@dc42 I've forked and updated the github repo. You can see the code changes at: https://github.com/MZachmann/RepRapFirmware/tree/v3.2-screwmap

and it forks from the 3.02-dev branch (3.2 retail).

Let me know where you'd like to go from here. Implement (pull request)? Move to M-codes? Change syntax?

The only thing I couldn't yet figure out from the code base was how to correctly have the ui update the user position when the screw map definition changes.

Mark

This isn't really a bug but an annoyance that has now hit me a few times.

I have error messages not timing out, so I can leave, do stuff, then come back and see what happened. What this means is that I have to manually remove error messages and when I do that by clicking the close X button on my touchscreen I miss the X sometimes and instead it runs whatever random macro is underneath my finger because the macros display in the same screen area as the error messages.

Is there any way something there could be changed? Running a random macro when I want to close an error message isn't great.

Thanks. Mark

I'm going to keep working on this, and here's why... I'm including 4 photos.

Two of them show my current CNC X axis and the camera, to understand the context. The other two show a scan of the camera looking at a ruler as I move the CNC manually in inch increments.

Looking at the problems, what is happening is that the X rails are deformed slightly in the center. The X dimension error increases then decreases (and then increases near the right edge). And .. at maximum X error there's also a Y error that's significant.

Using my last controller (WinCNC) I automatically created a multi-axis screwmap using the camera (which takes under 15 minutes) and the positioning error dropped from a max of .03" to .003".

I've just put together (ignore the wires all over the table and yucky connectors) a system to run a Taig Micro-Mill.

A couple of photos follow. I'm hoping it has enough current capacity and enough torque at 30V but it seems to be ok - it was enough torque to grab and tilt the spindle column when the bit jammed!

The mapping seems to be working quite well.

Here's a video clip showing it in use : https://youtu.be/uTqUBrUHinU

I'll write it up in the next week or so. Note that with minor mods this could do backlash compensation.
Here's the input file:

Here's the script I run to set the screwmap

Here's the result:

Mark

I'm thinking about replacing my current CNC controller board (wincnc) with a BTT Skr Pro running RRF. The CNC has high-voltage external stepper drivers that I want to retain.

Questions--

1. Does the SKR Pro support external stepper drivers (i.e. step/dir pin output) ?
2. Does RRF support this kind of usage?
3. Is there a better board I should look into. I'm using a Duet3 in my 3d printer and love it but it doesn't support external steppers.

Thanks,
Mark

What seems like a teaching moment...

I reworked my IR sensor carrier to move the sensor closer to the hot-end and while I was at it I made the sensor board edges more orthogonal to the bed. This seems to produce far more consistent results and noticeably more range than the last less-careful mounting. (The first iteration had oval holes since I wasn't sure where it would end up)

I just finished my Blv Mgn cube. After using Marlin for a long time I'm really liking the change anything from G/M-code stuff.

My prior Qidi printer cost ~$300 and prints flawlessly, still, after 4 years of almost-daily use (with a heat-block replacement to all-metal). This one I wanted much better upgradability, a larger bed, and good-quality board with open-source firmware.

This machine:
Duet 3 + Rpi 3B+
Two power supplies (one for bed) + Pi power supply
Mosfet switch for bed
Titan Aero extruder
"Real" 8020.net aluminum rails
inexpensive linear carriages, bearings, and lead-screws - already iffy
4 StepperOnline standard 59Ncm motors
bed -> CR10S 3mm aluminum bed, silicone baking sheet, Creality glass bed, Gizmodorks PEI sheet

So far it's working like a champ. No Z sensor but standard end-stop.

I've posted a video showing a calibration run (in X). It took about 1/2 hour to gather X and Y error terms and improved the CNC accuracy from .033" to .002".

here: https://youtu.be/wpUOaYwDrvI

Postscript:

I tried pasting four small squares of 25lb paper glued down with Elmer's glue-all (easy to remove with water) at the corners. They worked great... very reliable and consistent.

The problem was that they also read 0.8mm because they rested on top of the transparent PEI sheet -- one day I'd forget something, do a G30 at a non-paper spot, and the nozzle would then launch 0.8mm into the glass bed. It's possible I could put them under the PEI but at the moment - not.

Instead I cleaned those 4 square corner areas on my PEI sheet. They had never been used for printing and I avoid them so they're flat and transparent - nearly as good as a paper square for a 4-point calibration. I determined this by running a mesh, flipping the glass plate over to solid glass and running another then comparing the results.

