Calibration issues

[Eaglezsoar]

I would agree that the gears need to be replaced but my goal was to get Dust2Dust02 up and operating on the printer as it existed now. He was given the proper
steps per mm for the 15 tooth gears and was told where in the new manual to find the procedure to adjust the Z height. To get the printing working as is was and
still is my goal. Is the printer operational, I am not sure after reading the message from Geneb and the responding answer from Dust2Dust02. If it is not working
I am still willing to work with Dust2Dust02 until it is. Please let me know the status again, I am now confused what is going on. I spent a lot of time working with
Dust2Dust02 and would not want to see that work thrown or sold away. After the printer is up and running then upgrades can be done or decisions can be made on whether to keep or sell it.

[Dust2Dust02]

Everything is going fine, I just need to adjust the z height then I will be able to be printing here probably in the next couple days if I have time.

EDIT:

Correction, I will be able to start fiddling with the extruder and all the other little settings that will allow me to print something useful. Hahah

[geneb]

If you don't have the steps per mm set correctly, the machine will never work properly.

Set the field "PULLEY_TEETH" to 15. The diameter may be the same - the oldest configuration file I have shows no change in diameter from the 15 to 20 tooth gears.

You're welcome to join the ongoing hangout (https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/cale ... hm6rckpn3g) and I'll be happy to work with you.

Understand this - the Rostock MAX & Orion designs, firmware and documentation IS open source. If there's some problem with the manual, let me know. I wrote it. If something actually needs clarification, I'll be happy to do it.

The smaller gears are not defective, just not the best choice for the job. That's why they went to the GT2 gears.

g.

[Dust2Dust02]

Well, everything is going great. Printer is fake printing all sorts of stuff. However I did not have the right filament as of late. I now have some 1.75 ABS and got ready to heat up the hotend and... nothing. I had run the PID calibration before and the temp went up and stabilized and everything was great, now the reading in Repetier says 0*C. I tried running the test again and the hotend was heating up, however still 0*C. I shutoff the printer and unplugged the hotend. I just tested the thermistor. I get about 109 when set to 200K resistance (not sure what that reading is). When I breathe on it or warm it, it steadily decreases. I think the thermistor is good, I am assuming I had a lose wire or something? I will not have time to really check it out for a few more days, but wondered what else might be wrong? I messed with the thermistor setting in the firmware to see what would happen when I was messing with the firmware but I am pretty sure I put it back. Is there any way to extract the firmware it is running? Or just injecting new? I am worried that if I inject a "correction" to one setting I may overwrite another that is working now.

[Eaglezsoar]

Well, everything is going great. Printer is fake printing all sorts of stuff. However I did not have the right filament as of late. I now have some 1.75 ABS and got ready to heat up the hotend and... nothing. I had run the PID calibration before and the temp went up and stabilized and everything was great, now the reading in Repetier says 0*C. I tried running the test again and the hotend was heating up, however still 0*C. I shutoff the printer and unplugged the hotend. I just tested the thermistor. I get about 109 when set to 200K resistance (not sure what that reading is). When I breathe on it or warm it, it steadily decreases. I think the thermistor is good, I am assuming I had a lose wire or something? I will not have time to really check it out for a few more days, but wondered what else might be wrong? I messed with the thermistor setting in the firmware to see what would happen when I was messing with the firmware but I am pretty sure I put it back. Is there any way to extract the firmware it is running? Or just injecting new? I am worried that if I inject a "correction" to one setting I may overwrite another that is working now.

The thermistors used in the Rostock Max are 100k how did you get a resistance of 200k?

[Dust2Dust02]

I am using this multimeter. The setting I am on is "200k".

Gardner-Bender-GDT-3190-2.jpg (28.14 KiB) Viewed 13440 times

I was incorrect in saying I got 109 at 200k, it was set to 2000k for that reading.

When heated the thermistor resistance goes down steadily.

