Repetier for RostockMax and RAMBO

[mhackney]

1) Your question is a little unclear. I think you are asking if it's normal for the steppers to shit down after a period of inactivity. The answer is "yes" if you have the timeout configured. I think the default in Repetier firmware is 2 minutes. Here's what I have:

Code: Select all

/** After x seconds of inactivity, the stepper motors are disabled.
    Set to 0 to leave them enabled.
    This helps cooling the Stepper motors between two print jobs. 
    Overridden if EEPROM activated.
*/
#define STEPPER_INACTIVE_TIME 120
/** After x seconds of inactivity, the system will go down as far it can.
    It will at least disable all stepper motors and heaters. If the board has
    a power pin, it will be disabled, too. 
    Set value to 0 for disabled.  
    Overridden if EEPROM activated. 
*/
#define MAX_INACTIVE_TIME 0L

This can keep your steppers from over heating and reduces energy consumption.

2. Yes, that is a link to Polygonhell's firmware branch that supports the LCD Controller AND the SD card reader. I compiled it in Arduino 1.0.3 with no problems and no changes except for my specific configuration - I have a ver. 1.1 RAMBo that is 16 microsteps, not 8. This firmware's default is 8 microsteps.

[Polygonhell]

2 questions about firmware:

1. Is this normal when you are not using machine the power to the motors is turned off. I find out that when I home machine, and it sits in this position doing nothing, after 2 minutes i hear click of endstops. I want to know is this normal?

2. Is this the newest version of firmware, that can you use LCD Smart Controller by reprapdiscount wired like in Geneb manual? And it could be uploaded by Arduino 1.0.3 without any changes in Arduino IDE files?
https://github.com/polygonhell/Repetier ... evelopment

1: Yes there is a firmware setting that sets the actual time out in repetier it's 5 minutes of inactivity by default
2: Yes that should work

[Polygonhell]

I might rerun the print with echo on to see, what the last firmware response is before the printer stops. I fear, that the printer confirms the last line but doesn't request the next one. Otherwise it would result in a connection error and the host would try to resend it. However, I don't know how the transfer protocol works. Probably, the printer requests the next line? Or does the host push GCODE lines every time it gets an OK from the printer?

It's literally just a TTY interface, Host sends a command and waits for an ack from the arduino.
The arduino continually sends the temperatures in the TTY stream and the host just parses it out.
You could write trivial host software in about 10 lines of C.
Any loss of connection is an issue with the USB Comm port driver or the arduino itself hanging, it's hard to separate one from the other unless you have a temperature set, if the arduino is running it will keep moderating the temperature. In all the comm issues I've seen the arduino keeps running.
If I have a chance today I'll also try dry running the gcode.

[aehM_Key]

Which board should I choose in arduino?
Mega 2560?

[mhackney]

Yes,, that's the one for RAMBo.

[aehM_Key]

It worked, thank you.

Is Tools -> Programmer -> AVRISP mkII the right one?

For two other (maybe small) problems I wrote to the 'official' Repetier support forum: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?267,186600

[mhackney]

That is correct for Tools-Programmer.

I looked at your post on the reprap forum. I vaguely recall seeing that error once early on but can't remember why or what I did.

[daftscience]

I've got this firmware configured and everything. Just installed the LCD panel, it's really great. However, i'm wondering about git. Every time I get things from github I basically just download the zip.

Git seems like it might make updating the firmware easier. So if I clone the repository to my computer and make changes. Will they stick if I update the firmware through git later (is that done by pull?)



Also, I don't know if it was just mine or not but the encoder was going the wrong direction
So I changed

Code: Select all

#define UI_INVERT_MENU_DIRECTION false

to

Code: Select all

#define UI_INVERT_MENU_DIRECTION true

[Polygonhell]

I've got this firmware configured and everything. Just installed the LCD panel, it's really great. However, i'm wondering about git. Every time I get things from github I basically just download the zip.

Git seems like it might make updating the firmware easier. So if I clone the repository to my computer and make changes. Will they stick if I update the firmware through git later (is that done by pull?)



Also, I don't know if it was just mine or not but the encoder was going the wrong direction
So I changed

Code: Select all

#define UI_INVERT_MENU_DIRECTION false

to

Code: Select all

#define UI_INVERT_MENU_DIRECTION true

Depends on what changes are made, worst case, you'll have to merge a file or two.
IMO yes it's easier to use git clone and pull the changes, but I use git everyday, for most people who aren't very software development savvy, it's probably easier to pull the zip file down.

[daftscience]

Depends on what changes are made, worst case, you'll have to merge a file or two.
IMO yes it's easier to use git clone and pull the changes, but I use git everyday, for most people who aren't very software development savvy, it's probably easier to pull the zip file down.

Thanks, I'm going to look into it some more. I used to be very software development savvy about 5 years ago, then I switch majors and so much has changed. I remember building my own microcontroller and programing it in assembly! (I remember doing those things, but not how I did those things.)

[Highcooley]

I might rerun the print with echo on to see, what the last firmware response is before the printer stops. I fear, that the printer confirms the last line but doesn't request the next one. Otherwise it would result in a connection error and the host would try to resend it. However, I don't know how the transfer protocol works. Probably, the printer requests the next line? Or does the host push GCODE lines every time it gets an OK from the printer?

It's literally just a TTY interface, Host sends a command and waits for an ack from the arduino.
The arduino continually sends the temperatures in the TTY stream and the host just parses it out.
You could write trivial host software in about 10 lines of C.
Any loss of connection is an issue with the USB Comm port driver or the arduino itself hanging, it's hard to separate one from the other unless you have a temperature set, if the arduino is running it will keep moderating the temperature. In all the comm issues I've seen the arduino keeps running.
If I have a chance today I'll also try dry running the gcode.

