn't for the life of me get my BlTouch working.Everything else worked except the BlTouch.How hard in comparison to the Smoothie is it to set up a Duest wifi?The wiring is a piece of cake my problem is I am brand new to printing so I have zero experience with anything Marlin/Repetier or any other type of controller software.The Smoothie forums seem like they expect everyone to be well versed before asking any questions and forget about getting a straight answer to any questions.I was previously using octoprint and the chinese controller to run my setup and am guessing that the web interface on the Duet board can do just about everything the Raspi was doing except the camera function.I wiull probably have tons of really stupid questions and also have a really hard time grasping how everything works so will it be much easier to get help on here if I need it which I am sure I will?
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@siblues Hi and welcome.
Like any forums, you'll find these are populated by a wide range of people, some are more tolerant and patient than others. But in general, we are a fairly friendly bunch, especially if you in turn are polite. Most of us are users, just like you. If you get conflicting advice, take note of what any administrators say, especially DC42 who writes the firmware and has the patience of a saint, but he is busy.
The best advice I can give you right now is read all the documentation - or as much as you can. If you find the answer yourself, you'll likely remember it in the future and gain a deeper understanding of how things work.
I highly recommend that you bookmark this https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/GCode. Every command you are ever likely to use (and many that you may not use) is well documented here.
Also, take note of the instructions here https://forum.duet3d.com/topic/5909/guide-for-posting-requests-for-help
So, best of luck with your new venture and we all all strive to help you to the best of our abilities.
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@siblues, welcome to the forum!
RepRapFirmware has a special Z probe mode for the BLTouch because it has unusual requirements. You can find the instructions for connecting and configuring it here https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Connecting_a_Z_probe#Section_BLTouch.
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Thanks for all the links guys I see I have quite a bit of reading ahead of me.I will probably be ordering a Wifi from Filastruder in the next couple of days.I really like the configurator tool it seems to really streamline the setup.I hope I don't get stuck like I did with the Smoothie and end up with another board I can't use.I really don't want a brand new printer to just sit here collecting dust.The main issue I think is the steep learning curve for me since I have no prior experience this being my first printer other than the kit I was using that came set up out of the box.
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@siblues In a way, not being used to some other firmware and different ways of doing things, will be an advantage.
The configuration tool is useful for getting the initial setup and should get you up and running. Beware that it will only output files, commands and parameters based on what you put in. Once you are up and running, but maybe with a few issues that need to be resolved, it's generally best to make minor changes to the configuration files rather than running the entire configuration tool again.
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Well I am guessing that with the tool I can get everything sort of working as it should with the right settings for machine printing area endstops movement and hopefully the BlTouch.That alone would be a great improvement to having a brand new printer just sitting here doing nothing.
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@siblues said in A few questions regarding switching to Duet:
Well I am guessing that with the tool I can get everything sort of working as it should with the right settings for machine printing area endstops movement and hopefully the BlTouch.............
Yes. The only caveat I would add is that there probably are more threads and posts on these forums from users having problems with the BL touch than any other piece of third party add on hardware. So, be prepared for some issues with that. This would apply to any board you try and configure the BL Touch with - the Duet is probably one of the better ones in this respect though.
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Well I am planning on using the BlTouch just for leveling and I also have three minimum endstops for the three axis so I am assuming that will make setting up and using the BlTouch easier in a way.I am going to continue reading and trying to absorb the massive amount of information on here.
Well my board is on it's way along with an extra connector kit.I will be reading up and trying to get a better grasp of things.
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@siblues The BLTouch can be a very good probe with a few caveats.
- it must be wired properly
- it must be mounted properly
- it must be configured properly
If you follow the instructions linked above, you should be able to get it going.
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I am just going to try to get everything working good enough to print what I need to mount everything neatly and then fine tune everything.I have been reading up on mosfets for the heated bed and lighting.I need lighting for the print bed but I can use a raspberry pi zero to control them with a relay so thats not a big deal.The heat bed mosfet seems to not be needed for a 12v heater for my heat bed with the Duet unlike most other boards.The configuring part is what worries me lol.
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@siblues You likely won't need a mosfet for the bed.
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Choosing_a_bed_heater
Configuring shouldn't be too bad since you can get a good base to start with using the configurator.
https://configurator.reprapfirmware.org/
It will help to know the details and specifics of your printer before starting the configurator. Once you have a base config you can post it here along with the details of your printer for a sanity check.
And obviously it helps to be somewhat familiar with the documentation before getting started.
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If the printer is single extrusion, then the heater 2 output will be free, so you could use that to control the lighting.
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Thanks for the links I have a 220 x 220 pcb heater on mine and it is 12v so it shouldn't draw to much power.When the Duet gets here I will test the bed heater and measure what the ohm reading is on it.I will post the config once I have it.
