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Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:35 pm**

Rollie, can you please say something about the procedure of manual calibration? I have my Rostock connected and am aware of the US locale settings. I think I have that covered. However the machine is completely silent after pressing "Manually Calibrate". Maybe I have incorrect expectations, bu I thought it would go to x0 y0 z0 first so I can set my dial indicator to zero, and then I it would have to visit the other locations, but it just does not doe anything (printer console only shows "wait")

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:34 pm**

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Posted: **Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:05 am**

@DeltaCon, I am new to this calibration tool and 3D printing as well. This is what I did to manually calibrate:

First I created a Macro in MatterControl and called it Z-Zero and included this:

//
G28
G1 Z2 F5000
//

It simply homes the hotend and then brings it to the table and stays there.

Then I created the Bed Calibration Macro with the values from Rollie:

//
G28
G1 Z2 F5000
G4 S5
G1 Z50 X0 Y0

G1 Z50 X-113 Y-65
G1 Z2 X-113 Y-65
G4 S3
G1 Z50 X-113 Y-65
G1 Z50 X0 Y0
G1 Z50 X113 Y65
G1 Z2 X113 Y65
G4 S3
G1 Z50 X113 Y65
G1 Z50 X0 Y0

G1 Z50 X113 Y-65
G1 Z2 X113 Y-65
G4 S3
G1 Z50 X113 Y-65
G1 Z50 X0 Y0
G1 Z50 X-113 Y65
G1 Z2 X-113 Y65
G4 S3
G1 Z50 X-113 Y65
G1 Z50 X0 Y0

G1 Z50 Y130
G1 Z2 Y130
G4 S3
G1 Z50 Y130
G1 Z50 X0 Y0
G1 Z50 Y-130
G1 Z2 Y-130
G4 S3
G1 Z50 Y-130
G1 Z50 X0 Y0
G28
//

With your Dial Indicator installed in the head, set your Z=0 position.

Then in MatterControl, open the EEPROM to obtain your default values.

Start OpenDACT, but do not connect. Simply hit the Advanced button and go to the Manual Calibration tab.
Enter your current EEPROM settings into the table on the right.

Go back into MatterControl and run the Z-Zero macro and reset your dial indicator to 0.

Then manually home the head.

Next run the Bed Calibration macro and write down the values from each location.

Enter those 6 numbers into OpenDACT (I had to invert my numbers since my dial indicator values
increased as the head was lowered) and then hit the Manually Calibrate
button. It will repopulate the table on the right. Enter those new values into your EEPROM and save.

Repeat until all measured values are near 0.

As always, have your hand on the power switch when you first run the macros in case something is amiss...

When you are done, hit the Donate button on the left

This is a great tool!

Posted: **Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:00 pm**

Thanks for the tip da40flyer!
I guess my expectations were to high, and thought that the positioning would be done by opendact, just that the readings would have to be manual because of the absence of a probe or FSR.
Rollie, I guess that must be the next TAB under advanced: semi-automatic calibration...

Why not simply use the positioning of the head that already works in the automatic calibration, also in the manual calibration tool?

Posted: **Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:21 pm**

Now I get the grasp of it (a bit), Opendact wants me to change the steps per millimeter from 80 to 81.19738. I think that is dangerous, and my print height will be wrong if I do that. The Alpha Rotation has been steady for a few iterations. Is it normal for OpenDact to want to change Steps?

My values are: 0.01 / 0.21 / 0.02 / 0.21 / 0.01 / 0.2 (from top and clockwise)
Guess that could be better, but they have been circeling around +/- 0.02 for a few iterations and seem pretty stable.

I used a bed diameter of 250, is tat wise? Of course in my script the coordinates are accordingly.

Posted: **Sat Feb 20, 2016 10:53 pm**

HumanLiberty wrote:Yes that's what's happening. So how should the z-probing settings be set up? And where is onhigh located within the firmware and/or how do you switch it on the controller? I manually searched every tab in the repetier/Arduino firmware, but nothing popped.

Z_PROBE_ON_HIGH is located on line 1078, here are my current probe settings:

Code: Select all

#define FEATURE_Z_PROBE true
#define Z_PROBE_PIN 10
#define Z_PROBE_PULLUP true
#define Z_PROBE_ON_HIGH false
#define Z_PROBE_X_OFFSET 0
#define Z_PROBE_Y_OFFSET 0
#define Z_PROBE_WAIT_BEFORE_TEST false
#define Z_PROBE_SPEED 2
#define Z_PROBE_XY_SPEED 150
#define Z_PROBE_HEIGHT 0
#define Z_PROBE_START_SCRIPT ""
#define Z_PROBE_FINISHED_SCRIPT ""

Now for all of those wondering about the bed diameter: The radius does not matter much, it is better to use a larger radius, however, it won't affect the overall outcome significantly.

