http://wiki.ultimaker.com/Marlin_firmware_for_the_Ultimaker#Steps_per_unit
writing a calibration guide, would you agree the proper order of calibration is confirm free motion of all 4 axis, stepper motors able to strongly move all 4 axis over 100mm without overheating, calibrate step/mm, confirm belt tension with vibration test, confirm acceleration with a high speed movment test (X-100Y100 to X100Y-100), then level bed, tune PID, confirm extrusion temp
Confirm free moment and levelness of all AxisAll Axis of your machine should be able to move along their full travel length with almost no resistance. Meaning if you where to lean your machine to 1 side the trolley should glide along to follow the lean. If your Axis does not move this smoothly you likely have one of Several issues:
Confirm Stepper motors have the ability to move all axis the correct direction and powerQ: My
motor steps in the wrong direction - + moves it toward the endstop, and -moves
it away.
A: Reverse
the motor wires - ABCD to DCBA.
Q: My
motor only steps in one direction - away from the endstop.
A: Your
firmware thinks the endstop is blocked.
1) Block
the endstop, and see if you can move toward it.
Yes:
Adjust the endstop inversion constant in your firmware.
No:
Insure that the endstop is connected to the proper connecter. You want to
connect your endstops to the "Minimum endstop" connectors on your
hardware. Q: My
motor doesn't step in either direction.
A: There are
several possibilities:
1) The
firmware isn't configured properly, and is trying to use different pins to
control the motor than are required for your hardware.
Double-check your firmware's
configuration.h and pins.h files to insure that they're set up
properly.
2) The
step signal isn't making its way from the processor to the stepper
driver.
Resolder all of the pins
between the processor and the stepper card.
3) The
motor current is way too low.
Turn the motor current
adjustment pot clockwise a bit at a time, until the motor is stepping
properly.
4) The
magic smoke leaked out of the stepper driver.
First, figure out what it
was you did that smoked the driver, so you don't repeat it. Then replace the
stepper driver. Q. I
can't get my motor into the sweet spot between enough current and too much. If
I turn it down enough to stop from overheating, I get skipped
steps.
A. Add a
fan, heat-sink or both to the motor and/or driver (depending on which one is
overheating). Q: In which direction should the
Axis move?
A: Z goes up when going positive,
down when going negative
X goes left when going negative
and right when going positive
Y goes forward when going
positive and
back on the negative
You can reverse stepper
direction by flipping the stepper plug, or changing settings in firmware.
ALWAYS REMOVE POWER BEFORE UNPLUGGING A
STEPPER Perform Temp check with bridging objectQ. In
some places on my prints, the infill doesn't connect to the perimeter
shells.
A. You have
backlash in one or both axis.
1) Check
to make sure your belts are tight. You should be able to pluck them like a bass
guitar string.
Adjust your belt
tension.
2) Check
to make sure that your belts actually match your pulleys. Kit manufacturers are
notorius for providing XL belts and T5 pulleys. As much as people in forums
claim that you can use T5 pulleys with XL belts, it's just asking for
backlash.
Replace the pulleys with
ones that match the belts.
3) "I
have T5 Belts, and aluminum T5 pulleys I bought on ebay"
Replace the machined pulleys
with printed ones. Unless you bought ones that were specifically designed for
use on a printer, the teeth on them were designed for a single direction of
rotation, and make no attempt to reduce backlash.
4) Check
to make sure that your belts aren't binding against the guide
washers.
One
way to fix this is to double up the belt guide bearing, and leave off the fender
washer. Then carefully adjust your belt's position and angle on the carriage so
that it doesn't drift off of the bearing.
An
easier fix (that works for me) is to lubricate the belt guides with
Teflon/Silicone lubricant. The disadvantage to this method is that the lube
will eventually make its way to the pulleys, amplifying any backlash potential
that is there.Q. My
print suddenly gets shifted over by Xmm, partway through the
print.
A. This
could be caused by a number of problems. The most likley is you need to adjust
the current for your stepper motor - find the adjustment pot for the motor, and
carefully turn it up (clockwise) a tiny bit. If you still lose steps, turn it
up a bit more. It could also be due to your belt tension being too low (and too
high of tension can lead to current probelms as above). Belt or bearing binding
is another common cause of these problems. Make sure your axes all move
smoothly, if you feel any sticky spots that could be the cause. Q. One of my motors just stops turning partway through an otherwise perfect print. A. Most
likely, the motor is overheating, and losing torque. You need to turn down
(counter-clockwise) the adjustment pot for the motor. Print calibration piece and upload image in #RepRap channel to have community help you find final issues.Troubleshooting your axis
motion:
First off -
If you're using Pololu motor drivers, make sure they're installed facing the
right direction. They're
not keyed, and installing them backwards can damage all kinds of
things.
