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What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:24 pm
by dajay23D
Hello,
Just want to see a poll to see what everyone uses for their deltas. Or what everyone uses to run their Gcodes. I'll start another thread for slicer poll. If the majority uses something else or another is preferred, I'll add it in. I'm using MatterControl.
Thanks
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:35 pm
by 0110-m-p
SD card usually, but also have it configured for Octoprint.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 3:12 am
by teoman
Exclusively sd card.
I use mattercontrol / slice to generate the gcode
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 7:30 am
by JFettig
SD card only. Too many issues with USB and software to trust it.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:01 am
by KAS
I'd say I print 75% USB unless it's a long or overnight print then SD card.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:46 am
by Mac The Knife
I use Repetier for calibration and stuff, but I print off of a sd card, using either Slic3r, or Simplify 3d to generate g-code.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:16 am
by dajay23D
Well that's interesting! I didn't realize you guys liked to print thru SD cards. I print using USB to my laptop. Are u guys afraid usb will disconnect or is there a quality difference or is there other reasons?
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 12:46 pm
by Mac The Knife
Not afraid, but for long prints, it can happen. And even if you are printing off a sd card, with the usb still connected to your computer, it can screw things up. Why take the chance?
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 1:06 pm
by 3D-Print
dajay23D wrote:Well that's interesting! I didn't realize you guys liked to print thru SD cards. I print using USB to my laptop. Are u guys afraid usb will disconnect or is there a quality difference or is there other reasons?
I find when my iMac, which is our main home network computer, performs other tasks (backups prints or etc) it can cause a slight pause in the print. This even happens with 8GB of RAM and when I keep all other program at a minimum. A slight pause = bleb. Thus, with a long print which will likely result in a pause I use the SD card.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 6:37 pm
by Captain Starfish
^^ja, same here.
If I'm going to belt out a print and I'm not doing anything else, I'll use MatterControl and drive the printer. But if I'm going to play a game or something during the print (eg Borderlands 2 drops the print speed down to a crawl, it's a horrifying thing to watch) it'll be MatterControl export to SD, pop the SD in the printer and let it rip.
Only problem with this is, unlike the guys having fails from USB connection, I get fails into a long job on SD card. Don't do it often enough to have worked out why yet, but suspect it's a sensitivity to the type of card or something.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:20 pm
by dajay23D
How do you guys prime using jus sd? where I need to extrude a bit before the first 5 sec of abs plastic coming out of the nozzle will stick no matter what method I use; hair spray, glue, abs slurr....etc. KISS is awesome at first layer and this problem goes away If I use kiss' gcodes. If I use other slicers I can't just warm up and print.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 10:12 pm
by 3D-Print
dajay23D wrote:How do you guys prime using jus sd? where I need to extrude a bit before the first 5 sec of abs plastic coming out of the nozzle will stick no matter what method I use; hair spray, glue, abs slurr....etc. KISS is awesome at first layer and this problem goes away If I use kiss' gcodes. If I use other slicers I can't just warm up and print.
I personally don't prime first,but run two non touching loops first (on occasion touching loops or a brim) to allow the print head to begin extruding evenly before the first layer of the print is extruded.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:10 pm
by IMBoring25
I don't always prime, but when I do, I pre-heat dos equis (bed and hot end) to the temperatures the gcode will set, prime, pull off the extrudate, and launch the print.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 12:13 am
by Captain Starfish
I tried to emulate the computer driven prime (manually run the extruder for a few mm once it's all warm) but it's such a PITA on the LCD panel that I gave up.
Now I preheat to the temps I want and, just before I kick off the job, I push the release button on the ez-struder and just push filament into it by hand. If the temp's correct it should squirt out the nozzle just fine.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 12:20 am
by dajay23D
Captain Starfish wrote:I tried to emulate the computer driven prime (manually run the extruder for a few mm once it's all warm) but it's such a PITA on the LCD panel that I gave up.
Now I preheat to the temps I want and, just before I kick off the job, I push the release button on the ez-struder and just push filament into it by hand. If the temp's correct it should squirt out the nozzle just fine.
That's a nice way! Y didn't I think of that one..ha
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:02 am
by Jimustanguitar
SD card 99%. I use Repetier (just because that's what I'm familiar with) to run scripts and to do calibration.
When I'm in the mood, I'll play around with Octoprint or Astroprint on a Raspberry Pi, but they're never as reliable. At least not on the B and B+, I have yet to try the 2.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:43 am
by Captain Starfish
MatterControl were bloody sneaky, they sucked me in with their bed levelling function (which builds planar orientation and offset corrections into the generated g-code) so I got lazy with keeping my bed levelled and now I can't be bothered switching to anything else

Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:04 am
by Jimustanguitar
Captain Starfish wrote:MatterControl were bloody sneaky, they sucked me in with their bed levelling function (which builds planar orientation and offset corrections into the generated g-code) so I got lazy with keeping my bed levelled and now I can't be bothered switching to anything else

Can you slice GCode with something else, open it in MC, and apply the positioning corrections that way? In other words, can you use your own slicer, and just post-process it to be level with MC?
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:15 am
by geneb
Yes. I've done that with jobs generated by Kisslicer.
I just load up the gcode and run it. (or export it out to the SD card)
g.
Re: What host software are you guys using with your delta?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 12:59 pm
by dajay23D
Jimustanguitar wrote:Captain Starfish wrote:MatterControl were bloody sneaky, they sucked me in with their bed levelling function (which builds planar orientation and offset corrections into the generated g-code) so I got lazy with keeping my bed levelled and now I can't be bothered switching to anything else

Can you slice GCode with something else, open it in MC, and apply the positioning corrections that way? In other words, can you use your own slicer, and just post-process it to be level with MC?
actually, this is ALL I do. I calibrate using MC and run KISS GCodes and it's perfect. However, when I do the same w/ Slic3r, it doesn't print as well and seems to throw off my calibration. Not sure the reason. Also, when I constantly switch slicer GCodes, MC does some weird things. One of the thing it does is it rams into one of the axis extrusion tubes and prints about 4 inches high. I have to press the emergency stop button. I was caught off guard one time and it plunged right into the z axis tube. Now, I have my finger on the emergency button for every print. This problem goes away if I clear it in MC and reload the GCode. If it happens again, I shut down MC completely, reopen it and reload GCode. The other day, i had to shut all of my softwares down, reslice it, save and reupload to MC. So, if I want to use Slic3r, I use it thru MC.