Posts made by kelchm

I really like this idea.

Wouldn't temperature controlling the entire enclosure be easier and provide more consistent results?

I'd love to see support for temperature compensated probes like those used on the Prusa mk3. I've found this to be a big benefit and has definitely helped eliminate temperature related variance in the triggering distance.

Great news! I'd definitely be interested in assisting with testing.

My Prusa MK3 arrives on Monday, so happy to both compare how both implementations work in practice.

@DjDemonD:

Have you considered other probing options. Smarteffector or piezo probes are not affected by temperature in this way? If prusa are temperature compensating their pinda probe then it must be capacitative, these are not a great choice generally but if you have sufficient control of the entire machine as prusa do they can be made to work. I wonder if they have a humidity sensor too?

I'm 99% sure that Prusa is using inductive sensor like they have in the past. Previously they actually had specific locations on the PCB heater that were also used for calibration. I'm not sure how that will work with the new spring steel print bed.

I've thought about using a different type of sensor, but just haven't had the time to actually follow through on it.

I've preordered one so I can play I with the new features. I'm really excited about how much more reliable these sorts of additions will make 3D printing.

I'd be very interested in seeing support for the temperature compensated bed probe. I've been having horrible issues with fluctuations in readings with my inductive probe based on temperature.

I'm also desperate for someone to come out with custom-sized version of the magnetic spring steel bed, but that's a different topic entirely.

@dc42:

@kelchm, you don't need USB or PanelDue to complete the upgrade. See https://duet3d.com/wiki/DuetWiFiFirmware_1.19_alpha#Getting_ready_to_upgrade. But I recommend you wait until I have released beta 5.

Just reviewing the steps again it seems step 2 under 'Doing the upgrade' requires a PanelDue or USB:
"When the Duet has restarted after the firmware upgrade, execute the SetNetwork macro on PanelDue or via USB (if using USB then the command is M98 P/macros/SetNetwork)."

Is there any reasonable way to complete the upgrade without USB or a PanelDue (specifically getting reconnected to wifi)? Hooking up a USB cable to my printer is a gigantic pain.

@LeonMF:

It would be lovely if S3D fixed their atrocious settings management…

It would be, but I've given up hope at this point.

Seems like a ton of work (and expensive) compared to just using 3M 465MP to adhere PEI directly to your glass or aluminum bed.

I've been meaning to ask – why are the units for jerk expressed in mm/s? Shouldn't it be mm/s^3?

Wanted to start a discussion on what slicer everyone is using and why.

Lately I've been using Prusa Slic3r, after using Simplify 3D for several years and becoming frustrated with some of its idiosyncrasies surrounding material/quality preset management and it's handling of thin walls. At this point I feel like Prusa Slic3r is 99% as good as S3D for most prints. I've also started playing with Cura after the 2.6 beta was released and have been generally happy with it, though I'm not ready to commit to switching over from Slic3r.

I think the information you are looking for is documented here: https://duet3d.com/wiki/Connector_and_spare_part_numbers

dc42, this is the section of the documentation that threw me for a loop:

The M92 commands to set steps/mm must come after any M350 command to set microstepping. This is because when you change microstepping, the steps/mm are automatically adjusted to take account of the change in microstepping.

https://duet3d.com/wiki/Configuring_RepRapFirmware_for_a_Cartesian_printer

I'm running into an odd issue when changing to anything other the 16x microstepping. It seems like the automatic adjustment of the M92 parameters is not working.