I have the one that was for the print bed (I have not used it yet but I set it up) and it reads similar. The reading I get is roughly 1096 at room temp (with 200k selected).

The one in the print head reads about 1080 (with 200k selected) at room temp. When I hold the printhead in my hand (warm it up) the resistance decreases steadily.

[Eaglezsoar]

Well, everything is going great. Printer is fake printing all sorts of stuff. However I did not have the right filament as of late. I now have some 1.75 ABS and got ready to heat up the hotend and... nothing. I had run the PID calibration before and the temp went up and stabilized and everything was great, now the reading in Repetier says 0*C. I tried running the test again and the hotend was heating up, however still 0*C. I shutoff the printer and unplugged the hotend. I just tested the thermistor. I get about 109 when set to 200K resistance (not sure what that reading is). When I breathe on it or warm it, it steadily decreases. I think the thermistor is good, I am assuming I had a lose wire or something? I will not have time to really check it out for a few more days, but wondered what else might be wrong? I messed with the thermistor setting in the firmware to see what would happen when I was messing with the firmware but I am pretty sure I put it back. Is there any way to extract the firmware it is running? Or just injecting new? I am worried that if I inject a "correction" to one setting I may overwrite another that is working now.

The thermistors used in the Rostock Max are 100k how did you get a resistance of 200k?

The symptoms all point to a broken connection somewhere between the thermistor and the Rambo board. Careful examination on the wiring should find the bad connection.
The suspect areas are any connectors you have in the line between the thermistor and the Rambo. I know that with what you have been through you are thoroughly PO'd at this printer
but please hang in there, you are too close to give up now. Please keep us updated when you find the cause of the thermistor problem. I'm not sure if you crimped the thermistor to the
wire but that can be another point of failure. Best of luck.

[Dust2Dust02]

Thanks for all the help and quick replies, I will finish this damn thing if it takes forever....!

I will trace the issue and see if it resides in line. If it does not I will look at my firmware.

[Dust2Dust02]

OK, so.....

When I run the thermistor it does not work (only ever shows a reading of 0.00*C on setting 97 in the firmware, it only seems to work on 1 (gets 24*C, although I have not tried other numbers). I tried other thermistors ( I have one for the bed and I have a threaded one I wanted to replace the current one with since I thought the other was broken.) I get all the same resistance readings off of all thermistors and the one for the heatbed when it is plugged into the hotend spot does not work when it is set to 97 either. There's that...

Then there is the fact that the hotend does not heat up anymore. It had before but since I messed with the thermistor trying to see if it was broken it has not. When I test voltage at the Rambo when it is supposed to be "on" I get .030V, .000V when "off." I bought the "upgrade kit" that f15sim used here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvXKt3xDt4E and that heater core gives me the same resistance of 0 when I check it.

I am sorry for so many questions but I am really behind the curve here it seems with the technological skill that I posses...

Here is my Conf.h as it sits "not working."

New - Copy (3).txt

(48.75 KiB) Downloaded 378 times

Correction, I see the new conf.h at https://github.com/seemecnc/RepetierMAX-Dev is setting the thermistor to 8 not 97, it works, bu the hotend is not heating up still. ARG!!!!!!!!!!

Also please note:
I was going to show my gf the spacer for http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:146815/#files
I ran the job, everything was fine, stopped just above the print be and waited to heat the extruder, wont happen so I killed the job, re ran it as "dry run." smashed the hotend into the printbed!!!@@! and started printing.... scratching the printbed... WTF!!! I am so about to throw this thing out the window....

[Eaglezsoar]

It's possible you broke the thermistor when you checked it to make sure it wasn't broken. Have you disconnected the thermistor plug and measure the resistance of the thermistor at the connector without it plugged in?
They are terribly fragile and it doesn't take much flexing to break their tiny wires.

[Dust2Dust02]

I checked it on the machine from where it would connect to the board as well if that's what you are asking. Still same resistance....

