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76	<p>When 3D Printing moves into public beta, you're going to want to get the word out. And fast! One of the best ways to advertise ourselves across the entire Stack Exchange network is through community ads. </p> <h3>So what are these "Community Ads?"</h3> <p>Graduated sites allow the community to advertise relevant products or services within the site, using a system where the community chooses what to advertise. You can find these posts on per-site metas. Hint: these posts have the <a href="/questions/tagged/community-ads" class="post-tag moderator-tag" title="show questions tagged 'community-ads'" rel="tag">community-ads</a> tag!</p> <h3>Cool! What should the ad be like?</h3> <p>There's a few requirements for these ads. Most notably,</p> <ul> <li>They must be 300px wide by 250px tall, or double for "retina" displays</li> <li>There's a limit on file size of 150 kB.</li> <li>The image must be hosted on i.stack.imgur (the Stack Exchange image hosting service).</li> <li>Ads must be GIF or PNG (no animated GIFs).</li> </ul> <h3>What else should I know?</h3> <p>To facilitate easy posting to other sites, make sure that the embedded image is of the following format:</p> <pre>[![Tagline to show on mouseover][1]][2] [1]: http://image-url [2]: http://clickthrough-url </pre> <p>You can also include a message as a part of your answer with your own thoughts: why you chose some of the elements, and what sites the ads could potentially be posted to. Don't forget to critique each other as well!</p> <p><strong>Happy Designing!</strong></p>	[ { "answer_id": 126, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'll try my hand at it and try to get the ball rolling.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CBJNE.png\" alt=\"Been here?\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 128, "author": "Tormod Haugene", "author_id": 115, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/115", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>How about something like:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUGWg.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUGWg.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>The post-it design is optional, naturally.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 153, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I admire Tormod idea.</p>\n\n<p>Here is my version of his picture.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hNsZV.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hNsZV.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRg5J.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRg5J.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 154, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As mentioned, here's one related to the <a href=\"http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30808\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><strong>Occupy Thingiverse</strong></a> movement. It's simple, but it has a bit of history within the 3D printing community.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vUg7.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vUg7.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 190, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>here is another trial of logo (kinda evolution to make it more technic and even more simple)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8fI5T.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8fI5T.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>and favico\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePnPJ.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePnPJ.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 207, "author": "StarWind0", "author_id": 2146, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/2146", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uUlD.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uUlD.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Using this guy to post on the facebook groups. As an admin of 3d printing hobbyists I usually see posts get 2-3k views. So We might get as high as 5k+ views. But it seems to be fairly random with Facebooks meddling with what content to show first.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 247, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>here is another proposition\nit's as \"native\" as possible i think :)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbU4j.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbU4j.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>it's jut a draft so all those curves will be tuned</p>\n\n<p>but i wanted to show the idea</p>\n" } ]	2016/01/24	[ "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/76", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/138/" ]	When 3D Printing moves into public beta, you're going to want to get the word out. And fast! One of the best ways to advertise ourselves across the entire Stack Exchange network is through community ads. ### So what are these "Community Ads?" Graduated sites allow the community to advertise relevant products or services within the site, using a system where the community chooses what to advertise. You can find these posts on per-site metas. Hint: these posts have the [community-ads](/questions/tagged/community-ads "show questions tagged 'community-ads'") tag! ### Cool! What should the ad be like? There's a few requirements for these ads. Most notably, * They must be 300px wide by 250px tall, or double for "retina" displays * There's a limit on file size of 150 kB. * The image must be hosted on i.stack.imgur (the Stack Exchange image hosting service). * Ads must be GIF or PNG (no animated GIFs). ### What else should I know? To facilitate easy posting to other sites, make sure that the embedded image is of the following format: ``` [![Tagline to show on mouseover][1]][2] [1]: http://image-url [2]: http://clickthrough-url ``` You can also include a message as a part of your answer with your own thoughts: why you chose some of the elements, and what sites the ads could potentially be posted to. Don't forget to critique each other as well! Happy Designing!	I'll try my hand at it and try to get the ball rolling. [![Been here?](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CBJNE.png)](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/)
151	<p>Are there any official naming conventions for tag names on Stack Exchange? And if not, how should tags be named?</p> <p>From what I understand, one typically adds a <em>dash</em> (-) where you normally would leave a <em>space</em>, but how about tags that derive from words that are <em><a href="https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/150/tag-for-mattercontrol-app">CamelCased</a></em>, or somehow <em><a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/postproduction">Prefixed</a></em>?</p> <p>Examples (which also shows some inconsistencies):</p> <pre><code>Topic \| Existing tag \| Alternative tag? ---------------------------------------------------------- MatterControl \| matter-control \| mattercontrol MakerBot \| makerbot \| maker-bot Post-production \| postproduction \| post-production Post-processing \| post-processing \| postprocessing Multi-material \| multi-material \| multimaterial </code></pre> <p>Which of the above tag alternatives should we go for?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 152, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would say we could use synonyms to stay with clear tag namespace.In this case we apply following pattern (especially for proper name (product name)):</p>\n\n<pre><code>Topic \| Existing tag \| Synonym?\n---------------+-----------------+--------------\nMatterControl \| mattercontrol \| matter-control\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I think dash could be used to separate kinda branch for example:</p>\n\n<pre><code>app-cura, app-mattercontrol, app-meshmixer << these could be also synonyms\n3d-printer, 3d-models, 3d-design\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>of course we already have tags like</p>\n\n<pre><code>feature-request, switching-power-supply\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>but they are descriptive and would be unreadable written as one word, one may say these describe actions</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 155, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Looking at other SE sites, the most common approach seems to make everything lowercase (including names and trademarks) and using hyphens whenever there would be a space or hyphen in normal usage.</p>\n\n<p>As such:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>MatterControl becomes mattercontrol</p></li>\n<li><p>Makerbot becomes makerbot</p></li>\n<li><p>Post-production becomes post-production</p></li>\n<li><p>Post-processing becomes post-processing</p></li>\n<li><p>Multi-material becomes multi-material</p></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 269, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Based on the answers already posted, I am changing <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/postproduction\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'postproduction'\" rel=\"tag\">postproduction</a> to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/post-production\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'post-production'\" rel=\"tag\">post-production</a>, I have only just seen this and it immediately looked odd.</p>\n\n<p>Also, <strike>what is the difference between <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/post-production\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'post-production'\" rel=\"tag\">post-production</a> and <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/post-processing\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'post-processing'\" rel=\"tag\">post-processing</a>, or are they synonyms? <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/post-production\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'post-production'\" rel=\"tag\">post-production</a> has no description whatsoever.</strike> See <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/270/what-is-the-difference-between-post-production-and-post-processing\">What is the difference between post-production and post-processing?</a></p>\n" } ]	2016/05/10	[ "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/151", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/115/" ]	Are there any official naming conventions for tag names on Stack Exchange? And if not, how should tags be named? From what I understand, one typically adds a dash (-) where you normally would leave a space, but how about tags that derive from words that are [CamelCased](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/150/tag-for-mattercontrol-app), or somehow [Prefixed](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/postproduction)? Examples (which also shows some inconsistencies): ``` Topic \| Existing tag \| Alternative tag? ---------------------------------------------------------- MatterControl \| matter-control \| mattercontrol MakerBot \| makerbot \| maker-bot Post-production \| postproduction \| post-production Post-processing \| post-processing \| postprocessing Multi-material \| multi-material \| multimaterial ``` Which of the above tag alternatives should we go for?	Looking at other SE sites, the most common approach seems to make everything lowercase (including names and trademarks) and using hyphens whenever there would be a space or hyphen in normal usage. As such: * MatterControl becomes mattercontrol * Makerbot becomes makerbot * Post-production becomes post-production * Post-processing becomes post-processing * Multi-material becomes multi-material
264	<p>I can't find an answer to this question on the "mother" meta website; hope this is not related to my choice of words in the search box. </p> <p>The statistics of the <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/">3D Printing</a> on <a href="http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing">Area51</a> show that only few items (questions and visits per day) are not up to par and need work. Do those need to reach a level of let's say "okay" before the site can loose the Beta stage?</p> <p>I'm interested to know what would be the requirements to get out of the Beta stage.</p> <hr> <p>Update September 5, 2019:</p> <p>It appears that the <em>"visits per day"</em> is <em>"excellent"</em> with close to three thousand visits. The "questions per day" still lack behind with a 3.0 value (<em>"needs work"</em>) while more than 5 is considered "healthy". All further stats seem to be <em>"okay"</em> or <em>"excellent"</em>.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 265, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This post, <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/197/3d-printing-se-beta-status\">3D Printing SE Beta Status</a>, by tbm0115 highlights the <em>three main</em> sticking points (IMHO clearer than the Area 51 page):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Questions per day</li>\n<li><strike>Users vs Reputation</strike></li>\n<li><strike>Visits per day</strike></li>\n</ul>\n<p>Once those reach the required levels then that should be it. So, there is quite a way to go...</p>\n<p>The stats can be seen here, <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing\">3D Printing Area51 site</a>:</p>\n<h3>Stats progress</h3>\n<p>Note: Only <em>changes</em> are shown (no date information)</p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Questions per day</em> <strike><strong>2.1</strong></strike> -> <strike>1.9</strike> <strike>1.6</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>2.7</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>1.7</strike> <strike>2</strike> <strike>2.4</strike> <strike>3.0</strike> <strike>2.5</strike> <strike>3.9</strike> <strike>2.8</strike> <strike>3.3</strike> <strike>3</strike> <strike>2.7</strike> <strike>2</strike> <strike>1.9</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>2.2</strike> 2.4</li>\n<li><em>Answer rate</em> <strike><strong>96 %</strong></strike> -> <strike>93 %</strike> <strike>95 %</strike> <strike>96 %</strike> <strike>97 %</strike> <strike>98 %</strike> <strike>96 %</strike> <strike>95 %</strike> <strike>94 %</strike> <strike>88 %</strike> 87 %</li>\n<li><em>Users</em>\n<ul>\n<li><em>200+ reputation</em> <strike><strong>56/150</strong></strike> -> <strike>103/150</strike> <strike>113/150</strike> <strike>139/150</strike> <strike>144/150</strike> <strike>151/150</strike> <strike>161/150</strike> <strike>164/150</strike> <strike>179/150</strike> <strike>194/150</strike> <strike>282/150</strike><sup></sup> <strike>351/150</strike> <strike>358/150</strike> 359/150</li>\n<li><em>2,000+ reputation</em> <strike><strong>4/10</strong></strike> -> <strike>8/10</strike> <strike>9/10</strike> <strike>10/10</strike> <strike>11/10</strike> <strike>12/10</strike> <strike>14/10</strike> <strike>17/10</strike> <strike>19/10</strike> <strike>22/10</strike><sup></sup> 27/10</li>\n<li><em>3,000+ reputation</em> <strike><strong>3/5</strong></strike> -> <strike>4/5</strike> <strike>6/5</strike> <strike>7/5</strike> <strike>8/5</strike> <strike>9/5</strike> <strike>11/5</strike> <strike>12/5</strike><sup></sup> 14/5</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><em>Answers per question</em> ratio is <strike><strong>2.0</strong></strike> -> 1.9</li>\n<li><em>Visits per day</em> <strike><strong>753</strong></strike> -> <strike>4</strike> <strike>2324</strike> <strike>2648</strike> <strike>2675</strike> <strike>2774</strike> <strike>2844</strike> <strike>3041</strike> <strike>3707</strike> <strike>2934</strike> <strike>3290</strike> <strike>8756</strike> <strike>7146</strike> <strike>6773</strike> <strike>6718</strike> <strike>6682</strike> <strike>6627</strike> <strike>6582</strike> <strike>6247</strike> <strike>6207</strike> <strike>6081</strike> <strike>5929</strike> <strike>5541</strike> 5469</li>\n</ul>\n<p><sup></sup> This change in the number of users with <em>X</em> reputation is, in part, due to the move from +5 to +10 reputation for upvoted questions on <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/11/13/were-rewarding-the-question-askers/\">13 Nov 2019</a> (see also <a href=\"https://meta.stackoverflow.com/q/391250/4424636\">Upvotes on questions will now be worth the same as upvotes on answers</a>).</p>\n<hr />\n<h3>Alternative Stats presentation</h3>\n<p>Latest statistic shown in bold -> chronological history shown thereafter</p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Questions per day</em> <strong>2.4</strong> -> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>1.9</strike> <strike>1.6</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>2.7</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>1.7</strike> <strike>2</strike> <strike>2.4</strike> <strike>3.0</strike> <strike>2.5</strike> <strike>3.9</strike> <strike>2.8</strike> <strike>3.3</strike> <strike>3</strike> <strike>2.7</strike> <strike>2</strike> <strike>1.9</strike> <strike>2.1</strike> <strike>2.2</strike></li>\n<li><em>Answer rate</em> <strong>87 %</strong> -> <strike>96 %</strike> <strike>93 %</strike> <strike>95 %</strike> <strike>96 %</strike> <strike>97 %</strike> <strike>98 %</strike> <strike>96 %</strike> <strike>95 %</strike> <strike>94 %</strike> <strike>88 %</strike></li>\n<li><em>Users</em>\n<ul>\n<li><em>200+ reputation</em> <strong>359/150</strong> -> <strike>56/150</strike> <strike>103/150</strike> <strike>113/150</strike> <strike>139/150</strike> <strike>144/150</strike> <strike>151/150</strike> <strike>161/150</strike> <strike>164/150</strike> <strike>179/150</strike> <strike>194/150</strike> <strike>282/150</strike><sup></sup> <strike>351/150</strike> <strike>358/150</strike></li>\n<li><em>2,000+ reputation</em> <strong>27/10</strong> -> <strike>4/10</strike> <strike>8/10</strike> <strike>9/10</strike> <strike>10/10</strike> <strike>11/10</strike> <strike>12/10</strike> <strike>14/10</strike> <strike>17/10</strike> <strike>19/10</strike> <strike>22/10</strike><sup></sup></li>\n<li><em>3,000+ reputation</em> <strong>14/5</strong> -> <strike>3/5</strike> <strike>4/5</strike> <strike>6/5</strike> <strike>7/5</strike> <strike>8/5</strike> <strike>9/5</strike> <strike>11/5</strike> <strike>12/5</strike><sup></sup></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><em>Answers per question</em> ratio is <strong>1.9</strong> -> <strike>2.0</strike></li>\n<li><em>Visits per day</em> <strong>5469</strong> -> <strike>753</strike> <strike>4</strike> <strike>2324</strike> <strike>2648</strike> <strike>2675</strike> <strike>2774</strike> <strike>2844</strike> <strike>3041</strike> <strike>3707</strike> <strike>2934</strike> <strike>3290</strike> <strike>8756</strike> <strike>7146</strike> <strike>6773</strike> <strike>6718</strike> <strike>6682</strike> <strike>6627</strike> <strike>6582</strike> <strike>6247</strike> <strike>6207</strike> <strike>6081</strike> <strike>5929</strike> <strike>5541</strike></li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<h3>Additional points of note</h3>\n<p>The stats above aren't really the be all to end all... there are a few other considerations that I came across here, <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community/1355#1355\">in this answer</a>, to <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community\">“Graduation” of this Community</a>:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>A number of 10k+ users ( <em>n</em> > 3 ) are required to access mod tools</li>\n<li>A number of 3k+ users ( <em>n</em> > 10 ) are required to be able to fully vote</li>\n</ol>\n<h3>The final hurdle</h3>\n<p>The main sticking point, according to this meta post on Ethereum, <a href=\"https://ethereum.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/474/congratulations-ethereum-is-graduating\">Congratulations! Ethereum is graduating!</a>, is 10 questions per day, which we are a long way from, and seems to be the last remaining issue. A link (<a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/257614/graduation-site-closure-and-a-clearer-outlook-on-the-health-of-se-sites\">Graduation, site closure, and a clearer outlook on the health of SE sites</a>) from the Ethereum meta post to Meta.SE states:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>When a site starts to consistently receive 10 questions/day, we’ll consider it for graduation.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>No graduation, but losing the Beta label...</h3>\n<p>Apart from graduation, SE management has recognised that small sites (with an active community) struggle to reach the 10 questions/day consistently. For sites that have been waiting to get out of Beta by graduation for 7-8 years, SE has decided to drop the Beta label. Please see <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/331708/congratulations-to-our-29-oldest-beta-sites-theyre-now-no-longer-beta?cb=1\">Congratulations to our 29 oldest beta sites - They're now no longer beta!</a>.</p>\n<hr />\n<h3>CSV Format</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Format: <code>heading,data,date,data,date,...,data,date</code></li>\n<li>Date format: <code>YYYYMMDD</code></li>\n</ul>\n<pre><code>Questions per day,2.1,20170317,1.9,20180525,1.6,20180705,2.1,20180707,2.7,20180815,2.1,20180903,1.7,20181015,2,20181106,2.4,20190327,3.0,20190905,2.5,20191119,3.9,20210121,2.8,20210411,3.3,20210423,3.3,20210424,3,20210425,3,20210426,2.7,20210427,2,20210506,2,20210508,1.9,20210511,2.1,20210514,2.2,20210525,2.4,20210526\nAnswer rate,96,20170317,93,20180525,95,20180705,96,20180707,96,20180815,97,20180903,98,20181015,98,20181106,96,20190327,95,20190905,94,20191119,88,20210121,88,20210411,88,20210423,88,20210424,88,20210425,88,20210426,88,20210427,88,20210506,88,20210508,87,20210511,87,20210514,87,20210525,87,20210526\n200+ reputation,56,20170317,103,20180525,113,20180705,139,20180707,144,20180815,151,20180903,161,20181015,164,20181106,179,20190327,194,20190905,282,20191119,351,20210121,358,20210411,358,20210423,358,20210424,358,20210425,358,20210426,358,20210427,358,20210506,358,20210508,358,20210511,358,20210514,359,20210525,359,20210526\n2,000+ reputation,4,20170317,8,20180525,9,20180705,10,20180707,11,20180815,12,20180903,14,20181015,14,20181106,17,20190327,19,20190905,22,20191119,27,20210121,27,20210411,27,20210423,27,20210424,27,20210425,27,20210426,27,20210427,27,20210506,27,20210508,27,20210511,27,20210514,27,20210525,27,20210526\n3,000+ reputation,3,20170317,4,20180525,6,20180705,7,20180707,7,20180815,7,20180903,7,20181015,8,20181106,9,20190327,11,20190905,12,20191119,14,20210121,14,20210411,14,20210423,14,20210424,14,20210425,14,20210426,14,20210427,14,20210506,14,20210508,14,20210511,14,20210514,14,20210525,14,20210526\nAnswers per question,2.0,20170317,1.9,20180525,1.9,20180705,1.9,20180707,1.9,20180815,1.9,20180903,1.9,20181015,1.9,20181106,1.9,20190327,1.9,20190905,1.9,20191119,1.9,20210121,1.9,20210411,1.9,20210423,1.9,20210424,1.9,20210425,1.9,20210426,1.9,20210427,1.9,20210506,1.9,20210508,1.9,20210511,1.9,20210514,1.9,20210525,1.9,20210526\nVisits per day*,753,20170317,4,20180525,2324,20180705,2648,20180707,2675,20180815,2774,20180903,2844,20181015,3041,20181106,3707,20190327,2934,20190905,3290,20191119,8756,20210121,7146,20210411,6773,20210423,6718,20210424,6682,20210425,6627,20210426,6582,20210427,6247,20210506,6207,20210508,6081,20210511,5929,20210514,5541,20210525,5469,20210526\n</code></pre>\n<p>Auto-generate markdown lists and CSV: <a href=\"https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">GitLab: SE3DP_PlotterScraper</a>/<a href=\"https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper/-/blob/master/Area51Scraper.py\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Area51Scraper.py</a></p>\n<hr />\n<h3>Graphical representation</h3>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYOoT.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Graph of stats\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYOoT.png\" alt=\"Graph of stats\" title=\"Graph of stats\" /></a></p>\n<p>Graph script: <a href=\"https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">GitLab: SE3DP_PlotterScraper</a>/<a href=\"https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper/-/blob/master/StackExchange3DP_6.py\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">StackExchange3DP_6.py</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 273, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I was running out of space in the comments, so I'm just moving this to a full blown answer.</p>\n<p>According to the <em>magic Moderator portal</em>, we should be around 2,350 in visits per day. Also, my post was a little over a year and half ago.</p>\n<p>To elaborate on my original post that @Greenonline attributed and reiterate the points:</p>\n<h1>Accept Answers</h1>\n<p>I have mentioned the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/174/accepting-unanswered-questions\">accepted answers issue</a> before as well in a separate post, but there are currently <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/search?q=hasaccepted%3Ano%20answers%3A1\">571 unaccepted-answer questions WITH at least 1 answer available</a> out of 1,467 as of 06/06/2018 11:12pm UTC-7 (Pacific). That's almost <strong>40%</strong> of our content ripe for reputation. That equates to <strong>8,565 reputation</strong> points just by purely accepting one of the available answers.</p>\n<p>I've periodically used the link above to retroactively remind users that they can approve of an answer. There's nothing wrong with reminding users in the comments, so long as it is asked appropriately. If you don't know how to word it, feel free to steal my wording from the post above.</p>\n<h1>Vote</h1>\n<p>I'm not the best at remembering to vote, but I typically vote both on the answer(s) that helped me AND the question(s). I think questions easily get overlooked in the voting process, but it does help our newer visitors.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 285, "author": "Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2", "author_id": 11242, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/11242", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your \"vote\" is one of the key things. As Jon Ericson pointed out to Mechanics.SE before we graduated and were asking the same question asked here, he stated:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><a href=\"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1447/4152\"><em>... voting is the engine that drives the reputation economy</em></a>. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think Mech had a little different scenario than does 3D Printing, but it still holds true. If you want people to show up and do things, you (and everyone else) needs to vote. Up, down, sideways ... doesn't matter. They all help drive people to <em>do things</em> in every Stack.</p>\n\n<p>Looking at the above link, you can see one of the things which is important to graduation is having the right user base. You have to have people who have the ability to do things which only those who have met the point level can do. As it stands the highest ranked person by point total is <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26/tom-van-der-zanden\">Tom van der Zanden</a>. He hasn't (as of this writing) broached 10k points. There are two users who have more than 5k points, and another five who are over 2500. How do you improve this scenario? You guessed it, by voting. </p>\n\n<p>I realize with sub two questions per day (QPD), there's not a lot to vote on. That can be overcome as well. Those of you who have had issues or have met challenges have knowledge. Write down those challenges you've faced in a question. Then, either write an answer for them, or let someone else figure them out. Either way, you are creating opportunity for the site to expand. That opportunity will be giving someone a chance to vote and/or answer the question. Plus, you are doing what SE wants done in the first place: <em>bringing and recording knowledge</em>. It's a win-win.</p>\n\n<p>There's a ton of other things which can be done to get 3D Printing graduated. I'm sure we'll get there sooner or later. I hope I can help in some small way. I'm not the bastion of all knowledge to get a site graduated, that's for sure, but having gone through it with Mechanics gives me some insight.</p>\n\n<p>Here's to the future and what it will bring.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 328, "author": "Sean Houlihane", "author_id": 4927, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4927", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One thing that I noticed about the stats for this site when I first came across it was how high the number of registered users and visits is, compared with the number of active users and questions.</p>\n\n<p>For some time, I felt the site had either picked up some bad stats, or was in the final stages of fading away. I think things are a little more normal now though.</p>\n\n<p>It seems that we still have a bit of a problem with becoming sticky for lots of users. We're at 151 200 rep users (out of 10k), and <a href=\"https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/94224/internet-of-things\">IoT</a> is at 149 out of 7k, so it seems maybe we're not too far apart. The big difference seems to be the number of views. 1.2k per day on IoT, and 2.8k here (maybe expected since views depend on visibility of the site spreading over time).</p>\n\n<p>Are people really coming here and finding answers to their questions? Are they coming here and asking a single question? Are we on the wrong end of cheap printers with poor support, holding back the really interesting questions?</p>\n" } ]	2018/05/25	[ "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/264", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/5740/" ]	I can't find an answer to this question on the "mother" meta website; hope this is not related to my choice of words in the search box. The statistics of the [3D Printing](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/) on [Area51](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing) show that only few items (questions and visits per day) are not up to par and need work. Do those need to reach a level of let's say "okay" before the site can loose the Beta stage? I'm interested to know what would be the requirements to get out of the Beta stage. --- Update September 5, 2019: It appears that the "visits per day" is "excellent" with close to three thousand visits. The "questions per day" still lack behind with a 3.0 value ("needs work") while more than 5 is considered "healthy". All further stats seem to be "okay" or "excellent".	This post, [3D Printing SE Beta Status](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/197/3d-printing-se-beta-status), by tbm0115 highlights the three main sticking points (IMHO clearer than the Area 51 page): * Questions per day * Users vs Reputation * Visits per day Once those reach the required levels then that should be it. So, there is quite a way to go... The stats can be seen here, [3D Printing Area51 site](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing): ### Stats progress Note: Only changes are shown (no date information) * Questions per day 2.1 -> 1.9 1.6 2.1 2.7 2.1 1.7 2 2.4 3.0 2.5 3.9 2.8 3.3 3 2.7 2 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.4 * Answer rate 96 % -> 93 % 95 % 96 % 97 % 98 % 96 % 95 % 94 % 88 % 87 % * Users + 200+ reputation 56/150 -> 103/150 113/150 139/150 144/150 151/150 161/150 164/150 179/150 194/150 282/150\* 351/150 358/150 359/150 + 2,000+ reputation 4/10 -> 8/10 9/10 10/10 11/10 12/10 14/10 17/10 19/10 22/10\* 27/10 + 3,000+ reputation 3/5 -> 4/5 6/5 7/5 8/5 9/5 11/5 12/5\* 14/5 * Answers per question ratio is 2.0 -> 1.9 * Visits per day 753 -> 4 2324 2648 2675 2774 2844 3041 3707 2934 3290 8756 7146 6773 6718 6682 6627 6582 6247 6207 6081 5929 5541 5469 \* This change in the number of users with X reputation is, in part, due to the move from +5 to +10 reputation for upvoted questions on [13 Nov 2019](https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/11/13/were-rewarding-the-question-askers/) (see also [Upvotes on questions will now be worth the same as upvotes on answers](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/q/391250/4424636)). --- ### Alternative Stats presentation Latest statistic shown in bold -> chronological history shown thereafter * Questions per day 2.4 -> 2.1 1.9 1.6 2.1 2.7 2.1 1.7 2 2.4 3.0 2.5 3.9 2.8 3.3 3 2.7 2 1.9 2.1 2.2 * Answer rate 87 % -> 96 % 93 % 95 % 96 % 97 % 98 % 96 % 95 % 94 % 88 % * Users + 200+ reputation 359/150 -> 56/150 103/150 113/150 139/150 144/150 151/150 161/150 164/150 179/150 194/150 282/150\* 351/150 358/150 + 2,000+ reputation 27/10 -> 4/10 8/10 9/10 10/10 11/10 12/10 14/10 17/10 19/10 22/10\* + 3,000+ reputation 14/5 -> 3/5 4/5 6/5 7/5 8/5 9/5 11/5 12/5\* * Answers per question ratio is 1.9 -> 2.0 * Visits per day 5469 -> 753 4 2324 2648 2675 2774 2844 3041 3707 2934 3290 8756 7146 6773 6718 6682 6627 6582 6247 6207 6081 5929 5541 --- ### Additional points of note The stats above aren't really the be all to end all... there are a few other considerations that I came across here, [in this answer](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community/1355#1355), to [“Graduation” of this Community](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community): 1. A number of 10k+ users ( n > 3 ) are required to access mod tools 2. A number of 3k+ users ( n > 10 ) are required to be able to fully vote ### The final hurdle The main sticking point, according to this meta post on Ethereum, [Congratulations! Ethereum is graduating!](https://ethereum.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/474/congratulations-ethereum-is-graduating), is 10 questions per day, which we are a long way from, and seems to be the last remaining issue. A link ([Graduation, site closure, and a clearer outlook on the health of SE sites](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/257614/graduation-site-closure-and-a-clearer-outlook-on-the-health-of-se-sites)) from the Ethereum meta post to Meta.SE states: > > When a site starts to consistently receive 10 questions/day, we’ll consider it for graduation. > > > ### No graduation, but losing the Beta label... Apart from graduation, SE management has recognised that small sites (with an active community) struggle to reach the 10 questions/day consistently. For sites that have been waiting to get out of Beta by graduation for 7-8 years, SE has decided to drop the Beta label. Please see [Congratulations to our 29 oldest beta sites - They're now no longer beta!](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/331708/congratulations-to-our-29-oldest-beta-sites-theyre-now-no-longer-beta?cb=1). --- ### CSV Format * Format: `heading,data,date,data,date,...,data,date` * Date format: `YYYYMMDD` ``` Questions per day,2.1,20170317,1.9,20180525,1.6,20180705,2.1,20180707,2.7,20180815,2.1,20180903,1.7,20181015,2,20181106,2.4,20190327,3.0,20190905,2.5,20191119,3.9,20210121,2.8,20210411,3.3,20210423,3.3,20210424,3,20210425,3,20210426,2.7,20210427,2,20210506,2,20210508,1.9,20210511,2.1,20210514,2.2,20210525,2.4,20210526 Answer rate,96,20170317,93,20180525,95,20180705,96,20180707,96,20180815,97,20180903,98,20181015,98,20181106,96,20190327,95,20190905,94,20191119,88,20210121,88,20210411,88,20210423,88,20210424,88,20210425,88,20210426,88,20210427,88,20210506,88,20210508,87,20210511,87,20210514,87,20210525,87,20210526 200+ reputation,56,20170317,103,20180525,113,20180705,139,20180707,144,20180815,151,20180903,161,20181015,164,20181106,179,20190327,194,20190905,282,20191119,351,20210121,358,20210411,358,20210423,358,20210424,358,20210425,358,20210426,358,20210427,358,20210506,358,20210508,358,20210511,358,20210514,359,20210525,359,20210526 2,000+ reputation,4,20170317,8,20180525,9,20180705,10,20180707,11,20180815,12,20180903,14,20181015,14,20181106,17,20190327,19,20190905,22,20191119,27,20210121,27,20210411,27,20210423,27,20210424,27,20210425,27,20210426,27,20210427,27,20210506,27,20210508,27,20210511,27,20210514,27,20210525,27,20210526 3,000+ reputation,3,20170317,4,20180525,6,20180705,7,20180707,7,20180815,7,20180903,7,20181015,8,20181106,9,20190327,11,20190905,12,20191119,14,20210121,14,20210411,14,20210423,14,20210424,14,20210425,14,20210426,14,20210427,14,20210506,14,20210508,14,20210511,14,20210514,14,20210525,14,20210526 Answers per question,2.0,20170317,1.9,20180525,1.9,20180705,1.9,20180707,1.9,20180815,1.9,20180903,1.9,20181015,1.9,20181106,1.9,20190327,1.9,20190905,1.9,20191119,1.9,20210121,1.9,20210411,1.9,20210423,1.9,20210424,1.9,20210425,1.9,20210426,1.9,20210427,1.9,20210506,1.9,20210508,1.9,20210511,1.9,20210514,1.9,20210525,1.9,20210526 Visits per day,753,20170317,4,20180525,2324,20180705,2648,20180707,2675,20180815,2774,20180903,2844,20181015,3041,20181106,3707,20190327,2934,20190905,3290,20191119,8756,20210121,7146,20210411,6773,20210423,6718,20210424,6682,20210425,6627,20210426,6582,20210427,6247,20210506,6207,20210508,6081,20210511,5929,20210514,5541,20210525,5469,20210526 ``` Auto-generate markdown lists and CSV: [GitLab: SE3DP\_PlotterScraper](https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper)/[Area51Scraper.py](https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper/-/blob/master/Area51Scraper.py) --- ### Graphical representation [![Graph of stats](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYOoT.png "Graph of stats")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYOoT.png "Graph of stats") Graph script: [GitLab: SE3DP\_PlotterScraper](https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper)/[StackExchange3DP\_6.py](https://gitlab.com/testkins/se3dp_plotterscraper/-/blob/master/StackExchange3DP_6.py)
