Software/firmware for original Mendel

Hi,

At least, I had a little time (with help) to finish my original Mendel. (no heated bed, no fans, no nothing, just 4 stepper motors, 3 endstops, a hot-end, and a RAMPS 1.3) Actually it was in a working(ish) condition in 2011, but I was not able to finish the cabeling until now. So, now it look's like some kind of CNC machine (not a bunch of wires), moving, can heat up, works well - except, for some reason with recent software it doing really silly things.

Back in 2011 I used it (with more or less success) the original Reprap Mendel software with a modified FiveD firmware. Probably I can revert there (if I can found my modified source code) but it is not my goal.

My goal is using recent firmware and software enjoying five years of optimizations and knowledge. (So I would like newer possibilities than these: [reprap.org])


Is there someone who using this kind of obsoleted hardware?
What are you recommending as software toolchain?



What I tried in the last 3 days (I picked software from here: [reprap.org])

Teacup firmware - RebRep + Skeinforge/Slicer -> All directions are moving, speeds are controlled well, heat up, extrude... But if I try print, it has Gcode errors, error with the extruder, printing path totally different from displayed one, so the printer do totally idiotic things. Looks like it gives out totally different Gcodes during printing, and testing.
Teacup firmware - X2SW -> All directions are moving, total control manually, etc: It wont start printing, because can not understand the lack of heated bed. Anywhere I set up there is no heated bed, it is waiting for it for heat up...
Teacup firmware - Cura : The printing path is fantastic, it is fast, it extrudes, easy to use.... Except it forgots to switch on the heater, so what the head doing is totally pointless...
Teacup firmware - Reprap Mendel (java) software - Nothing. They don't speak a common language.

Reprap Mendel FiveD firmware - with anything - Nothing. (Probably I need to modify it again for RAMPS)


Thanks,

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 09:37AM by T0nk.

this takes me back....


Ramps is still common and popular, now 1.4, which is same pins as 1.3 but with surface mount components

Most use marlin (its very configurable and lots of support for it)
Some like repeater
Very few run teacup, unless that have a very small controller (ie with limited memory)

For a front end I like Pronterface
But other seem to like cura
there is also a few others

Most use slic3r to slice from slt to gcode..

re bed... this to me just sounds like you set the slicer with bed temperatures, so the machine attempts to make the bed that temperature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 08:04AM by Dust.

Thanks!

After a few weeks of (not so) intensive sucking, a combination of Marlin and Cura looks like something that works.