Second - if
you haven't adjusted your motor current, then turn the printer off, find the
trim pots on the motor drivers, turn them all the way counter-clockwise, and
then turn them about 1/4 turn clockwise. This will be a good starting point for
adjusting them. Failing to
adjust motor current can damage either the motor drivers, or the motors
themselves.
Q. Which type of plastic should I
print with?
A. PLA and ABS are the two main
types. They both have advantages and disadvantages.
PLA warps less and can be printed
on an unheated surface (3M Blue Tape 2090 works well. 2090 only, 2080EL and
Edgelock/Advanced types do not stick as well.). It is also a harder plastic, it
has less flexibility than ABS and when it breaks it tends to shatter. PLA
prints at about 180 degrees C and has a sweet smell (like burned sugar/waffles).
PLA also prints wonderfully to either plain glass or Kapton heated to
60c.
ABS prints best on a heated
surface, kapton over aluminum or glass are popular choices. Without heat abs
will curl up and ruin the print. ABS has a bit more flexibility than PLA which
makes it better suited to parts like the prusa bar clamps. It prints between
200 and 230 degrees C and the smell bothers some people.
Q. What order do the wires in my
stepper motors get connected to my Stepper Driver?
A. Ramps and Sanguinololu
Electronics both have motors attached in an AABB pattern meaning the 2 wires from one coil are attached to the first two pins
and the 2 wires from the second coil are connected to the second 2 pins. The
order of the coils is not critical. You can determine which wires go to the same
coil because you will be able to measure the resistance of the coil across the
wires. Wires from separate coils will read as open-circuit. The color coding of the
stepper motor wires is different for each
manufacturer.
Q. My print suddenly gets shifted
over by Xmm, partway through the print.
A. This could be caused by a number
of problems. The most likley is you need to adjust the current for your stepper
motor - find the adjustment pot for the motor, and carefully turn it up
(clockwise) a tiny bit. If you still lose steps, turn it up a bit more. It
could also be due to your belt tension being too low (and too high of tension can lead
to current problems as above).
Belt or bearing binding is another common cause of these problems. Make sure
your axes all move smoothly, if you feel any sticky spots that could be the
cause. Also maybe due to firmware (such as Marlin).
-It also
could mean that your motors are getting too hot. Try putting a small PC fan on
the axis that is having the shift. (Example: Print shifts in Y-direction, put a
fan on the Y motor.)
Q. One of my motors just stops
turning partway through an otherwise perfect print.
A. Most likely, the motor is
overheating, and losing torque. You need to turn down (counter-clockwise) the
adjustment pot for the motor.
Q. I can't get my motor into the
sweet spot between enough current and too much. If I turn it down enough to
stop from overheating, I get skipped steps.
A. Add a fan, heat-sink or both to
the motor and/or driver (depending on which one is overheating).
Q. My prints will not stick to
the HBP (Heated Build Plate).
A. Many things can cause a print
not to stick, check these things:
-Is your HBP hot enough? 70C for
PLA 110-120C for ABS
-Have you got skin oil or lube from
the axises on the plate? It will cause prints not to stick (you can clean them
with alcohol, acetone, or ammonia (Windex, tested on glass) )
-Are you pressing the 1st layer
into the HBP enough? The extrusion should take on a slightly flat appearance
without actually squishing it (you should not see the nozzle dragging thought he
middle of the print.
Starting height differences of only 0.05mm can make a big
difference.
-Are you printing the 1st layer
slow enough? All materials like the travel speed to be 15-20mm/s for the 1st
layer.
Q: My printer is doing things not
covered in this FAQ, how should I ask my question in #reprap (the irc
room)?
A: 1- Collect the basic facts
about your machine:
Printer Model:
Electronics Type:
Firmware:
Software Toolchain+OS:
2- Try to include as much detail as
possible in your question, every little bit helps.
3- Just ask the question, don't
worry about asking permission first
4- Have some patience, there are a
lot of people in the room, someone will answer you but you may have to wait a
few minutes.
Q: At the Start of a Print. The Motors
begin to print in the top right corner of the HBP Bed. How do I center the
motors so they print in the center? Thanks - khaizlett@gmail.com
A:
This has to be done in two
parts. The first part is setting the maximum bed size to be accurate to your
actual bed in the configuration.h file of your firmware. The second part is
telling your slicer how big the bed is, and where the print should
start.
Q: My motor will only move towards
the endstop, when I press + and also when I press -. I already checked my
endstops, and they're fine.