I've done the following:
1. Ensured that my M92 command follows the M350 command
2. Ensured that I'm not just losing steps (the distance traveled is a multiple of the microstepping (1/2 as far for 32x, 1/4 as far for 64x, etc…)

Here is an excerpt

[[language]]
; Configuration file for Duet WiFi (firmware version 1.17)
; executed by the firmware on start-up
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Sat May 27 2017 15:46:30 GMT-0400 (EDT)

; General preferences
M111 S0 ; Debugging off
G21 ; Work in millimetres
G90 ; Send absolute coordinates...
M83 ; ...but relative extruder moves
M555 P2 ; Set firmware compatibility to look like Marlin
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1 ; Set axis minima
M208 X250 Y250 Z250 S0 ; Set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 Z0 S0 ; Define active low and unused microswitches
M574 X1 Y2 S1 ; Define active high microswitches
M558 P0 X0 Y0 Z1 H5 F120 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to switch, the axes for which it is used and the probe + travel speeds
G31 P600 X0 Y0 Z2.5 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
M557 X15:235 Y15:235 S20 ; Define mesh grid

; Drives
M569 P0 S1 ; Drive 0 (x) goes forwards
M569 P1 S0 ; Drive 1 (Y) goes backwards
M569 P2 S0 ; Drive 2 (Z) goes backwards
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 (E) goes forwards
M350 X64 Y64 Z16 E16 I1 ; Configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X80 Y80 Z2020 E96 ; Set steps per mm
M566 X900 Y900 Z12 E120 ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X6000 Y6000 Z180 E1200 ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X500 Y20 Z250 E250 ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X800 Y1200 Z600 E1000 I30 ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30 ; Set idle timeout

; Heaters
M143 S270 ; Set maximum heater temperature to 270C
M301 H0 S1.00 P10 I0.1 D200 T0.4 W180 B30 ; Use PID on bed heater (may require further tuning)
M305 P0 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0
M305 P1 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700 ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1

; Tools
M563 P0 D0 H1 ; Define tool 0
G10 P0 X0 Y0 Z0 ; Set tool 0 axis offsets
G10 P0 R0 S0 ; Set initial tool 0 active and standby temperatures to 0C

; Network
M550 PPrintrbot Metal Plus ; Set machine name
...
M586 P0 S1 ; Enable HTTP
M586 P1 S0 ; Disable FTP
M586 P2 S0 ; Disable Telnet

; Fans
M106 P0 S0.3 I0 F500 H-1 ; Set fan 0 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P1 S1 I0 F500 H1 T45 ; Set fan 1 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned on
M106 P2 S1 I0 F500 H1 T45 ; Set fan 2 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned on

; Custom settings are not configured

For those of you looking for 0.9 degree NEMA 17 stepper motors, I've had my eye on the MS17HA series from Moons Industries.

In particular the 2A / 75 oz-in MS17HA6P4200 looks really appealing. The only downside is that the best pricing I have found for them is around $60 each not including shipping.

Wow, those Objet prints looks amazing.

Printrbot sells one here which is included on the Simple Pro. I think the Delta Go also uses a neopixel ring.

Basically I'd like to have statuses indicated something like this:

• Idle: white/blue

• Heating Up: 'breathing' fade from blue to red

• Printing: white

• Error: flashing red

EDIT: Here's the implementation in Printrbot's Marlin fork: https://github.com/Printrbot/Marlin/blob/prod-platformio-2017/src/botlight.cpp

What about a silicone type heater rather than a PCB heater? They tend to be a bit better in my experience. Also, add some sort of insulation if you haven't already. Even a very thin reflective barrier can make a big difference.

@elmoret:

This would probably add $10-20 to the cost for everyone, since it would mean doing two PCB fab/assembly processes instead of one. Also it would mean introducing a failure point at the stack's connectors. It would also mean the board is taller for everyone, for some printer designs height is the limiting factor. Not saying it isn't possible, but there would be some drawbacks to consider. Cost is probably the biggest one.

Agreed. The Duet Wifi is already expensive, the price being even higher would be a difficult sell.

Basically I'm just envisioning that the main board would have no integrated stepper drivers. It sounds like that sort of design could work well with multiple CAN bus driver boards that are located very close to the stepper motors. This could also have some big benefits in terms of EMI since the stepper motor wires could be much shorter.