I received the board and I have started switching everything over to the Duet.I am new yto all of this so forgive the simple question I am about to ask.I will need to crimp and add the Duet specific pins and shells to the wiring is there any way I can fry the board if I incorrectly wire the motors?
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@siblues No, you can't fry the board by mixing up the wires.
It's best practice to not unplug the motors while powered up, and don't move the print head or table by hand very quickly when the motors are connected. Motors are also generators and you can move it fast enough by hand to possibly damage something. Best to have belts or motors disconnected if you're testing mechanics.
You can identify the motor coli pairings with a multimeter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0pGKgos498
This may help you out as well.
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Choosing_and_connecting_stepper_motorsIdentifying the stepper motor phases
Here are two ways you can pair the stepper motor wires into phases:Use a multimeter. There should be a few ohms resistance between two wires that belong to the same phase, and no continuity between wires that belong to different phases.
With the motor wires not connected, spin the spindle between your fingers. Short two of the wires together, then spin the spindle again. If it is much harder to spin than before, those two wires belong to the same phase. Otherwise, try again with a different pair of wires shorted together. -
I meant more along the lines of wiring them incorrectly and powering up the Duet with the wires to the motors being wired wrong.I never unplug anything while it is powered on.The motors I have aren't the kind with the pigtail coming out of the motor they have plugs on them so I will have to cut the plugs off one end and crimping and inserting the pins into the plug shells.I was just wondering if the wires are wired up wrong can I fry the board when I power it on?
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It's possible to damage the motor drivers by connecting the motors to them incorrectly. I did that one, although more usually the motors just vibrate if you do that. So I suggest you check the pairing of the wires to make sure you connect them correctly. See the post by Phaedrux.
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I am currently reading up on quite a few things all at once so it is a bit difficult to absorb everything.I haven most of the wiring done I just need to crimp all of the ferrules and slide them into the plug shells.
The lighting I am deciding on how and what to use at the moment but that isn't very high on my to do list so it can wait.
I do need some advice on using a relay to power on and off my printer.I have a few Sainsmart 5v relays laying around and I was wondering what you guys recommend using for turning on and off a Meanwell psu?The specs on the relays I have are
5V 2-Channel Relay interface board, and each one needs 15-20mA Driver Current
Equipped with high-current relay, AC250V 10A ; DC30V 10A
Standard interface that can be controlled directly by microcontroller (Arduino , 8051, AVR, PIC, DSP, ARM, ARM, MSP430, TTL logic)
Indication LED’s for Relay output status
It activates on low level.I don't know if I should make multiple threads or keep this one going to keep everything together and not clutter the forum with tons of random threads?
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@siblues said in A few questions regarding switching to Duet:
I don't know if I should make multiple threads or keep this one going to keep everything together and not clutter the forum with tons of random threads?
A new focused thread with a new title might get the attention of someone who knows the answer to what you're asking.
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@siblues said in A few questions regarding switching to Duet:
5V 2-Channel Relay interface board, and each one needs 15-20mA Driver Current
Equipped with high-current relay, AC250V 10A ; DC30V 10A
Standard interface that can be controlled directly by microcontroller (Arduino , 8051, AVR, PIC, DSP, ARM, ARM, MSP430, TTL logic)
Indication LED’s for Relay output status
It activates on low level.That sounds like a standard relay module with a driver and an optically-isolated input. If it is then it is suitable.
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I have everything wired up and sort of working.The motors and endstops are all working fine except for the extruder that hasn't been tested yet.I am working on the BLTouch right now.I have a few questions regarding setting it up.What do I need to do after using the RepRap configuration tool.I am assuming the pins the sensor is hooked up to are set with the configurator when the BLTouch is chosen and assuming you use the wiring diagram from the documentation.I am guessing that I need to manually enter the lines to deploy and retract the probe along with clearing the alarm on the sensor?I also am guessing that I need to set up a user defined macro to have a button for bed compensation/leveling.Thanks
Here is my deploy and retract probe files
; deployprobe.g
; called to deploy a physical Z probe
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; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Tue Oct 30 2018 20:32:38 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
M280 P9 S10 I1; retractprobe.g
; called to retract a physical Z probe
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Tue Oct 30 2018 20:32:38 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
M280 P9 S90 I1This is the Z Probe section in the config.g files
; Z-Probe
M307 H8 A-1 C-1 D-1 ; Disable heater on PWM channel for BLTouch
M558 P9 H5 F120 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to bltouch and the dive height + speeds
G31 P25 X0 Y0 Z5 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
M557 X15:205 Y15:205 S20 ; Define mesh grid