@sergei There are two different pieces within Duet (RRF). The "firmware" is the code that drives the motors and reads the sensors. The firmware treats CNCs slightly different from 3d printers (e.g. you don't need an extruder) and so my milling machine and CNC router announce to the firmware that they're CNC devices. Mainly the firmware is device-agnostic.

In addition there is a user interface (DWC - Duet Web Control) that talks to the firmware. There is a version of the DWC specific to CNCs (see the post in this section) that you can use that will totally change the dashboard look and feel to be friendlier to a CNC. I use this on a CNC router because it fits the router - it supports selecting a coordinate system and it has a much larger position display. I use the stock DWC on my milling machine because imho it fits my style better.

@crossbow Huh, I didn't realize that about the relative. Thanks also for improving my comment. I use X and Y with no coords (a value of 0) since it's in a macro that's simplest and forget that's not the full use.

Mark

Re: [Macros](errors messages)

I wanted to re-ping this since I just installed 3.3 and don't see it has changed.

The way error messages are done is just really bad from a GUI standpoint. The issues are that they appear over the macro list and they appear and disappear kind of randomly while changing screen position.

In particular, a non-closing Job end message seems to pop up whenever a command executes on the console - which I do all the time - and then I get this ->

Now the Job end message never disappears and I'm trying to click the TouchTop macro. If the error message disappears I've now clicked the SetZero macro by mistake instead of closing the Job end message - this ruins an entire job by zeroing out very my carefully set X,Y origin.

Please: (1) get rid of the spurious and persistent Job end message (2) somehow move the messages so they don't overlap the macros or help me figure out a workaround so I don't lose hours of work by mis-clicking.

Thank you. Mark

@max3d I’m not sure where you are with this but i just had a g38.2 go the wrong way, scoured the doc and realized it always goes towards the origin (0) per doc. So, now I zero it near the contact point first.

Mark

@3dpmicro The ballscrews are 2.5mm/turn. Thanks.

Here's a final photo of the controller setup. It runs the 3 motors, 3 limit switches, an E-stop, power control for the spindle (using a really nice IoT power control), power control of compressed air for the mister (with a pneumatic relay and buck converter), and a way to measure tools. Sweet.

Nice looking micro-mill. How's the spindle working out for you?

I've just put together (ignore the wires all over the table and yucky connectors) a system to run a Taig Micro-Mill.

A couple of photos follow. I'm hoping it has enough current capacity and enough torque at 30V but it seems to be ok - it was enough torque to grab and tilt the spindle column when the bit jammed!

@dc42 Thank you for the reply.

I've gone ahead and ordered a Duet3 and I'm looking forward to the installation.

@tenaja Thanks for the information. I'm just not really a fan of using a Linux app for something like this. I way prefer to have it on a small control board with a Windows PC for guidance - exactly the RRF paradigm.

I have a couple of things going for me.

I have a 3d printer that uses a Duet3 so I'm familiar with it. Also, I've already converted my CNC router to using a Duet2 with external drivers and the setup, which is at least as good as the original, was trivial.

Finally I already have RRF code that I run with my CNC that supports screw mapping and backlash compensation so I'm not worried about that.

Mainly I'm just wondering if (1) the Duet3 drivers are robust enough to deal with manual motor turning and the occasional electrical flash and (2) if the driver chips are doing anything intelligent (or not) that would make them clearly better (or worse) than an external driver.

Thanks. Mark

I'm considering using a Duet3 for a Taig micro-mill and wanted some comparison with external drivers instead from folks who may know better.

The Duet3 drivers are pretty darn smart for 3d printing but how do they compare to like Gecko drivers? I don't really know if they're just amplifying power or doing other intelligent mill-related things.

The other issue I'm worried about is burning out a driver due to external electrical noise and doing things like hand-turning an axis.

I do know external drivers can pump more voltage for more torque and plan to use 32VDC or so on the Duet3 which should be ok.

Thanks, Mark

I've cleaned up the code so setting a screw map entry changes the DRO readout in real-time.

Here are a couple of plots of my CNC error curves with increment=25.4mm (1 inch). Note the 2d-ishness of the whole thing.

To put this in a worst case if I were just drilling holes the largest X error pre-compensation would be about 1.5mm (or 1/16th of an inch for US). Post-compensation error is 2*repeatability + test measurement error (~.03mm).