Hey Polygonhell

Have you been able to reproduce the error with my gcode? I ran exactly the same code with marlin and it printed the whole part flawlessly in 12 h. I really don't have a clue how to track this problem down.

[Polygonhell]

Hey Polygonhell

Have you been able to reproduce the error with my gcode? I ran exactly the same code with marlin and it printed the whole part flawlessly in 12 h. I really don't have a clue how to track this problem down.

I apologize but I was really busy over the weekend, and didn't get to much of anything, I'll try and run the gcode today if I ge a chance.

[mhackney]

I've tried twice now with the Repetier firmware and stalled at the same layer (80) both times now.

[Polygonhell]

I've tried twice now with the Repetier firmware and stalled at the same layer (80) both times now.

I just kicked off the print, so we'll see what happens.

[Polygonhell]

Well it just started running through layer 81, I'll leave it running and see what happens.

[Polygonhell]

And dead on layer 84 line 802985
Firmware is still running because the LCD is responsive.
No comms as far as I can tell in either direction.
Not even getting an echo back from the host.
I'll have to look at how it handles the USB connection, but I think that's a core part of the arduino libraries.

[Polygonhell]

A good test might be to run the print using prontrface as host instead of repetier.
There is a completely separate code path for ASCII gcode rather than the internal binary version and verifying the behavior on prontrface would at least rule that out.
I think it's time to file a bug on the repetier github.

[mhackney]

It's interesting that we are all within 10 layers of each other in such a BIG file. Given that Marlin printed it (I'm assuming with Repetier host?) maybe a good test would be to configure Force ASCII in the printer setup in RH to rule out the protocol.

[Polygonhell]

FWIW I just tried writing the file to SDCard through repetier host, this is an interesting test because it runs almost all of the code except the gcode dispatch, i.e. the host uses the binary protocol and sends it line by line and the firmware writes it.
It fails very quickly, as soon as there is any send error it seems to never recover, it receives a request to retransmit, does so, but the the firmware keeps requesting the same GCode lines over and over.
I've updated the bug that was filed on the Repetier github.

[Highcooley]

FWIW I just tried writing the file to SDCard through repetier host, this is an interesting test because it runs almost all of the code except the gcode dispatch, i.e. the host uses the binary protocol and sends it line by line and the firmware writes it.
It fails very quickly, as soon as there is any send error it seems to never recover, it receives a request to retransmit, does so, but the the firmware keeps requesting the same GCode lines over and over.
I've updated the bug that was filed on the Repetier github.

I just added the download link of the GCODE file to the Repetier github bug. Thanks for reporting the error to Repetier in detail. With my background in electronics engineering, I am not used to proper English IT terms
My writing to SDCard test worked two times out of the three times I tried. The first time, it interrupted with about the same error as you reported as it was already half way through the file. But the other two times, it run through the file (which took ages) and finished with a positive. Comparing the file size as well as the last few code lines and a couple of random layers to the original gcode file including comment lines, it looked as if the file was complete.

[gabrielk]

From your experience, guys, I want to know do yo gave up on Marlin completely?

[barnett]

I loaded Polygonhell's Repetier firmware last night and ran two prints so far... working fine.

As someone else mentioned before, I had to undo the setting to reverse the stepper motors (XYZ and Extruder). The other thing I had to do was modify the adjustment to DELTA_RADIUS. In Marlin, I had entered no adjustment, but this firmware comes with +0.63 applied to DELTA_RADIUS. I've got it back down to +0.05 currently in order to get Z=0 to hit the paper at center and at the towers.

Question on the PID Autotune numbers: I installed new hot end resistors over the weekend and ran the autotune (under Marlin). This morning, I ran autotune with Repetier firmware and got numbers that are pretty different (but closer to the defaults in there). Is this normal? Also, am I supposed to average the three readouts or just use the last one?

My last question is about the EPROM. When I change an EPROM value in Repetier host, should it take effect immediately or do I need to disconnect/reconnect?

Aside from the musical motors, one thing I like with this Repetier firmware is that it won't let me use Repetier Host's motion controls to crash the nozzle into the bed. It just stops at zero.

[Highcooley]

From your experience, guys, I want to know do yo gave up on Marlin completely?

As long as the idle-during-print bug is not solved, Marlin is successfully in use on my printer. I'm probably going to commit to the latest developments by ErikZalm and other developers as well to add auto-PEEK-cooling and other features and updates. In my perspective, both firmwares are almost even. Both have their minor advantages and flaws. Currently, Repetier has a much nicer delta movement concept. But on Marlin, a lot more development is going on and it may probably catch up pretty soon.

[maxx]

So my repetier works great with the dev checkout at git and my LCD shows the different status pages, but - to be honest - i am rather disappointed ... how should these 3 pages allow me to print without a computer? Maybe i did something wrong but there is no menu in the lcd beside the status pages with temperature position idicator etc. Is this "normal" for repetier FW?

Greetings

Max

[gabrielk]

So my repetier works great with the dev checkout at git and my LCD shows the different status pages, but - to be honest - i am rather disappointed ... how should these 3 pages allow me to print without a computer? Maybe i did something wrong but there is no menu in the lcd beside the status pages with temperature position idicator etc. Is this "normal" for repetier FW?

Greetings

Max

and when you push encoder down nothing comes up?
no, that's not normal you get your setting when you press encoder.