Folgertech Prusa i3 Repitier host problems

So I bought this printer and assembled it. When I follow the directions on the folgertech web site link that they assigned to the revA to configure rep host and test printer I run into problems.

Step 1 in the directions has links to download the Arduino, Rep Host, and google drive programs. The link for google drive is no good! So I assume that they are referring to the (Marlin ramps epcos i38) folder on the page before it. So I upload that to the Arduino. Arduino software confirms upload is complete and I continue with the config of rep host.

Step 10 when I connect the printer to rep host it says I should see a data log at the bottom, Nothing is there. So I cant find anything that says or explains the relevance of the data log at the bottom, nor do I know if it really needs to be there or not. So I continue on and I have no luck manually controlling the printer. When I press the home buttons for xyz on rephost they just move towards the end stops. I cant move the motors in increments like the directions say I should. The extruder doesn't move and the fan wont turn on as well.

I tried to contact their tech support but that is a F***ing joke. No help. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Arduino, rep host, and google drive files about 10 times. Also reconfigured the rep host a bunch and nothing fixes the problem. I have replaced all of the electronics to discover that an endstop that came in the kit is bad, but did not fix the problem when I replaced it.

Anyone know what I could be doing wrong?? Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Do you own the 20/20 aluminum body or the acrylic body?

Quote
jessiebeman
So I bought this printer and assembled it. When I follow the directions on the folgertech web site link that they assigned to the revA to configure rep host and test printer I run into problems.

Step 1 in the directions has links to download the Arduino, Rep Host, and google drive programs. The link for google drive is no good! So I assume that they are referring to the (Marlin ramps epcos i38) folder on the page before it. So I upload that to the Arduino. Arduino software confirms upload is complete and I continue with the config of rep host.

Step 10 when I connect the printer to rep host it says I should see a data log at the bottom, Nothing is there. So I cant find anything that says or explains the relevance of the data log at the bottom, nor do I know if it really needs to be there or not. So I continue on and I have no luck manually controlling the printer. When I press the home buttons for xyz on rephost they just move towards the end stops. I cant move the motors in increments like the directions say I should. The extruder doesn't move and the fan wont turn on as well.

I tried to contact their tech support but that is a F***ing joke. No help. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Arduino, rep host, and google drive files about 10 times. Also reconfigured the rep host a bunch and nothing fixes the problem. I have replaced all of the electronics to discover that an endstop that came in the kit is bad, but did not fix the problem when I replaced it.

Anyone know what I could be doing wrong?? Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

When you say they, "move toward the end stops", do you mean they just move a little? Or all the way to the stops?

You're not alone - lost of folks here will be able to help you out.

Wides Spread- the body is acrylic.

Markts- They move all the way to the end stops. If the end stops were not there the motors would keep going, so they really aren't homing. I just have that one command in that one direction towards the end stops. No other functions work in manual. You are supposed to be able to move each axis in .1mm /1mm 50mm increments etc but none of that works

Thanks!

Quote
jessiebeman
Wides Spread- the body is acrylic.

Markts- They move all the way to the end stops. If the end stops were not there the motors would keep going, so they really aren't homing. I just have that one command in that one direction towards the end stops. No other functions work in manual. You are supposed to be able to move each axis in .1mm /1mm 50mm increments etc but none of that works

Thanks!

Are you saying the endstops are physically stopping it and the motors continue to try to move past the endstops?

Or do the motors shut down when the endstops are reached? (if so, that's exactly what homing is!)

Ok my bad. The motors shut down when the end stops are reached. I thought that homing was specific coordinates in the code telling the motors where to place the axis's. But that's the only function that works. For instance if z axis moves too far down I have to unwire it and wire it backwards and press the home key again to get it to move in the other direction.

Quote
jessiebeman
Ok my bad. The motors shut down when the end stops are reached. I thought that homing was specific coordinates in the code telling the motors where to place the axis's. But that's the only function that works. For instance if z axis moves too far down I have to unwire it and wire it backwards and press the home key again to get it to move in the other direction.