303	<p>There are times when certain standardised comments are called for.</p> <p>Here are some examples (the links go to the various sections below, under the Answers):</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-305">General comments</a></li> <li>Prompting user to accept an answer - <em>in order to clear the unanswered question list</em></li> <li><a href="https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-304">Problems with comments</a> <ul> <li>Answer posted in comments - <em>Solutions to the question posted in the comments, do not show up in searches</em></li> <li>Limiting comments - <em>Additional information, that <strong>may or may not</strong> have been requested is posted in comments, rather than as an edit to the question</em></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-402">Poor quality questions</a> <ul> <li>Ask a good question</li> <li>Unbounded questions</li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-393">Poor quality answers</a> <ul> <li>Short answer - <em>An answer lacking detail, no explanation provided</em></li> <li>Repetition - <em>No new information, the contents of a previously posted answer is repeated by a different user</em></li> <li>Link only answer - <em>Only a link is provided, with no summary, or content, of the link included</em></li> <li>Question posted as answer - <em><strong>Another</strong> question, (possibly) related to the OP's question, is posted as an answer</em></li> <li>"Me too" answer - <em>"I <strong>also</strong> have this issue"</em></li> <li>Edit to a previous answer - <em>user posts second answer with additional information, not realising that there is an edit button for their first answer</em></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><em>et cetera</em>...</p>	[ { "answer_id": 304, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<h1>Comments</h1>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Question in a comment</h2>\n<p>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Please do not ask new questions in comments. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ask Question</a> link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Please do not ask new questions in comments. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the [Ask Question](/questions/ask) link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Answer in a comment</h2>\n<p>Comments are not recommended for any of the following: <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment\">Answering a question or providing an alternate solution to an existing answer; instead, post an actual answer (or edit to expand an existing one)</a>. Feel free to post an answer instead. Thanks.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Comments are not recommended for any of the following: [Answering a question or providing an alternate solution to an existing answer; instead, post an actual answer (or edit to expand an existing one)](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment);. Feel free to post an answer instead. Thanks.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Limit Comments</h2>\n<p>It is better to <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">edit</a> your question to add information requested in comments, rather than adding more comments. Comments are for helping to improve questions and answers, and are distracting, so we try to keep them to a minimum. All of this information can be edited into your question to make it easier for people to answer your question. If all of the information is contained in one block then people don't have to read all of the comments to discover all of the information. Once all of the information needed to answer the question is contained within it, the comments can be tidied & deleted.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>It is better to [edit] your question to add information requested in comments, rather than adding more comments. Comments are for helping to improve questions and answers, and are distracting, so we try to keep them to a minimum. All of this information can be edited into your question to make it easier for people to answer your question. If all of the information is contained in one block then people don't have to read all of the comments to discover all of the information. Once all of the information needed to answer the question is contained within it, the comments can be tidied & deleted.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2><em>Self</em>-answered in a comment - Initial request</h2>\n<p>Did any of the posted answers solve your issue? If so, please mark it as the accepted answer. If not, then either refine your question or please post your comment above (which appears to contain the solution) as an answer, and then mark it as accepted in 48 hours, in order to remove your question from the unanswered queue. Answers are not allowed in comments, and may be deleted. If your answer is posted as an answer then it becomes searchable and may help others with the same issue.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Did any of the posted answers solve your issue? If so, please mark it as the accepted answer. If not, then either refine your question or please post your comment above (which appears to contain the solution) as an answer, and then mark it as accepted in 48 hours, in order to remove your question from the unanswered queue. Answers are not allowed in comments, and may be deleted. If your answer is posted as an answer then it becomes searchable and may help others with the same issue.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2><em>Self</em>-answered in a comment - Second request (citing comment - obviously replacing the <code>blah blah blah</code>!)</h2>\n<p>Hi, could you post your comment <code>blah blah blah</code> as an answer (maybe expanding upon it as well, if possible) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Hi, could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (maybe expanding upon it as well, if possible) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks \n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2><em>Self</em>-answered in a comment - Final Reminder (also citing the comment)</h2>\n<p>Hi, <em><strong>please</strong></em> could you post your comment <code>blah blah blah</code> as an answer (and expanding upon it as well, if possible and a photo as <username2> says) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks. (1) Comments do not show up in searches, (2) Your answer may help someone else (3) As we are a beta site we <em>really</em> need to keep the number of unanswered questions to a minimum, if we are to continue as a site (4) You will earn more reputation from votes and accepting your answer. Thanks in advance</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Hi, *please* could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (and expanding upon it as well, if possible and a photo as <username2> says) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks. (1) Comments do not show up in searches, (2) Your answer may help someone else (3) As we are a beta site we really need to keep the number of unanswered questions to a minimum, if we are to continue as a site (4) You will earn more reputation from votes and accepting your answer. Thanks in advance\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 305, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Frequently you'll find that you type similar comments, but depending on inspiration and time, the comments differ. It would be an excellent idea to maintain a standard comments reply list on some sort of platform (GitHub, GitLab, community wiki on meta, etc.).</p>\n\n<p>Note that an automatic standardized comment already exists for marking a duplicate topic; the system will post a default duplicate comment message for you which you can change within 5 minutes after posting.</p>\n\n<p><em>Where applicable, replace <code><username></code> with the actual user name of the poster being addressed</em></p>\n\n<p>Each standardised comment below is shown in two formats:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>As <em>block quotes</em> for readability</li>\n<li>As <em>code formatting</em>, for ease of copy and paste (<strong>C&P ⎘</strong>)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>There are four sections:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-305\">General Comments</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-304\">Comments</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-402\">Questions</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-393\">Answers</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Note on shortcuts: <em>Magic links</em> and Relative paths</h3>\n\n<p>It is possible to reduce the length of the comments, so that they fit, by using <em>shortcuts</em>. Note that the <code>[help]</code>, <code>[ask]</code>, <code>[answer]</code> and <code>[about]</code> tags (in the C&P) expand into <em>Help Center</em>, <em>How to Ask</em>, <em>How to Answer</em> and <em>Tour</em> links, respectively - so the entire URL does <em>not</em> need to be specified. </p>\n\n<p>For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><code>[help]</code> => <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help\">help center</a></li>\n<li><code>[ask]</code> => <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/how-to-ask\">How to Ask</a></li>\n<li><code>[answer]</code> => <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/how-to-answer\">How to Answer</a></li>\n<li><code>[about]</code> => <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a></li>\n<li><code>[tour]</code> => <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a></li>\n<li><code>[chat]</code> => <a href=\"https://chat.stackexchange.com/\">3D Printing Chat</a></li>\n<li><code>[edit]</code> => Edit the post link</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>N.B. <code>[tour]</code> and <code>[about]</code> are equivalent.</p>\n\n<p>See <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/editing-help#comment-formatting\">comment formatting</a> for more information, or <em>better still</em>, see the <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/a/242306/369403\">Complete list of help center magic links</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Also worthy of mention are <em>relative links</em>, so you can skip the <em>absolute URL</em> part (i.e. <code>https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com</code>). For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><code>[Ask Question](/questions/ask)</code> => Ask Question link (at the top of the page)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Just copy the relative part of the URL (to the page that you want to point to) from your browser.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<h1>General comments</h1>\n\n<h2>Welcome to Stack Exchange</h2>\n\n<p>Please use these in conjunction with other necessary/constructive comments - not as a stand alone comment, as these tend to add <em>noise</em></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to Stack Exchange!\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>or </p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to Stack Exchange 3D Printing!\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>or shorter (given the limited number of character) and more precise</p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3DPrinting!\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>or even shorter</p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3DP!\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Post to be deleted</h2>\n \n <p>Unfortunately your post will be deleted, but please do not let this discourage you. Hang around, <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ask a question</a>, post an answer containing a solution, make some constructive edits and earn some reputation, and with a reputation of 50 you will be able to leave comments. Good luck! :-)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Unfortunately your post will be deleted, but please do not let this discourage you. Hang around, [ask a question](/questions/ask), post an answer containing a solution, make some constructive edits and earn some reputation, and with a reputation of 50 you will be able to leave comments. Good luck! :-)\n</code></pre>\n\n<hr>\n" }, { "answer_id": 315, "author": "Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2", "author_id": 11242, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/11242", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A while ago I found a browser add-on which has canned comments embedded in it. This script was made for Stack Exchange. The name of the add-on is: <a href=\"https://github.com/Benjol/SE-AutoReviewComments\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">AutoReviewComments</a>. There is a complete write-up on it over at <a href=\"https://stackapps.com/q/2116/54833\">StackApps</a>, which is SE's site for just this sort of thing. </p>\n\n<p>One of the great things about it is it's completely customizable. I've found since I've been sneaking around here on 3D Printing, it automagically sets the \"welcome\" note to the current site, as well as if there are custom comments you've added on another site won't show up here. That's pretty kewl in my book. One of the things you could do is to create custom comments within the add-on copied from the other great Answers in this Meta post. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 393, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>Answers</h1>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>New user, Me too answer</h2>\n \n <p>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style \"Me too\" comment to another question where you ask for help to start a discussion. This is not what the answer section should be used for. Please read the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help\">help center</a>, accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style \"Me too\" comment to another question where you ask for help to start a discussion. This is not what the answer section should be used for. Please read the [help], accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the [about] and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works.\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>New user, Thanks answer</h2>\n \n <p>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. It is great that the provided answer helped you. However, SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style \"Thanks\" comment to another answer. This is not what the answer (nor comment) section should be used for. Please use the voting buttons instead, as it is votes which drive the community. Please read the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help\">help center</a>, accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. It is great that the provided answer helped you. However, SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style \"Thanks\" comment to another answer. This is not what the answer (nor comment) section should be used for. Please use the voting buttons instead, as it is votes which drive the community. Please read the [help], accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the [about] and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works.\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>New user, answer as comment</h2>\n \n <p>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style comment to another answer. This is not what the answer section should be used for. Your answer has been converted to a comment. When you gain enough reputation (50) you will be able to comment directly on an answer. Please read the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help\">help center</a>, accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username> and welcome to SE.3D Printing. SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your answer is more a forum style comment to another answer. This is not what the answer section should be used for. Your answer has been converted to a comment. When you gain enough reputation (50) you will be able to comment directly on an answer. Please read the [help], accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu. Please take the [about] and also have a look at the questions and answers to understand how SE works. \n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Poor quality - Short answer</h2>\n \n <p>Hi <username>, and welcome to SE 3D Printing! Whilst your answer may be technically correct, it <em>is</em> lacking detail, and, as such, it has been recommended for deletion, unfortunately. If you could expand it then you may get a more positive response. I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted answers to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/answering\">answering</a> questions, in particular <a href=\"https://3dprinting.com/help/how-to-answer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to write a good answer</a>, and take the <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> for more information on how stack exchange works. Thanks :-)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi <username>, and welcome to SE 3D Printing! Whilst your answer may be technically correct, it is lacking detail, and, as such, it has been recommended for deletion, unfortunately. If you could expand it then you may get a more positive response. I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted answers to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to [answering](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/answering) questions, in particular [answer], and take the [tour] for more information on how stack exchange works. Thanks :-)\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Poor quality - Repetition</h2>\n \n <p>Hi and welcome to SE 3D Printing! Whilst your answer may be technically correct, it <em>is</em> lacking detail, reiterates a previous answer and, as such, it has been recommended for deletion. If you could expand it then you may get a more positive response. I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted answers to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/answering\">answering</a> questions and take the <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> for more information on how stack exchange works. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to SE 3D Printing! Whilst your answer may be technically correct, it is lacking detail, and reiterates a previous answer and, as such, it has been recommended for deletion. If you could expand it then you may get a more positive response. I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted answers to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to [answering](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/answering) questions and take the [tour](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour) for more information on how stack exchange works. \n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Poor quality - Link only</h2>\n \n <p>Thanks for your answer but we are looking for comprehensive answers that provide some explanation and context. Very short answers cannot do this, so please <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">edit</a> your answer to explain why it is right. Additionally, we prefer answers to be self contained where possible. <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8231/\"><em>link only</em></a> answers are frowned upon (as links <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_rot\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tend to rot</a>) & will be rendered useless if the linked-to content disappears. If you add more context and detail from the link, it is more likely that people will find your answer useful.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Thanks for your answer but we are looking for comprehensive answers that provide some explanation and context. Very short answers cannot do this, so please [edit] your answer to explain why it is right. Additionally, we prefer answers to be self contained where possible. [link only](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8231/) answers are frowned upon (as links [tend to rot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_rot)) & will be rendered useless if the linked-to content disappears. If you add more context and detail from the link, it is more likely that people will find your answer useful.\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Question posted as an answer</h2>\n \n <p>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Unfortunately, your answer does not answer the question. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ask Question</a> link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Unfortunately, your answer does not answer the question. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the [Ask Question](/questions/ask) link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place.\n</code></pre>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Clarification comment posted as an answer</h2>\n \n <p>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Unfortunately, your comment posted as an answer does not answer the question. StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. Your post may be deleted and converted to a comment, but please do not let this discourage you. Hang around, <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ask Question</a>, post an answer containing a solution, make some constructive edits and earn some reputation, and with a reputation of 50 you will be able to leave comments.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Unfortunately, your comment posted as an answer does not answer the question. StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. Your post may be deleted and converted to a comment, but please do not let this discourage you. Hang around, [ask a question](/questions/ask), post an answer containing a solution, make some constructive edits and earn some reputation, and with a reputation of 50 you will be able to leave comments.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 402, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>Questions</h1>\n<p><em>Please note that if a user is new and has shown some research effort in composing the question, gently guide the new user in completing the question rather than using some of the statements below. If a question needs some more information or an image, use comments or flag for moderator attention if you don't have enough reputation to post comments. We welcome every new member, but not everybody is acquainted with the SE Q/A style (frequently it is assumed that it is similar to a forum of threaded messages).</em></p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>New user, forum style question</h2>\n<p>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your question is more\na forum style question where you ask for help to\nstart a discussion. Please read the help section, accessible through the button\nwith the question mark at the top right menu.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your question is more a forum style question where you ask for help to start a discussion. Please read the [help] section, accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Ask a good question</h2>\n<p>I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted questions to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/asking\">asking</a> questions, in particular <a href=\"https://3dprinting.com/help/how-to-ask\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to ask a good question</a>, and take the <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> for more information on how stack exchange works. Thanks :-)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>I would recommend that in addition to reading some highly voted questions to gauge the standard expected, that you take a look at the help section relating to [asking](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/asking) questions, in particular [How to ask a good question](https://3dprinting.com/help/how-to-ask), and take the [tour](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour) for more information on how stack exchange works. Thanks :-)\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Unbounded questions</h2>\n<p>Welcome to SE 3D Printing <username>, but I'm afraid that Unbounded Design Questions are off-topic because there are many ways to solve any given design problem, so questions that ask for a list of approaches, a subjective recommendation on a method (for how to build something, how to accomplish something, what something is capable of, etc.) or shopping selection are off-topic. We prefer <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask\">practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face</a>. Take a look at <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask\">How to Ask</a> & <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> for more information on how Stack Exchange works.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Welcome to SE 3D Printing <username>, but I'm afraid that Unbounded Design Questions are off-topic because there are many ways to solve any given design problem, so questions that ask for a list of approaches, a subjective recommendation on a method (for how to build something, how to accomplish something, what something is capable of, etc.) or shopping selection are off-topic. We prefer [practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask). Take a look at [ask] & [tour] for more information on how Stack Exchange works.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Too localised (?)</h2>\n<p>As it stands this question is unlikely to help future visitors and may get closed as <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/closed-questions\">too localized</a>. While it is useful to have all of the background in one place, could I suggest dividing this up into a series of <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask\">practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face</a>. See <a href=\"http://meta.3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/153/is-it-ok-to-ask-for-opinions/154#154\">Is it ok to ask for opinions?</a> for more background.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>As it stands this question is unlikely to help future visitors and may get closed as [too localized](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/closed-questions). While it is useful to have all of the background in one place, could I suggest dividing this up into a series of [practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask). See [Is it ok to ask for opinions?](http://meta.3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/153/is-it-ok-to-ask-for-opinions/154#154) for more background.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Bad fit questions/Questions by new users for closed for other reasons</h2>\n<p>Welcome to 3D Printing.SE <username>, but I'm afraid that questions like this really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask\">practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face</a>. Take a look at <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask\">How to Ask</a> and <a href=\"http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour\">tour</a> for more information on how stack exchange works. Also, the <a href=\"http://meta.3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1302/3dprinting-stack-exchange-question-checklist\">3D Printing question checklist</a> has good advice on how to write a good question. If you <a href=\"https://x\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">edit</a> your question to fit our community guidelines we can reopen it for you.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Welcome to SE.3DP, but I'm afraid that questions like this really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer [practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask). Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works. Also, the [3DP question checklist](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/q/340) has good advice on how to write a good question. If you [edit] your question to fit our community guidelines we can reopen it for you.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Old question, no accepted answer - With multiple answers available</h2>\n<p>Have you found & fixed the problem? If any of the answers helped you to get an answer to your question or come to your own conclusions then please do vote & accept an answer (using the tick button next to it). This helps us reduce the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered\">unanswered questions list</a> & stops the question from being bumped once in a while. If you found another answer (than those already posted), please add that answer (& accept after 48 hours) to share your experience with the community. If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Have you found & fixed the problem? If any of the answers helped you to get an answer to your question or come to your own conclusions then please do vote & accept an answer (using the tick button next to it). This helps us reduce the [unanswered questions list](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered) & stops the question from being bumped once in a while. If you found another answer (than those already posted), please add that answer (& accept after 48 hours) to share your experience with the community. If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Old question, no accepted answer - With multiple answers available (alternative)</h2>\n<p>Hello @[UserName], I noticed your question has been up for a while\nnow. Have any of the answers below been able to solve your question?\nIf so, would you mind accepting the appropriate answer. If not, what\nis missing so that we may help you further? Also, if you have figured\nit out on your own, you can always answer and accept your own\nsolution. Thank you.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Hello @[UserName], I noticed your question has been up for a while now. Have any of the answers below been able to solve your question? If so, would you mind accepting the appropriate answer. If not, what is missing so that we may help you further? Also, if you have figured it out on your own, you can always answer and accept your own solution. Thank you.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Old question, no accepted answer - If there is only one answer</h2>\n<p>Have you found and fixed the problem? If so, has the answer below led\nyou to the solution? Please vote to accept the answer so this question\nis not bumped up once in a while and can be removed from the\nunanswered question list. You may even add your own solution and\naccept that after 48 hours! If you have not been able to address the\nproblem please update your question.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Have you found and fixed the problem? If so, has the answer below led you to the solution? Please vote to accept the answer so this question is not bumped up once in a while and can be removed from the unanswered question list. You may even add your own solution and accept that after 48 hours! If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Old question, no answer</h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, up to now, no answers are given on your question! Have\nyou found an answer yourself? If so, you may add your own solution and\naccept that after 48 hours. If you have not been able to address the\nproblem please update your question so other people may help you find\nan answer. You can even decide to delete the question. We need to\nreduce the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered\">unanswered questions\nlist</a> to graduate\nfrom the Beta stage.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Unfortunately, up to now, no answers are given on your question! Have you found an answer yourself? If so, you may add your own solution and accept that after 48 hours. If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question so other people may help you find an answer. You can even decide to delete the question. We need to reduce the [unanswered questions list](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered) to graduate from the Beta stage.\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Self answered but not accepted any answer</h2>\n<p>Good to see you solved the problem and took the time to share it with\nus! Please accept your answer so that it does not pop up to the top of\nthe queue once in a while. This also will help us reducing the\n<a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered\">unanswered questions list</a>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>C&P ⎘</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Good to see you solved the problem and took the time to share it with us! Please accept your answer so that it does not pop up to the top of the queue once in a while. This also will help us reducing the [unanswered questions list](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/unanswered).\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Multiple questions post</h2>\n<p>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your question contains\nmultiple questions which makes it more difficult to answer as there\nare multiple answers. Please read the [help] section, accessible\nthrough the button with the question mark at the top right menu and\nread [ask]. Please split up your question by adding the other\nquestions in a separate question!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>C&P ⎘</p>\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! SE websites are driven by questions and answers, your question contains multiple questions which makes it more difficult to answer as there are multiple answers. Please read the [help] section, accessible through the button with the question mark at the top right menu and read [ask]. Please split up your question by adding the other questions in a separate question!\n</code></pre>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Cross-posted question</h2>\n<p>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! I\nsee that you have cross-posted this question on another Stack Exchange\nsite. Cross posting is frowned upon, please see <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/64068/is-cross-posting-a-question-on-multiple-stack-exchange-sites-permitted-if-the-qu\">Is cross-posting a\nquestion on multiple Stack Exchange sites permitted if the question is\non-topic for each\nsite?</a>.\nPlease delete one of copies of the question.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>C&P ⎘</p>\n<pre><code>Hi and welcome to 3D printing.SE! I see that you have cross-posted this question on another Stack Exchange site. Cross posting is frowned upon, please see [Is cross-posting a question on multiple Stack Exchange sites permitted if the question is on-topic for each site?](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/64068/is-cross-posting-a-question-on-multiple-stack-exchange-sites-permitted-if-the-qu). Please delete one of copies of the question.\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2018/07/19	[ "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/4762/" ]	There are times when certain standardised comments are called for. Here are some examples (the links go to the various sections below, under the Answers): * [General comments](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-305) * Prompting user to accept an answer - in order to clear the unanswered question list * [Problems with comments](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-304) + Answer posted in comments - Solutions to the question posted in the comments, do not show up in searches + Limiting comments - Additional information, that may or may not* have been requested is posted in comments, rather than as an edit to the question* * [Poor quality questions](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-402) + Ask a good question + Unbounded questions * [Poor quality answers](https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/303/do-we-have-standardised-comments#answer-393) + Short answer - An answer lacking detail, no explanation provided + Repetition - No new information, the contents of a previously posted answer is repeated by a different user + Link only answer - Only a link is provided, with no summary, or content, of the link included + Question posted as answer - *Another question, (possibly) related to the OP's question, is posted as an answer* + "Me too" answer - "I also* have this issue"* + Edit to a previous answer - user posts second answer with additional information, not realising that there is an edit button for their first answer et cetera...	Comments ======== > > Question in a comment > --------------------- > > > Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Please do not ask new questions in comments. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the [Ask Question](https://x) link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place. > > > C&P ⎘ ``` Hi and welcome to SE.3DP! Please do not ask new questions in comments. Without wishing to sound harsh, StackExchange is a Q&A site, and not a forum of threaded messages. The reason for this is to aid the search for answers to issues, and provide it in a structured Q&A way. I know that this might seem a pain, but can you repost your question using the [Ask Question](/questions/ask) link at the top of the page? When you repost your new question, please feel free to refer back to this original question using the URL, seeing as it is the reason why you posted in the first place. ``` > > Answer in a comment > ------------------- > > > Comments are not recommended for any of the following: [Answering a question or providing an alternate solution to an existing answer; instead, post an actual answer (or edit to expand an existing one)](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment). Feel free to post an answer instead. Thanks. > > > C&P ⎘ ``` Comments are not recommended for any of the following: [Answering a question or providing an alternate solution to an existing answer; instead, post an actual answer (or edit to expand an existing one)](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment);. Feel free to post an answer instead. Thanks. ``` > > Limit Comments > -------------- > > > It is better to [edit](https://x) your question to add information requested in comments, rather than adding more comments. Comments are for helping to improve questions and answers, and are distracting, so we try to keep them to a minimum. All of this information can be edited into your question to make it easier for people to answer your question. If all of the information is contained in one block then people don't have to read all of the comments to discover all of the information. Once all of the information needed to answer the question is contained within it, the comments can be tidied & deleted. > > > C&P ⎘ ``` It is better to [edit] your question to add information requested in comments, rather than adding more comments. Comments are for helping to improve questions and answers, and are distracting, so we try to keep them to a minimum. All of this information can be edited into your question to make it easier for people to answer your question. If all of the information is contained in one block then people don't have to read all of the comments to discover all of the information. Once all of the information needed to answer the question is contained within it, the comments can be tidied & deleted. ``` > > Self-answered in a comment - Initial request > ---------------------------------------------- > > > Did any of the posted answers solve your issue? If so, please mark it as the accepted answer. If not, then either refine your question or please post your comment above (which appears to contain the solution) as an answer, and then mark it as accepted in 48 hours, in order to remove your question from the unanswered queue. Answers are not allowed in comments, and may be deleted. If your answer is posted as an answer then it becomes searchable and may help others with the same issue. > > > C&P ⎘ ``` Did any of the posted answers solve your issue? If so, please mark it as the accepted answer. If not, then either refine your question or please post your comment above (which appears to contain the solution) as an answer, and then mark it as accepted in 48 hours, in order to remove your question from the unanswered queue. Answers are not allowed in comments, and may be deleted. If your answer is posted as an answer then it becomes searchable and may help others with the same issue. ``` > > Self-answered in a comment - Second request (citing comment - obviously replacing the `blah blah blah`!) > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > Hi, could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (maybe expanding upon it as well, if possible) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks > > > C&P ⎘ ``` Hi, could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (maybe expanding upon it as well, if possible) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks ``` > > Self-answered in a comment - Final Reminder (also citing the comment) > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > Hi, *please* could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (and expanding upon it as well, if possible and a photo as <username2> says) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks. (1) Comments do not show up in searches, (2) Your answer may help someone else (3) As we are a beta site we really need to keep the number of unanswered questions to a minimum, if we are to continue as a site (4) You will earn more reputation from votes and accepting your answer. Thanks in advance > > > C&P ⎘ ``` Hi, *please* could you post your comment `blah blah blah` as an answer (and expanding upon it as well, if possible and a photo as <username2> says) and mark it as accepted. That way your question will no longer be in the unanswered list. Thanks. (1) Comments do not show up in searches, (2) Your answer may help someone else (3) As we are a beta site we really need to keep the number of unanswered questions to a minimum, if we are to continue as a site (4) You will earn more reputation from votes and accepting your answer. Thanks in advance ```
314	<p>Our site is dealing with electronics and practical engineering, so we use formulas in questions and answers on occasion, most usually when we have to figure out electronic ratings. </p> <p>When we talk about the <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/760/analytic-equations-to-make-algorithm-of-3d-printer">design</a> or <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/631/how-are-delta-movements-calculated">function</a> of printers more than "rule of thumb", we need complex math. When we estimate <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4472/how-is-the-print-time-of-an-object-to-be-printed-estimated?s=4%7C17.5425">print times</a> formulas could be used to illustrate the calculations. When we want to estimate the <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6557/is-the-110m-length-accurate-for-3-0mm-1k-spool">length of a spool of filament</a>, we need math. When we discuss <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/5155/8884">movement paths</a>, we also come into need for 3D geometry which can be simplified by using non-carthesian coordinates or functions - which in turn need manual typing of greek letters or proper formulas to be displayed well. </p> <p>Up to now I have been typing LaTeX formulas in online converters and copy paste the link to the image generated formula. This is quite labor intensive, especially since the SE does support built in MathJax.</p> <p>A recent <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/6540/5740">answer</a> showed LaTeX/MathJax code in the answer, but that did not render into an actual formula image as it is not enabled.</p> <blockquote> <ul> <li>Supply voltage $ U_S = 12V \or 24V $</li> <li>Logic Voltage $ U_L = 5V $</li> <li>Sensor Voltage $ U_sens = U_L$</li> <li>Temperature control (Hotend/Bed/Cooling fans) $ U_T = U_S$</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Why can't we enter formulas directly in posts?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 339, "author": "Trish", "author_id": 8884, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/8884", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>MathJax would be really helpful:</p>\n\n<p>We recently discussed <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6832/how-is-infill-generated-via-slicing/6836#6836\">How is infill generated via slicing?</a> and the answer is linear algebra. Displaying linear algebra without formulas is a PITA.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 345, "author": "Jon Ericson", "author_id": 5, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/5", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>$$\\text{3D Printing Stack Exchange} \\subset \\text{Stack Exchange sites that use MathJax}$$</p>\n\n<p>There are <a href=\"http://data.stackexchange.com/3dprinting/query/879802/mathjax-inline\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">~17 posts</a> that could use an edit. Most of those are prices that have been converted into MathJax. You can fix that by escaping the dollar sign:</p>\n\n<pre><code>$ => \\$\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I'll work on those edits myself, but I'd love to get some help.</p>\n" } ]	2018/08/03	[ "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/314", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/5740/" ]	Our site is dealing with electronics and practical engineering, so we use formulas in questions and answers on occasion, most usually when we have to figure out electronic ratings. When we talk about the [design](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/760/analytic-equations-to-make-algorithm-of-3d-printer) or [function](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/631/how-are-delta-movements-calculated) of printers more than "rule of thumb", we need complex math. When we estimate [print times](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4472/how-is-the-print-time-of-an-object-to-be-printed-estimated?s=4%7C17.5425) formulas could be used to illustrate the calculations. When we want to estimate the [length of a spool of filament](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6557/is-the-110m-length-accurate-for-3-0mm-1k-spool), we need math. When we discuss [movement paths](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/5155/8884), we also come into need for 3D geometry which can be simplified by using non-carthesian coordinates or functions - which in turn need manual typing of greek letters or proper formulas to be displayed well. Up to now I have been typing LaTeX formulas in online converters and copy paste the link to the image generated formula. This is quite labor intensive, especially since the SE does support built in MathJax. A recent [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/6540/5740) showed LaTeX/MathJax code in the answer, but that did not render into an actual formula image as it is not enabled. > > * Supply voltage $ U\_S = 12V \or 24V $ > * Logic Voltage $ U\_L = 5V $ > * Sensor Voltage $ U\_sens = U\_L$ > * Temperature control (Hotend/Bed/Cooling fans) $ U\_T = U\_S$ > > > Why can't we enter formulas directly in posts?	$$\text{3D Printing Stack Exchange} \subset \text{Stack Exchange sites that use MathJax}$$ There are [~17 posts](http://data.stackexchange.com/3dprinting/query/879802/mathjax-inline) that could use an edit. Most of those are prices that have been converted into MathJax. You can fix that by escaping the dollar sign: ``` $ => \$ ``` I'll work on those edits myself, but I'd love to get some help.