For the manual calibration, da40flyer covered it pretty well! And DeltaCon, I can add several send to position buttons in the next version (which will also depend on the bed diameter and z height). I will probably be able to do a couple updates in about a week.

Also, the concerning the the changes in steps per mm: I will be looking into alternatives to change the steps per millimeter, however, it is the only setting that does not effect/warp the X and Y axes while correcting the offset between the towers and opposites of the towers. The only issue is z scaling. What i do to counter this issue (my prints have 99.5% the z scaling they should be), I print a single tube the full height of the printer and measure the offset from expected/actual and adjust the scaling on prints accordingly. For instance, a 300 mm tube on my machine is only 298.51mm tall, so I set my scaling to 1.005 to adjust for this.

(Would have replied to these replies sooner, but never got an email)

Posted: **Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:21 am**

Dear All,
1- I am unable to run the executable on Windows7 64 bit.
2- Can we use this program with Marlin Firmware? With RichCattel Autocalibration i am getting tilted bed. Its not an isolated case it also did the same on my 1st delta printer. I want to try OpenDACT.

Posted: **Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:24 am**

EEPROM parameters in Marlin are different.
I would thus say you can't use it with Mariln firmware "as is". But if you can establish the link between repetier EEPROM params and Marlin EEPROM Params, why not using it... in manual mode.

Posted: **Mon Feb 22, 2016 11:22 am**

Hi

I'm having a weird problem when trying to use OpenDACT.

It reads all my EEPROM settings without the decimal points. So 80.000 steps pr mm is turned into 80000 steps pr mm, etc.

Even if I add the decimal points it just changes it again when I try to calibrate, which it never starts, because all the EEPROM settings are wrong.

Any ideas how I could fix this problem?

/Martin

Posted: **Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:34 pm**

Is your computer configured to use US numbering system ?

Posted: **Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:47 pm**

enggmaug wrote:Is your computer configured to use US numbering system ?

EUREKA! That worked. I changed it to US.

Posted: **Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:50 pm**

So I was having a great time until about the 8th run when the program changed my steps pr mm to 85.xxx. The steppers made a clicking noise and homed.

The printer then proceeded to slam the z-probe down on the bed and drag it along the plate. Not such a great time.

Posted: **Tue Feb 23, 2016 6:12 am**

Me again

Is it supposed to change my steps pr mm from 80 to 91?

That seems like a lot.

Posted: **Tue Feb 23, 2016 8:53 am**

Update:

With Rollierowland's help above and suggestion to try Arduino IDE 1.6.5, and having set Z Position to where
the nozzle is firing the FSRs, both "Calibrate" and "Check Current Heights" will now lower the nozzle to touch the bed and fire the FSRs.

Now the problem is, they are not responding to the FSRs, but just slamming into the bed and dragging the nozzle across it. I know some among us have had to replace their glass due to this, so I'm really hoping to get it figured out before that happens.

Does anyone have any ideas/experience with this issue?

Posted: **Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:44 am**

1st : Place something above your glass to protect it and prevent it from being damaged.

Posted: **Wed Feb 24, 2016 6:36 am**

RollieRowland wrote:I can add several send to position buttons in the next version (which will also depend on the bed diameter and z height). I will probably be able to do a couple updates in about a week.

That would be awsome and relief us of having to us our own scripts, while reducing errors because of different bed diameters pr mistakes in coordinates.

RollieRowland wrote:Also, the concerning the the changes in steps per mm: I will be looking into alternatives to change the steps per millimeter, however, it is the only setting that does not effect/warp the X and Y axes while correcting the offset between the towers and opposites of the towers. The only issue is z scaling. What i do to counter this issue (my prints have 99.5% the z scaling they should be), I print a single tube the full height of the printer and measure the offset from expected/actual and adjust the scaling on prints accordingly. For instance, a 300 mm tube on my machine is only 298.51mm tall, so I set my scaling to 1.005 to adjust for this.

Speaking for my self, I am not really prepared to give up proper calibration on the Z axis in favour of accurate measurements in the other directions. To me it sounds like it defeats the purpose of calibration. Also it is quite dangerous for a manual calibration without FSR, because the head will be slamming into the bed.

enggmaug wrote:1st : Place something above your glass to protect it and prevent it from being damaged.

How can I calibrate the glass if I place something on top of it?

Posted: **Wed Feb 24, 2016 7:19 am**

DeltaCon wrote:
RollieRowland wrote:
enggmaug wrote:1st : Place something above your glass to protect it and prevent it from being damaged.
How can I calibrate the glass if I place something on top of it?

If you protect the glass, you can search without worrying how to set the parameters in order to avoid slamming the head into the bed.
Because, if you slam the head into the bed, you cannot calibrate either... And if you break your glass, you won't be able to calibrate until you change it...

So protect the glass, change parameters, and when you are confident, calibrate.

Posted: **Wed Feb 24, 2016 12:42 pm**

Hi everybody

Is there anyway of making OpenDACT not change steps pr mm?

