Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations

Kolbi

I updated the first initial post to give a 'bottom line up front', the two efficient ways that were created to level the gantry, for ease of use.

fcwilt

@Kolbi

Hi,

Normally I invoke PRINT_BEGIN.g and PRINT_END.g from within the slicer using whatever feature the slicer provides.

START.g was called before the call to PRINT_BEGIN.g. That seems to happen automatically without any action on part of Simply3D (S3D).

PRINT_BEGIN.g was called because I invoked it within S3D in the "Starting Script" option on the "Scripts" tab.

STOP.g was not called at all. It seems the slicer must insert a M0 command at the end of the print to invoke STOP.g.

PRINT_END.g was called because I invoked it within S3D in the "Ending Script" option on the "Scripts" tab.

Since I want a "end of print" macro to execute, without a way to force the slicer to include M0 at the end I will stick with the "Script" options and invoke PRINT_BEGIN.g and PRINT_END.g

If would be nice if START.g and STOP.g would execute without any action on the part of the slicer. Then I could dispense with insuring the slicer invokes PRINT_BEGIN.g and PRINT_END.g

Frederick

Kolbi

@fcwilt I understand, thanks!

A Former User

there is also this overview https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Macros#Section_System_Macros

fcwilt

@bearer said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

there is also this overview https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Macros#Section_System_Macros

Thanks - I had not seen that.

Frederick

Phaedrux

I use start.g for general print prep. Homing, preheat. Then it passes off to the slicer for setting the temps for the print. Then in the slicer start gcode section it calls a macro to print a prime line and then start the print. I do it this way so that the prime line is printed at the right temp for the material being used.

The slicer end gcode just contains M0 and then stop.g has all of the actual end of print commands.

I kind of wish there was just an end.g that could take the place of M0 -> stop.g

fcwilt

@Phaedrux said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

Then it passes off to the slicer for setting the temps for the print.

As you may have noticed in my print_begin.g macro I rely on the filament feature to set bed/filament temps.

I do wait for the temps to be reached before starting to print. I don't know what a "prime line" is - I just print a 2 line skirt so I can watch to see how the first layer is going down and adjust baby-stepping or abort, as needed.

Frederick

Phaedrux

@fcwilt said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

"prime line"

In my case:

;M98 P"0:/sys/PrimeNozzle.g"

G90 			; Absolute positioning
G1 X1 Y270 F6000 	; Move to rear left corner
M400 			; clear movement buffer
M116 			; Wait for temps
G1 Z0.3 F100		; Move Z to prime height
G91 			; Relative positioning
M83 			; Relative extrusion
G1 X40 E10 F300 	; Prime nozzle
G10			; Retract
G1 Y-1 X1 F10000 	; Wipe nozzle
M400

And start.g since we're being transparent.

M106 P2 F30000 S0.5 H-1 C"Duet Fans"
M140 S65		; set heated bed to 65 and release
T0			; Select Tool 0
M291 P"Print Started. Preheating and Homing." T10
G4 S1
M98 P"0:/macros/Musical Tunes/LuckyTune.g" ; Lucky tune to start print off on the right foot
G4 S1
M220 S100		; Set speed factor back to 100% in case it was changed
M221 S100		; Set extrusion factor back to 100% in case it was changed
M290 R0 S0		; clear babystepping
M106 S0			; Turn part cooling blower off if it is on
G10 P0 R0 S80		; Set extruder to 80 and release
M190 S65		; set heated bed to 65 and wait
G28			; home XYZ
G29 S1			; load heightmap
M400
G10 P0 R80 S180	; Set extruder to 180 and release
M98 P"0:/sys/ZSpeedsPrint.g"	; Load Z speeds for printing
M98 P"0:/sys/CurrentsPrint.g"	; Load print motor currents

; Slicer Start Gcode begins.

and stop.g for the hell of it.

; stop.g
; called when M0 (Stop) is run (e.g. when a print from SD card is cancelled)
; Also called by slicer end gcode by M0
;
M400			; Finish move queue
M104 S0 		; Extruder heater off
M140 S0 		; Bed heater off
M106 S255 		; Fan at 100 to cool nozzle and bed
G91			; Relative positioning
M220 S100		; Set speed factor back to 100% in case it was changed
M221 S100		; Set extrusion factor back to 100% in case it was changed
G1 E-2 F9000			; Retract filament 2mm
G1 X5 Y5 F9000		; Wipe nozzle 
G1 Z20 F500			; raise nozzle 5mm from printed part
G90				; absolute positioning
G1 X150 Y130 F6000		; Move x and Y axis over to bed center so probe is on top of bed
;M104 S35		; Set hot end low and wait
G4 S60			; Wait 5 minutes
;M116			; wait for temp to drop
G28 X Y			; Home X and Y
G28 X Y			; Home it again, Sam.
M290 R0 S0		; clear babystepping
M84			; Steppers off
M98 P"ZSpeedsNormal.g"	; Load normal z speed settings again.
M106 S0			; Fan off
M106 P2 F30000 L0.1 X0.8 B0.5 T35:70 H100:101:102 C"Duet Fans"

;Play a little beep beep beep to show print ended.
M400			; Clear queue again before jingle
G4 S1
M300 P250 S750
G4 P251
M300 P200 S1250
G4 P201
M300 P250 S750
G4 P251
M300 P200 S1250
G4 P201
M300 P250 S2500
G4 P251
M300 P150 S2000
G4 P151
M300 P150 S2500
G4 P151
M300 P350 S3700
G4 P351

Kolbi

@Phaedrux Thanks for sharing. Do you use filament/config.g or just use slicer start code?