132	<p>When you add a raft in Slic3r, the first layer of the raft prints at the first layer speed. After the raft is finished, the first layer of the print prints at the standard speed. How can I make the first layer of the actual print slow down to the first layer speed?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 139, "author": "kareem", "author_id": 157, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/157", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You shouldn't need to. The purpose of a slower first layer is to help with need adhesion. With a raft the first layer of the model is printing on the raft so it can go at regular speeds.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 299, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've played with v1.2.9 only a little bit (I primarily use MakerWare). However, it looks as though you can just go to <code>Print Settings -> Speed -> (Modifiers) First Layer Speed</code>. Here you'll have the option to set the speed in <code>mm/s or %</code>. If you're having issues with the first layer (or two) not adhering very well to a raft, try reducing the distance between the part and the raft. Mine looks to be a default of 0.2mm. This can be adjusted from <code>Print Settings -> Support Material -> (Options for support material and raft) Contact Z distance</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Please note that the closer the part is to the raft, the more likely the part is to sticking to the raft once it cools. So, I would recommend being close by as the part finished so you can quickly remove the raft before it cools with the part. It become especially more difficult with PLA because it becomes hardened during the print process, therefore resulting in a more catastrophic material failure if any part of the object is broken (such as a raft).</p>\n\n<p>I'll also note that I primarily use MakerWare for my machine and v3.8 has made it much easier to apply these types of settings. It's similar to Slic3r's interface and no longer in a JSON file that pops up. Through the MakerWare interface, you can navigate to <code>Settings -> Custom -> Extrusion Speeds -> First Layer</code> to adjust the print speed. You'll also notice that there is a separate option for <code>First Layer Raft</code> that ensures that the two values are separate in the post-processer. I believe it still may be possible to use MakerWare for a non-MakerBot machine, just export the file to GCode and you should be able to load it directly into your machine via SD card or possibly even Slic3r (it might change some of the code though).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 304, "author": "Tormod Haugene", "author_id": 115, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/115", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This is still work in progress, and here is what I have so far, but first:</p>\n\n<p><strong>A useful alternative for similar problems:</strong></p>\n\n<p>A problem very similar to this would be to use different settings for different parts of a model in Slic3r. For most settings, this can be achieved through <a href=\"http://slic3r.org/blog/modifier-meshes\" rel=\"nofollow\">modifier meshes</a>.</p>\n\n<h1>Post processing scripts:</h1>\n\n<p>As far as I know, Slic3r does not give you the option of setting the speed of the first layer after a raft directly, but they do allow you to run <a href=\"http://manual.slic3r.org/advanced/post-processing\" rel=\"nofollow\">post processing scripts</a>; that is, to automatically run a set of operations - programmed by you - on the g-code output.</p>\n\n<p>Although far from trivial, you can in theory make a program that runs through the output g-code, adjusts the settings to your preference, and then saves it again at the target destination.</p>\n\n<h3>Tuning overall printer speed through g-code:</h3>\n\n<p>As it turns out, there is a <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M220:_Set_speed_factor_override_percentage\" rel=\"nofollow\">simple g-code command</a> that sets the overall speed of your printer's operation:</p>\n\n<pre><code>M220 S[some number] ; see the link above for compatible firmware\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>A <a href=\"http://reprapworld.com/newletters/newsletter_4_201438.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">newsletter</a> from Reprapwold explains that:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For example M220 S50 will reduce the speed to 50%\n of the original sliced G-code. If you want to hurry your print to the finish in time\n for dinner, use M220 S200, to print twice as fast (200%)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In other words, just like some printers allow you the change speed mid-print, you can use the M220 command to override the current speed used, either through a user interface such as PrintRun, or by fiddling with the original g-code itself.</p>\n\n<h3>Manipulating the g-code output to adjust speed settings:</h3>\n\n<p>The easiest way to achieve our goal would be to manually manipulate the output g-code file through a text editor, and insert our M220 command in appropriate places:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Set M220 S50 just before the first <em>perimeter</em> layer (after the raft's <em>interface layer</em>), to slow down the first layer of the actual model.</li>\n<li>Set M220 S100 sometime after the first perimeter layer, to resume the normal speed settings.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In order to do this, though, we need to be able to distinguish these two points in the g-code output.</p>\n\n<h3>Distinguishing insertion points:</h3>\n\n<p>Slic3r offers a setting under <code>Print Settings -> Output options -> Verbose G-code</code> that - when enabled - inserts written comments all throughout the g-code files generated. </p>\n\n<p>If one inspects a g-code file outputted for a model with raft, one will find the comment:</p>\n\n<pre><code>; move to first perimeter point <- lets call this A\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>and </p>\n\n<pre><code>; move to next layer (x) <- lets call this B\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>littered several places throughout the gcode. </p>\n\n<p>It is under my <em>impression</em> that the <em>first</em> occurrence of comment <strong>A</strong> happens right after the raft is finished, and before the actual model is being printed, while the first occurrence of comment <strong>B</strong> succeeding comment <strong>A</strong> can be used to set the speed back to normal.</p>\n\n<p>It should be noted, however, that <strong>the comments in the output g-code does not seem fully consistent</strong>, and I would therefore not recommend anyone to automate this logic into a script without possibly finding other, more reliable breakpoints, and thoroughly verify these through several different models. </p>\n\n<p>I have not looked into the details of writing an automatic script for this task as of yet.</p>\n" } ]	2016/01/13	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/132", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/43/" ]	When you add a raft in Slic3r, the first layer of the raft prints at the first layer speed. After the raft is finished, the first layer of the print prints at the standard speed. How can I make the first layer of the actual print slow down to the first layer speed?	This is still work in progress, and here is what I have so far, but first: A useful alternative for similar problems: A problem very similar to this would be to use different settings for different parts of a model in Slic3r. For most settings, this can be achieved through [modifier meshes](http://slic3r.org/blog/modifier-meshes). Post processing scripts: ======================== As far as I know, Slic3r does not give you the option of setting the speed of the first layer after a raft directly, but they do allow you to run [post processing scripts](http://manual.slic3r.org/advanced/post-processing); that is, to automatically run a set of operations - programmed by you - on the g-code output. Although far from trivial, you can in theory make a program that runs through the output g-code, adjusts the settings to your preference, and then saves it again at the target destination. ### Tuning overall printer speed through g-code: As it turns out, there is a [simple g-code command](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M220:_Set_speed_factor_override_percentage) that sets the overall speed of your printer's operation: ``` M220 S[some number] ; see the link above for compatible firmware ``` A [newsletter](http://reprapworld.com/newletters/newsletter_4_201438.pdf) from Reprapwold explains that: > > For example M220 S50 will reduce the speed to 50% > of the original sliced G-code. If you want to hurry your print to the finish in time > for dinner, use M220 S200, to print twice as fast (200%) > > > In other words, just like some printers allow you the change speed mid-print, you can use the M220 command to override the current speed used, either through a user interface such as PrintRun, or by fiddling with the original g-code itself. ### Manipulating the g-code output to adjust speed settings: The easiest way to achieve our goal would be to manually manipulate the output g-code file through a text editor, and insert our M220 command in appropriate places: * Set M220 S50 just before the first perimeter layer (after the raft's interface layer), to slow down the first layer of the actual model. * Set M220 S100 sometime after the first perimeter layer, to resume the normal speed settings. In order to do this, though, we need to be able to distinguish these two points in the g-code output. ### Distinguishing insertion points: Slic3r offers a setting under `Print Settings -> Output options -> Verbose G-code` that - when enabled - inserts written comments all throughout the g-code files generated. If one inspects a g-code file outputted for a model with raft, one will find the comment: ``` ; move to first perimeter point <- lets call this A ``` and ``` ; move to next layer (x) <- lets call this B ``` littered several places throughout the gcode. It is under my impression that the first occurrence of comment A happens right after the raft is finished, and before the actual model is being printed, while the first occurrence of comment B succeeding comment A can be used to set the speed back to normal. It should be noted, however, that the comments in the output g-code does not seem fully consistent, and I would therefore not recommend anyone to automate this logic into a script without possibly finding other, more reliable breakpoints, and thoroughly verify these through several different models. I have not looked into the details of writing an automatic script for this task as of yet.
259	<p>Let's say I print a part out of ABS and wait for it to cool. I could theoretically do this with several copies of the same printer, modified to use print beds of different compositions.</p> <p>Will the material a bed is made out of affect how long it takes a part to cool?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 262, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you are meaning the build plate and not confusing it with a printed raft, yes, different materials for the build plate will have different cooling rates. I don't know the values of hand, but a Google search can get you to a formula to calculate how long a certain size build plate of a given material type should roughly take to cool. (I'm using the mobile app right now, so I'll have to get back to this answer later to give links and more details)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 263, "author": "Tormod Haugene", "author_id": 115, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/115", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>What bed material cools faster?</strong></p>\n\n<p>I found an <a href=\"http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html\">extensive list</a> which relates various materials to their <em>thermal conductivity</em>, k [W/mK]; the lower thermal conductivity, the better the material insulates, and the slower the print bed will resist changes in temperature - both heating up, and cooling down. </p>\n\n<p>Here are the thermal conductivity for some common materials for 3d printer beds:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Aluminum 205\nGlass 1.05\nAcrylic 0.2\nAir 0.024 (for reference)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>There is also the matter of thermal capacity, but I will not go into that right now (need to do some research myself first!).</p>\n\n<p><strong>Will bed material affect cooling time?</strong></p>\n\n<p>Bed material, I believe, is not necessarily related to print cooldown time: it depends on the situation, such as whether we are discussing cooldown during or after printing, and if the bed is heated or not. </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>If you are <em>not</em> using a heated bed, I believe the bed material doesn't matter at all.</li>\n<li>With a heated bed <em>while printing</em>, only the first dozen layers or so are probably affected by the rising heat sufficiently that it affects the printing process.</li>\n<li>With a heated bed <em>after printing</em>, the thermal characteristics of the bed will determine how quickly the print cools (and thus can be removed).</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Also remember that other physical properties, such as flatness (both cold and during heating) of the bed material is vital for successful prints, and that not all materials can tolerate heating equally well! </p>\n" } ]	2016/01/15	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/259", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/61/" ]	Let's say I print a part out of ABS and wait for it to cool. I could theoretically do this with several copies of the same printer, modified to use print beds of different compositions. Will the material a bed is made out of affect how long it takes a part to cool?	What bed material cools faster? I found an [extensive list](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html) which relates various materials to their thermal conductivity, k [W/mK]; the lower thermal conductivity, the better the material insulates, and the slower the print bed will resist changes in temperature - both heating up, and cooling down. Here are the thermal conductivity for some common materials for 3d printer beds: ``` Aluminum 205 Glass 1.05 Acrylic 0.2 Air 0.024 (for reference) ``` There is also the matter of thermal capacity, but I will not go into that right now (need to do some research myself first!). Will bed material affect cooling time? Bed material, I believe, is not necessarily related to print cooldown time: it depends on the situation, such as whether we are discussing cooldown during or after printing, and if the bed is heated or not. 1. If you are not using a heated bed, I believe the bed material doesn't matter at all. 2. With a heated bed while printing, only the first dozen layers or so are probably affected by the rising heat sufficiently that it affects the printing process. 3. With a heated bed after printing, the thermal characteristics of the bed will determine how quickly the print cools (and thus can be removed). Also remember that other physical properties, such as flatness (both cold and during heating) of the bed material is vital for successful prints, and that not all materials can tolerate heating equally well!
296	<p>From what I understand, when you hook up the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007KG0ZYI">Switching Power Supply 12v Dc 30a 360w</a> to the wall outlet, you have to be <strong>very careful</strong>; careful not to get the wires mixed up; careful not to have anyone or anything touch the leads (in fact the first proper project I intend to print out will be <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:31659">a casing to fit around the switching power supply</a>), or just order one from someone. </p> <p>Now there are three wires that go into the US wall of particular concern, and these wires come out of a standard PC cable with the female end cut off, and they hook the power supply. Like the external casing, these three wires are also insulated, and when you take the insulation off the bare wires and connect it to the power supply, you have to use Electrical connectors of some sort to connect them to the power supply's screw leads.</p> <p>I bought some electrical connectors just for this purpose, but I'm not entirely certain they will be good for this purpose, so I thought I'd check here first.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RTAFs.jpg"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RTAFs.jpg" alt="Picture of GE Electrical Connectors 50956, 40 piece set"></a></p> <p>There are specifications on the back:</p> <pre><code>╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ ╬ AWG ╬ Wire Size ╬ Stud Size ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Spade Terminals ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ YF1.25-35 (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ 0.5-1.5 ╬ 3.7 ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Ring Terminals ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ YF1.25-4 (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ .5-1.5 ╬ 4.3 ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Butt Splice ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ BF-1.2SS (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ .5-1.5 ╬ n/a ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ </code></pre> <p>Not sure if I should use ring or spade terminals, and I don't know what wire size to use; and I don't know what wire grade is inside a standard PC power cord or even if these are safe connectors to use for this.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 301, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It is okay to just use bare wires in the type of screw connector found on your power supply. They're designed for it; they have a little plate under the screw that prevents the wires from being frayed by the screw.</p>\n\n<p>If you want neater wire termination, you should use one of the spade type ones. Pick the smallest size that fits your wires.</p>\n\n<p>PC power cords are generally fitted with an IEC C13 plug, and those are rated for 10A (meaning also the wires themselves will be able to carry at least that much current). This is fine for any home 3D printer which usually draws a fraction of that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 302, "author": "Matt Clark", "author_id": 47, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/47", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The block on the supply will accept the bare wire</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.imgur.com/RvlyTNR.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.imgur.com/RvlyTNR.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>you <em>could</em> use the yellow in the middle on the right, but the screw on the block essentially does its own crimp.</p>\n" } ]	2016/01/16	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/296", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/37/" ]	From what I understand, when you hook up the [Switching Power Supply 12v Dc 30a 360w](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007KG0ZYI) to the wall outlet, you have to be very careful; careful not to get the wires mixed up; careful not to have anyone or anything touch the leads (in fact the first proper project I intend to print out will be [a casing to fit around the switching power supply](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:31659)), or just order one from someone. Now there are three wires that go into the US wall of particular concern, and these wires come out of a standard PC cable with the female end cut off, and they hook the power supply. Like the external casing, these three wires are also insulated, and when you take the insulation off the bare wires and connect it to the power supply, you have to use Electrical connectors of some sort to connect them to the power supply's screw leads. I bought some electrical connectors just for this purpose, but I'm not entirely certain they will be good for this purpose, so I thought I'd check here first. [![Picture of GE Electrical Connectors 50956, 40 piece set](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RTAFs.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RTAFs.jpg) There are specifications on the back: ``` ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ ╬ AWG ╬ Wire Size ╬ Stud Size ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Spade Terminals ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ YF1.25-35 (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ 0.5-1.5 ╬ 3.7 ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Ring Terminals ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ YF1.25-4 (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ .5-1.5 ╬ 4.3 ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ Butt Splice ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ╬ BF-1.2SS (red) ╬ 22-16 ╬ .5-1.5 ╬ n/a ╬ ╬──────────────────╬──────────────────────╬─────────────╬───────────╬ ``` Not sure if I should use ring or spade terminals, and I don't know what wire size to use; and I don't know what wire grade is inside a standard PC power cord or even if these are safe connectors to use for this.	It is okay to just use bare wires in the type of screw connector found on your power supply. They're designed for it; they have a little plate under the screw that prevents the wires from being frayed by the screw. If you want neater wire termination, you should use one of the spade type ones. Pick the smallest size that fits your wires. PC power cords are generally fitted with an IEC C13 plug, and those are rated for 10A (meaning also the wires themselves will be able to carry at least that much current). This is fine for any home 3D printer which usually draws a fraction of that.
403	<p>There is a little circuit board, or breadboard or something <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Rework_Electronics_and_wiring#Wiring" rel="nofollow noreferrer">in the diagram of the wiring for the i3</a>.</p> <p>And it's mentioned that the z-axis motors need to be <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Rework_Electronics_and_wiring#Motors_wiring" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wired in parallel</a> but beyond that they don't give you much detail about parts or how the wires go in. </p> <p>Can someone provide me with some more detail on this?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 404, "author": "TextGeek", "author_id": 40, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/40", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In the diagram, they do show the wires connecting together, which is right. You can accomplish that just about any way you like, so long as you pair up the wires correctly from one motor to the other.</p>\n\n<p>I'm assuming both \"Z\" motors are the same type and have the same color-coding for their wires. If not, you'll need to figure out the correspondences first (you may want to post another question if you need a hand with that, since it's pretty specific and generally useful).</p>\n\n<p>Many control boards have \"headers\" sticking up, with 4 bare pins for each motor. Connectors that plug right onto those are readily available, such as at <a href=\"https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10364\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10364</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Some ways you can wire the motors in parallel:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Some control boards, like my RAMPS 1.4, provide 2 sets of header pins next to the Z stepper driver board. In that case, just put a connector on each motor (if they're not there already), and plug them in next to each other.</p></li>\n<li><p>If there's just one set of header pins (or one Z-motor socket of some other kind) on your controller, make a \"Y-cord\" by soldering the wires from one connector (that plugs to the controller) to <em>2</em> 4 pin connectors, one to mate with each motor.</p></li>\n<li><p>Or you can skip the 2 extra connectors entirely, and just solder the motor wires to the wires from the connector: 2 reds to red, 2 blacks to black, or whatever.</p></li>\n<li><p>If your controller just has empty holes, either solder in header pins and do as above (preferred, IMHO), or wire directly into the holes, splicing the 2 sets of motor wires if there's only one set of holes.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Motor and connector wires are wildly inconsistent, so make sure you get them sorted out right if they aren't already. The first thing is to check continuity: find 2 pairs of wires, which are the ends of two separate coils. If your motors have more than 4 wires it's trickier.</p>\n\n<p>With RAMPS (see handy diagram <a href=\"http://makerdev.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ramps_fanboard_annotations.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield</a>), </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6lsT.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6lsT.jpg\" alt=\"RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield\" title=\"RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield\"></a></p>\n\n<p>the 4 pins are commonly labelled (starting from the one nearest the power-supply end of the RAMPS board):</p>\n\n<pre><code>2B 2A 1A 1B\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It means coil 1 and coil 2, each of which has ends A and B. I find this unclear because it could just as well have been numbers for the coils, and letters for the ends (if you wire it that way it won't work). So be sure you have continuity (maybe 15 ohms or so) between the wires you connect to 2B and 2A, and between the wires you connect to 1A and 1B.</p>\n\n<p>The <em>really good thing</em> about this pin order is that if a motor is running backwards all you have to do is power off and then turn the plug around. That's one reason I think it's important to keep connectors in there, rather than soldering directly.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6885, "author": "Serge Rabyking", "author_id": 11199, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11199", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For some unknown reason, everywhere everybody is saying that Z stepper motors need to be connected in parallel... And this was always the only obvious way, until recently some people started to connect these motors in series.</p>\n\n<p>And I personally started to believe the right way is to connect them in series.</p>\n\n<p>All stepstick drivers are some kind of current limiting devices (you could read more about chopper mode). It is all about current.\nConnecting in series will guarantee that both motors receive the same current in all situations. And as result you could expect the same behaviour from both of them.</p>\n\n<p>The bad thing when they are in parallel, is that the motor with the bigger load will get more current and as a result the other one will get less current and could skip steps. Of course, in an ideal situation, this should never happen but don't forget about Murphy's law (\"whatever can go wrong, will go wrong\").</p>\n\n<p>One more thing - why did I change my wiring and connected my Z motors in series: At some moment I found that one Z motor was disconnected but the other one was working and this resulted in a broken printer geometry. When Z motors are in series and if one of them fails or disconnects, the other one will not work either. You will get always synchronous operation from both of them!</p>\n\n<p>I made this Z splitter that works fantastic: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM9F3.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Z splitter\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM9F3.jpg\" alt=\"Z splitter\" title=\"Z splitter\"></a></p>\n" } ]	2016/01/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/403", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/37/" ]	There is a little circuit board, or breadboard or something [in the diagram of the wiring for the i3](http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Rework_Electronics_and_wiring#Wiring). And it's mentioned that the z-axis motors need to be [wired in parallel](http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Rework_Electronics_and_wiring#Motors_wiring) but beyond that they don't give you much detail about parts or how the wires go in. Can someone provide me with some more detail on this?	In the diagram, they do show the wires connecting together, which is right. You can accomplish that just about any way you like, so long as you pair up the wires correctly from one motor to the other. I'm assuming both "Z" motors are the same type and have the same color-coding for their wires. If not, you'll need to figure out the correspondences first (you may want to post another question if you need a hand with that, since it's pretty specific and generally useful). Many control boards have "headers" sticking up, with 4 bare pins for each motor. Connectors that plug right onto those are readily available, such as at <https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10364>. Some ways you can wire the motors in parallel: * Some control boards, like my RAMPS 1.4, provide 2 sets of header pins next to the Z stepper driver board. In that case, just put a connector on each motor (if they're not there already), and plug them in next to each other. * If there's just one set of header pins (or one Z-motor socket of some other kind) on your controller, make a "Y-cord" by soldering the wires from one connector (that plugs to the controller) to 2 4 pin connectors, one to mate with each motor. * Or you can skip the 2 extra connectors entirely, and just solder the motor wires to the wires from the connector: 2 reds to red, 2 blacks to black, or whatever. * If your controller just has empty holes, either solder in header pins and do as above (preferred, IMHO), or wire directly into the holes, splicing the 2 sets of motor wires if there's only one set of holes. Motor and connector wires are wildly inconsistent, so make sure you get them sorted out right if they aren't already. The first thing is to check continuity: find 2 pairs of wires, which are the ends of two separate coils. If your motors have more than 4 wires it's trickier. With RAMPS (see handy diagram [RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield](http://makerdev.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ramps_fanboard_annotations.jpg)), [![RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6lsT.jpg "RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6lsT.jpg "RAMPS 1.4 RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu shield") the 4 pins are commonly labelled (starting from the one nearest the power-supply end of the RAMPS board): ``` 2B 2A 1A 1B ``` It means coil 1 and coil 2, each of which has ends A and B. I find this unclear because it could just as well have been numbers for the coils, and letters for the ends (if you wire it that way it won't work). So be sure you have continuity (maybe 15 ohms or so) between the wires you connect to 2B and 2A, and between the wires you connect to 1A and 1B. The really good thing about this pin order is that if a motor is running backwards all you have to do is power off and then turn the plug around. That's one reason I think it's important to keep connectors in there, rather than soldering directly.
454	<p>I'm using Cura as my slicing/printing software and I just started using the BuildTak printing surface.</p> <p>The BuildTak is damaged by pushing a hot nozzle into it and my printer's (Robo3D R1+) autoleveling feature works by pushing the nozzle into the build surface.</p> <p>Is there a way to configure Cura so that it runs the Z probe first, then heat up the nozzle?</p> <p>My first sheet of BuildTak already has 10 small holes in it (at the homing position and at the 9 leveling touch points)</p>	[ { "answer_id": 469, "author": "Tormod Haugene", "author_id": 115, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/115", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In Cura (and Slic3r), you can 100% customize what the printer does before printing your actual model through custom <strong>start/end g-code</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>If you navigate to the <code>Start/End-GCode tab in Cura</code>, then select <code>start.gcode</code>, you can see what operations are run before each print begins. Lines prefixed with <code>;</code> are comments, and does not affect the printing in any way. </p>\n\n<p>Basically, we want to manually tell the printer to do the auto leveling <em>before</em> heating up the nozzle by editing the g-code in <code>start.gcode</code>.</p>\n\n<h3>G-Code generated with the default start.gcode:</h3>\n\n<p>If you try to slice some model with the default code found in <code>start.gcode</code>, you will get something like the following (depending on your printer):</p>\n\n<pre><code>; CURA AUTOMATICALLY INSERTS THESE TEMPERATURE CODES\n\nM190 S70.000000 ; Set bed temperature to 70 degrees\nM109 S210.000000 ; Set nozzle temperature to 210 degrees\n\n\n; THESE ARE THE CODES FROM START.GCODE (for a ROBO 3D R1) \n\nG28 ;move printer to endstops (the home position)\nG92 E0 ;zero the extruded filament length\nM565 Z-1 ;set z-probe offset\nG1 Z5 F5000 ;move the printer 5mm above the bed\nG29 ;run auto-leveling\n\n\n; THE ACTUAL MODEL BEGINS HERE\n\n;Layer count: 168\n;LAYER:0\n.\n.\n</code></pre>\n\n<h3>Analyzing the g-code output</h3>\n\n<p>At the top of this code snippet, we can see that Cura automatically inserts g-code for heating up the bed and nozzle to their respective temperatures with the <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M190:_Wait_for_bed_temperature_to_reach_target_temp\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M190</a> and <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M109</a> g-codes. This means the printer always will heat up the nozzle before reading the <code>start.gcode</code>s that we set. However, if we manually override <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M109</a> code in <code>start.gcode</code>, the <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M109</a> at the top will automagically disappear from the generated g-code output! (Thanks, @TomvanderZanden!)</p>\n\n<p>We could therefore use the auto-leveling command <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G29:_Detailed_Z-Probe\" rel=\"noreferrer\">G29</a> before manually setting the nozzle temperature with <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M109</a>; specifically, we want to add <code>M109 S{print_temperature}</code>, which reads the <code>Basic -> Print Temperature</code>-setting in Cura, and replace <code>{print_temperature}</code> with it automatically.</p>\n\n<h3>Manipulating start.gcode:</h3>\n\n<p>In order to postpone heating the hotend till after probing, <code>start.gcode</code> could be something like: </p>\n\n<pre><code>G28 ;move printer to endstops (the home position)\nG92 E0 ;zero the extruded filament length\nM565 Z-1 ;set z-probe offset <----- ( YOU HAVE TO ADJUST THIS, READ BELOW)\nG1 Z5 F5000 ;move the printer 5mm above the bed\nG29 ;run auto-leveling\nM109 S{print_temperature} ;set nozzle temperature, and wait for it heat up\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>And that's about it! You can then use these codes in your <code>start.gcode</code>. However, you probably will have to recalibrate your z-prove offset. </p>\n\n<h3>Adjust z-probe offset:</h3>\n\n<p>Normally, auto-leveling is done with the nozzle heated for a reason: when the nozzle is warm, it expands slightly, moving closer to the bed. You might therefore have to adjust your Z-probe offset with the <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M565:_Set_Z_probe_offset\" rel=\"noreferrer\">M565</a> command (as demonstrated in the snippet) to account for the increase in nozzle length when warm.</p>\n\n<h3>Remember:</h3>\n\n<p>Remember that when editing g-code in this manner, you will take full control of how the printer operates. You could therefore very well do something unintended, so keep the power switch close! </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 18662, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As pointed out in <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/454/how-to-configure-cura-to-run-the-z-probe-before-heating/469#comment6403_469\">Markus's comment</a> to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/469/4762\">Tormod's answer</a>, <code>{print_temperature}</code> needs to be replaced by <code>{material_print_temperature}</code>, so the code now becomes:</p>\n<pre><code>G28 ;move printer to endstops (the home position)\nG92 E0 ;zero the extruded filament length\nM565 Z-1 ;set z-probe offset <----- ( YOU HAVE TO ADJUST THIS, READ BELOW)\nG1 Z5 F5000 ;move the printer 5mm above the bed\nG29 ;run auto-leveling\nM109 S{material_print_temperature} ;set nozzle temperature, and wait for it heat up\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2016/02/03	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/454", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/170/" ]	I'm using Cura as my slicing/printing software and I just started using the BuildTak printing surface. The BuildTak is damaged by pushing a hot nozzle into it and my printer's (Robo3D R1+) autoleveling feature works by pushing the nozzle into the build surface. Is there a way to configure Cura so that it runs the Z probe first, then heat up the nozzle? My first sheet of BuildTak already has 10 small holes in it (at the homing position and at the 9 leveling touch points)	In Cura (and Slic3r), you can 100% customize what the printer does before printing your actual model through custom start/end g-code. If you navigate to the `Start/End-GCode tab in Cura`, then select `start.gcode`, you can see what operations are run before each print begins. Lines prefixed with `;` are comments, and does not affect the printing in any way. Basically, we want to manually tell the printer to do the auto leveling before heating up the nozzle by editing the g-code in `start.gcode`. ### G-Code generated with the default start.gcode: If you try to slice some model with the default code found in `start.gcode`, you will get something like the following (depending on your printer): ``` ; CURA AUTOMATICALLY INSERTS THESE TEMPERATURE CODES M190 S70.000000 ; Set bed temperature to 70 degrees M109 S210.000000 ; Set nozzle temperature to 210 degrees ; THESE ARE THE CODES FROM START.GCODE (for a ROBO 3D R1) G28 ;move printer to endstops (the home position) G92 E0 ;zero the extruded filament length M565 Z-1 ;set z-probe offset G1 Z5 F5000 ;move the printer 5mm above the bed G29 ;run auto-leveling ; THE ACTUAL MODEL BEGINS HERE ;Layer count: 168 ;LAYER:0 . . ``` ### Analyzing the g-code output At the top of this code snippet, we can see that Cura automatically inserts g-code for heating up the bed and nozzle to their respective temperatures with the [M190](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M190:_Wait_for_bed_temperature_to_reach_target_temp) and [M109](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait) g-codes. This means the printer always will heat up the nozzle before reading the `start.gcode`s that we set. However, if we manually override [M109](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait) code in `start.gcode`, the [M109](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait) at the top will automagically disappear from the generated g-code output! (Thanks, @TomvanderZanden!) We could therefore use the auto-leveling command [G29](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G29:_Detailed_Z-Probe) before manually setting the nozzle temperature with [M109](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait); specifically, we want to add `M109 S{print_temperature}`, which reads the `Basic -> Print Temperature`-setting in Cura, and replace `{print_temperature}` with it automatically. ### Manipulating start.gcode: In order to postpone heating the hotend till after probing, `start.gcode` could be something like: ``` G28 ;move printer to endstops (the home position) G92 E0 ;zero the extruded filament length M565 Z-1 ;set z-probe offset <----- ( YOU HAVE TO ADJUST THIS, READ BELOW) G1 Z5 F5000 ;move the printer 5mm above the bed G29 ;run auto-leveling M109 S{print_temperature} ;set nozzle temperature, and wait for it heat up ``` And that's about it! You can then use these codes in your `start.gcode`. However, you probably will have to recalibrate your z-prove offset. ### Adjust z-probe offset: Normally, auto-leveling is done with the nozzle heated for a reason: when the nozzle is warm, it expands slightly, moving closer to the bed. You might therefore have to adjust your Z-probe offset with the [M565](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M565:_Set_Z_probe_offset) command (as demonstrated in the snippet) to account for the increase in nozzle length when warm. ### Remember: Remember that when editing g-code in this manner, you will take full control of how the printer operates. You could therefore very well do something unintended, so keep the power switch close!
