Testing an Extruder Controller - No temperature returned

Hi all,

I am at the point of running through the tests on my electronics (this page on the wiki). (I'm running Tech Zone Remix boards)

The motherboard seemed happy, so I moved on to "Testing an Extruder Controller".

When the power is off, I get the following:
C:\Misc\Reprap>java -cp ".\reprap.jar;.\RXTXcomm.jar;.\j3dcore.jar;.\j3d-org-jav
a3d-all.jar;.\j3dutils.jar;.\swing-layout-1.0.3.jar;.\vecmath.jar;." -Xmx1024M o
rg/reprap/Main
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
comms: G-code: N0 T0 *26 dequeued and sent [0.000s/-1279401298789ms]
ERROR: GCodeWriter.waitForOK(): Serial Error: LineNr is not the last lineNr+1 [0
.046s/46ms]
ERROR: Requested to resend line 6 [0.046s/0ms]
ERROR: ringGet: line 6 not stored [0.046s/0ms]
ERROR: Resent: N6 *120 [0.046s/0ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged [0.046s/0ms]
comms: G-code: N7 M113 *7 dequeued and sent [0.046s/0ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged [0.062s/16ms]
comms: G-code: N8 M105 *15 dequeued and sent [0.062s/0ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged with message: ok EB [0.078s/16ms]

So I get the "EB" message I expect, but I don't get a temperature T:0 reading. It doesn't loop though. I go the impression from the page that it should keep looping.

If I shutdown the RepRap host and switch on the power and the start up the host again, I get the following:
C:\Misc\Reprap>java -cp ".\reprap.jar;.\RXTXcomm.jar;.\j3dcore.jar;.\j3d-org-jav
a3d-all.jar;.\j3dutils.jar;.\swing-layout-1.0.3.jar;.\vecmath.jar;." -Xmx1024M o
rg/reprap/Main
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
comms: G-code: N0 T0 *26 dequeued and sent [0.000s/-1279401425054ms]
ERROR: GCodeWriter.waitForOK(): Serial Error: LineNr is not the last lineNr+1 [0
.047s/47ms]
ERROR: Requested to resend line 9 [0.047s/0ms]
ERROR: ringGet: line 9 not stored [0.047s/0ms]
ERROR: Resent: N9 *119 [0.063s/16ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged [0.063s/0ms]
comms: G-code: N10 M113 *49 dequeued and sent [0.063s/0ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged [0.078s/15ms]
comms: G-code: N11 M105 *55 dequeued and sent [0.078s/0ms]
comms: GCode acknowledged [0.094s/16ms]

As can be seen, I don't get the EB error anymore, but I don't get a temperature reading either.

I must be doing something wrong. I don't have anything connected to the extruder board, apart from the power and the two comms leads (including MDBaughman2's grounding wire using a CD-Rom cable).

Before anyone asks, I did upload the new firmware, so should have the Mendel version (out of reprap-mendel-20100702.zip)

I'm way out of my comfort zone here so any help will be appreciated. All my searching on the forum turned up lots of extruder stepper issues, but I'm not even that far yet.

My blog (see my signature) details (in a lot of detail) the steps I followed to get this far, but not tonight's issues (i.e. not since actually powering them up).

Thanks,
Craig

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[blogger.kritzinger.net]

Did you get a temp reading from the motherboard when doing the tests and it has only stopped working when connecting the wires to the extruder board? Or have you never got a temp reading from the motherboard?

David

Hi,

Never got a temp reading that I noticed. Should I disconnect the Extruder controller totally (i.e. disconnect wires, not only power it off) and try again? I would have thought that if the power was off it would have no influence.

Thanks,
Craig

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[blogger.kritzinger.net]

You should get a zero temp from the motherboard by itself with no extruder board attached. This is a good test of the motherboard and you get a response then you know that the motherboard is working correctly and that you can then move on to the extruder. You then connect the extruder (using the RS485 connection and direction cables), but don't power it on. You should still get the zero temp reading.

Once the extruder is powered on you should then get a random temp return (I altered the firmware to indicate that if there was no thermister response the temp was 3000 degrees from a testing point of view), if you don't have a thermister attached.

David

Hi David,

Thanks for the clarification. Seems to be a problem then, as I definitely get not temp reading. Should I be expected it to loop (i.e. constantly trying to get a reading)?

I will try to reprogram the firmware again and see what happens then.

Thanks,
Craig

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[blogger.kritzinger.net]

The software does loop looking for a temp response (and continue to request a temp once it has received one) as it is monitoring the temp to report it back to you in the host software.

David

David,

I've managed to spend a bit more time looking at this. I reprogrammed the firmware in the motherboard, but to no avail. I then started messing around a bit and eventually got it to return the EB message in a loop.

At this point I had the extruder wires disconnected from the motherboard completely so started connecting them up one by one and the problem re-occurred, but not in a consistent way. (Being a Windows software developer I start getting systematic when bug tracking, so I leant on this knowledge).

As I was disconnecting the USB each time (to power the unit off), and sometimes pressing the reset, I eventually realised what was happening.

The USB was not auto-resetting the motherboard during the power on. If I powered on (plug in US, then hit the reset button, then open the RepRap host software then all is well with the world.

Using this method I was then able to connect the extruder controller and get the random temperature readings.

Thanks for you help!!

Craig

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[blogger.kritzinger.net]

hi everybody


just registered and put on my todo list


hopefully this is just what im looking for looks like i have a lot to read.