Phaedrux

@Kolbi said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

@Phaedrux Thanks for sharing. Do you use filament/config.g or just use slicer start code?

I haven't used the filaments function for a long time. I use prusa slicer and cura interchangeably. I use prusa slicer for the filaments library and refer to it when I'm setting up a print in Cura.

Kolbi

@Phaedrux As of thus far, me too. For some reason, it feels a bit to foreign to me to offload stuff from the slicer's start and end code spots. I do plan to slowly start migrating stuff over but only after I have everything else on point.

Kolbi

@Phaedrux For prime line I made a crude random(ish) number generator to not get a 'prime line gutter' on my plates. It gives a numeric swing of 9 to -9.

floor(10*(cos(sqrt(sensors.analog[0].lastReading * state.upTime))))

So for the prime line, it would be (using Y as an example / with a .1mm randomness, targeted at -2):

Before:
G1 X0 Z0.6 Y-3.0 F3000.0;

After:
G1 X0 Z0.6 Y{-2+(0.1*(floor(10*(cos(sqrt(sensors.analog[0].lastReading * state.upTime))))))} F3000.0;

So my use is to have the M98 P"0:/sys/PrimeLine.g" called after temps are set and obtained by the slicer's gcode.

;M98 P"0:/sys/PrimeLine.g"
;This sets up the prime to be initiated at a 'randomized' Y positon from -1.1 to -2.9
G1 X0 Z0.6 Y{-2+(0.1*(floor(10*(cos(sqrt(sensors.analog[0].lastReading * state.upTime))))))} F3000.0;
G92 E0.0
G1 Z0.2 X100.0 E30.0 F1000.0 ; prime line
G92 E0.0

fcwilt

@Kolbi said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

For some reason, it feels a bit to foreign to me to offload stuff from the slicer's start and end code spots.

My goal was to have as little filament related items (like temps) in the slicer since I hoped to avoid going back to the slicer to generate a new gcode file just to change a temp.

So far that approach is working for me.

YMMV.

Good luck.

Frederick

Kolbi

@fcwilt That is my eventual goal also, but because from within the slicer - I use inner-slicer variables, that portion would get somewhat lost?
I'm slowly brain-storming different ways to skin-the-cat, but as of this moment, it feels like I happen to be dealing with skinning Schrödinger's cat.

fcwilt

@Kolbi said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

@fcwilt I use inner-slicer variables, that portion would get somewhat lost?

I have not found that to be a problem - yet. What variables do you use?

I'm slowly brain-storming different ways to skin-the-cat, but as of this moment, it feels like I happen to be dealing with skinning Schrödinger's cat.

Hard to skin a cat that won't stay in one place.

Frederick

Kolbi

@fcwilt said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

What variables do you use

Mostly the temps for hotend and bed.
While I do use the filament option in duet/dwc to get me to the overall-generic temp for the chosen/loaded filament type, I still use the slicer to vary the temps for each different brand/batch of the filament within the choose type range. I'll most likely use the start.g script to do most of the setup and prime line, then the slicer start-gcode could bring the temps to the exact settings, and then start printing. This would simplify switch between slicers and give a one-stop-shop to adjust the starting sequence as needed.

Cheers,
Kolbi

fcwilt

@Kolbi

Thanks for the info.

I make an filament entry in the DWC for each filament brand/kind/color that I find needs different settings. Currently the settings that I control in the config file for each filament are the temps and the extrusion multiplier.

My goal was to allow using different slicers with as little duplication as possible by moving what I can to the Duet.

In the three slicers I use they each call two macros "print_begin.g" and "print_end.g"

I tried using start.g but it is called before the slicers set temps whereas the locations in the slicer to call "print_begin.g" happen just before the gcode that actually prints the object. So my filament config files get to override any slicer temp settings.

Frederick

Kolbi

@fcwilt All makes sense. I guess it just goes back to cats, preference to work-flow, and ingrained habit.

Cheers,
Kolbi

fcwilt

@Kolbi said in Automatic Bed Leveling with Conditional Gcode Iterations:

@fcwilt All makes sense. I guess it just goes back to cats, preference to work-flow, and ingrained habit.

Cheers,
Kolbi

I'm a dog person myself. They don't insist on hiding their location.

Frederick

Kolbi

@fcwilt Me too - that's why I only talk about skinning cats