456	<p>I am wondering how people that use standalone 3D printers (printers that have the ability to print autonomously from SD Card) feed in filament, prime the printhead and/or change filaments without a laptop ?</p> <p>Do the printers have a menu to arrange all these tasks ? I often only see the options to preheat the head to a certain temperature, but not to load/unload filament, extrude a small amount etc.</p> <p>I understand this differs from printer to printer, but still am wondering about this.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 457, "author": "Josip Ivic", "author_id": 334, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/334", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are options for tablets. They are running software <strong><a href=\"http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130408-control-3d-printer-with-pengpod-touch-screen-linux-tablet.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">(for example)</a></strong> on some device that has internal storage, wifi, USB connection etc.\nYou can buy a new tablet, or reuse your old one just to be a controller. </p>\n\n<p>Another great example is <strong><a href=\"https://www.matterhackers.com/store/printer-accessories/mattercontrol-touch\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this app</a></strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Apps have menus that can arrange everything for you, now it depends on what app do you use and what filament you use. It's very simple thing.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oI8Sz.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oI8Sz.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 459, "author": "MalphasWats", "author_id": 364, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/364", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My printer (IdeaWerk 150) is very basic and doesn't have any options for this from the screen.</p>\n\n<p>I wrote a really simple GCODE file that brings the nozzle up to temperature, then runs the extruder for a few seconds, then waits, then extrudes for a bit again. I think it does this 3 or 4 times then stops. I can put the file (when converted to .x3g!) onto an SD card and run it whenever I need it.</p>\n\n<p>I have a similar file that allows me to level the bed without a computer by just moving the nozzle around to a few key points on the bed and pausing for a few seconds.</p>\n\n<p>I used a GCODE file generated by my slicer in verbose mode to get started, along with a <a href=\"http://softsolder.com/2013/03/14/g-code-and-m-code-grand-master-list/\">list of codes</a></p>\n\n<p>I don't have these files to hand at the moment, but this is my <code>start.gcode</code>:</p>\n\n<pre><code>(** beginning of start.txt )\n(This file is for a WeisTek IdeaWerk 150)\n( begin initilization commands )\nG21 (Metric FTW)\nG90 (Absolute Positioning)\nM18 (This disables the stepper motors.)\n\nG92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 (Declare the current position to be 0,0,0,0,0)\n( end initilization commands )\n\n( begin homing )\nG161 Y X F2500\nG92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0\nG1 X5.0 Y5.0 Z-5.0 F450\nG162 Z F450\nG161 Y X F2500 (Home X axis maximum, go until reaching the end stop.)\n\nG92 Z142.4 ( Set Bed Height )\n\nG92 X-75 Y-75 (set zero for X and Y)\n( end homing )\n\nM108 R8.0 (Extruder speed = max)\nM6 T0 (wait for toolhead parts, nozzle, HBP, etc., to reach temperature)\n\nG1 Z10 F500 (Bring bed up)\n\nM101 (Turn on Extruder)\nG04 P8000 (Wait for 8 seconds for flow)\n( end of start.txt **)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If I feed <em>just</em> this file into my printer, it will heat up the nozzle, bring the bed up to about 10cm below printing height and once the nozzle is at temperature, it turns on the extruder for 8 seconds.</p>\n\n<p>Your printer will likely be different to mine - there are a few different flavours of GCODE and you will likely have different XYZ positions, so take a look at some GCODE generated by your own slicer and identify the different parts. The principle is the same.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 460, "author": "amra", "author_id": 75, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/75", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>RepRap based printers use LCD modules with control button and SD card. You can trigger operations like </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>nozzle heating (to change filament)</li>\n<li>extrude filament</li>\n<li>home axis to caliber bed level</li>\n<li>...</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Most used LCD modules are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphic_Smart_Controller\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RepRapDiscount Full Graphic Smart Controller</a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/fGJrJ.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/fGJrJ.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RepRapDiscount Smart Controller</a>, see <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2niF8_XZ7xs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video</a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5asvg.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5asvg.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>RepRap firmwares (Marlin, Repetier) are supporting it. To get better view on what is supported, take a look on <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/RC/Marlin/language_en.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Marlin language file</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 659, "author": "David Maulik", "author_id": 693, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/693", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have two different printers that can print un-tethered. The first is a Prusa inspired machine with an LCD and the second is a printrbot without an LCD.</p>\n\n<p>The reprap machine uses a ramps 1.4 board programmed with Marlin that gives me the ability to control loading and unloading of the filament with simple menus. </p>\n\n<p>Not all printers that have the ability to print from SD come with an LCD screen. My printrbot simple metal does not come with an LCD, it is an additional $100.</p>\n\n<p>I am too cheap to buy one so I came up with an extremely low tech way of changing filament. I turn my printer on with an SD card that has an auto0.g file (this tells the board to load and run g-code on start-up), once the printer starts to move I kill the power remove the filament and put new filament into the extruder. I then press the lever to disengage the extruder motor and force the new filament into the hot end until the old color has been purged. Please note this method only works when you are replacing materials that have the same printing temperatures.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 660, "author": "Ryan Carlyle", "author_id": 298, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/298", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By a pretty large margin, the most popular \"primary control via LCD\" printers such as the FlashForge Creator line and Makerbot Replicator 1/2/2x run Sailfish firmware, which has options for all necessary control functions directly from the LCD. Preheat, load, unload, level bed, etc are all done via the LCD and seamlessly built-in scripts. There is no need to connect host software to do anything but update firmware and change rarely-adjusted settings like acceleration parameters. RepRap-style USB control of Sailfish printers is perfectly functional, but not really necessary 99.9% of the time. </p>\n\n<p>This is a major reason why Sailfish printers have historically been popular for printer farms. They're designed for stand-alone operation, which is highly favorable when the printers greatly outnumber the associated computers. It's extremely rare to see a Sailfish printer from the last 5 years without a 5-button LCD panel. </p>\n\n<p>The Sailfish firmware UI/UX is simply built around the LCD buttons rather than host software. This is <em>generally</em> more reliable and higher-performance than, say, Marlin via host because it reduces processor time spent on command transmission and eliminates all the possible failure modes in the PC and USB link. </p>\n\n<p>Assuming all Sailfish printers will have LCDs with SD card support and focusing on that one interface really allowed the creation of an overall better printer. More optimization, fewer things that need to be configured by the end-user. But in exchange, you're limited in what kind of hardware Sailfish will support. It's a tradeoff.</p>\n\n<p>In comparison, LCD support was more strapped onto RepRaps as an option rather than the core interface element. This tends to produce a host-driven interface design, rather than an LCD-driven interface design. Which is why operating \"headless\" tends to be more difficult in Marlin, Repetier, etc. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 661, "author": "nscan", "author_id": 762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/762", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I know that my RoBo 3D has the ability to run untethered once the gcode file is saved to the SD card attached to the ramps board. It does have to be attached to the computer to start the print at first, but can then be unplugged from your computer. Since it is just a Marlin based Ramps printer this should work for similar 3D printers.</p>\n\n<p>The gcode files contain the temperature of both the nozzle and the heated bed if you have one. The Marlin firmware will prime the temperatures for you.</p>\n\n<p>Changing filament you would still need to set your hot end temp to swap in the new filament with a computer over USB though.</p>\n\n<p>Now I personally use something called OctoPi which is a raspberry pi distribution preconfigured with Octoprint. OctoPrint allows you to control the printer, monitor or start prints over a web interface and even stream video to watch your prints if you want. While technically you printer is still tied to a computer(raspberry pi), it does not tie up the use of your laptop/desktop while printing. Plus this would allow you to put your 3D printer in more locations in your home as well.</p>\n\n<p>OctoPrint Website <a href=\"http://octoprint.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://octoprint.org/</a> </p>\n\n<p>For the OctoPi distribution <a href=\"http://octoprint.org/download/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://octoprint.org/download/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 665, "author": "gcatalfamo", "author_id": 688, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/688", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You don't need a specific menu for this (although some printers are more able than others to do the following procedure), just play with the filament loading procedure.</p>\n\n<p>Although better print qualities are given by sticking (if possible) to the same color and filament, when you have to \"flush out\" any trace:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>get an <strong>ABS</strong> filament of the <strong>most neutral color</strong> possible, getting a spool dedicated to this task might be a good idea</li>\n<li>load the neutral ABS at 250 degrees (or higher) and let it extrude <strong>freely</strong> and <strong>quickly</strong> for <strong>at least</strong> 1 meter.</li>\n<li>if you need to clean more, extrude at least 3 meters</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Note:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>if you can't get ABS (the best option) you can use PLA, but results may vary...</li>\n<li>if you can't get neutral color (absence or almost no color pigment), white is the best choice, otherwise black. Neutral color is best by far for obvious reasons.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]	2016/02/03	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/456", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/264/" ]	I am wondering how people that use standalone 3D printers (printers that have the ability to print autonomously from SD Card) feed in filament, prime the printhead and/or change filaments without a laptop ? Do the printers have a menu to arrange all these tasks ? I often only see the options to preheat the head to a certain temperature, but not to load/unload filament, extrude a small amount etc. I understand this differs from printer to printer, but still am wondering about this.	My printer (IdeaWerk 150) is very basic and doesn't have any options for this from the screen. I wrote a really simple GCODE file that brings the nozzle up to temperature, then runs the extruder for a few seconds, then waits, then extrudes for a bit again. I think it does this 3 or 4 times then stops. I can put the file (when converted to .x3g!) onto an SD card and run it whenever I need it. I have a similar file that allows me to level the bed without a computer by just moving the nozzle around to a few key points on the bed and pausing for a few seconds. I used a GCODE file generated by my slicer in verbose mode to get started, along with a [list of codes](http://softsolder.com/2013/03/14/g-code-and-m-code-grand-master-list/) I don't have these files to hand at the moment, but this is my `start.gcode`: ``` (** beginning of start.txt ) (This file is for a WeisTek IdeaWerk 150) ( begin initilization commands ) G21 (Metric FTW) G90 (Absolute Positioning) M18 (This disables the stepper motors.) G92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 (Declare the current position to be 0,0,0,0,0) ( end initilization commands ) ( begin homing ) G161 Y X F2500 G92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 G1 X5.0 Y5.0 Z-5.0 F450 G162 Z F450 G161 Y X F2500 (Home X axis maximum, go until reaching the end stop.) G92 Z142.4 ( Set Bed Height ) G92 X-75 Y-75 (set zero for X and Y) ( end homing ) M108 R8.0 (Extruder speed = max) M6 T0 (wait for toolhead parts, nozzle, HBP, etc., to reach temperature) G1 Z10 F500 (Bring bed up) M101 (Turn on Extruder) G04 P8000 (Wait for 8 seconds for flow) ( end of start.txt *) ``` If I feed just* this file into my printer, it will heat up the nozzle, bring the bed up to about 10cm below printing height and once the nozzle is at temperature, it turns on the extruder for 8 seconds. Your printer will likely be different to mine - there are a few different flavours of GCODE and you will likely have different XYZ positions, so take a look at some GCODE generated by your own slicer and identify the different parts. The principle is the same.
711	<p>What is the proper way to give printer settings to CuraEngine? Is it possible to put all these settings into a file (like Json formatted)?</p> <pre><code>CuraEngine.exe -v -o "c:\3d\test.gcode" "c:\3d\test.stl" </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 848, "author": "Josip Ivic", "author_id": 334, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/334", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not sure if it's possible, but on github is code for setting CuraEngine up. Maybe you'll find this link, <a href=\"https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine/blob/master/src/settings/settings.cpp\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"> CuraEngine/src/settings/settings.cpp</a> helpful. </p>\n\n<p>The latest release has more speed customization. You can change first layer speed, outer shell speed, inner shell speed, infill speed, and top and bottom speed.</p>\n\n<p>You can cut objects, its just a little wonky. In the advanced tab there is a \"cut off object at Z height\" that you can use to cut objects in half.</p>\n\n<p>Theoretically, you can put all settings into a JSON formatted file. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 1107, "author": "thopiekar", "author_id": 1655, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1655", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think the easiest thing is to use the Cura application together with CuraEngine.\nIf your printer is not supported, you'll need to add it manually by adding a JSON here: <a href=\"https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/tree/master/resources/machines\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/tree/master/resources/machines</a>\nBut when you are done you can easily choose all the features you want. For example: generating supports, printing order when printing multiple models, etc.\nCura and CuraEngine are developed at the same time, so you can expect that all features supported by the engine are accessible by the UI.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4443, "author": "Tim Kuipers", "author_id": 7956, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7956", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, try </p>\n\n<pre><code>CuraEngine.exe --help\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The proper way is to first load in settings from the <code>.def.json</code> file of your printer. However, the formulae in the machine definition file are not being processed. CuraEngine only uses the <code>default_value</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Then you specify setting overrides to set specific settings to a specific value. The specified settings are applied to the last provided object/extruder and otherwise globally.</p>\n\n<pre><code>CuraEngine.exe -v -j machine.def.json -s global_setting=global_value \n -e1 -s setting=extruder_value\n -l object_to_be_printed_with_second_extruder.stl -s setting=object_value \n -o output.gcode\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>One-at-a-time mode is done by adding <code>--next</code> commands between each group:</p>\n\n<pre><code>CuraEngine [general settings] -g [settings for the first model] --next [settings for the next model]\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2016/03/08	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/711", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/891/" ]	What is the proper way to give printer settings to CuraEngine? Is it possible to put all these settings into a file (like Json formatted)? ``` CuraEngine.exe -v -o "c:\3d\test.gcode" "c:\3d\test.stl" ```	I'm not sure if it's possible, but on github is code for setting CuraEngine up. Maybe you'll find this link, [CuraEngine/src/settings/settings.cpp](https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine/blob/master/src/settings/settings.cpp) helpful. The latest release has more speed customization. You can change first layer speed, outer shell speed, inner shell speed, infill speed, and top and bottom speed. You can cut objects, its just a little wonky. In the advanced tab there is a "cut off object at Z height" that you can use to cut objects in half. Theoretically, you can put all settings into a JSON formatted file.
850	<p>I was in the process of printing a 16 hour print, but I must have failed to copy the G-code correctly, because the print stopped after 107 of 223 layers. Looking at the G-code, It also stops there. </p> <p>However, I had the full G-code on my computer, and decided to try and resume the print from layer 108. It seemed to work, with the exception of a little excess extrusion at a single point in the beginning, but after three layers, i noticed that it wasn't extruding anymore. I am not completely positive that it isn't due to nozzle jamming, but I have a strong feeling that the problem is the G-code itself, as it does extrude some plastic just before printing starts.</p> <p>Here are the first lines of my manually edited G-code. Can anyone see why I get the blob in the beginning, or why I don't get anything at all later on? Or does it look good, and my problem is probably the nozzle? </p> <pre><code>;FLAVOR:UltiGCode ;TIME:60308 ;MATERIAL:119047 ;MATERIAL2:0 ;NOZZLE_DIAMETER:0.400000 ;NOZZLE_DIAMETER2:0.400000 ;MTYPE:PLA ;Layer count: 222 ;LAYER:109 G0 F9000 X208.213 Y107.948 Z16.610 ;TYPE:FILL G1 F3600 X210.390 Y105.771 E4104.65185 G0 F9000 X210.390 Y103.170 G1 F3600 X168.331 Y61.111 E4107.77457 G0 F9000 X167.074 Y61.111 G1 F3600 X120.237 Y107.949 E4111.25208 G0 F9000 X121.695 Y107.949 G1 F3600 X74.857 Y61.111 E4114.72962 G0 F9000 X73.600 Y61.111 G1 F3600 X26.763 Y107.948 E4118.20709 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 851, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to the RepRap.org <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">list of G-Code commands</a>, see <strong><a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G0_.26_G1:_Move\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">G0 & G1: Move</a></strong>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The <code>Ennn</code> command is <em>The amount to extrude between the starting point and ending point</em>. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>However, according to <strike><a href=\"https://github.com/daid/Cura/issues/385\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a></strike> a discussion, that is now deleted from GitHub, about the Cura slicing engine:</p>\n\n<p>The <strong>E</strong> values are in <em>absolute mode</em>, so perhaps the firmware is attempting to move the stepper motor to the absolute position (which is almost 50% through your print). This may lead to clogging or skipping depending on how hot your extruder is at that point.</p>\n\n<p>As a last resort, you can perform a Boolean subtract on your model of the section that's already printed and re-slice the model to print the remaining bit. Then glue, or ABS weld, the remaining piece to the main print. I've done this in the past, it's not super glamorous, but it gets the job done if the part doesn't require a lot of structural integrity.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I was incorrect with the following statements with regard to the Cura slicing engine:</strong> </p>\n\n<p><s>It's been a while since I've looked at 3D printer G-Code, but from what I remember, <strong>E</strong> values can be the bane of any manually written G-Code. Usually the slicing engine generates the <strong>E</strong> value as an incremental step value throughout the G-Code (at least this was true for Skeinforge and early MakerWare, please verify this). So, if the value is incremental and depending on the controller, this value could be lost or corrupt if a new print is initialized.</p>\n\n<p>I would hope, that if you're using a slicing engine's <em>custom G-Code</em> input, that the software would be able to compensate situations like this and reformat your provided G-Code to match the value of <strong>E</strong> or any similar command.</s></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 863, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Is the hotend temperature set correctly? If you only preheat the hotend but then turn it off, it will behave exactly as you described (while you're above <code>EXTRUDE_MINTEMP</code> it will behave normally, but once the temperature drops too low it will continue doing the XYZ-moves, but stop extruding). Perhaps you need to add a <code>M109</code> command to set the temperature properly.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/850/no-extrusion-when-trying-to-resume-failed-print-with-manually-edited-gcode/851#851\">In his answer</a>, tbm0115 mentions absolute and relative coordinates. Whether absolute or relative coordinates are used is set using the <code>G90</code>/<code>G91</code> commands and will always be the same for all axes (XYZ and E). He also mentions that:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>so perhaps the firmware is attempting to move the stepper motor to the absolute position (which is almost 50% thru your print). This may lead to clogging or skipping depending on how hot your extruder is at that point.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This shouldn't happen, as extremely long extrude moves are ignored by Marlin. When the printer encounters</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 F3600 X210.390 Y105.771 E4104.65185\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>it performs only the XYZ-part of the move, but doesn't move the extruder (assuming the printer was reset and the current extruder position is 0). However, it does update the internal value for the extruder position, so the next move happens normally. Perhaps missing the initial extrude segment isn't a big deal, but if you want the print to resume perfectly where you left off, you should add a <code>G92</code> command to the beginning to initialize the extruder position correctly, for example:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G92 E4104.4\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>(but the exact value depends on the last extruder position in the previous layer).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 1198, "author": "skidoo", "author_id": 1846, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1846", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I know this is an old thread but I have been running into similar issues with my delta machine with Marlin firmware. </p>\n\n<p>Not all printers running Marlin ignore large <code>E</code> (extruder) moves. G-code has always (even in CNC machines) run commands from were the motors are now, to the value in the G-code line. For example, <code>G0 X10</code> will move the X motor 10 units. The units are set through <code>G20</code> or <code>G21</code>. </p>\n\n<p>When your machine has lost power, you need to re-home all axes in order for the machine to know where it is. If you don't, it will likely think that it currently is at 0, 0, 0, 0. Then when you have the line, </p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 F3600 X210.390 Y105.771 E4104.65185 \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>it will try to go from 0,0,0,0 to 210.390, 105.771, 0, 4104.65185 at the feed rate of 3600. Therefore it is always good to home after power loss and add a <code>G92 E4104.4</code> (last line ran before power loss) even if your machine may not need it. </p>\n\n<p>Good habits make for less mistakes. </p>\n" } ]	2016/03/22	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/850", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1104/" ]	I was in the process of printing a 16 hour print, but I must have failed to copy the G-code correctly, because the print stopped after 107 of 223 layers. Looking at the G-code, It also stops there. However, I had the full G-code on my computer, and decided to try and resume the print from layer 108. It seemed to work, with the exception of a little excess extrusion at a single point in the beginning, but after three layers, i noticed that it wasn't extruding anymore. I am not completely positive that it isn't due to nozzle jamming, but I have a strong feeling that the problem is the G-code itself, as it does extrude some plastic just before printing starts. Here are the first lines of my manually edited G-code. Can anyone see why I get the blob in the beginning, or why I don't get anything at all later on? Or does it look good, and my problem is probably the nozzle? ``` ;FLAVOR:UltiGCode ;TIME:60308 ;MATERIAL:119047 ;MATERIAL2:0 ;NOZZLE_DIAMETER:0.400000 ;NOZZLE_DIAMETER2:0.400000 ;MTYPE:PLA ;Layer count: 222 ;LAYER:109 G0 F9000 X208.213 Y107.948 Z16.610 ;TYPE:FILL G1 F3600 X210.390 Y105.771 E4104.65185 G0 F9000 X210.390 Y103.170 G1 F3600 X168.331 Y61.111 E4107.77457 G0 F9000 X167.074 Y61.111 G1 F3600 X120.237 Y107.949 E4111.25208 G0 F9000 X121.695 Y107.949 G1 F3600 X74.857 Y61.111 E4114.72962 G0 F9000 X73.600 Y61.111 G1 F3600 X26.763 Y107.948 E4118.20709 ```	According to the RepRap.org [list of G-Code commands](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code), see [G0 & G1: Move](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G0_.26_G1:_Move): > > The `Ennn` command is The amount to extrude between the starting point and ending point. > > > However, according to [this](https://github.com/daid/Cura/issues/385) a discussion, that is now deleted from GitHub, about the Cura slicing engine: The E values are in absolute mode, so perhaps the firmware is attempting to move the stepper motor to the absolute position (which is almost 50% through your print). This may lead to clogging or skipping depending on how hot your extruder is at that point. As a last resort, you can perform a Boolean subtract on your model of the section that's already printed and re-slice the model to print the remaining bit. Then glue, or ABS weld, the remaining piece to the main print. I've done this in the past, it's not super glamorous, but it gets the job done if the part doesn't require a lot of structural integrity. I was incorrect with the following statements with regard to the Cura slicing engine: ~~It's been a while since I've looked at 3D printer G-Code, but from what I remember, E values can be the bane of any manually written G-Code. Usually the slicing engine generates the E value as an incremental step value throughout the G-Code (at least this was true for Skeinforge and early MakerWare, please verify this). So, if the value is incremental and depending on the controller, this value could be lost or corrupt if a new print is initialized.~~ I would hope, that if you're using a slicing engine's custom G-Code input, that the software would be able to compensate situations like this and reformat your provided G-Code to match the value of E or any similar command.
871	<p>I obtained the following wire 22 Gauge Stranded Hookup Wire from Radio Shack:</p> <pre><code>Type/Style: AWM/1007 Wire Gauge: 22 AWG Insulation Thickness: AVE. 0.42 mm Rated Voltage: 300V Temperature Rating: 80°C / 176°F </code></pre> <blockquote> <p>Use Limitation: Internal wiring of appliances; or where exposed to oil at a temperature not exceeding 60°C or 80°C, whichever is applicable.. Tags may indicate the following: 600V Peak - For Electronic Use Only.</p> </blockquote> <p>I'd like to be able to hook up RAMPs 1.4 to my <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007KG0ZYI" rel="nofollow">switching power supply</a> with this wire. Will this work okay?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 875, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>That should be fine for powering RAMPS, steppers and extruders but it is on the thin side. To err on the side of caution you should use somewhat ticker wires. However, you should definitely use thicker wires for the heated bed connection.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 876, "author": "Ryan Carlyle", "author_id": 298, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/298", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>22awg wiring is good for a max of 7A in this usage case. Your power supply can provide 30A. So it is definitely not large enough wire gauge for good wiring practice -- in the event of a short, you want the PSU's over-current protection to kick in before the wiring overheats. That would mean 14ga between the PSU and board. 16ga would probably cover your actual load requirements just fine, but we need to know a lot more about your printer to say that for sure. </p>\n\n<p>12v systems need heavy duty wiring, at least on the main supply lines. You can use 22ga for individual power consumers, such as fans, extruder heaters, etc. (No heatbeds.)</p>\n" } ]	2016/03/25	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/871", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/37/" ]	I obtained the following wire 22 Gauge Stranded Hookup Wire from Radio Shack: ``` Type/Style: AWM/1007 Wire Gauge: 22 AWG Insulation Thickness: AVE. 0.42 mm Rated Voltage: 300V Temperature Rating: 80°C / 176°F ``` > > Use Limitation: Internal wiring of appliances; or where exposed to oil > at a temperature not exceeding 60°C or 80°C, whichever is applicable.. > Tags may indicate the following: 600V Peak - For Electronic Use Only. > > > I'd like to be able to hook up RAMPs 1.4 to my [switching power supply](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007KG0ZYI) with this wire. Will this work okay?	22awg wiring is good for a max of 7A in this usage case. Your power supply can provide 30A. So it is definitely not large enough wire gauge for good wiring practice -- in the event of a short, you want the PSU's over-current protection to kick in before the wiring overheats. That would mean 14ga between the PSU and board. 16ga would probably cover your actual load requirements just fine, but we need to know a lot more about your printer to say that for sure. 12v systems need heavy duty wiring, at least on the main supply lines. You can use 22ga for individual power consumers, such as fans, extruder heaters, etc. (No heatbeds.)