It calibrates height to perfection, but at the same time changes my steps to 91+. This is not the correct setting.

Posted: **Sun Feb 28, 2016 3:35 pm**

RollieRowland wrote:
HumanLiberty wrote:Yes that's what's happening. So how should the z-probing settings be set up? And where is onhigh located within the firmware and/or how do you switch it on the controller? I manually searched every tab in the repetier/Arduino firmware, but nothing popped.
Z_PROBE_ON_HIGH is located on line 1078, here are my current probe settings:
...
Now for all of those wondering about the bed diameter: The radius does not matter much, it is better to use a larger radius, however, it won't affect the overall outcome significantly.
...
Also, the concerning the the changes in steps per mm: I will be looking into alternatives to change the steps per millimeter, however, it is the only setting that does not effect/warp the X and Y axes while correcting the offset between the towers and opposites of the towers. The only issue is z scaling. What i do to counter this issue (my prints have 99.5% the z scaling they should be), I
...

Rollie,
Thanks for the reply. You have answered a lot of questions. However, my z-probe does not pull up after an automatic measurement.
Here's what I have in my z probe section:

Code: Select all

#define FEATURE_Z_PROBE true
#define Z_PROBE_PIN 10
#define Z_PROBE_PULLUP true
#define Z_PROBE_ON_HIGH true
#define Z_PROBE_X_OFFSET 0
#define Z_PROBE_Y_OFFSET 0
// Waits for a signal to start. Valid signals are probe hit and ok button.
// This is needful if you have the probe trigger by hand.
#define Z_PROBE_WAIT_BEFORE_TEST false
/** Speed of z-axis in mm/s when probing */
#define Z_PROBE_SPEED 2
#define Z_PROBE_XY_SPEED 150
/** The height is the difference between activated probe position and nozzle height. */
#define Z_PROBE_HEIGHT 48
/** These scripts are run before resp. after the z-probe is done. Add here code to activate/deactivate probe if needed. */
#define Z_PROBE_START_SCRIPT ""
#define Z_PROBE_FINISHED_SCRIPT ""

My Z-probe is configured as H when activated. However, it pulls up after the measurement only when manual mode is activated "#define Z_PROBE_WAIT_BEFORE_TEST true", but it does not in the automatic mode.
Any ideas?
Thanks

Posted: **Sun Feb 28, 2016 4:13 pm**

As I have wrote this, reflashed and clicked "Check Heights" and then "Calibrate" it worked as expected. However, on a second, and many other consequent tries (even after reboting/resetting/reflashing everything) it goes into an endless "Resend 1 / OK" loop. Once in the loop, If I hit "Stop" the printer homes, and the software freezes, or if I hit "Calibrate" it continues but does not pull up the z-probe, regardless of the wait true/false.
M112/G31/G30 works as expected while not in the loop. If I send M112 while in the loop, the machine resets, and the script continues but z-probe does not pull up, and I have to abort with the power switch. I have tried to increase "Pause time" to 1500ms with the same result.
Next Day Report - it ran properly, but only once.
No endless loop today, but still does not pull up after measurement. -> Reinstall Arduino, Clear, Re-flash, and it works, but only once, then goes back to the loop. If I send any command such as G28 or M112, while in the loop, it is happily executed, the loop is broken, and calibration proceeds, but z-probe does not pull up after the measurement. So far I have tried Repetier 1.6.6 and 1.0.6 Win7/10, US-ENG, same result.
Day Three: After several tries, it is working again. It seems to favor mornings:)

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:10 pm**

Guys someone is offering me a free Windows XP desktop - anyone know if OpenDACT would be likely to run on it? Has anyone tried?

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2016 3:29 pm**

You could install Windows 7 x86 on it. I don't think XP can handle the newer .Net runtime that OpenDACT uses.

g.

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:53 pm**

Thanks Gene - I'll try that.

Let me ask your input on an ongoing problem.

Currently, OpenDACT runs Checl Current Height and Calibrate floating about 1-2 cm above the plate, and does not fire the FSRs.
If I calibrate Z-height to where the FSRs are firing, OpenDACT crashes the nozzle into the plate, firing the FSRs, but ignoring their signal as it
proceeds to drag the nozzle grindingly across the plate (or it would, if I let it.)

I've set up the firmware as Rollie instructed, but that has not helped so far.

Does anyone have any further ideas?

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:08 pm**

Hey HumanLiberty,
It sounds like our issues are very similar, but yours is with FSRs and mine is with Zprobe. I am not sure what the best solution is, but as I have mentioned before, everyday I see something different. I did not have a problem, then I had a problem, and now it may have gone away, at least temporarily. I cannot say conclusively why.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:19 am**

I'm glad the issue seems to have fixed itself for you. If you figure out how it happened, please let me know. Were you able to get a very accurate calibration with it, all the way out the edge of the bed?

Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

OpenDACT(Delta Automatic Calibration Tool) - For Repetier

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