First printer - Anet A8 - Not sure how to get started

I recently put together my first printer, an Anet A8. It powers up, and I can control the motors from its own control panel, but I can't seem to get anywhere controlling it from my computer. I've tried both Repetier and Pronterface. It looks like the printer is being recognized as being there, but so far I can't get the printer to respond at all. Someone on #reprap.freenode suggested that there might be a firmware or driver issue. I've tried googling how to update them but it's very confusing.

Firstly, whatever you have been told elsewhere, it is definitely NOT a firmware problem.

On the SDcard that came with you printer there is an operating instructions file. Print a copy off. Follow the instructions in it to install the printer driver. Connect the printer to the computer using the USB cable and turn it on. I am assuming that you run Windows. Go into device manager and look down the list of devices until you find com and lpt ports. Open this and you should see an entry saying something like SERIAL CH340G COMx (where x is a number, make a note of it). Open the device properties and make sure the Baud Rate is set to 115200.

Now open Repetier Host and go to Config/Printer settings. On the Connection Tab, set the connection type to serial, set the COM port number to the value x that you got from device manager, set the baud rate to 115200 and the protocol to autodetect. You also need to set up the other Tabs and the operating instructions file will help you with the values to put in. Click apply and save.

Now in the top left of the Repetier window is a connect icon which is coloured red. Click this and it should connect to the printer and turn green. The printer will reset as the connection is made. You can load either STL or gcode files into Repetier Host and it has two inbuilt slicers for handling the STL ones. Make sure that you download a copy of the Repetier Host instructions from the Repetier website.

Also on the SDcard there is a directory of sample STL files and another of sample gcode files. It is advisable to copy ALL the contents of the SDcard to you PC. Then buy a decent quality card of the same capacity for use in the printer, the ones provided are often poor and cause problems when printing direct from SDcard. Prints under about two hours long will print fine from the PC via USB. However, sometimes events on the PC occur that put high demand on USB resources (like when Microsoft dumps an update on you). This can cause a temporary communications break and foul up the print. For prints over 2 hours it is better to tranfer the gcode file to the SDcard and insert that directly into the printer (not forgetting to go through the mount card procedure). You can then use the print file command on the printer to select and print them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2017 03:13AM by Supermec.

If you still have problems.
Just print from the memory card. Easy and hassle free.

And no problems fit pc going down for whatever reason, during printing.
Or.. go buy a Mac.

Quote
SatorCodex
If you still have problems.
Just print from the memory card. Easy and hassle free.

And no problems fit pc going down for whatever reason, during printing.
Or.. go buy a Mac.

Unless he deleted everything on the memory card and lost all the files!

I had to dig out my old wintop because I cant get the CH340 driver to work on my mac and I have 3 devices that need to use the driver!

Quote
GRAYWOLF

Quote
SatorCodex
If you still have problems.
Just print from the memory card. Easy and hassle free.

And no problems fit pc going down for whatever reason, during printing.
Or.. go buy a Mac.

Unless he deleted everything on the memory card and lost all the files!

I had to dig out my old wintop because I cant get the CH340 driver to work on my mac and I have 3 devices that need to use the driver!

I have the same problem with ch340 driver!
Im planning to research the problem this weekend. There is som many arduinos out there. So it most be a working solution out there!

real arduinos don’t have ch340 they use a ATmega16U2 as a serial over usb converter

Only china clones use ch340

But I find it difficult to believe mac is having such issues.. Linux drivers for ch340 are good, and Mac was/is lunux under the hood.

One solution might be to simply bypass the ch340... get yourself a usb/serial board (making sure its Ftdi, silabs, cp2102 or other chipset, but not ch340)
And wire that in. (easy on a mega/ramps, not so much on other boards)

Of course if your running windows then the operating system is going to kill the ftdi chip if its a clone..

But for the mac users this may help (Signed Mac OS Driver)
[tzapu.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2017 07:49AM by Dust.

Quote
Dust
real arduinos don’t have ch340 they use a ATmega16U2 as a serial over usb converter

Only china clones use ch340

But I find it difficult to believe mac is having such issues.. Linux drivers for ch340 are good, and Mac was/is lunux under the hood.

One solution might be to simply bypass the ch340... get yourself a usb/serial board (making sure its Ftdi, silabs, cp2102 or other chipset, but not ch340)
And wire that in. (easy on a mega/ramps, not so much on other boards)

Of course if your running windows then the operating system is going to kill the ftdi chip if its a clone..

But for the mac users this may help (Signed Mac OS Driver)
[tzapu.com]

Ty sir for your reply!
Im checking that info out.
Seems to be valid information!

Quote
SatorCodex

Quote
Dust
real arduinos don’t have ch340 they use a ATmega16U2 as a serial over usb converter

Only china clones use ch340

But I find it difficult to believe mac is having such issues.. Linux drivers for ch340 are good, and Mac was/is lunux under the hood.

One solution might be to simply bypass the ch340... get yourself a usb/serial board (making sure its Ftdi, silabs, cp2102 or other chipset, but not ch340)
And wire that in. (easy on a mega/ramps, not so much on other boards)

Of course if your running windows then the operating system is going to kill the ftdi chip if its a clone..

But for the mac users this may help (Signed Mac OS Driver)
[tzapu.com]

Ty sir for your reply!
Im checking that info out.
Seems to be valid information!

Yup perfectly valid with loads of data to back it up.
There are loads off reports about Macs and the CH340 issue.