948	<p>I can download a file from Tinkercad as any of these:</p> <pre><code>.STL .OBJ .X3D .VRML </code></pre> <p>Is there a way to convert any of those file types to .DWG?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 942, "author": "tbm0115", "author_id": 98, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In short, I don't think printing the full tetrahedral honeycomb design is a good approach considering the application of the part. Here are few things to note when attempting to 3D print the tetrahedral honeycomb:</p>\n\n<p>I wouldn't recommend trying to 3D print this with a an FDM/FFF printer as you will most likely need supports and there would not be enough strength laterally. You may be able to <em>print</em> the design using SLA, but handling would be very difficult before post-processing as the part is very brittle post-print until a heat treat or curing process is done to chemically solidify. The post-process of the SLA could determine how strong the part is (ie. stainless steel powder, infused with bronze in a heat treat process would be good for such a part).</p>\n\n<p>While SLS may be the best method for 3D printing this type of design, for that size part (30x30x10cm) you're looking at an expensive print regardless of whether or not you print it yourself.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, I would highly recommend finding (or designing your own) a joint connector that would allow you to join wood/plastic dowels in the tetrahedral honeycomb shape. Not only will this be cheaper for you in the long run (easier to replace a few broken segments than an entire 3D printed model), but it could provide more structural strength for something that could potentially get banged around, like a tricopter.</p>\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:176263\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this model</a> on Thingiverse (not my model) shows an example of how you can utilize 3D printing complex or custom joints that allow you to connect dowels in the shape you're looking for. It'd kind of be like building with <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=k'nex&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=918&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjurNmd2fzLAhVL1mMKHZ9RA44Q_AUIBygC\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">K'Nex</a>.</p>\n\n<p>As far as designing said joint, you could model a single \"inner\" joint that has 18 connectors (8 on XY plane, 6 on YZ plane, and 4 on XZ plane). Below is a crude example of what I mean drawn in Google SketchUp:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/dlTMG.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/dlTMG.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 943, "author": "fred_dot_u", "author_id": 854, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>For designing your part, especially considering the repetitive mathematics involved, I would consider to learn to use OpenSCAD. I've learned the program and it fits your modeling requirement quite well. I feel it's easy to learn and is somewhat easier for folks who have a programming background. I don't have one, but it's still a logical progression to learn this program.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding the SLS aspect, that also jumped out at me as a suitable answer. Solid shapes require to have \"drain holes\" to reduce the amount of powder consumed by the process.</p>\n\n<p>I am assembling a Sintratec SLS printer and your model is the sort of thing I would enjoy to create with the printer. I've not yet listed my Sintratec printer on 3dhubs to solicit business, simply because it's not yet a fully assembled printer!</p>\n\n<p>I did a quick Google search for \"openscad tetrahedral honeycomb\" and found this link:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://forum.openscad.org/Beginner-Honeycomb-advice-needed-td4556.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://forum.openscad.org/Beginner-Honeycomb-advice-needed-td4556.html</a></p>\n\n<p>The result is more a polygonal honeycomb, not a true 3d tetrahedron, but it's a start. The file that created it is fewer than a few dozen lines of code.</p>\n\n<p>The post is old enough that the internal links no longer work but the OP posted his module code and that does work:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/rO5Je.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/rO5Je.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>I'm not sure how personal contact works in stackexchange, but I'd be willing to work with you regarding creating your code and if the printer ever gets assembled, printing out your part.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hohRb.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hohRb.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Adding a picture again, to show the latest revision, based on the updated information:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gna6W.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gna6W.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 954, "author": "David Cary", "author_id": 994, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/994", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is this doable?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It has been done, therefore it is doable.</p>\n\n<p>I agree with fred_dot_u that OpenSCAD is a good system for programmatically generating highly repetitive 3d procedural content like this space truss 3d structure.</p>\n\n<p>p.s.: A few links to people 3D printing various space trusses:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10656\" rel=\"nofollow\">Parametric Space Truss Platform</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.shapeways.com/product/PYHTDGX6C/smoothed2-octet-truss-flats\" rel=\"nofollow\">smoothed2 octet truss flats</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://pinshape.com/items/11870-3d-printed-micro-truss-toy\" rel=\"nofollow\">Micro Truss Toy</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://str.llnl.gov/Mar12/spadaccini.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Materials by Design</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://bfi.org/dymaxion-forum/2014/07/nano-octet-truss-materials-synthesized\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"Nano octet truss materials synthesized\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.virtualscience.com/gallery_cad_rp.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"Computer-Aided Design and Rapid Prototyping\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.shapeways.com/product/CSRJHUHMA/octet-truss-v2\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"Octet Truss Construction Kit, v2\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.variousconsequences.com/2013/01/octet-truss-memory-time-and-dollar-costs.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"Octet Truss Memory, Time and Dollar Costs\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.variousconsequences.com/2012/06/3d-printed-isogrid-and-octet-truss.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"3D Printed Isogrid and Octet Truss\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.virginia.edu/ms/research/wadley/celluar-materials.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"Ultralight Cellular Materials\"</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.yeggi.com/q/octet+truss/\" rel=\"nofollow\">3D printable \"octet truss\" models</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.stlfinder.com/?search=octet%20truss\" rel=\"nofollow\">STL finder \"octet truss\" models</a></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]	2016/04/07	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/948", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1307/" ]	I can download a file from Tinkercad as any of these: ``` .STL .OBJ .X3D .VRML ``` Is there a way to convert any of those file types to .DWG?	For designing your part, especially considering the repetitive mathematics involved, I would consider to learn to use OpenSCAD. I've learned the program and it fits your modeling requirement quite well. I feel it's easy to learn and is somewhat easier for folks who have a programming background. I don't have one, but it's still a logical progression to learn this program. Regarding the SLS aspect, that also jumped out at me as a suitable answer. Solid shapes require to have "drain holes" to reduce the amount of powder consumed by the process. I am assembling a Sintratec SLS printer and your model is the sort of thing I would enjoy to create with the printer. I've not yet listed my Sintratec printer on 3dhubs to solicit business, simply because it's not yet a fully assembled printer! I did a quick Google search for "openscad tetrahedral honeycomb" and found this link: <http://forum.openscad.org/Beginner-Honeycomb-advice-needed-td4556.html> The result is more a polygonal honeycomb, not a true 3d tetrahedron, but it's a start. The file that created it is fewer than a few dozen lines of code. The post is old enough that the internal links no longer work but the OP posted his module code and that does work: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rO5Je.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rO5Je.png) I'm not sure how personal contact works in stackexchange, but I'd be willing to work with you regarding creating your code and if the printer ever gets assembled, printing out your part. [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hohRb.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hohRb.png) Adding a picture again, to show the latest revision, based on the updated information: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gna6W.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gna6W.png)
1,120	<p>I'm trying to set up <a href="http://octoprint.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OctoPrint</a> on my Linux Ubuntu 16.04 desktop to work with my Micro3D printer. The printer works fine on Mac and Windows: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kmil9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kmil9.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>I've installed OctoPrint with the <a href="https://github.com/donovan6000/M3D-Fio" rel="nofollow noreferrer">M3D Fio Plugin Manager</a>. I can see the files in <code>~/.octoprint/</code> fine and I can even turn the printer fan on/off, move the extruder, etc. through OctoPrint: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyeCZ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyeCZ.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>But when I press the blue "Print button", there is no response. Also the files in the "upload" section are greyed out. Must I download a slicing program or something? I'm new with 3D printing in general but not with Linux. Grateful for help!</p>	[ { "answer_id": 1121, "author": "khaverim", "author_id": 1601, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1601", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I just discovered that OctoPrint only reads .gcode files for printing (apparently, unless you have a slicing software embedded in it), so I installed <a href=\"http://slic3r.org/download\" rel=\"nofollow\">Slic3r</a> separately, and ran</p>\n\n<pre><code>./slic3r mystlfile.stl\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>to generate a .gcode file (in the executable directory).</p>\n\n<p>Then I uploaded the .gcode file to OctoPrint and things got moving.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 1133, "author": "thopiekar", "author_id": 1655, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1655", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For me it sounds like you've missed to install the CuraEngine for slicing, but I'm only guessing, as I'm not using OctoPrint at all.</p>\n\n<p>Instead I'm using Cura directly and save gcode to a SD or use USB printing for quick/small prints.</p>\n\n<p>Regrads ;)</p>\n" } ]	2016/05/06	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1120", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1601/" ]	I'm trying to set up [OctoPrint](http://octoprint.org/) on my Linux Ubuntu 16.04 desktop to work with my Micro3D printer. The printer works fine on Mac and Windows: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kmil9.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kmil9.png) I've installed OctoPrint with the [M3D Fio Plugin Manager](https://github.com/donovan6000/M3D-Fio). I can see the files in `~/.octoprint/` fine and I can even turn the printer fan on/off, move the extruder, etc. through OctoPrint: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyeCZ.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyeCZ.png) But when I press the blue "Print button", there is no response. Also the files in the "upload" section are greyed out. Must I download a slicing program or something? I'm new with 3D printing in general but not with Linux. Grateful for help!	I just discovered that OctoPrint only reads .gcode files for printing (apparently, unless you have a slicing software embedded in it), so I installed [Slic3r](http://slic3r.org/download) separately, and ran ``` ./slic3r mystlfile.stl ``` to generate a .gcode file (in the executable directory). Then I uploaded the .gcode file to OctoPrint and things got moving.
1,362	<p>I have a (HIC) version of the Prusa i3. I have recently installed the E3D v6 hotend and titan extruder. After fixing some other issues, I noticed that there is no filament being extruded. In addition, the gear looked like it was going in the wrong direction. How can I fix this?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 1363, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can either flip the connector for the motor around (i.e. plug it in backwards) or (if you are using Marlin firmware) look for the following line in configuration.h: (using the Arduino editor open the Marlin file For your 3D Printer, one of the tabs is labelled \"configuration.h\" click on that tab to bring it to the front for editing. use the Edit, Find and put E0 in the find box, click find. When you find the line below</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define INVERT_E0_DIR false\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>change <code>false</code> to <code>true</code> (or vice-versa). Note that if you go for the connector-flipping route, make sure that you only do this when the printer is turned off.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 1368, "author": "StarWind0", "author_id": 2146, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2146", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Reverse the plug for the motor on the board. Or do firmware. Doesn't matter. *** assuming you have ramps and a standard stepper.. </p>\n" } ]	2016/06/17	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1362", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/635/" ]	I have a (HIC) version of the Prusa i3. I have recently installed the E3D v6 hotend and titan extruder. After fixing some other issues, I noticed that there is no filament being extruded. In addition, the gear looked like it was going in the wrong direction. How can I fix this?	You can either flip the connector for the motor around (i.e. plug it in backwards) or (if you are using Marlin firmware) look for the following line in configuration.h: (using the Arduino editor open the Marlin file For your 3D Printer, one of the tabs is labelled "configuration.h" click on that tab to bring it to the front for editing. use the Edit, Find and put E0 in the find box, click find. When you find the line below ``` #define INVERT_E0_DIR false ``` change `false` to `true` (or vice-versa). Note that if you go for the connector-flipping route, make sure that you only do this when the printer is turned off.
1,465	<p><strong>Before the question, here is my setup;</strong> </p> <ul> <li>Prusa i3 (with mainboard Mks Gen v1.2)</li> <li>Repetier as slicer</li> <li>Marlin source code </li> </ul> <p>My main task is to convert my 3D printer into a chocolate printer. I have replaced the filament extruder with a chocolate extruder. And it is there that my issue began. Because, the new extruder is stopping slightly off the y-axis when homing. It is going out of the standard 20x20 cm bed. The other X and Z axes are OK.</p> <p>So, I have played with the <code>#defines</code> explained below, but I couldn't even make any single mm difference by homing. They are all ignored when the printer is homing. It goes and rests on the hardware end-stops and stops there eventually.</p> <p>All I want 10 mm offset for Y axis.</p> <p><strong>Started with this;</strong> </p> <pre><code>// Travel limits after homing #define X_MAX_POS 200 #define X_MIN_POS 0 #define Y_MAX_POS 190 <<<< (tested with 190 and 210) #define Y_MIN_POS 0 #define Z_MAX_POS 200 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 </code></pre> <p><strong>and this;</strong></p> <pre><code>// The position of the homing switches #define MANUAL_HOME_POSITIONS // If defined, MANUAL_*_HOME_POS below will be used //Manual homing switch locations: // For deltabots this means top and center of the cartesian print volume. #define MANUAL_X_HOME_POS 0 #define MANUAL_Y_HOME_POS 10 <<< (tested with 10 or -10) #define MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS 0 </code></pre> <p>I have also played with the <strong>slicer tool (Repetier)</strong> settings where homing related values are mentioned but no joy there as well.</p> <p>Any input highly appreciated.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 1485, "author": "Lars Pötter", "author_id": 204, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/204", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The Y-Max setting does not help, because it is the software end stop for the other end of the axis.</p>\n\n<p>The Y Home position also doesn't help as it only changes the coordinate that the printer assumes for when it hits the home position. That is used for printers (like deltas) that home to the max end switches.</p>\n\n<p>What could help is a little bit of G-Code right after the Homing. The Homing is a G28. Just add a G1Y10 after that. That will move your Y Axis 10 mm right after homing. So it will then be in the position that you want. If you then add a G92 then this position will become the home position for the print. So adding these two lines should fix it. Cura lets you edit these start G-Codes so that it then will automatically add the modified codes to all your prints.</p>\n\n<p>You can also try a G10 (with a firmware that supports it.</p>\n\n<p>For Details on G-Codes see: <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/Gcode\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://reprap.org/wiki/Gcode</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 1487, "author": "kamuro", "author_id": 168, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/168", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Now I've finally had time to look into this, since I knew it somehow existed, but wasn't sure how it worked:</p>\n\n<p>Use the M206 G-code command in Marlin, Sprinter, Smoothie, or RepRap Firmware to offset the 0,0,0 coordinate of your printbed relative to the endstops.</p>\n\n<p>The reprap.org wiki page says:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The values specified are added to the endstop position when the axes\n are referenced. The same can be achieved with a G92 right after homing\n (G28, G161).</p>\n \n <p>With Marlin firmware, this value can be saved to EEPROM using the M500\n command.</p>\n \n <p>A similar command is G10, aligning these two is subject to discussion.</p>\n \n <p>With Marlin 1.0.0 RC2 a negative value for z lifts(!) your printhead.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>We see, this basically is the same suggested by @LarsPoetter, but it comes with the great advantage that it can be saved to EEPROM, hence you don't need to add it every time or into every different sliccer (if I understand it correctly, - I haven't yet tried it myself)</p>\n\n<p>Let us know if this works for a permanent solution.</p>\n" } ]	2016/07/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1465", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2355/" ]	Before the question, here is my setup; * Prusa i3 (with mainboard Mks Gen v1.2) * Repetier as slicer * Marlin source code My main task is to convert my 3D printer into a chocolate printer. I have replaced the filament extruder with a chocolate extruder. And it is there that my issue began. Because, the new extruder is stopping slightly off the y-axis when homing. It is going out of the standard 20x20 cm bed. The other X and Z axes are OK. So, I have played with the `#defines` explained below, but I couldn't even make any single mm difference by homing. They are all ignored when the printer is homing. It goes and rests on the hardware end-stops and stops there eventually. All I want 10 mm offset for Y axis. Started with this; ``` // Travel limits after homing #define X_MAX_POS 200 #define X_MIN_POS 0 #define Y_MAX_POS 190 <<<< (tested with 190 and 210) #define Y_MIN_POS 0 #define Z_MAX_POS 200 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 ``` and this; ``` // The position of the homing switches #define MANUAL_HOME_POSITIONS // If defined, MANUAL__HOME_POS below will be used //Manual homing switch locations: // For deltabots this means top and center of the cartesian print volume. #define MANUAL_X_HOME_POS 0 #define MANUAL_Y_HOME_POS 10 <<< (tested with 10 or -10) #define MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS 0 ``` I have also played with the slicer tool (Repetier)* settings where homing related values are mentioned but no joy there as well. Any input highly appreciated.	The Y-Max setting does not help, because it is the software end stop for the other end of the axis. The Y Home position also doesn't help as it only changes the coordinate that the printer assumes for when it hits the home position. That is used for printers (like deltas) that home to the max end switches. What could help is a little bit of G-Code right after the Homing. The Homing is a G28. Just add a G1Y10 after that. That will move your Y Axis 10 mm right after homing. So it will then be in the position that you want. If you then add a G92 then this position will become the home position for the print. So adding these two lines should fix it. Cura lets you edit these start G-Codes so that it then will automatically add the modified codes to all your prints. You can also try a G10 (with a firmware that supports it. For Details on G-Codes see: <http://reprap.org/wiki/Gcode>
2,607	<p>I own a delta 3D printer. The problem is that, at the beginning of a print the extruder outputs dirty filament. I want a clean filament flow at the start of my prints!</p> <p>How can I make the hotend exit the print surface (glass plate) by 10mm, extrude the bad filament and go back to printing again? Can this be done with G-code?</p> <p>My Z high is 190 mm and the glass plate diameter is 120 mm. I'm using Marlin + Ramps 1.4. </p> <p>I'm using Repetier-Host and CuraEngine as Slicer, but I really would like a G-code that can work on multiple environments like Cura and Repetier. I just want to add it to the start G-code and print!</p>	[ { "answer_id": 2610, "author": "StarWind0", "author_id": 2146, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2146", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A lot of slicers will have a Wipe option. Here are some examples:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>See <a href=\"https://jinschoi.github.io/simplify3d-docs/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Unofficial Simplify3D Documentation</a>. Go to the section talking about <em>Wipe Nozzle</em>, under the heading <strong>Extruder Tab</strong></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Two more ooze-fighting options are Coast at end and Wipe nozzle. Coast turns off the extruder the specified distance before it normally would, to drain what would have oozed as the end of a line. This can help with ooze-induced blobs at the end of lines, but if turned up too high will lead to gaps in your print walls. Changes to this setting will be visible as gaps in the g-code preview.</p>\n \n <p>Wipe has the nozzle retrace over the start of a perimeter line at the\n end of a perimeter for the specified distance with the extruder off,\n to leave any ooze behind before proceeding. It is similar to Coast in\n that it moves the extruder without extruding, but wipe occurs after\n the end of the line while coast occurs before.</p>\n</blockquote></li>\n<li><p>Slic3r has some sort of coasting. But I think in their docs the option is there: <a href=\"http://manual.slic3r.org/expert-mode/fighting-ooze\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Slic3r Manual - Fighting Ooze</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Wipe before retract - Moves the nozzle whilst retracting so as to reduce the chances of a blob forming.</p>\n</blockquote></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>As you asked for G-Code here you go:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?4,620368\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Reprap Forum - Wipe nozzle via GCODE</a></p>\n\n<p>Example</p>\n\n<pre><code>;Sliced at: {day} {date} {time}\n;Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density}\n;Print time: {print_time}\n;Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g\n;Filament cost: {filament_cost}\n;M190 S{print_bed_temperature} ;Uncomment to add your own bed temperature line\n;M109 S{print_temperature} ;Uncomment to add your own temperature line\nG21 ;metric values\nG90 ;absolute positioning\nM82 ;set extruder to absolute mode\nM107 ;start with the fan off\nG28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops\nG28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops\nM117 Auto-level...\nG29 ;auto-level\n;G92 Z-.01 ; Lower = Z Pos, Lift = Z Neg\nM117 Preparing...\nG1 Z10.0 F{travel_speed} ;move the platform down 15mm\nG92 E0 ;zero the extruded length\nG1 F100 E30 ;extrude 10mm of feed stock\nG92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again\nG1 F{travel_speed}\n;Put printing message on LCD screen\nM300 S900 P160 ;start beep\nM300 S1000 P160\nM300 S2000 P160\nM0 ;Wait for the user\nM117 Printing...\n</code></pre></li>\n<li><p><a href=\"https://forum.lulzbot.com/viewtopic.php?t=2921\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Lulzbot forum - Start GCODE Script for Wipe</a>, in particular <a href=\"https://forum.lulzbot.com/viewtopic.php?t=2921#p17782\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this post</a>:</p>\n\n<p>Example</p>\n\n<pre><code>G91 ; switch to relative positioning\nG1 Z10 ; safe raise of z axis to ensure probe doesn't hit bed clamp\nG90 ; switch back to absolute positioning\nG28 ; home all axes\nG29 ; level print bed\nG1 X298 Y137 Z2 F5000 ; move to wait position right hand side of the table\nG1 Z0.4 ; position nozzle\nG1 E25 F300 ; purge nozzle\nM400 ; wait for purge to complete\nG1 X285 F1200 ; slow wipe\nG1 Z0.5 F1200 ; lift\n</code></pre></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>That should get you started.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2611, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You can achieve this using the <code>G1</code> command. I don't know your exact printer, but you should be able to use something like this (add to the start G-code in your slicer):</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 X0 Y62 Z0.2 F9000 ; Move slightly past edge of bed\n\nG92 E0 ; Zero extruder position\n\nG0 E1 F100 ; Extrude 1mm of filament\n\nG92 E0 ; Zero again\n\nG1 X0 Y0 F9000 ; Move back to center of bed\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The first line moves the extruder to slightly past the edge of the bed (since the diameter is 120, the radius is 60, and 62 is slightly past the maximum radius). I've set Z to 0.2mm to avoid hitting the plate, but you might be able to lower this.</p>\n\n<p>The next 3 lines zero the extruder position, extrudes 1mm of filament, and resets it to zero (when starting a print the slicer expects E to start at 0).</p>\n\n<p>The final line moves back to the bed center. This might not be neccesary (you might be able to replace this line with just <code>G1 F9000</code> to set the feedrate back to something that makes sense for travel moves) because you don't need to move back explicitly: the slicer will take care of moving the head in position to start the print.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3469, "author": "Nicu Surdu", "author_id": 5567, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5567", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Slic3r, and all other slicers that I saw, have an option called <code>Skirt</code> that enables your printer to print a number of lines around your object before it starts printing the object itself.</p>\n\n<p>This should ensure that both the nozzle is filled with filament and the printer got rid of any burned / dirty filament when it starts printing your object.</p>\n\n<p>If you use Slic3r as standalone, you have to activate expert mode in the preferences. If you use it through Repetier-host it should already be in expert mode.</p>\n\n<p>You can see all available options in the <a href=\"http://manual.slic3r.org/expert-mode/skirt\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Slic3r documentation for Skirt</a>.</p>\n" } ]	2016/08/06	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2607", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3791/" ]	I own a delta 3D printer. The problem is that, at the beginning of a print the extruder outputs dirty filament. I want a clean filament flow at the start of my prints! How can I make the hotend exit the print surface (glass plate) by 10mm, extrude the bad filament and go back to printing again? Can this be done with G-code? My Z high is 190 mm and the glass plate diameter is 120 mm. I'm using Marlin + Ramps 1.4. I'm using Repetier-Host and CuraEngine as Slicer, but I really would like a G-code that can work on multiple environments like Cura and Repetier. I just want to add it to the start G-code and print!	You can achieve this using the `G1` command. I don't know your exact printer, but you should be able to use something like this (add to the start G-code in your slicer): ``` G1 X0 Y62 Z0.2 F9000 ; Move slightly past edge of bed G92 E0 ; Zero extruder position G0 E1 F100 ; Extrude 1mm of filament G92 E0 ; Zero again G1 X0 Y0 F9000 ; Move back to center of bed ``` The first line moves the extruder to slightly past the edge of the bed (since the diameter is 120, the radius is 60, and 62 is slightly past the maximum radius). I've set Z to 0.2mm to avoid hitting the plate, but you might be able to lower this. The next 3 lines zero the extruder position, extrudes 1mm of filament, and resets it to zero (when starting a print the slicer expects E to start at 0). The final line moves back to the bed center. This might not be neccesary (you might be able to replace this line with just `G1 F9000` to set the feedrate back to something that makes sense for travel moves) because you don't need to move back explicitly: the slicer will take care of moving the head in position to start the print.
2,701	<p>I have a Mini Kossel and I am going through calibration.</p> <p>I can home carriages and find the bed with paper-test getting some Z value with <code>M114</code>. Then I run the effector almost full height <strong>up and then down</strong> - and now <strong>Z value for the bed is greater</strong>!</p> <p>If I repeat the process I get greater and greater values in paper-test. It seems that travel per step is different moving in different directions.</p> <p>How can I fix that? I am using RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin firmware.</p> <p>UPDATE:</p> <p>Z values near bed after subsequent runs of five passes of <code>G1 X100 G1 X10</code></p> <pre><code>100% speed: 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0 20% speed: 0.1 0.4 0.9 1.4 4.6 6.6 300% speed: 0.0 0.7 1.0 1.3 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 2705, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to discussions in comments, I'm pretty sure the problem lies in too low current. </p>\n\n<p>Please review <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1480/how-do-you-make-sure-you-have-the-right-voltage-on-the-timpots-on-a-a4988-steppe/1483#1483\">this answer</a> to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1480/how-do-you-make-sure-you-have-the-right-voltage-on-the-timpots-on-a-a4988-steppe/\">How do you make sure you have the right voltage on the trimpots on a A4988 stepper driver?</a>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Why it happens?</strong></p>\n\n<p>If there is not enough current then motors can omit some steps as the stress is not equal while going up and down. Sometimes inertia can have higher influence than friction.</p>\n\n<p>Additionally because the resistance/stress/friction on towers is different for sure then there are some issues in centering hotend.</p>\n\n<p>So friction/inertia/assembly inaccuracy and current settings inaccuracy can cause such effects. If you are \"on the edge\" your printer may work well one day but the other day it can fail positioning. </p>\n\n<p>Please refer to post mentioned above. Perform calibration and temperature test (finger test could be ok). I hope you'll manage the issue.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2706, "author": "Nikolay Zinov", "author_id": 4036, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4036", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After some more testing I checked that the problem shows up only on Z tower and is not related with current. Examining the tower I found very dumb mistake. Pulley on the motor didn't have a setscrew! Don't know how could I missed that. The fact that it could somehow run is even more amazing. Thanks @tom-van-der-zanden and @darthpixel for help. It is for sure that such synchronization failure could have been caused by current shortage as well.</p>\n\n<p>UPDATE:</p>\n\n<p>Oh! Y tower pulley doesn't have setscrew as well! But it was running smoothly and in sync with X (which has that screw). Amazing. - UPDATE2. Not really. After closer look only Z tower misses the screw, which explains all.</p>\n\n<p>UPDATE3:</p>\n\n<p>After setting a srew into pulley the problem is completely gone!)</p>\n" } ]	2016/08/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2701", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4036/" ]	I have a Mini Kossel and I am going through calibration. I can home carriages and find the bed with paper-test getting some Z value with `M114`. Then I run the effector almost full height up and then down - and now Z value for the bed is greater! If I repeat the process I get greater and greater values in paper-test. It seems that travel per step is different moving in different directions. How can I fix that? I am using RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin firmware. UPDATE: Z values near bed after subsequent runs of five passes of `G1 X100 G1 X10` ``` 100% speed: 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0 20% speed: 0.1 0.4 0.9 1.4 4.6 6.6 300% speed: 0.0 0.7 1.0 1.3 ```	After some more testing I checked that the problem shows up only on Z tower and is not related with current. Examining the tower I found very dumb mistake. Pulley on the motor didn't have a setscrew! Don't know how could I missed that. The fact that it could somehow run is even more amazing. Thanks @tom-van-der-zanden and @darthpixel for help. It is for sure that such synchronization failure could have been caused by current shortage as well. UPDATE: Oh! Y tower pulley doesn't have setscrew as well! But it was running smoothly and in sync with X (which has that screw). Amazing. - UPDATE2. Not really. After closer look only Z tower misses the screw, which explains all. UPDATE3: After setting a srew into pulley the problem is completely gone!)
2,815	<p>On their website they say the following</p> <pre><code>0.25 mm nozzle: 150 to 60 micron 0.40 mm nozzle: 200 to 20 micron 0.60 mm nozzle: 400 to 20 micron 0.80 mm nozzle: 600 to 20 micron </code></pre> <p>That confuses me. Why can I go down to 20 micron with the 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 nozzle but only down to 60 micron with the much smaller 0.25 nozzle? Is that a typo and should say 6 micron?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 2816, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You need a certain minimum flow rate to achieve consistent extrusion. Flow rate is the product of print speed, extrusion width (proportional to nozzle size) and print speed. If you use a very small nozzle and very low layer height, you'd need a very high printing speed to achieve a reasonable flow rate. Therefore, it's quite possible this is not a mistake and intentional.</p>\n\n<p>Keep in mind that Ultimaker uses 2.85mm filament. With a 0.3mm extrusion width, 0.02mm layer height and 60mm/s print speed, you would need a feedrate of 0.06mm/s into your extruder. The extruder might not be able to develop enough force on the filament at such a low speed (which, owing to the small nozzle size, requires a relatively large amount of force).</p>\n\n<p>The ultimaker can not print 6 micron layers since the smallest increment the Z-axis can move in is 5 microns. 6 microns is not a multiple of that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2821, "author": "Markus Appel", "author_id": 4285, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4285", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition of Tom van der Zanden's answer, when the filament moves too slowly through the heated part of the printhead it is very likeley to clog.</p>\n\n<p>I have had this multiple times on my UM1+, most of the time resulting from a heated printhead with no extrusion (before or after prints). So you need to be sure to have a minimum of filament extrusion happening, wich is most likeley not the case when having 0.25mm * 20 micron instead of 0.60mm * 20micron, for example.</p>\n\n<p>You could of course make the printhead move faster, resulting in a higher extrusion, but that will lower the print quality again.</p>\n\n<p>But let me tell you this: Always look out for high extrusion, removing clogs is a real pain!</p>\n" } ]	2016/09/24	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2815", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4330/" ]	On their website they say the following ``` 0.25 mm nozzle: 150 to 60 micron 0.40 mm nozzle: 200 to 20 micron 0.60 mm nozzle: 400 to 20 micron 0.80 mm nozzle: 600 to 20 micron ``` That confuses me. Why can I go down to 20 micron with the 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 nozzle but only down to 60 micron with the much smaller 0.25 nozzle? Is that a typo and should say 6 micron?	You need a certain minimum flow rate to achieve consistent extrusion. Flow rate is the product of print speed, extrusion width (proportional to nozzle size) and print speed. If you use a very small nozzle and very low layer height, you'd need a very high printing speed to achieve a reasonable flow rate. Therefore, it's quite possible this is not a mistake and intentional. Keep in mind that Ultimaker uses 2.85mm filament. With a 0.3mm extrusion width, 0.02mm layer height and 60mm/s print speed, you would need a feedrate of 0.06mm/s into your extruder. The extruder might not be able to develop enough force on the filament at such a low speed (which, owing to the small nozzle size, requires a relatively large amount of force). The ultimaker can not print 6 micron layers since the smallest increment the Z-axis can move in is 5 microns. 6 microns is not a multiple of that.