Q: In the middle of my print, my laptop shut
down completely, and reboots. I've already tried it with a different laptop, and
the same thing happens. Also checked the temperature of my laptop, and it's
barely luke-warm, so that's not the problem either. Anyone has any idea what
else to try?
Q: How
inadequate would a 1 cm thick solid pine board be to build some printers
envelope? I'm scared about the warp wood has when humidity changes. General Questions
Below
Q. How do I get the parts to
Build a RepRap?
A. Big Question, it has it's own
Pad at http://titanpad.com/qaSMu02eJe More information on vendors is here
http://titanpad.com/3LVQ9SCoVH
Q. Where can I buy a completely
assembled 3d printer?
A. Big Question, it has it's own
Pad at http://titanpad.com/2glYo45OUs
Q. What software should I use to
run my printer?
A. Currently, the easiest software
to work with is:
PrintRun (Host software) -
https://github.com/kliment/Printrun, precompiled for windows (with sfact) at http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/
sfact (Slicing software) -
https://github.com/ahmetcemturan/SFACT/, or sfact daily - https://github.com/ahmetcemturan/SFACT/archives/Daily_Updates
or
alternative Slicing software slic3r http://slic3r.org/
or
Repsnapper (all-in-one, fast and 3D) http://reprap.org/wiki/RepSnapper_Manual:Introduction
Sprinter (Printer Firmware) -
https://github.com/kliment/Sprinter Main FAQ
link: http://doiop.com/FAQMain
Pronterface
is https://github.com/kliment/Printrun and precompiled for windows (with sfact) at
http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/
Q. How do you
print multiple stl's at the same time using pronterface?
A. First open
Plater.py, you'll find it in the same directory as Pronterface.py. Next right
click the grided area and open your first stl file. Drag the stl around the
grid space (your print bed) and use the scroll-wheel to rotate around the z
axis. Right click again to add another file. Export the stl and run it through
your slicer.
If you want
to print several of the same stl
use the Multiple plugin in
skeinforge.
Q. How do
you move things on the print area?
Use
plater.py included with Pronterface, or use the centering part of the skeinforge
multiply plugin.
center is in
skeinforge or sfact, activate mGultiply, set rows and columns to 1 each, set x
and y center to 100 each. This will center the object on your bed Sfact FAQ
Below answers are based on default
SFACT settings. If you have messed them up you can revert to the defaults by
closing SFACT and deleting the sfact_profilesClick directory
afterwards.
This will delete all profiles and
SFACt will recreate one with defaults on restart.
Plugin Names
are Printed CAPS
Q: How do you open SFACT? Also, how do you
load a .STL file in order to create the .GCode file?
A:
Q:
Why do my Prints come out crappy. Is something wrong with
SFACT?
A:
Q:
Where do I look for possible hardware problems?
A:
.
Q: How do I calibrate
Sfact?
A:
Q: The Thin walled print comes
out dead on, but my top and bottom layers are overfilled, how do I correct
this?
A:
Q: What Do I need to change to
make SFACT work on my specific printer?
A:
Q: What does COOL
do?
A:
Q: Why do I need to calibrate
in SFACT. Doesnt calibrating E-steps in FW do that already?
A:
Q: What the heck is
SKIN?
A:
Q: Why are the width setting
in SFACT absolute and not a ratio as in SF?
A:
Q: Can I set width and height
of extrusion at will or are there any guidelines?
A:
Q: What exactly does the
Infill Extra Spacing in FILL do?
A:
Q: What are bridge/bridge
layers?
A:
Q: Why is TEMPERATURE
disabled by default.
A:
Q: My alterations and start.gmc,
end.gmc files are not working. What am I doing wrong?
A:
Q: What is the penultimate gcode file
I am getting?
A:
Q: Why are there now two dimension
plugins (DIMENSION and OLDDIMENSION)?
A:
Q: What happened to the old retraction
settings? What the hell is oozerate? (Not relevant from Dec'11
onwards)
A:
Q: What is CLIP. What does it
do?
A:
FAQ
for general Extrusion issues
RichRap has
posted a great blog entry on troubleshooting bad prints with lots of photos,
check it out and see if your problems match:
Q.
Why does my extruder skips steps whenever I am trying to print?
A.Issues to
check
Q.
With 1.7 filiment my plastic buckles inside the cold end of the Extruder, what
is happening?
A. If you
experence buckling of your plastic the cold end might not be properly
constrained to hold 1.7 filiment. Try printing a cold end that only has a 2mm
wide path for your filiment. Plastic should strip durring a failure, not
buckle.
Print
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10031 if your using a geared stepper or http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10573 if your using a hobbed bolt/
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