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half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:52 am
by wjrudo
I tried printing a 1" cube. The X and Y dimensions ARE 1" but the height is only 1/2". Yes, it finished. The top is capped off. Any clue as to what I need to do to increase my overall height? Each layer is squished as well. I'm running a 1.5mm orifice and my layers are supposed to be 1mm, but they look like around half that.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:53 am
by KAS
Can you post a pic and the STL?

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:17 pm
by Earthbound
What kind of printer? Is this a new machine or a new problem on a machine that had been working properly? Have you recently changed firmware settings?

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:25 pm
by wjrudo
It's a modified Rostock Max. The firmware is stock, other than It's been modified to use a GLCD instead of the standard LCD. I don't have any pics as of yet.

Just some things I've tried... I've moved the head to Z100 from 0,0,0 and then used M114 to get the position, which was the same, but when I measured it with a tape, it was off by half. I then doubled the microstep/mm(36.3636) in the eeprom. This doubled the size of my part to 2x2" and the height was correct. I then set a new Z0 and moved the head to x100. this was the SAME as the tape measure. I'm betting that my original microsteps/mm(18.1818) was correct and some setting in firmware is cutting it in half in Z only. I have no idea where to look for it. I've read the gcode and it is correct. I ran the gcode through a gcode simulator and my results are right. the sliced STL file has 26 layers (1"/25.4). The 1/2" tall printed part which is supposed to be 1" tall but is 1/2" tall has 26 layers, each 1/2mm thick. Some setting is causing my part to squish down to half it's size.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:59 pm
by teoman
Micro steps affect X, Y and Z dimensions, so i doubt it is that.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:09 pm
by KAS
what's your Z-axis steps per mm set to? Currently printing cant really look at mine.

If you use your controls to jog the z down 10mm, does the effector move exactly 10mm? or 5mm?


https://github.com/repetier/Repetier-Ho ... M-settings

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:01 pm
by wjrudo
I didn't measure with jog actually. The printer is at work. I'll try that in the morning. Let's say for now that it moves 5mm in your example, what's on your mind?

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad23 ... 69c363.jpg

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:21 pm
by KAS
In the firmware, Configuration.h

Grasping at settings, just depends if your using the EEPROM

/** \brief Number of steps for a 1mm move in z direction Overridden if EEPROM activated.*/
#define ZAXIS_STEPS_PER_MM 2560

Re: half height prints

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:51 pm
by wjrudo
I believe that definition is for Cartesian machines only? Could be wrong.

Mine reads:
#define XAXIS_STEPS_PER_MM 98.425196 //98.425196
/** \brief Number of steps for a 1mm move in y direction.
For xy gantry use 2*belt moved!
Overridden if EEPROM activated.*/
#define YAXIS_STEPS_PER_MM 98.425196 //98.425196
/** \brief Number of steps for a 1mm move in z direction Overridden if EEPROM activated.*/
#define ZAXIS_STEPS_PER_MM 2560 //2560

I am using EEPROM.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:18 am
by KAS
no idea, maybe in EEPROM.h

#define EPR_ZAXIS_STEPS_PER_MM

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:47 am
by wjrudo
I'll look at that! Thanks! I'm gonna open my rostock and big printer's firmware and compare them line by line today. I hope I can find the culprit.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:56 am
by JFettig
You might want to double check your model and slicing settings. Those firmware values are commented out, as in they are not used. Print something else with a different slicer and report back.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:13 pm
by wjrudo
JFettig
Thanks for your input.
I recreated a 1" cube in Autodesk Fusion360 (not Solidworks) and used Cura (Not matter control or Repetier) to slice. I reset my z height (same "Z" number as I got last time) The hot end ran into the print platform. The graphical cylinder that represents the build envelope in Cura looks easily twice as tall as it should. Something isn't letting my machine know it's the right height. Remember, it's a delta now. I don't see how this is possible!?!? I read the gcode and it deposits the first layer above the print bed.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:21 pm
by wjrudo
JFettig
I just tried to run a print with the original suspect gcode and the head ran into the table. It has to be firmware. It's not interpreting the gcode properly in Z somehow.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:47 pm
by JFettig
It ran into the bed because your z height isn't set right, not because of some firmware issue. use the LCD screen to set your z heigh, print from a sd card and it should work fine.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 2:47 pm
by wjrudo
No! I set the z height twice, from the LCD screen, to be sure it took. I did print from the sd card. I've gone through this process 100 times on my rostock with perfect success. I can guarantee you that I'm doing it right, no question. Something is interpreting the Z height wrong, somehow. I'm going to shut off EEPROM and see what happens.

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 3:04 pm
by Nylocke
Turning off EEPROM will likely screw up your radius and PID calibrations unless you directly copy those values to the firmware

Re: half height prints

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 3:19 pm
by KAS
Honestly, the easiest thing to do is reset the firmware/EEPROM and start over.