2,909	<p>If the hot-end is at ~0 on the Z axis and I go to level it, as it approaches X = 0 it begins scraping along the bed, then when moving back to probe the center of the bed (after homing X to 0) it will scrape the bed again.</p> <p>I want to add a glass plate but am worried this aggressive homing will smash the glass. How can I fix it? The printer auto-levels and runs Marlin.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 2912, "author": "StarWind0", "author_id": 2146, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2146", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sounds like you need a different sensor? You have a lot of issues from the sounds of it. Also no code so cannot comment on your settings.</p>\n\n<p>If it always scrapes the bed (sorry but its really unclear what is going on) then lower your sensor a bit.. Best I can give you with the provided info.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2914, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Marlin has a <code>Z_RAISE_BETWEEN_PROBINGS</code> setting that allows you to, well, raise the Z-axis before it moves to the next probe point. Increasing this value may solve the issue.</p>\n\n<p>Auto leveling only compensates for skew of the bed, but it doesn't compensate for a non-planar bed. If your bed is bowed (apparently you're not using glass yet, so I assume you have a plain PCB which is quite susceptible to this) and due to this is higher in some spots than others, then the auto leveling may cause the hotend to scrape the high spots of the bed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2915, "author": "James T", "author_id": 1929, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1929", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I realised the simplest fix for this shortly after posting the question. In either your slicer or your printer controller (I use octoprint, so I added this there) add to the starting G-code something to lift the head so that it is above the point it is scraping across.</p>\n\n<p>For example, change your starting G-code from something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28 ;Home all axis\nG29 ;probe bed\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>To</p>\n\n<pre><code>G91 ;Set to relative positioning\nG0 Z10 ;move head up by 10mm\n\nG28 ;Home all axis\nG29 ;probe bed\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>(obviously remove G29 if you do not have a probe)</p>\n\n<p>10mm should be more than enough to lift by unless you have something seriously wrong, but you can adjust the figure as needed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 2928, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You need an offset to protect your XY movements for Z=0 even if the plate is planar or angled; for example my sensor is made for 10mm height from plate but measures 4mm due the plate is aluminum. The nozzle needs to be at least 1mm or 2mm below the sensor level. If I adjust the nozzle at 4mm or more this will be scratch the plate if any level variation on bed exist.</p>\n\n<p>So I set an offset and Z safe movement on Auto homming, adding 3 or 4mm. When I press AutoHome the nozzle rise up to the safety level even if the nozzle is touching the bed.</p>\n\n<p>You don´t need the Z=0 to start printing, when you Use the code G29 the printer will check the predefined test points to get the right Z=0 according the angled plate; if your plate is warped you will need a lot of test points but is much better to change it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3162, "author": "Himanshu", "author_id": 5162, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5162", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can always add to the starting code as told in an answer above. Also for the scrapping, you might want to set Z_HOMING_HEIGHT to prevent further damage to the hotend. If the Z axis is below the homing height, on homing x or y will first cause z axis to travel to the homing height and then proceed with homing of x or y axis.</p>\n" } ]	2016/10/17	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2909", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1929/" ]	If the hot-end is at ~0 on the Z axis and I go to level it, as it approaches X = 0 it begins scraping along the bed, then when moving back to probe the center of the bed (after homing X to 0) it will scrape the bed again. I want to add a glass plate but am worried this aggressive homing will smash the glass. How can I fix it? The printer auto-levels and runs Marlin.	I realised the simplest fix for this shortly after posting the question. In either your slicer or your printer controller (I use octoprint, so I added this there) add to the starting G-code something to lift the head so that it is above the point it is scraping across. For example, change your starting G-code from something like: ``` G28 ;Home all axis G29 ;probe bed ``` To ``` G91 ;Set to relative positioning G0 Z10 ;move head up by 10mm G28 ;Home all axis G29 ;probe bed ``` (obviously remove G29 if you do not have a probe) 10mm should be more than enough to lift by unless you have something seriously wrong, but you can adjust the figure as needed.
2,986	<p>Has anyone succeeded in installing the auto bed levelling on a Rumba board with Marlin firmware?</p> <p>I have the last stable version <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases/tag/1.1.0-RC6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1.1.0 RC6</a>.</p> <p>I would appreciate some direction especially about:</p> <ul> <li>How and which pin to activate for the servo?</li> <li>How to test it with G-code before I move to settings of the probe sequence?</li> </ul> <p>I have only installed the hardware for now (5 V servo) connected to Ext. 3 (EXP3):</p> <ul> <li>Pin 2 (+5V);</li> <li>Pin 4 (GND), and;</li> <li>Pin 6 (PWM),</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png" alt="Servo and RAMPS 1.4 and RUMBA connections"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg" alt="RUMBA EXP3 pinout"></a></p> <p>but I cannot move it with the G-code command <code>M280 P0 S180</code>. I have no idea where to put my hands on firmware to get this going. However my ultimate goal is to set the ABL.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3003, "author": "Jexoteric", "author_id": 4654, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4654", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>General note, I do not have this board so I cannot test these steps myself, read the documentation in configuration.h, it is very detailed and should guide you pretty well. I am specifically looking at Marlin 1.1 RC7 on Github, so the lines below may vary slightly from what you see.</p>\n\n<p>As to the pins to connect on the board for the servo, pins_RUMBA.h is where they are defined/mapped. For other boards, there is a pins_[your_board_name].h that will define the pins for any given board. </p>\n\n<p>The default Servo pin for Rumba is:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define SERVO0_PIN 5\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Pin 6 appears to be used for a third extruder heater.</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define HEATER_2_PIN 6 // EXTRUDER 3\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>In configuration.h you must uncomment (delete the slashes \"//\" at the beginning) the lines and fill in your stow and deploy angles in the second line for the servo. Find these lines under the Z probe options heading.</p>\n\n<pre><code>//#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0\n//#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Define your probe offsets from your extruder nozzle:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle]\n#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle]\n#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle]\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Based on your comment for using two z end stop switches, there is an option you must enable to use the standard end stop switch for homing, and only use the probe end stop for mesh bed leveling type operations. The config.h file has a lot of information on this, please read it for your own and your printers safety. </p>\n\n<p>Uncomment this line:</p>\n\n<pre><code>//#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>and comment this line:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then set the carriage height to allow the z probe room to swing down and move:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define Z_PROBE_DEPLOY_HEIGHT 15 // Raise to make room for the probe to deploy / stow\n#define Z_PROBE_TRAVEL_HEIGHT 5 // Raise between probing points.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>For autobed leveling uncomment:</p>\n\n<pre><code>//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_FEATURE // Delete the comment to enable\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then set probe points corners: </p>\n\n<pre><code>#if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID)\n\n#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15\n#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170\n#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 20\n#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170\n\n#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // The Z probe minimum square sides can be no smaller than this.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Set the number of points to probe in each direction (x and y), default is 2, so it will probe 4 locations, the other common choice is 3, so it will probe a grid of 9 locations.</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Set the number of grid points per dimension.\n// You probably don't need more than 3 (squared=9).\n#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID_POINTS 2\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>That should be everything you need for a basic setup, although there are more options that I did not go through. Please look at all the documentation comments in configuration.h file as it is very comprehensive, even if it can be a bit confusing.</p>\n\n<p>I hope this helps!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3018, "author": "FeliceM", "author_id": 4388, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4388", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>For future reference.</strong></p>\n\n<p>My issue about the servo not moving was caused by a wiring mistake.\nThe Exp. 3 has 14 pins has per this diagram.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4yyn.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4yyn.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>However when phisically looking at the board, what you see is this:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/51eF6.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/51eF6.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>I took the first 2 pins on the right of such connector and the 3rd one of the first row thinking that I was connecting pins 2-4-5 of Exp. 3.\nI was wrong, because the first 2 (1-2) pins are not part of Exp. 3.</p>\n\n<p>The right way to connect the servo is as following:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDWcX.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDWcX.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Then use PWM1 (pin 5 Ext.3)\nI decided to leave trace of this issue and the relevant solution for someone that may experience the same issue.</p>\n" } ]	2016/10/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2986", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4388/" ]	Has anyone succeeded in installing the auto bed levelling on a Rumba board with Marlin firmware? I have the last stable version [1.1.0 RC6](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases/tag/1.1.0-RC6). I would appreciate some direction especially about: * How and which pin to activate for the servo? * How to test it with G-code before I move to settings of the probe sequence? I have only installed the hardware for now (5 V servo) connected to Ext. 3 (EXP3): * Pin 2 (+5V); * Pin 4 (GND), and; * Pin 6 (PWM), [![Servo and RAMPS 1.4 and RUMBA connections](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png) [![RUMBA EXP3 pinout](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg) but I cannot move it with the G-code command `M280 P0 S180`. I have no idea where to put my hands on firmware to get this going. However my ultimate goal is to set the ABL.	General note, I do not have this board so I cannot test these steps myself, read the documentation in configuration.h, it is very detailed and should guide you pretty well. I am specifically looking at Marlin 1.1 RC7 on Github, so the lines below may vary slightly from what you see. As to the pins to connect on the board for the servo, pins\_RUMBA.h is where they are defined/mapped. For other boards, there is a pins\_[your\_board\_name].h that will define the pins for any given board. The default Servo pin for Rumba is: ``` #define SERVO0_PIN 5 ``` Pin 6 appears to be used for a third extruder heater. ``` #define HEATER_2_PIN 6 // EXTRUDER 3 ``` In configuration.h you must uncomment (delete the slashes "//" at the beginning) the lines and fill in your stow and deploy angles in the second line for the servo. Find these lines under the Z probe options heading. ``` //#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0 //#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles ``` Define your probe offsets from your extruder nozzle: ``` #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] ``` Based on your comment for using two z end stop switches, there is an option you must enable to use the standard end stop switch for homing, and only use the probe end stop for mesh bed leveling type operations. The config.h file has a lot of information on this, please read it for your own and your printers safety. Uncomment this line: ``` //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP ``` and comment this line: ``` #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN ``` Then set the carriage height to allow the z probe room to swing down and move: ``` #define Z_PROBE_DEPLOY_HEIGHT 15 // Raise to make room for the probe to deploy / stow #define Z_PROBE_TRAVEL_HEIGHT 5 // Raise between probing points. ``` For autobed leveling uncomment: ``` //#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_FEATURE // Delete the comment to enable ``` Then set probe points corners: ``` #if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID) #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 20 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170 #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // The Z probe minimum square sides can be no smaller than this. ``` Set the number of points to probe in each direction (x and y), default is 2, so it will probe 4 locations, the other common choice is 3, so it will probe a grid of 9 locations. ``` // Set the number of grid points per dimension. // You probably don't need more than 3 (squared=9). #define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID_POINTS 2 ``` That should be everything you need for a basic setup, although there are more options that I did not go through. Please look at all the documentation comments in configuration.h file as it is very comprehensive, even if it can be a bit confusing. I hope this helps!
2,996	<p>I have an old Solidoodle 2 that I bought broken from a garage sale that I am converting to use RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin Firmware. All the motors work correctly, I am just having issues getting the endstops to work.<br><br> </p> <p>I am using a regular limit switch with NC going to the signal pin and the other to ground. I have this switch plugged into first header column for X-min. My endstop configuration is currently:<br></p> <pre><code>//=========================================================================== //============================== Endstop Settings =========================== //=========================================================================== // @section homing // Specify here all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. // Almost all printers will be using one per axis. Probes will use one or more of the // extra connectors. Leave undefined any used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes. #define USE_XMIN_PLUG true #define USE_YMIN_PLUG true #define USE_ZMIN_PLUG true //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false // coarse Endstop Settings #define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to disable the endstop pullup resistors #if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS) // fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE #endif // Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup). #define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. </code></pre> <p>I have X-min enabled and inverted. When I send an M119 (endstop status code) I recieve:</p> <pre><code>Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED </code></pre> <p>And then when I press down the X endstop with my hand I get:</p> <pre><code>Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED </code></pre> <p>-No change. There is no mechanical failure with the switches, I've tested it with a continuity tester. I have even shorted the signal and ground pins on the Ramps board with a jumper wire and I still haven't seen any change.</p> <p>Where is the fault at?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3040, "author": "SteveP", "author_id": 4863, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4863", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>try uncommenting the following lines to enable endstop detection on all pins for troubleshooting.</p>\n\n<pre><code>//#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false\n//#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false\n//#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This way the M119 will show any changes.</p>\n\n<p>The only thing I can think of is that either the switch is plugged into the wrong pin on the ramps board (Max instead of Min) or the switch doesn't require the pullup (your could try commenting that back as a second test as well)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 15369, "author": "uw5ego", "author_id": 26385, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26385", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yesterday I has same error with board MKS Robin Nano with Marlin 2.0.6.</p>\n<p>Try to find and uncomment this definition:</p>\n<pre><code>#define ENDSTOP_INTERRUPTS_FEATURE\n</code></pre>\n<p>Failure was in disabled endstop interrupts and broken part of code, which going to home and unchecks endstop status between steps. But if you activated endstop before sending homing command - it will work as needed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16710, "author": "Richard Ryan", "author_id": 29292, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/29292", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After fighting with this for a while, I found out on the end stop pins, if coming from another setup like mine, you need to switch the ground pin to the center of the connector and the 5 volt pin to the pin it is reading, for example 1.29 pin on skr 1.4.</p>\n<p>Once you do that then it will read the status of the pin.</p>\n" } ]	2016/10/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2996", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4251/" ]	I have an old Solidoodle 2 that I bought broken from a garage sale that I am converting to use RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin Firmware. All the motors work correctly, I am just having issues getting the endstops to work. I am using a regular limit switch with NC going to the signal pin and the other to ground. I have this switch plugged into first header column for X-min. My endstop configuration is currently: ``` //=========================================================================== //============================== Endstop Settings =========================== //=========================================================================== // @section homing // Specify here all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. // Almost all printers will be using one per axis. Probes will use one or more of the // extra connectors. Leave undefined any used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes. #define USE_XMIN_PLUG true #define USE_YMIN_PLUG true #define USE_ZMIN_PLUG true //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false // coarse Endstop Settings #define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to disable the endstop pullup resistors #if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS) // fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE #endif // Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup). #define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. ``` I have X-min enabled and inverted. When I send an M119 (endstop status code) I recieve: ``` Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED ``` And then when I press down the X endstop with my hand I get: ``` Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED ``` -No change. There is no mechanical failure with the switches, I've tested it with a continuity tester. I have even shorted the signal and ground pins on the Ramps board with a jumper wire and I still haven't seen any change. Where is the fault at?	try uncommenting the following lines to enable endstop detection on all pins for troubleshooting. ``` //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false ``` This way the M119 will show any changes. The only thing I can think of is that either the switch is plugged into the wrong pin on the ramps board (Max instead of Min) or the switch doesn't require the pullup (your could try commenting that back as a second test as well)
2,999	<p>I'm using the Marlin firmware (1.1.0-RC7 - 31 July 2016) for a 3d printer. Currently the printing is not perfect due to slight inaccuracies in movements along the x and y axis. I'm trying to change the feedrate for speed along the xy axis whilst the printer is in operation to make sure the printer stops on time and prints accurately.</p> <p>I have some code for controlling the feedrate but the problem is that I'm not sure where I am supposed make these adjustments. In the configuration.h file I see this code: (lines 742 and 753 )</p> <pre><code>/line 742/ #define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (5060) /line 753*/ #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec) </code></pre> <p>I'm probably misunderstanding something but it seems like this sets the feedrate to a default value which is the same as the maximum. </p> <p>If the feedrate changes during printing I'm guessing it would be done in Marlin_main.cpp but I'm not sure which part it actually changes. Can someone point me in the right direction here? </p>	[ { "answer_id": 3000, "author": "FeliceM", "author_id": 4388, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4388", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You have the lines to adjust the feed rate.\nThe first one (line 742) is relevant to the maximum feed rate XY while homing (not during printing). I think this is not an issue in your particular case and you may leave it as it is.</p>\n\n<p>The second one (line 753) is the feed rate while printing for XY. Particularly the numbers in the brackets refers to ( X, Y, Z, E). If your printer is moving it may affect XY more than Z and E. So you may try to adjust the first two numbers.</p>\n\n<p>Due to the very specific situation is impossible to give you a feed rate based on calculation because you are dealing with external accelerations caused by the mobile situation. You will need to try and adjust it until you get right.</p>\n\n<p>Another setting that may also help you to compensate the external acceleration, if any, is the acceleration of those two axes.You should find two lines like these:</p>\n\n<pre>\n#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {1500,1500,50,250} \n#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 1500 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves\n</pre>\n\n<p>However the acceleration of the axes may impact on the quality of the printing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3002, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You can change the <em>maximum</em> allowable feedrate in Configuration.h, but the actual feedrate that is used isn't determined by your firmware. The feedrate is specified in the G-Code file. A command like</p>\n\n<pre><code>G0 X10.0 Y15.0 Z3.0 F9000\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>indicates a move to (10,15,3) at a feedrate of 9000 mm/min. If F is not specified, the last used feedrate is used.</p>\n\n<p>You just have to provide the appropriate G-code commands with the feedrate you want in them. There's no reason to modify the firmware to get a different feedrate.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6384, "author": "Curt Hayes", "author_id": 11315, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11315", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It seems like you might be wanting to look at the steps per mm line.</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This line is where you calibrate the number of steps per mm. To calibrate, mark a point along an axis, then move that axis something like 100 mm. If it didn't move 100 mm exactly, make a change</p>\n\n<pre><code>(how far it moved) (how far it should have moved)\n------------------ = ------------------------------\n(current steps/mm) (new steps/mm) --> find this\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2016/10/30	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2999", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4715/" ]	I'm using the Marlin firmware (1.1.0-RC7 - 31 July 2016) for a 3d printer. Currently the printing is not perfect due to slight inaccuracies in movements along the x and y axis. I'm trying to change the feedrate for speed along the xy axis whilst the printer is in operation to make sure the printer stops on time and prints accurately. I have some code for controlling the feedrate but the problem is that I'm not sure where I am supposed make these adjustments. In the configuration.h file I see this code: (lines 742 and 753 ) ``` /line 742/ #define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (5060) /line 753*/ #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec) ``` I'm probably misunderstanding something but it seems like this sets the feedrate to a default value which is the same as the maximum. If the feedrate changes during printing I'm guessing it would be done in Marlin\_main.cpp but I'm not sure which part it actually changes. Can someone point me in the right direction here?	You can change the maximum allowable feedrate in Configuration.h, but the actual feedrate that is used isn't determined by your firmware. The feedrate is specified in the G-Code file. A command like ``` G0 X10.0 Y15.0 Z3.0 F9000 ``` indicates a move to (10,15,3) at a feedrate of 9000 mm/min. If F is not specified, the last used feedrate is used. You just have to provide the appropriate G-code commands with the feedrate you want in them. There's no reason to modify the firmware to get a different feedrate.
3,031	<p>I finally manage to setup the ABL on my Prusa. I run G28 to home all axes (for z I use the same probe used for ABL). Then I run G29 E ( I use E because otherwise for some reason I have not understood yet, Z does not lift during probings) probing 4 points on the corners of the bed.</p> <p>finally I get the map of the bed:</p> <pre><code>Bed Level Correction Matrix: +0.999999 +0.000000 +0.001233 -0.000005 +0.999992 +0.003905 -0.001233 -0.003905 +0.999992 </code></pre> <p>and after that, the print starts. The first layer looks perfect however I have not seen Z moving a single step along the printing.</p> <p>Any hint about what to check? Is the obtained map indicating that the bed is already too leveled to act on any compensation?</p> <p><strong>UPDATE</strong> I printed a 180 mm diamater cylinder and the Z axis is not compensating the 1mm difference from edge to edge of the bed.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3032, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I believe that the matrix is shown transposed from how it should be, but that doesn't affect the answer. The compensated Z position is derived from the original <code>(X,Y,Z)</code> position by multiplying the corresponding vector with that matrix. This means that the new Z position would be</p>\n\n<pre><code>Z' = 0.999992Z - 0.001233X - 0.003905Y\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you have a 200 x 200 printbed, a diagonal move from one corner to the other would correspond to a 1mm change in Z-height. This should be noticeable, but if perhaps you're printing something quite small you might not notice it.</p>\n\n<p>Though, if your first layer is perfect, I would see no reason to mess with it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3034, "author": "FeliceM", "author_id": 4388, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4388", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I found the issue. As I mentioned in my question UPDATE, trying to print something that cover the full bed, the ABL was not working.\nThe issue was the Gcode I added after the G29.\nIn fact for some reason I added a G28 X0 after the G29 and that basically cancel the data acquired in the G29.\nI learned something new, do not use G28 after G29!</p>\n\n<p>Now it is working nicely.</p>\n" } ]	2016/11/09	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3031", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4388/" ]	I finally manage to setup the ABL on my Prusa. I run G28 to home all axes (for z I use the same probe used for ABL). Then I run G29 E ( I use E because otherwise for some reason I have not understood yet, Z does not lift during probings) probing 4 points on the corners of the bed. finally I get the map of the bed: ``` Bed Level Correction Matrix: +0.999999 +0.000000 +0.001233 -0.000005 +0.999992 +0.003905 -0.001233 -0.003905 +0.999992 ``` and after that, the print starts. The first layer looks perfect however I have not seen Z moving a single step along the printing. Any hint about what to check? Is the obtained map indicating that the bed is already too leveled to act on any compensation? UPDATE I printed a 180 mm diamater cylinder and the Z axis is not compensating the 1mm difference from edge to edge of the bed.	I found the issue. As I mentioned in my question UPDATE, trying to print something that cover the full bed, the ABL was not working. The issue was the Gcode I added after the G29. In fact for some reason I added a G28 X0 after the G29 and that basically cancel the data acquired in the G29. I learned something new, do not use G28 after G29! Now it is working nicely.