Thanks for all the help Eaglezsoar. I'm thinking I may have crapped out the board. What else would explain this crazyness? Also I checked the fuse too.

It's possible you broke the thermistor when you checked it to make sure it wasn't broken. Have you disconnected the thermistor plug and measure the resistance of the thermistor at the connector without it plugged in?
They are terribly fragile and it doesn't take much flexing to break their tiny wires.

[Dust2Dust02]

Done!

I am DONE...

I have reached my DIY limit. I would like to offer some $$ for anyone who is in the Los Angles , CA or Orange County area who wouldn't mind letting me bring over my printer for them to work on/get up and running. I will pay for parts and labor ($$ to be discussed). Please PM me if in the area and interested.

Someone with a working RostockMax or similar would be preferred.

[Orenfor]

when you check the resistor , don't touch it with hand, human body have it's own resist and it can look's like you reading the human body parallel to the resistor...
and if i'm right 2000k ohm = 2Mohm and that can be the human body resist....

[Eaglezsoar]

I checked it on the machine from where it would connect to the board as well if that's what you are asking. Still same resistance....

Thanks for all the help Eaglezsoar. I'm thinking I may have crapped out the board. What else would explain this crazyness? Also I checked the fuse too.

It's possible you broke the thermistor when you checked it to make sure it wasn't broken. Have you disconnected the thermistor plug and measure the resistance of the thermistor at the connector without it plugged in?
They are terribly fragile and it doesn't take much flexing to break their tiny wires.

I am still willing to work with you, but not on the forum. I will send you a PM

[Dust2Dust02]

You da man! Or Eagle? PM replying.

I bought the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvXKt3xDt4E upgrades. I will be trying the "new" hotend soon. I also got a new Rambo V1.2 to see if that is the issue....

I checked it on the machine from where it would connect to the board as well if that's what you are asking. Still same resistance....

Thanks for all the help Eaglezsoar. I'm thinking I may have crapped out the board. What else would explain this crazyness? Also I checked the fuse too.

It's possible you broke the thermistor when you checked it to make sure it wasn't broken. Have you disconnected the thermistor plug and measure the resistance of the thermistor at the connector without it plugged in?
They are terribly fragile and it doesn't take much flexing to break their tiny wires.

I am still willing to work with you, but not on the forum. I will send you a PM

[Dust2Dust02]

Got the new Rambo in and everything works now, I will be trying to send back the old board for a replacement.

Tried to extrude some filament with the hotend heated up and it got jammed in the nozzle. Took it apart and it seems the new tip needs a lot of the tubing taken off. Did that and everything looked fine, then I realized that the extruder is skipping too! It seems it is not getting a good hold of the filament and is slipping. Upon further inspection it looks like the gears are hitting the bolt of the bottom of the bowden attachment.... Wow. Can't say I am surprised. I am seriously debating just getting the EZstruder. Anyone have any feedback on the upgrade? I really don't want to fiddle with anything else if I don't have to.

[Eaglezsoar]

Upgrading to the EZstruder over the Steves extruder would be a wise move. A lot less moving parts and it just works better.

[Dust2Dust02]

OK, so...

Still waiting on my EZStruder. Haven't even touched the Steve's as there is no point now. Anyone want it, PM me.

Good news is that UltiMachine finally got back to me and they are picking up the old board, so I am not out anything there anymore.

Can't....

Wait....

To print....

[Eaglezsoar]

OK, so...

Still waiting on my EZStruder. Haven't even touched the Steve's as there is no point now. Anyone want it, PM me.

Good news is that UltiMachine finally got back to me and they are picking up the old board, so I am not out anything there anymore.

Can't....

Wait....

To print....

Good to see it's coming together. Frustrating to wait but it will eventually come together. Hang in there!

[Dust2Dust02]

EZStruder is not supposed to be here till Friday...

I had time last night so I worked on the Steve's Extruder and I think it might work now. We will see. I have class tonight so I won't be able to work on it again till Thursday...

So many things to print!!