Ok, so when you press the home button for each axis, each one moves to the mechanical endstop and stops?

Are you saying for the Z axis that doesn't happen (allowing it to "move too far down")?

Where physically have you mounted the end stops? If the home function works but then the extruder won't move from home despite pressing the direction buttons, that can be fixed in the firmware.

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jessiebeman
Ok my bad. The motors shut down when the end stops are reached. I thought that homing was specific coordinates in the code telling the motors where to place the axis's. But that's the only function that works. For instance if z axis moves too far down I have to unwire it and wire it backwards and press the home key again to get it to move in the other direction.

My post from here [forums.reprap.org] :

Quote
mel0n
1. If you click home and it starts going the opposite direction of the end stop click emergency stop right away otherwise it will just keep going.

2. Same thing if it does come towards your end stop and doesnt stop when it hits.

To fix:

1. Either flip the servo wire over, or go into the firmware and set invert axis to true/false depending on what the current value is.

2. Go into your printer settings in repetier host or whatever your using and set the endstop to be a max/min (opposite of what it currently is)

for #2 you may need to do both ( I did, but I put the x/z carraige on backwards and upside down haha)

Basically your software needs to know if the endstop is at the maximum or minimum value.

So it sounds like your motor is moving in the correct direction. So leave it so it moves toward the endstop when you click home. Then go into printer settings in repeteir, and change z-axis home from max to min, or vise versa. If that doesnt work, you can change it in the firmware, or you can move the end stop to the other set of z pins.

Whats happening is the software is sending it to home, which should be min since all the way down should be 0. And once it hits the endstop it will know thats the bottom, assuming the endstop is plugged into z-min, and the firmware also says that z-min pins is z-min. Once it knows the bottom then you can move it with software buttons. It doesnt want to move until it knows where it is/where home is.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2015 11:03AM by mel0n.

Quote
jessiebeman
Step 10 when I connect the printer to rep host it says I should see a data log at the bottom, Nothing is there. So I cant find anything that says or explains the relevance of the data log at the bottom, nor do I know if it really needs to be there or not. So I continue on and I have no luck manually controlling the printer. When I press the home buttons for xyz on rephost they just move towards the end stops. I cant move the motors in increments like the directions say I should. The extruder doesn't move and the fan wont turn on as well.

In the firmware, open the configuration.h file anf do a ctrl-f for eeprom. There will be some statements commented out, with comments describing what they do to enable eeprom. That may fix your logs problem, and will enable you to send commands/gcode to the printer directly, as well as save changes to the configuration without modifying the firmware and reuploading.

This won't however have anything to do with the buttons to move the axis motors.

No the axis's stop where they should I was just giving z as an example. If you go to the endstop there is no going the other direction to get it out of the end stop. From my understanding, you should be able to move the motors in any direction and in the increments provided (.1mm, 1mm, 10mm, 50mm,) while in manual. I can not. None of the directional buttons in manual work except for the home keys. Nor can I operate extruder and fan for it.

Hmmm this sounds really strange, I am not sure exactly how to troubleshoot that.

When you click on directions do the motors make noise but not move?

Quote
jessiebeman
No the axis's stop where they should I was just giving z as an example. If you go to the endstop there is no going the other direction to get it out of the end stop. From my understanding, you should be able to move the motors in any direction and in the increments provided (.1mm, 1mm, 10mm, 50mm,) while in manual. I can not. None of the directional buttons in manual work except for the home keys. Nor can I operate extruder and fan for it.

This makes perfect sense with regard to what mel0n said. You home direction is correct, but your axis direction is not. Basically, the code sees that it moved in a positive or negative direction to get to home. Now by pressing the arrow, you're trying to tell it to go FURTHER in that direction. You have to tell it to move in the OTHER direction when you press the arrow. Apparently that can be done in a number of places - I fixed it in configuraton.h. Look back in this thread and you'll see we all had to resolve this same issue (I'm pressed for time or I'd dig up the exact thing in configuration.h to change!)

Extruder and fan are different issues - not sure about that yet.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2015 11:54AM by markts.