3,112	<p>Should it be possible to directly send G-code to the printer serial connection using pipes under Linux?</p> <p>Example:</p> <pre><code>echo M106 > /dev/ttyUSB0 </code></pre> <p>My controller runs at 250000 baud, I have tried setting the TTY baud rate to 250 kBd with: </p> <pre><code>stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 250000 </code></pre> <p>But, unfortunately, this particular baud rate appears to be unsupported under Ubuntu, giving the error: </p> <pre><code>stty: invalid argument ‘250000’ </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 3115, "author": "Carl Witthoft", "author_id": 2191, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2191", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1609727\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This forum page</a> strongly suggests you should be using <code>setserial</code> for a port, not <code>stty</code> , which is for terminals. I'd give the code snippets there a try.\nAlternatively, <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12646324/how-to-set-a-custom-baud-rate-on-linux\">stackoverflow</a> has a similar discussion, with somewhat more complicated modifications.</p>\n\n<p>Are you sure you can't talk with your printer at a lower baud rate than the maximum capability of the printer-end? </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3117, "author": "Mtl Dev", "author_id": 4965, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4965", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>For direct low-level printer control from a terminal, without specific software, I found the following solution with full credit thanks to user: <a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/6463673/meuh\">http://stackexchange.com/users/6463673/meuh</a></p>\n\n<p>Sharing here as may be of use to other users in the 3d Printing community, and I was unable to source a \"complete\" solution to this elsewhere.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Step 1)\nCreate a custom python script that allows you to set arbitrary baud rates (make executable with <code>chmod u+x</code>).</p>\n\n<pre><code>#!/usr/bin/python\n# set nonstandard baudrate. Original Question: http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/327366/119298\nimport sys,array,fcntl\n\n# from /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/serial/serialposix.py\n# /usr/include/asm-generic/termbits.h for struct termios2\n# [2]c_cflag [9]c_ispeed [10]c_ospeed\ndef set_special_baudrate(fd, baudrate):\n TCGETS2 = 0x802C542A\n TCSETS2 = 0x402C542B\n BOTHER = 0o010000\n CBAUD = 0o010017\n buf = array.array('i', [0] * 64) # is 44 really\n fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf)\n buf[2] &= ~CBAUD\n buf[2] \|= BOTHER\n buf[9] = buf[10] = baudrate\n assert(fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, buf)==0)\n fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf)\n if buf[9]!=baudrate or buf[10]!=baudrate:\n print(\"failed. speed is %d %d\" % (buf[9],buf[10]))\n sys.exit(1)\n\nset_special_baudrate(0, int(sys.argv[1]))\n</code></pre>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Step 2) Run the script to set your baud rate.<br>\n<code>./set_custom_baud_rate.py <> /dev/ttyUSB0 250000</code></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Step 3) You can now monitor your printer output in a terminal window simply with:<br>\n <code>tail -f /dev/ttyUSB0</code></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Step 4) And finally, open up a new terminal window, and you can directly send M or Gcode to your printer; example:<br>\n<code>echo \"M115\" >> /dev/ttyUSB0</code></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3131, "author": "Lars Pötter", "author_id": 204, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/204", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you can use screen for that. Open a terminal window and type <code>screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200</code> The general form is <code>screen serialdevice baudrate</code> You will then see everything that the printer sends. Everything you type will be send to the printer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 11998, "author": "Александр Николаев", "author_id": 20090, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/20090", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>That's work solution:\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\"><div>\r\n <iframe width=\"640px\" height=\"395px\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/1kcvIRhXkCo?start=0\"></iframe>\r\n </div></div>\nyou need 2 terminal, one for in and another for out flows </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 14387, "author": "Jay Dee", "author_id": 23499, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/23499", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I spent a number of hours trying to work out why my Creality Ender Pro was ignoring me when I sent it serial data over USB from a Python app. Google searches trying to find a solution that were not talking about <code>encode()</code> and <code>decode()</code> all seemed to lead me to this thread.</p>\n<p>I installed Minicom as per the video link, and all worked as it should, but I still failed to receive a reply in my Python implementation, I could connect and read the serial sent from the printer but nothing append when sending back to it.</p>\n<p>After a few hours scratching my head I realised that the printer reacted to input as it received each new line <code>\\n</code> character that I was failing to add to the end of each command sent so the printer was just sitting waiting for me to finish transmitting my line end that never came.</p>\n<pre><code>self.serialPort = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyUSB0', 115200, exclusive = True)\nlines = self.serialPort.read(self.serialPort.in_waiting).decode().splitlines(False)\nline = line + "\\n"\nself.serialPort.write(line.encode())\n</code></pre>\n<p>Hopefully no one else is as stupid but to save anyone else like me time, I would like to point this out here.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 14743, "author": "K Mmmm", "author_id": 10369, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10369", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The accepted answer didn't work for me. Everything received on the serial port was repeated back to the serial port, sending the printer into a confusing loop. There is more information about that in this answer: <a href=\"https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42964/unexpected-results-testing-serial-loopback-using-echo-and-cat\">https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42964/unexpected-results-testing-serial-loopback-using-echo-and-cat</a></p>\n<p>The key is to use a command like this to prevent certain line termination characters from repeating themselves: <code>stty 115200 -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -echo -onlcr </code>, where 115200 is your baud rate.</p>\n<p>Here is what I did:</p>\n<pre><code># 1. plug in printer\nsudo chmod +777 /dev/ttyUSB0 # 2. allow access to printer USB permissions, add user to dialout or tty is better\nstty 115200 -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -echo -onlcr # 3. set serial port baud rate, might be 250000 for you\ncat -v < /dev/ttyUSB0 # 4. get printer output \n\n</code></pre>\n<p>Then in a new terminal:</p>\n<pre><code> echo "M119" >> /dev/ttyUSB0\n\n</code></pre>\n<p>This will give you a real console.</p>\n" } ]	2016/12/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3112", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4965/" ]	Should it be possible to directly send G-code to the printer serial connection using pipes under Linux? Example: ``` echo M106 > /dev/ttyUSB0 ``` My controller runs at 250000 baud, I have tried setting the TTY baud rate to 250 kBd with: ``` stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 250000 ``` But, unfortunately, this particular baud rate appears to be unsupported under Ubuntu, giving the error: ``` stty: invalid argument ‘250000’ ```	For direct low-level printer control from a terminal, without specific software, I found the following solution with full credit thanks to user: <http://stackexchange.com/users/6463673/meuh> Sharing here as may be of use to other users in the 3d Printing community, and I was unable to source a "complete" solution to this elsewhere. --- Step 1) Create a custom python script that allows you to set arbitrary baud rates (make executable with `chmod u+x`). ``` #!/usr/bin/python # set nonstandard baudrate. Original Question: http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/327366/119298 import sys,array,fcntl # from /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/serial/serialposix.py # /usr/include/asm-generic/termbits.h for struct termios2 # [2]c_cflag [9]c_ispeed [10]c_ospeed def set_special_baudrate(fd, baudrate): TCGETS2 = 0x802C542A TCSETS2 = 0x402C542B BOTHER = 0o010000 CBAUD = 0o010017 buf = array.array('i', [0] * 64) # is 44 really fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf) buf[2] &= ~CBAUD buf[2] \|= BOTHER buf[9] = buf[10] = baudrate assert(fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, buf)==0) fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf) if buf[9]!=baudrate or buf[10]!=baudrate: print("failed. speed is %d %d" % (buf[9],buf[10])) sys.exit(1) set_special_baudrate(0, int(sys.argv[1])) ``` --- Step 2) Run the script to set your baud rate. `./set_custom_baud_rate.py <> /dev/ttyUSB0 250000` --- Step 3) You can now monitor your printer output in a terminal window simply with: `tail -f /dev/ttyUSB0` --- Step 4) And finally, open up a new terminal window, and you can directly send M or Gcode to your printer; example: `echo "M115" >> /dev/ttyUSB0`
3,165	<p>I am planning a mechanical 40% keyboard build and are coincidentally on the home stretch of a homemade CNC project.</p> <p>The only thing the CNC needs to do for the keyboard project is to drill 7*48 holes. So what I need to do now is layout those holes in SVG. Therein lies the question. What resolution should I use for the SVG? I want to space the center of the keyboard switches 19 mm apart. An online pixel to mm converter suggested that 72 pixels is exactly 19.05 mm (which actually is what Cherry MX says should be their spacing).</p> <p>Now, I do understand that this really doesn't matter, but I am curious as I am new on CNCs and was suspecting that there is a number that will "just work". </p> <p>EDIT: For example, if I where to print the template (SVG) on a regular printer, what pixel to mm ratio should I use so that it would come out the size I want?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3171, "author": "Vivian", "author_id": 5209, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5209", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>SVG is a vector-graphics format, there's no particular reason it can't scale arbitrarily. Presumably the CNC software will allow you to select the scale of a pixel? If so, pick a scale that makes the math work out easily (so some integer number of pixels per millimeter). If not, it's probably documented somewhere for the specific tool you're using.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3175, "author": "Hampus", "author_id": 5194, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5194", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strike>I found one of those printer things that puts ink on dead trees and tested to print a simple SVG file.</p>\n\n<pre><code><svg xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n width=\"400px\" height=\"800px\">\n <rect x=\"10\" y=\"10\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" fill=\"#999999\" />\n <rect x=\"10\" y=\"100\" width=\"378\" height=\"378\" fill=\"#999999\" />\n</svg>\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>As I suspected 72 pixels came out pretty much exactly 19mm. (72/19.05)*100~=378 came out 100mm.</p>\n\n<p>Given this I am going to assume that 72/19.05 is the de facto best pixel to mm ratio to use for CNC projects.</strike></p>\n\n<p>EDIT:</p>\n\n<p>Found this documentation: <a href=\"http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units</a></p>\n\n<pre><code><svg xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n width=\"400px\" height=\"800px\">\n <rect x=\"10\" y=\"10\" width=\"19.05mm\" height=\"19.05mm\" fill=\"#999999\" />\n <rect x=\"10\" y=\"100\" width=\"100mm\" height=\"100mm\" fill=\"#999999\" />\n</svg> \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Much simpler to use mm as units right away </p>\n" } ]	2016/12/11	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3165", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5194/" ]	I am planning a mechanical 40% keyboard build and are coincidentally on the home stretch of a homemade CNC project. The only thing the CNC needs to do for the keyboard project is to drill 7\*48 holes. So what I need to do now is layout those holes in SVG. Therein lies the question. What resolution should I use for the SVG? I want to space the center of the keyboard switches 19 mm apart. An online pixel to mm converter suggested that 72 pixels is exactly 19.05 mm (which actually is what Cherry MX says should be their spacing). Now, I do understand that this really doesn't matter, but I am curious as I am new on CNCs and was suspecting that there is a number that will "just work". EDIT: For example, if I where to print the template (SVG) on a regular printer, what pixel to mm ratio should I use so that it would come out the size I want?	I found one of those printer things that puts ink on dead trees and tested to print a simple SVG file. ``` <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="400px" height="800px"> <rect x="10" y="10" width="72" height="72" fill="#999999" /> <rect x="10" y="100" width="378" height="378" fill="#999999" /> </svg> ``` As I suspected 72 pixels came out pretty much exactly 19mm. (72/19.05)\*100~=378 came out 100mm. Given this I am going to assume that 72/19.05 is the de facto best pixel to mm ratio to use for CNC projects. EDIT: Found this documentation: <http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units> ``` <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="400px" height="800px"> <rect x="10" y="10" width="19.05mm" height="19.05mm" fill="#999999" /> <rect x="10" y="100" width="100mm" height="100mm" fill="#999999" /> </svg> ``` Much simpler to use mm as units right away
3,233	<p>I started to write an application that calculates the estimated total print time from the G-code file for an already sliced model.</p> <p>The program works and it's pretty accurate.</p> <p>It works as follows: </p> <ol> <li>It scans the entire G-code file to identify all of the movements</li> <li>It calculates the time for each move by dividing segment distance by the speed in mm/s.</li> </ol> <p>Let's assume this is the G-code:</p> <pre><code>G28 ; home all axes G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 </code></pre> <p>This is the calculation it does:</p> <pre><code>totalTime = 0 # G28 ; home all axes currentX = 0 mm currentY = 0 mm currentZ = 0 mm # G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 newZ = 0.2 mm mmPerSecond = 5400 / 60 = 90 mm/s deltaZ = newZ - currentZ = 0.2 - 0 = 0.2 mm segmentLength = deltaZ = 0.2 mm moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond = 0.2 / 90 = 0.002 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0 + 0.002 = 0.002 s # G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 newX = 158.878 mm newY = 27.769 mm mmPerSecond = 900 / 60 = 15 mm/s deltaX = newX - currentX = 158.878 - 0 = 158.878 mm deltaY = newY - currentY = 27.769 - 0 = 27.769 mm segmentLength = square_root(deltaX² + deltaY²) = 161.287 mm moveTime = deltaZ / mmPerSecond = 161.287 / 15 = 10.755 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0.002 + 10.755 = 10.757 s </code></pre> <p>In this example, the print will take approximately 10.7 seconds.</p> <p>More generally, the formula used is, for each movement:</p> <pre><code>moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond </code></pre> <p>By summing up all the move times, we have the total estimated print time.</p> <p>I've seen that some forums state that the 3D print time also depends on some settings on the 3D printer, especially Acceleration X, Acceleration Y, Acceleration Z, Jerk, and Z-Jerk.</p> <p>I'd like to make it possible to use those values to more accurately calculate print time; however, I don't understand how those values affect the move time:</p> <ol> <li>How should Acceleration and Jerk be considered; and, how do they speed up or slow down the print time? </li> <li>How should I edit my formula in order to include Acceleration and Jerk in the print time calculation?</li> </ol>	[ { "answer_id": 3241, "author": "user802599", "author_id": 1476, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1476", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have tried looking into the printer firmware to see how the <em>Acceleration</em> setting affects the machine movement. From what I could tell, <em>Acceleration</em> seemed to be implemented differently depending on what firmware I looked at and was also affected by what the settings used on the printer were. I didn't look any further because writing different rules for every different firmware seemed like too much trouble. Maybe someone that knows more about this would know if most firmware uses the same calculations. </p>\n\n<p>I suspect that the acceleration setting will not make a lot of difference to the time that the print takes. They haven't seemed to make a difference on the small prints that I have done printing with slow speeds. If you were printing larger prints at faster speeds that had long paths where the nozzle had time to accelerate and decelerate then I suspect you would notice a bigger difference with the time.</p>\n\n<p>I have found that the biggest error between the predicted time and the actual time has been the time the machine spends processing the instructions. When printing a model that has a lot of short movements that need to be sent to the printer and they need to be processed and calculated by the printer, I have noticed the printer will pause for a fraction of a second. It is not long enough to see a difference in the printers movements, but it is noticeable enough to hear. I suspect that on cheaper printers this would cause a bigger error than the acceleration. </p>\n\n<p>If someone can find out how the acceleration settings are calculated by the printer and what G-code command can be used to get the acceleration settings out of the printer, I would be really interested in knowing more about this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 11066, "author": "R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE", "author_id": 11157, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11157", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all, there are some nice open source analyzers written in JavaScript that you can use online, or read the source to, at <a href=\"https://www.gcodeanalyser.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.gcodeanalyser.com/</a> and <a href=\"http://gcode.ws/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://gcode.ws/</a>. Their predictions don't fully match actual printer firmware, but they do a reasonably close job, and reading them would be informative.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, the story behind acceleration and jerk is that you can't change the velocity (speed or direction) of the print head instantaneously. It takes time to speed up and slow down. Acceleration is the max rate at which the velocity of the print head can change. Jerk is something of a misnomer/hack, and is the max fake-instantaneous change in velocity allowed at the junction of two segments/curves. The point of jerk is to avoid choppy motion when moving along a curve made up of many segments by accelerating/decelerating at each tiny corner. Note that there are two sets of settings for both acceleration and jerk:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>a maximum absolute value (3D vector length) that frequently changed as part of the gcode in order to use different acceleration profiles for print moves vs travel moves, walls vs infill, etc.</p></li>\n<li><p>per-axis absolute values (standard 1D absolute value) for the limitations of the machine, that are usually set in the printer's settings or the start gcode profile for your printer and never changed.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Movement is constrained to always respect both sets of settings.</p>\n\n<p>Printer firmware uses acceleration and jerk settings along with <em>lookahead</em> at upcoming motion commands to decide how to actually operate the motors. When it starts a motion, it has to accelerate up to the configured max velocity within the acceleration constraints. It also has to start slowing back down midway through unless it knows the next motion is going to continue in the exact same direction; how much it has to slow down depends on the difference in the vectors of motion. If the next motion is going to be in approximately the same direction, it may be able to avoid slowing down by using the jerk allowance to make an \"instantaneous\" change of velocity at the corner. Only if you have long (relative to speed) linear or approximately linear motions will you ever actually reach the requested speed.</p>\n\n<p>So, to estimate print time, you need to <em>model</em> this. Keep track of print head velocity while processing/simulating the gcode, and for each motion command, compute velocity as a function of time using the acceleration limits (accelerating at the max rate they allow). You also need to figure out the final velocity you want to end the motion with in order to be able to start the next motion command, and a point to start decelerating if necessary to reach that.</p>\n" } ]	2016/12/20	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3233", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5317/" ]	I started to write an application that calculates the estimated total print time from the G-code file for an already sliced model. The program works and it's pretty accurate. It works as follows: 1. It scans the entire G-code file to identify all of the movements 2. It calculates the time for each move by dividing segment distance by the speed in mm/s. Let's assume this is the G-code: ``` G28 ; home all axes G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 ``` This is the calculation it does: ``` totalTime = 0 # G28 ; home all axes currentX = 0 mm currentY = 0 mm currentZ = 0 mm # G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 newZ = 0.2 mm mmPerSecond = 5400 / 60 = 90 mm/s deltaZ = newZ - currentZ = 0.2 - 0 = 0.2 mm segmentLength = deltaZ = 0.2 mm moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond = 0.2 / 90 = 0.002 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0 + 0.002 = 0.002 s # G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 newX = 158.878 mm newY = 27.769 mm mmPerSecond = 900 / 60 = 15 mm/s deltaX = newX - currentX = 158.878 - 0 = 158.878 mm deltaY = newY - currentY = 27.769 - 0 = 27.769 mm segmentLength = square_root(deltaX² + deltaY²) = 161.287 mm moveTime = deltaZ / mmPerSecond = 161.287 / 15 = 10.755 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0.002 + 10.755 = 10.757 s ``` In this example, the print will take approximately 10.7 seconds. More generally, the formula used is, for each movement: ``` moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond ``` By summing up all the move times, we have the total estimated print time. I've seen that some forums state that the 3D print time also depends on some settings on the 3D printer, especially Acceleration X, Acceleration Y, Acceleration Z, Jerk, and Z-Jerk. I'd like to make it possible to use those values to more accurately calculate print time; however, I don't understand how those values affect the move time: 1. How should Acceleration and Jerk be considered; and, how do they speed up or slow down the print time? 2. How should I edit my formula in order to include Acceleration and Jerk in the print time calculation?	I have tried looking into the printer firmware to see how the Acceleration setting affects the machine movement. From what I could tell, Acceleration seemed to be implemented differently depending on what firmware I looked at and was also affected by what the settings used on the printer were. I didn't look any further because writing different rules for every different firmware seemed like too much trouble. Maybe someone that knows more about this would know if most firmware uses the same calculations. I suspect that the acceleration setting will not make a lot of difference to the time that the print takes. They haven't seemed to make a difference on the small prints that I have done printing with slow speeds. If you were printing larger prints at faster speeds that had long paths where the nozzle had time to accelerate and decelerate then I suspect you would notice a bigger difference with the time. I have found that the biggest error between the predicted time and the actual time has been the time the machine spends processing the instructions. When printing a model that has a lot of short movements that need to be sent to the printer and they need to be processed and calculated by the printer, I have noticed the printer will pause for a fraction of a second. It is not long enough to see a difference in the printers movements, but it is noticeable enough to hear. I suspect that on cheaper printers this would cause a bigger error than the acceleration. If someone can find out how the acceleration settings are calculated by the printer and what G-code command can be used to get the acceleration settings out of the printer, I would be really interested in knowing more about this.
3,304	<pre><code>Nozzle diameter = .4 Extrusion multiplier = 1 Extrusion Width = .45 <-- I feel like this could be reduced to fix it? Layer Height = .3 </code></pre> <p>I'm using Simplify3D.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsiMS.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsiMS.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tTZ5.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tTZ5.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>	[ { "answer_id": 3305, "author": "StarWind0", "author_id": 2146, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2146", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Oh thats simple. First you will see the \"elephants foot\" on first layers if you have the extruder over-extruding or do not have enough distance between the bed and nozzle. \n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHguv.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHguv.jpg\" alt=\"Elephants foot\"></a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>It's very common that the first couple of layers of a print is wider than you expected them to be. This is because you will generally want to make sure the first layer is nicely squished into the build platform so that it sticks properly. By doing this the plastic gets squished out into a thicker line than normal and thus the bottom of the print will bulge out a bit like an elephant's foot. You can decrease this effect by leveling your bed so that the nozzle is slightly further away from the bed and lowering the bed temperature a bit. It's hard to get rid of this effect entirely without sacrificing bottom layer quality and bed adhesion. It will be easier on small prints as they are less likely to warp and detach from the platform and you can therefore get away with not squishing the first layer as hard.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23-a-visual-ultimaker-troubleshooting-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">See this visual guide on more information</a></p>\n\n<p>If you are seeing this on all layers. That means you have oozing. When your printer hits the end of the line. It has to slow down, stop and start the next vector. During this time if your printing very hot, you will ooze material at this intersection. Also the extra time over that spot mayhaps also warm the corner, causing more disruption. Best thing in this situation is to verify you cannot lower temps more. Add a fan. Also double check that you are extruding the exact amount you think you are. (distance of material and the material size average)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://all3dp.com/common-3d-printing-problems-3d-printer-troubleshooting-guide/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here is another visual trouble shooting guide</a></p>\n\n<p>I will note, I don't think thats too bad. If it needs to fit into something, just clip it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3308, "author": "Eric Kelly", "author_id": 4305, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4305", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If it's on each corner, and not the layer change corner, it's a combination of overshoot and the short \"pause\" of the printer when it changes direction. </p>\n\n<p>You can minimize it, but it won't go away 100% (due to overshoot from direction changes), usually models with a slight rounded corners work great. If you, say, increase the jerk as an experiment and they get sharper (but you obviously have to deal with potential ringing artifacts) then it's due to that pause and acceleration after a direction change.</p>\n\n<p>I would try lowering the temperature a bit to slow the flow/oozing of the nozzle and calibrate extrusion - just to keep the settings tight as possible to keep dimensional accuracy, but not under extrude obviously. </p>\n\n<p>If it's where a layer change occurs, tweak and play with retraction settings - such as coasting and extra distance on restart (you can put negative values here). Once those are set, as an advanced tweak, try to max the z speed... Obviously this involves motor current, testing for skipped steps etc... but this would make the layer change a bit quicker, to further reduce oozing, due to the delay in layer changes if retraction settings don't fix it. </p>\n\n<p>Usually, you can fix the corners with retraction settings but then it can mess up other parts of a model, since those settings are global... I wish slicers were more intelligent. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3341, "author": "Diesel", "author_id": 5518, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5518", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Three factors that will impact the 'sharpness' of corners, first is your extruder speed, second is retraction rate and third is nozzle diameter.</p>\n\n<p>By slowing down your extruder will be able to track the features of your model better. I generally try to print with extruder speeds of ~10mm/s which gives fairly good results. The nozzle diameter will be the most extreme limiting condition on how sharp you can get your corners. This I think is likely your issue. </p>\n\n<p>Retraction rate <em>could</em> have an effect on the corner sharpness. I don't think that's the problem you're experiencing but worth mentioning. Depending on the specific geometry if your nozzle stops at a corner while it raises in Z if your retraction is too low additional filament can ooze out making the corners appear more rounded.</p>\n\n<p>Typically a nozzle diameters are about 0.4mm which is pretty sharp, however if you have something larger that could effect it as well. Again, not your specific issue but something to keep in mind for future builds.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6010, "author": "OsterNikolaus", "author_id": 10876, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10876", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your printer is over extruding.</p>\n\n<p>It looks like PLA on the photo, the preset multiplier in S3D is 0.90 (not 1.0!)</p>\n\n<p>The nozzle diameter should be the same as the extrusion width (both 0.40).</p>\n\n<p>When you set the width to auto you get a bigger width. I don't really know why, but it was told me so.</p>\n\n<p>If you print 1.75 mm you have to measure it and (the actual diameter is often around 1.78 mm, maybe less too). The multiplier of 0.9 is because PLA is softer then ABS for example. Maybe you should try other multipliers as well, maybe down to 0.85 in 0.01 steps.</p>\n\n<p>I hope you can figure this problem out. I am experimenting by myself for days now to get it as sharp as possible. The goal is to get an edge with the diameter of the nozzle - not a bit more.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 18564, "author": "Jesper Max", "author_id": 32303, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/32303", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Enable "classic jerk" in the firmware and put it to 12 on both X and Y.</p>\n<p>That helped me get perfect prints.</p>\n" } ]	2017/01/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3304", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4378/" ]	``` Nozzle diameter = .4 Extrusion multiplier = 1 Extrusion Width = .45 <-- I feel like this could be reduced to fix it? Layer Height = .3 ``` I'm using Simplify3D. [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsiMS.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsiMS.jpg) [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tTZ5.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tTZ5.jpg)	If it's on each corner, and not the layer change corner, it's a combination of overshoot and the short "pause" of the printer when it changes direction. You can minimize it, but it won't go away 100% (due to overshoot from direction changes), usually models with a slight rounded corners work great. If you, say, increase the jerk as an experiment and they get sharper (but you obviously have to deal with potential ringing artifacts) then it's due to that pause and acceleration after a direction change. I would try lowering the temperature a bit to slow the flow/oozing of the nozzle and calibrate extrusion - just to keep the settings tight as possible to keep dimensional accuracy, but not under extrude obviously. If it's where a layer change occurs, tweak and play with retraction settings - such as coasting and extra distance on restart (you can put negative values here). Once those are set, as an advanced tweak, try to max the z speed... Obviously this involves motor current, testing for skipped steps etc... but this would make the layer change a bit quicker, to further reduce oozing, due to the delay in layer changes if retraction settings don't fix it. Usually, you can fix the corners with retraction settings but then it can mess up other parts of a model, since those settings are global... I wish slicers were more intelligent.
3,375	<p>Under FreeCAD, I sketched on the face of a solid as follows :</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe4nu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe4nu.png" alt="sketch"></a></p> <p>My problem is, when I use "Pad a selected sketch", the solid created comprises also the original solid.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHI59.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHI59.png" alt="created solid"></a></p> <p>It prevents me, for instance, to get the difference with the first one.</p> <p>Any idea what may be causing this? How to prevent it?</p> <p>MyFreeCAD config:</p> <pre><code>OS: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS Word size of OS: 64-bit Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit Version: 0.15.4671 (Git) Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-15 Hash: 244b3aef360841646cbfe80a1b225c8b39c8380c Python version: 2.7.11 Qt version: 4.8.7 Coin version: 4.0.0a OCC version: 6.8.0.oce-0.17 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 3379, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you just select the face, and pad the face (versus padding the solid), you should not have this problem. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3386, "author": "kaldo", "author_id": 5580, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5580", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Ok, I got help on <a href=\"http://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19756\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this forum thread</a></p>\n\n<p>Using <code>Part Extrude</code> instead of <code>Pad a selected sketch</code> on the sketch will create an independent solid.</p>\n\n<p>It also turns out that, instead of creating the second solid to do a boolean difference, the good way to \"cut\" my solid is using the <code>PartDesign Pocket</code> tool.</p>\n" } ]	2017/01/10	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3375", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5580/" ]	Under FreeCAD, I sketched on the face of a solid as follows : [![sketch](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe4nu.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe4nu.png) My problem is, when I use "Pad a selected sketch", the solid created comprises also the original solid. [![created solid](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHI59.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHI59.png) It prevents me, for instance, to get the difference with the first one. Any idea what may be causing this? How to prevent it? MyFreeCAD config: ``` OS: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS Word size of OS: 64-bit Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit Version: 0.15.4671 (Git) Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-15 Hash: 244b3aef360841646cbfe80a1b225c8b39c8380c Python version: 2.7.11 Qt version: 4.8.7 Coin version: 4.0.0a OCC version: 6.8.0.oce-0.17 ```	Ok, I got help on [this forum thread](http://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19756) Using `Part Extrude` instead of `Pad a selected sketch` on the sketch will create an independent solid. It also turns out that, instead of creating the second solid to do a boolean difference, the good way to "cut" my solid is using the `PartDesign Pocket` tool.
3,389	<p>I'm trying to use one of the RAMPS GPIOs to control an external device that requires a 5V low-current logic level signal from Marlin. In order to do this programmatically, my host software (Octoprint) is sending an M42 command. I am using the following syntax:</p> <pre><code>M42 P4 S255 </code></pre> <p>according to the pinout in the following image:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRInv.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRInv.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>However, the pin appears to not be driven to a logic HIGH level. Is there firmware-level configuration I need to do as well, or is my syntax/pin number incorrect?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4067, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the \"SENSITIVE_PINS\" list:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \\\nX_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \\\nY_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \\\nZ_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \\\nPS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \\\n_E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \\\n_H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \\\n_X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \\\nX_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \\\n}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 8110, "author": "Athul", "author_id": 10670, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10670", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Might be because servo pins are not connected to 5V. use Jumper as shown</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]	2017/01/12	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3389", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/62/" ]	I'm trying to use one of the RAMPS GPIOs to control an external device that requires a 5V low-current logic level signal from Marlin. In order to do this programmatically, my host software (Octoprint) is sending an M42 command. I am using the following syntax: ``` M42 P4 S255 ``` according to the pinout in the following image: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRInv.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRInv.png) However, the pin appears to not be driven to a logic HIGH level. Is there firmware-level configuration I need to do as well, or is my syntax/pin number incorrect?	I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the "SENSITIVE\_PINS" list: ``` #define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \ X_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \ Y_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \ Z_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \ PS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \ _E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \ _H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \ _X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \ X_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \ } ``` These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware.
3,392	<p>I'm trying to gear down a servo even further. I notice that the majority of the gears are made of nylon, and I want to create new gears that come close to the resolution and strength of the existing gears. I have a Replicator 2, but the resolution does not seem to come close to what I need. Any suggestions on how I can create nylon or other hard material parts that might work?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4067, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the \"SENSITIVE_PINS\" list:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \\\nX_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \\\nY_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \\\nZ_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \\\nPS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \\\n_E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \\\n_H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \\\n_X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \\\nX_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \\\n}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 8110, "author": "Athul", "author_id": 10670, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10670", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Might be because servo pins are not connected to 5V. use Jumper as shown</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]	2017/01/13	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3392", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5624/" ]	I'm trying to gear down a servo even further. I notice that the majority of the gears are made of nylon, and I want to create new gears that come close to the resolution and strength of the existing gears. I have a Replicator 2, but the resolution does not seem to come close to what I need. Any suggestions on how I can create nylon or other hard material parts that might work?	I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the "SENSITIVE\_PINS" list: ``` #define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \ X_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \ Y_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \ Z_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \ PS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \ _E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \ _H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \ _X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \ X_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \ } ``` These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware.
3,420	<p>I've got a Monoprice Mini Select (15365) and it takes FOREVER for me to manually spin the dial to get the printhead to raise all the way up so that I can perform maintenance (clear blockages in the nozzle or apply new tape to the bed, etc).</p> <p>So, I was thinking about writing a snippet of gcode that I could just run which would contain the commands necessary to do that for me. I'm a n00b to 3D printing, but I'm an old programmer so I figured it would be too hard. However, before running this code on my printer, I wanted to get some experts to double check me to make sure I'm not going to hurt anything. :)</p> <p>Here is what I have, please let me know if I've done anything wrong or if you have any suggestions.</p> <pre><code>; Move print head to center and top to prepare for cleaning/maintenance M107 ; fan off G28 ; home all axes G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates ; full dimensions of the print area are 120mm x 120mm x 120mm G0 X60 Y60 Z119 ; move to center X,Y and just below the max height M84 ; disable motors </code></pre> <p>I grabbed a few lines from gcode generated by Slic3r and used the gcode wiki entry to understand each of the commands and fill in the extra ones I needed.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3424, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Yes, on machines which will execute \"standard\" gcode, this will do what you request. Some good resources are <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code\">http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3438, "author": "ArkTekniK", "author_id": 660, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/660", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It really depends on whether you currently have something half printed on the bed when you need to do maintenance. \nFor example, you may have a blockage mid-print or need to reprime the nozzle. </p>\n\n<p>So with that in mind, personally I would separate the line that does the move into two different lines. </p>\n\n<p>Move vertically first, then in X Y. Otherwise, the print head may move diagonally and hit your object. This is because the head will move all three axes at once.</p>\n\n<p>Otherwise looks good.</p>\n\n<p>Edit: Another suggestion is that if you use repetier host to control the printer it will be easier to return to the print in-progress automatically.</p>\n\n<p>Also take a look at the S parameter, for moves it can control how fast the move is.</p>\n" } ]	2017/01/18	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3420", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5446/" ]	I've got a Monoprice Mini Select (15365) and it takes FOREVER for me to manually spin the dial to get the printhead to raise all the way up so that I can perform maintenance (clear blockages in the nozzle or apply new tape to the bed, etc). So, I was thinking about writing a snippet of gcode that I could just run which would contain the commands necessary to do that for me. I'm a n00b to 3D printing, but I'm an old programmer so I figured it would be too hard. However, before running this code on my printer, I wanted to get some experts to double check me to make sure I'm not going to hurt anything. :) Here is what I have, please let me know if I've done anything wrong or if you have any suggestions. ``` ; Move print head to center and top to prepare for cleaning/maintenance M107 ; fan off G28 ; home all axes G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates ; full dimensions of the print area are 120mm x 120mm x 120mm G0 X60 Y60 Z119 ; move to center X,Y and just below the max height M84 ; disable motors ``` I grabbed a few lines from gcode generated by Slic3r and used the gcode wiki entry to understand each of the commands and fill in the extra ones I needed.	Yes, on machines which will execute "standard" gcode, this will do what you request. Some good resources are <http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code> and <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code>
3,470	<p>I have a Tronxy P802M (very similar to the Anet A8, but using a Melzi2.0V5 board) that seems to work fine (I just finished building, and axes movement and the integrated display work) but when I try to connect to the printer from my Simplify3D on Windows 10, I get the following:</p> <pre><code>[...] Connected to machine! SENT: T0 READ: ok 0 READ: wait SENT: M105 READ: ok 0 READ: T:24.44 /0 B:23.33 /0 B@:0 @:0 Connection failed. </code></pre> <p>My other printers all connect fine.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3504, "author": "brandstaetter", "author_id": 5758, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5758", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The <a href=\"https://www.simplify3d.com/support/faq/#faq-4630\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Simplify3D support site</a> mentions to disable the \"wait for startup command\" option in the firmware configuration for S3D.</p>\n\n<p>This allows me to make a rudimentary connection to control the printer, however e.g. during the bed levelling wizard of S3D, the connection still breaks off.</p>\n\n<p>It works reliably with Octoprint. I'll consider that good enough.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3505, "author": "TafT", "author_id": 4437, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4437", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you are using a USB 3 port to connect the printer to your PC, try connecting via a USB 2 hub. </p>\n\n<p>My Vector 3 will not work on a USB 3 port, only on a USB 2 or lower. The device correctly mounts and presents but serial communication fails. One of my laptops only has USB 3 ports on it, so to work around the limitation I connect via a cheap USB 2 hub. </p>\n\n<p>I have heard that many 3D printers use a similar USB to UART / serial connector chip and that they suffer from similar limitations as a result. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3998, "author": "3d noob", "author_id": 6999, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6999", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Try changing your port in the control menu. By default, mine is set to <code>COM 1</code> and I have to change it to <code>COM 3</code>.</p>\n" } ]	2017/01/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3470", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5758/" ]	I have a Tronxy P802M (very similar to the Anet A8, but using a Melzi2.0V5 board) that seems to work fine (I just finished building, and axes movement and the integrated display work) but when I try to connect to the printer from my Simplify3D on Windows 10, I get the following: ``` [...] Connected to machine! SENT: T0 READ: ok 0 READ: wait SENT: M105 READ: ok 0 READ: T:24.44 /0 B:23.33 /0 B@:0 @:0 Connection failed. ``` My other printers all connect fine.	The [Simplify3D support site](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/faq/#faq-4630) mentions to disable the "wait for startup command" option in the firmware configuration for S3D. This allows me to make a rudimentary connection to control the printer, however e.g. during the bed levelling wizard of S3D, the connection still breaks off. It works reliably with Octoprint. I'll consider that good enough.
3,471	<p>I received a Monoprice Maker Select v2 (I3 V2 clone) from my wife for Christmas. The sample .gcode files that came with the printer generally print great with no noticeable defects.</p> <p>However, when I try to print miniatures for use with table-top gaming (D&D, primarily), I tend to get a lot of oozing and stringing. On top of that, bridge supports don't cool in time and tend to get fudged by the print nozzle, which results in oddities like arms being only half printed, sticking to the nozzle, and getting relocated to some other part of the print. If I use full grid supports with the most modest fill settings (8%) they end up being stronger than the miniature and are a real pain to remove. </p> <p>My printer is calibrated, as level as can be (the desk it's on is slightly warped but I've got the printer in the center of the warp; there is no wobble or lean) and squared. The build plate is calibrated and set to the right height. </p> <p>I'm using the version of Cura that came on the SD card with the printer (honestly not sure which one and I'm not at home to check). I've fiddled with print speed, extruder temp (ranging from 185 to 210), layer cooling, retraction settings, and tried switching to Slic3r (didn't go over well -- couldn't even get past the first layer).</p> <p>I'm using Hatchbox silver PLA filament (1.75mm +/- 0.05mm). I don't have another filament I can test with to compare performance. </p> <p>Even when I import the profile settings from one of the sample .gcode files I tend to end up with blobbing, pulling, and stringing all over the miniatures, in addition to missing or deformed parts. Notably, arms and hands -- most often overhangs -- tend to stick to the hotend and get repositioned, sending the whole thing out of whack. </p> <p>I end up with similar problems when I use the Novice mode settings in Cura (Normal Quality, High Quality, etc).</p> <p>Is there something I'm missing that I can do to improve the quality of small, detailed prints, or is the I3, as an entry-level printer, simply not up to the task? I'm especially interested in answers from users who have experience printing miniatures and their experiences in tuning for that type of print job.</p> <p>A few things I've tried test printing:</p> <p><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:704409" rel="noreferrer">Printer calibration test model v1</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1363023" rel="noreferrer">Printer calibration test model v3</a></p> <p>Both of these came out very stringy, with lots of blobbing and layer pulling, especially towards the upper portions of the taller elements.</p> <p>I have also tried printing these two models:</p> <p><a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/YDCPJF8KV/knight?optionId=59811831" rel="noreferrer">Knight with sword - high detail</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/4Y699HM6N/elf-monk?optionId=61531553&li=marketplace" rel="noreferrer">Elf monk - high detail</a></p> <p>All test prints of these two models had at least one missing hand due to it getting stuck to the hotend and pulling off the part, and both demonstrated lots of minor blobbing and pulling on otherwise smooth surfaces, with loss of detail in the more finely detailed areas. Here's a sample of the output for the knight model. Please ignore the fact that he has been dismembered, that was mostly my fiddling with it post-printing (I guess I don't know my own strength), though the left hand was not well-attached and fell off rather easily. He was printed with both hands and feet/base intact, but you can see the blobbing and pulling pretty well.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4pth.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4pth.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>	[ { "answer_id": 3474, "author": "disc0ninja", "author_id": 5757, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5757", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have an Alunar(Anet) Prusa i3 printer I bought from amazon 7 months ago. I have not done much for ultra high detail prints, but it does seem to print everything I've thrown at it quite well. It took sometime for me to get it dialed in. I've found that <strong>Bed Level, Z-axis height,</strong> and <strong>Print Speed</strong> are usually what makes the most difference.</p>\n\n<p>I have only used Inland PLA (Microcenter brand) and can get good quality prints. </p>\n\n<p>I would recommend double checking bed level, z-axis, and going through print quality trouble shooting. Re-measure your PLA thickness and make sure your print multiplier is adjusted appropriately, and try to slow down your print speed.</p>\n\n<p>If you could post a link to a sample file that you're trying to print It may be helpful?</p>\n\n<p>Simplify 3D has a wonderful trouble shooting guide you can check out <a href=\"https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3481, "author": "Jason Clark", "author_id": 2541, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2541", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I've not done much miniatures printing, but I have the same printer and I happen to have the exact same filament loaded. Also, I've been doing a lot of tuning lately, including <a href=\"https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:921948\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this z-brace mod</a> which has improved my overall print quality, so I thought I'd take a pass at printing the Knight from your photos and sharing my findings.</p>\n<p>First, <a href=\"https://imgur.com/a/YQV23\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">I've posted a series of pictures</a> to show my findings. Overall, I'd say my print quality was better than what you showed in your photos, but still isn't good enough. I sliced with Cura 15.04.6, and printed from SD card. Here are my (Full) settings:</p>\n<pre><code>Layer height (mm) : 0.1\nShell thickness (mm) : 0.5\nEnable retraction : Yes\nBottom/Top thickness (mm) : 0.3\nFill Density (%) : 20\nPrint Speed (mm/s) : 20\nPrinting Temperature (C) : 210\nBed Temperature (C) : 67\nSupport Type : Everywhere\nPlatform Adhesion : None\nSkirts : 3\nFilament Diameter (mm) : 1.75\nFilament Flow (%) : 100.0\nNozzle size (mm) : 0.5\n\nRetract Speed (mm/s) : 40.0\nRetract Distance (mm) : 7\nInitial Layer Thick (mm) : 0.2\nInitial Later width (%) : 100\nCut off object bottom (mm): 0.0\nTravel Speed (mm/s) : 100\nBottom Layer Speed (mm/s) : 20\nInfill speed (mm/s) : 50\nTop/bottom speed (mm/s) : 20\nOuter Shell speed (mm/s) : 20\nInner Shell speed (mm/s) : 20\nMin. Layer Time (sec) : 10\nEnable cooling fan : Yes\n</code></pre>\n<p>I do most of my printing with a later height of 0.2mm, but for a detailed mini, 0.1mm is probably the largest that will look good (and probably the smallest possible on this printer. I normally set most of my speeds to 50 mm/s, with first layer at 20 mm/s; for this I slowed it all to 20 mm/s due to the fine details, and I think it helped.</p>\n<p>Temps of 67˚C bed and 210˚C extruder are what I've found to work best on my machine for PLA, after much experimentation, but your machine may vary; I'm not sure how accurate the temperature measurements are on these machines. 67˚C gives me an observed bed temp of 60˚C, but that's at the top surface - I have PEI atop Borosilicate glass, adhered to the bare aluminum bed with silicone-based heat transfer pad.</p>\n<p>I think I miscalculated the top/bottom heights and infill. I'm not used to printing at 0.1mm layer height, but 3 top layers over 20% infill is clearly not enough - see the closeup of the mini's base in my linked gallery. Next print, I'll either try 0.6mm top/bottom, or much higher infill.</p>\n<p>The supports came off easily; I used <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00FZPDG1K\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a pair of sidecutters from my electronics bench</a>. A little more cleanup with a sharp hobby knife, combined with a better base top layer would probably produce an acceptable result.</p>\n<p>There were two major flaws. The first are the little blobs on many layers; see for example the inseam area on the picture of the knight's back. <a href=\"https://softsolder.com/2012/01/26/reversal-zits-speed-acceleration-and-a-bestiary/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ed Nisley at Softsolder.com calls these "Reveral Zits"</a>, and I think the name is apt. These happen when the print head needs to quickly reverse direction or stop-move-print, but filament continues to extrude. I use fairly aggressive retraction settings, and I think my print shows smaller zits than yours, but still far too many. Ed has explored this topic in some depth; it's possible my extruder stepper isn't keeping up with my settings due to mechanical limits. This is an area I want to pursue, but I don't have time at the moment. I plan to read Ed's work and try some experiments on my machine to see if I can get better results; I will update this answer if/when I do. As it stands, most of them are quite small, and could probably be cleaned up with a knife; the worst are those around unsupported areas, such as the back of the shoulder guard.</p>\n<p>The second major flaw is the helmet. It's just... bad. I'm not sure the printer has much hope of nailing those horns, but overall the head is just bad. I'm not sure what can be done there.</p>\n<p>To summarize: @disc0ninja's advice on Bed Level and Print speed are certainly the right place to start; You might want to try my Cura settings to see if you get similar results. Also, the Z-brace mod I linked to above has made a big difference for me; I rarely have to adjust my leveling anymore. I also plan to try slicing with Slic3r, which I haven't used previously, but have been looking into. You mentioned you couldn't print with Slic3r, was that USB or SD Card? I'd suggest trying via SD if it failed during USB printing.</p>\n<p><strong>Update 30 Jan 2017:</strong> It took a little doing, but I managed to slice and print this model via slic3r. <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3482/slicer-reports-1000s-of-errors-not-seen-in-cura-render-is-missing-big-chunks\">I had some issues with the original STL in slic3er</a>, which I ended up fixing with a free trial at makeprintable.com. I spent a lot of time fiddling with slic3r; it has a lot more knobs to turn than Cura, and I make no claims of having the best settings for this print. There are so many settings that rather than transcribe them here, I've captured them in my <a href=\"https://imgur.com/gallery/Nw0Gv\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pictures of the slic3er print</a>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SdOHm.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Layers and perimeters\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SdOHm.png\" alt=\"Layers and perimeters\" title=\"Layers and perimeters\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIM3D.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Infill\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIM3D.png\" alt=\"Infill\" title=\"Infill\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pvXlJ.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Skirt and Brim\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pvXlJ.png\" alt=\"Skirt and Brim\" title=\"Skirt and Brim\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSzp.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Support material\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSzp.png\" alt=\"Support material\" title=\"Support material\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vT0pN.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Speed\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vT0pN.png\" alt=\"Speed\" title=\"Speed\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7QK3c.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Multiple extruders\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7QK3c.png\" alt=\"Multiple extruders\" title=\"Multiple extruders\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/0AITv.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Advanced\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/0AITv.png\" alt=\"Advanced\" title=\"Advanced\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/13mnS.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Cooling\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/13mnS.png\" alt=\"Cooling\" title=\"Cooling\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/60F2W.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Filament\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/60F2W.png\" alt=\"Filament\" title=\"Filament\" /></a></p>\n<p>Overall, I feel like the quality is higher. The "reversal zits" are hardly noticeable; but the big remaining problem is one I didn't fully diagnose in the original Cura print - lack of support for areas such as the shoulders. Slic3r added more support than Cura, but it's also harder to separate from the base. The head isn't great, but much better than the Cura print; I don't think my photos show it as well as it looks. <strong>This print has convinced me that there's plenty of quality still to be wrung from this printer</strong>; I hope to make time to do some more slic3r prints of this model while tweaking the params to see what's possible. If I make any big leaps in quality I will update this answer.</p>\n" } ]	2017/01/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3471", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5782/" ]	I received a Monoprice Maker Select v2 (I3 V2 clone) from my wife for Christmas. The sample .gcode files that came with the printer generally print great with no noticeable defects. However, when I try to print miniatures for use with table-top gaming (D&D, primarily), I tend to get a lot of oozing and stringing. On top of that, bridge supports don't cool in time and tend to get fudged by the print nozzle, which results in oddities like arms being only half printed, sticking to the nozzle, and getting relocated to some other part of the print. If I use full grid supports with the most modest fill settings (8%) they end up being stronger than the miniature and are a real pain to remove. My printer is calibrated, as level as can be (the desk it's on is slightly warped but I've got the printer in the center of the warp; there is no wobble or lean) and squared. The build plate is calibrated and set to the right height. I'm using the version of Cura that came on the SD card with the printer (honestly not sure which one and I'm not at home to check). I've fiddled with print speed, extruder temp (ranging from 185 to 210), layer cooling, retraction settings, and tried switching to Slic3r (didn't go over well -- couldn't even get past the first layer). I'm using Hatchbox silver PLA filament (1.75mm +/- 0.05mm). I don't have another filament I can test with to compare performance. Even when I import the profile settings from one of the sample .gcode files I tend to end up with blobbing, pulling, and stringing all over the miniatures, in addition to missing or deformed parts. Notably, arms and hands -- most often overhangs -- tend to stick to the hotend and get repositioned, sending the whole thing out of whack. I end up with similar problems when I use the Novice mode settings in Cura (Normal Quality, High Quality, etc). Is there something I'm missing that I can do to improve the quality of small, detailed prints, or is the I3, as an entry-level printer, simply not up to the task? I'm especially interested in answers from users who have experience printing miniatures and their experiences in tuning for that type of print job. A few things I've tried test printing: [Printer calibration test model v1](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:704409) [Printer calibration test model v3](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1363023) Both of these came out very stringy, with lots of blobbing and layer pulling, especially towards the upper portions of the taller elements. I have also tried printing these two models: [Knight with sword - high detail](https://www.shapeways.com/product/YDCPJF8KV/knight?optionId=59811831) [Elf monk - high detail](https://www.shapeways.com/product/4Y699HM6N/elf-monk?optionId=61531553&li=marketplace) All test prints of these two models had at least one missing hand due to it getting stuck to the hotend and pulling off the part, and both demonstrated lots of minor blobbing and pulling on otherwise smooth surfaces, with loss of detail in the more finely detailed areas. Here's a sample of the output for the knight model. Please ignore the fact that he has been dismembered, that was mostly my fiddling with it post-printing (I guess I don't know my own strength), though the left hand was not well-attached and fell off rather easily. He was printed with both hands and feet/base intact, but you can see the blobbing and pulling pretty well. [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4pth.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4pth.jpg)	I've not done much miniatures printing, but I have the same printer and I happen to have the exact same filament loaded. Also, I've been doing a lot of tuning lately, including [this z-brace mod](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:921948) which has improved my overall print quality, so I thought I'd take a pass at printing the Knight from your photos and sharing my findings. First, [I've posted a series of pictures](https://imgur.com/a/YQV23) to show my findings. Overall, I'd say my print quality was better than what you showed in your photos, but still isn't good enough. I sliced with Cura 15.04.6, and printed from SD card. Here are my (Full) settings: ``` Layer height (mm) : 0.1 Shell thickness (mm) : 0.5 Enable retraction : Yes Bottom/Top thickness (mm) : 0.3 Fill Density (%) : 20 Print Speed (mm/s) : 20 Printing Temperature (C) : 210 Bed Temperature (C) : 67 Support Type : Everywhere Platform Adhesion : None Skirts : 3 Filament Diameter (mm) : 1.75 Filament Flow (%) : 100.0 Nozzle size (mm) : 0.5 Retract Speed (mm/s) : 40.0 Retract Distance (mm) : 7 Initial Layer Thick (mm) : 0.2 Initial Later width (%) : 100 Cut off object bottom (mm): 0.0 Travel Speed (mm/s) : 100 Bottom Layer Speed (mm/s) : 20 Infill speed (mm/s) : 50 Top/bottom speed (mm/s) : 20 Outer Shell speed (mm/s) : 20 Inner Shell speed (mm/s) : 20 Min. Layer Time (sec) : 10 Enable cooling fan : Yes ``` I do most of my printing with a later height of 0.2mm, but for a detailed mini, 0.1mm is probably the largest that will look good (and probably the smallest possible on this printer. I normally set most of my speeds to 50 mm/s, with first layer at 20 mm/s; for this I slowed it all to 20 mm/s due to the fine details, and I think it helped. Temps of 67˚C bed and 210˚C extruder are what I've found to work best on my machine for PLA, after much experimentation, but your machine may vary; I'm not sure how accurate the temperature measurements are on these machines. 67˚C gives me an observed bed temp of 60˚C, but that's at the top surface - I have PEI atop Borosilicate glass, adhered to the bare aluminum bed with silicone-based heat transfer pad. I think I miscalculated the top/bottom heights and infill. I'm not used to printing at 0.1mm layer height, but 3 top layers over 20% infill is clearly not enough - see the closeup of the mini's base in my linked gallery. Next print, I'll either try 0.6mm top/bottom, or much higher infill. The supports came off easily; I used [a pair of sidecutters from my electronics bench](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00FZPDG1K). A little more cleanup with a sharp hobby knife, combined with a better base top layer would probably produce an acceptable result. There were two major flaws. The first are the little blobs on many layers; see for example the inseam area on the picture of the knight's back. [Ed Nisley at Softsolder.com calls these "Reveral Zits"](https://softsolder.com/2012/01/26/reversal-zits-speed-acceleration-and-a-bestiary/), and I think the name is apt. These happen when the print head needs to quickly reverse direction or stop-move-print, but filament continues to extrude. I use fairly aggressive retraction settings, and I think my print shows smaller zits than yours, but still far too many. Ed has explored this topic in some depth; it's possible my extruder stepper isn't keeping up with my settings due to mechanical limits. This is an area I want to pursue, but I don't have time at the moment. I plan to read Ed's work and try some experiments on my machine to see if I can get better results; I will update this answer if/when I do. As it stands, most of them are quite small, and could probably be cleaned up with a knife; the worst are those around unsupported areas, such as the back of the shoulder guard. The second major flaw is the helmet. It's just... bad. I'm not sure the printer has much hope of nailing those horns, but overall the head is just bad. I'm not sure what can be done there. To summarize: @disc0ninja's advice on Bed Level and Print speed are certainly the right place to start; You might want to try my Cura settings to see if you get similar results. Also, the Z-brace mod I linked to above has made a big difference for me; I rarely have to adjust my leveling anymore. I also plan to try slicing with Slic3r, which I haven't used previously, but have been looking into. You mentioned you couldn't print with Slic3r, was that USB or SD Card? I'd suggest trying via SD if it failed during USB printing. Update 30 Jan 2017: It took a little doing, but I managed to slice and print this model via slic3r. [I had some issues with the original STL in slic3er](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3482/slicer-reports-1000s-of-errors-not-seen-in-cura-render-is-missing-big-chunks), which I ended up fixing with a free trial at makeprintable.com. I spent a lot of time fiddling with slic3r; it has a lot more knobs to turn than Cura, and I make no claims of having the best settings for this print. There are so many settings that rather than transcribe them here, I've captured them in my [pictures of the slic3er print](https://imgur.com/gallery/Nw0Gv). [![Layers and perimeters](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SdOHm.png "Layers and perimeters")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SdOHm.png "Layers and perimeters") [![Infill](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIM3D.png "Infill")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIM3D.png "Infill") [![Skirt and Brim](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pvXlJ.png "Skirt and Brim")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pvXlJ.png "Skirt and Brim") [![Support material](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSzp.png "Support material")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSzp.png "Support material") [![Speed](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vT0pN.png "Speed")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vT0pN.png "Speed") [![Multiple extruders](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7QK3c.png "Multiple extruders")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7QK3c.png "Multiple extruders") [![Advanced](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0AITv.png "Advanced")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0AITv.png "Advanced") [![Cooling](https://i.stack.imgur.com/13mnS.png "Cooling")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/13mnS.png "Cooling") [![Filament](https://i.stack.imgur.com/60F2W.png "Filament")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/60F2W.png "Filament") Overall, I feel like the quality is higher. The "reversal zits" are hardly noticeable; but the big remaining problem is one I didn't fully diagnose in the original Cura print - lack of support for areas such as the shoulders. Slic3r added more support than Cura, but it's also harder to separate from the base. The head isn't great, but much better than the Cura print; I don't think my photos show it as well as it looks. This print has convinced me that there's plenty of quality still to be wrung from this printer; I hope to make time to do some more slic3r prints of this model while tweaking the params to see what's possible. If I make any big leaps in quality I will update this answer.
3,582	<p>I´m currently writing my own firmware for a custom delta printer. Therefore I also need to read G-code from programs like Slic3r. Even with an small example like an cube I´m struggling to find out where the z-coordinate is hidden in the code. Here is a small example of the code.</p> <pre><code>; generated by Slic3r 1.2.9 on 2017-02-13 at 15:08:01 ; external perimeters extrusion width = 0.50mm ; perimeters extrusion width = 0.58mm ; infill extrusion width = 0.58mm ; solid infill extrusion width = 0.58mm ; top infill extrusion width = 0.58mm M107 M104 S205 ; set temperature G28 ; home all axes G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle M109 S205 ; wait for temperature to be reached G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion G92 E0 G1 Z0.500 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X-31.893 Y0.000 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X-31.893 Y-25.001 E3.57871 F1800.000 G1 X-31.496 Y-27.307 E3.72646 G1 X-30.350 Y-29.347 E3.87420 G1 X-28.588 Y-30.886 E4.02194 G1 X-26.413 Y-31.748 E4.16968 G1 X-25.000 Y-31.894 E4.25936 G1 X25.000 Y-31.894 E7.41663 G1 X27.306 Y-31.497 E7.56437 G1 X29.346 Y-30.351 E7.71211 F1800.000 G1 X30.885 Y-28.589 E7.85985 G1 X31.746 Y-26.414 E8.00759 G1 X31.893 Y-25.001 E8.09727 G1 X31.893 Y25.001 E11.25470 G1 X31.496 Y27.307 E11.40244 G1 X30.350 Y29.347 E11.55019 G1 X28.588 Y30.886 E11.69793 G1 X26.413 Y31.748 E11.84567 G1 X25.000 Y31.894 E11.93535 G1 X-25.000 Y31.894 E15.09262 G1 X-27.306 Y31.497 E15.24036 G1 X-29.346 Y30.351 E15.38810 G1 X-30.885 Y28.589 E15.53584 G1 X-31.746 Y26.414 E15.68358 G1 X-31.893 Y25.001 E15.77326 G1 X-31.893 Y0.075 E17.34724 G1 E15.34724 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X-22.715 Y-22.716 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X22.715 Y-22.716 E4.86865 F1800.000 G1 X22.715 Y22.716 E7.73745 G1 X-22.715 Y22.716 E10.60609 G1 X-22.715 Y-22.641 E13.47016 G1 X-23.607 Y-23.609 F7800.000 G1 X23.607 Y-23.609 E16.45155 F1800.000 G1 X23.607 Y23.608 E19.43309 G1 X-23.607 Y23.608 E22.41447 G1 X-23.607 Y-23.534 E25.39128 G1 X-24.500 Y-24.501 F7800.000 G1 X24.500 Y-24.501 E28.48541 F1800.000 G1 X24.500 Y24.501 E31.57969 G1 X-24.500 Y24.501 E34.67382 G1 X-24.500 Y-24.426 E37.76336 </code></pre> <p>Here some configuration details:<br> G-code flavor: RepRap<br> Nozzle diameter: 0,5mm </p> <p>filament<br> diameter: 3mm </p> <p>general:<br> layer height: 0,4 mm<br> perimeters: 3<br> solid layers top:3 bottom :3 </p> <p><a href="http://pastebin.com/YW05y3ze" rel="noreferrer">Here</a> is the full G-code</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3583, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It isn't hidden at all. It's just that the Z-axis position only changes with each layer change, so the Z coordinate is only passed at layer change. On line 17 of your example G-code, it starts the first layer at Z=0.5mm:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 Z0.500 F7800.000\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The next time you should expect Z to appear is on the next layer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3584, "author": "fred_dot_u", "author_id": 854, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your included code has a line which reads:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 Z0.500\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I checked a couple of my G-code files for some of the past prints and I was able to identify the bed movement relative to the layer being printed. My slicer (Simplify3D) provides for the bed to drop during certain movements. I found <code>G1 Z0.600</code> followed by <code>G1 Z0.850</code> for one of the layers. When that layer was finished the <code>0.600</code> changed to <code>0.900</code> and the <code>0.850</code> changed to <code>1.150</code>.</p>\n\n<p>This fit in with the model's layer height of 0.300 mm for that job.</p>\n\n<p>I did not find more <code>G1 Zx.xxx</code> codes in your sample, but a larger file would contain those lines.</p>\n" } ]	2017/02/13	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3582", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6008/" ]	I´m currently writing my own firmware for a custom delta printer. Therefore I also need to read G-code from programs like Slic3r. Even with an small example like an cube I´m struggling to find out where the z-coordinate is hidden in the code. Here is a small example of the code. ``` ; generated by Slic3r 1.2.9 on 2017-02-13 at 15:08:01 ; external perimeters extrusion width = 0.50mm ; perimeters extrusion width = 0.58mm ; infill extrusion width = 0.58mm ; solid infill extrusion width = 0.58mm ; top infill extrusion width = 0.58mm M107 M104 S205 ; set temperature G28 ; home all axes G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle M109 S205 ; wait for temperature to be reached G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion G92 E0 G1 Z0.500 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X-31.893 Y0.000 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X-31.893 Y-25.001 E3.57871 F1800.000 G1 X-31.496 Y-27.307 E3.72646 G1 X-30.350 Y-29.347 E3.87420 G1 X-28.588 Y-30.886 E4.02194 G1 X-26.413 Y-31.748 E4.16968 G1 X-25.000 Y-31.894 E4.25936 G1 X25.000 Y-31.894 E7.41663 G1 X27.306 Y-31.497 E7.56437 G1 X29.346 Y-30.351 E7.71211 F1800.000 G1 X30.885 Y-28.589 E7.85985 G1 X31.746 Y-26.414 E8.00759 G1 X31.893 Y-25.001 E8.09727 G1 X31.893 Y25.001 E11.25470 G1 X31.496 Y27.307 E11.40244 G1 X30.350 Y29.347 E11.55019 G1 X28.588 Y30.886 E11.69793 G1 X26.413 Y31.748 E11.84567 G1 X25.000 Y31.894 E11.93535 G1 X-25.000 Y31.894 E15.09262 G1 X-27.306 Y31.497 E15.24036 G1 X-29.346 Y30.351 E15.38810 G1 X-30.885 Y28.589 E15.53584 G1 X-31.746 Y26.414 E15.68358 G1 X-31.893 Y25.001 E15.77326 G1 X-31.893 Y0.075 E17.34724 G1 E15.34724 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X-22.715 Y-22.716 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X22.715 Y-22.716 E4.86865 F1800.000 G1 X22.715 Y22.716 E7.73745 G1 X-22.715 Y22.716 E10.60609 G1 X-22.715 Y-22.641 E13.47016 G1 X-23.607 Y-23.609 F7800.000 G1 X23.607 Y-23.609 E16.45155 F1800.000 G1 X23.607 Y23.608 E19.43309 G1 X-23.607 Y23.608 E22.41447 G1 X-23.607 Y-23.534 E25.39128 G1 X-24.500 Y-24.501 F7800.000 G1 X24.500 Y-24.501 E28.48541 F1800.000 G1 X24.500 Y24.501 E31.57969 G1 X-24.500 Y24.501 E34.67382 G1 X-24.500 Y-24.426 E37.76336 ``` Here some configuration details: G-code flavor: RepRap Nozzle diameter: 0,5mm filament diameter: 3mm general: layer height: 0,4 mm perimeters: 3 solid layers top:3 bottom :3 [Here](http://pastebin.com/YW05y3ze) is the full G-code	It isn't hidden at all. It's just that the Z-axis position only changes with each layer change, so the Z coordinate is only passed at layer change. On line 17 of your example G-code, it starts the first layer at Z=0.5mm: ``` G1 Z0.500 F7800.000 ``` The next time you should expect Z to appear is on the next layer.
3,587	<p>According to Wikipedia, Tetrahydrofuran dissolves PLA. It also apparently dissolves PET.</p> <blockquote> <p>THF is considered a relatively nontoxic solvent, with the median lethal dose (LD<sub>50</sub>) comparable to that for acetone.</p> </blockquote> <p>Wikipedia further states that it's not particularly dangerous provided you keep it away from air circulation, so that it does not form peroxides.</p> <blockquote> <p>One danger posed by THF follows from its tendency to form highly explosive peroxides on storage in air.</p> </blockquote> <p>So well, this seems acceptable compared to other possible solvents which are all ridiculously dangerous. The question at hand is now of practical nature:</p> <ul> <li>Is Tetrahudrofuran actually viable replacement for acetone, which only works with ABS?</li> </ul> <p>I am asking because the fact that it does dissolve PLA does not really at all mean that it will work well. It could damage PLA structure, be more toxic than wikipedia says or not dry well.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3588, "author": "Jack Abadie", "author_id": 6017, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6017", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From what I have read, THF is not super effective, it seems that Dichloromethane or DCM is actually a better solvent. Unfortunately I have no personal experience with either. </p>\n\n<p>It is rather nasty though, as the LD<sub>50</sub> is just 0.5 to 5 g/kg<sup><a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/post/Solubility_of_PLA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[1]</a><a href=\"https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ultimaker/8s1bq_9LsRM\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[2]</a></sup>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 7866, "author": "Trish", "author_id": 8884, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to Shuichi Sato, Daiki Gondo, Takayuki Wada, Shinji Kanehashi & Kazukiyo Nagai: <em>Effects of various liquid organic solvents on solvent‐induced crystallization of amorphous poly(lactic acid) film</em> in <em>Journal of Applied Polymer Science</em>, Volume 129 Issue 3 (2013), p1607-1617<sup><a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/app.38833\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup>, Tetrahydrofuran is classified as a solvent for PLA. The specific entry on page 1608:</p>\n<pre><code>Group Solvent Solvent type dd dp dh dt Result\nEther Tetrahydrofuran Polar aprotic 16.8 5.7 8 19.4 soluble\n</code></pre>\n<p>The values dd dp dh and dt are explained on page 1607:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The effects of 60 liquid organic solvents on PLA are systematically\ninvestigated using the Hansen solubility parameter (HSP). The HSP\nis one of the digitizing methods for analyzing the interaction\nbetween polymer materials and organic solvents. In HSP analysis,\nall solvents have three parameters: energy from dispersion bonds\nbetween molecules (dd), dipolar intermolecular force between molecules\n(dp), and the hydrogen bonds between molecules (dh). All solvents\nwere characterized by a point in a three-dimensional structure\nat which dd, dp, and dh are plotted on three mutually perpendicular\naxes. Generally, if the HSP values of the various organic solvents\nare near that of the given polymer, the solvent is considered compatible\nwith the polymer material.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The factor dt is the total Hansen solubility parameter - the bigger this is, the better it is a solvent.</p>\n<p>19.4 is a rather good solvent but <strong>extremely explosive</strong>: in air 20000 ppm (2%) are explosive and thus the allowable concentration in an area is 2000 ppm<sup><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/109999.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup></p>\n<h1>Alternatives</h1>\n<p>A similar potent solvent would be Benzene (dt = 18.6) which more easily available and less explosive, but more deadly (10000-20000 ppm fumes) and has an allowable concentration of 500 ppm<sup><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/71432.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup></p>\n<p>Ethyl-acetate is also a solvent (dt = 18.2) and more available. It is explosive at an equal concentration as Tetrahydrofuran<sup><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/141786.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup>, but it has just about half of its vapor pressure (73 mmHg<sup><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0260.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup> vs. 132 mmHg<sup><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0602.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup>), so can be stored more safely, and is less aggressive on the body. It is sometimes used to Smooth PLA via vapor chamber<sup><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid#Organic_Solvents_for_PLA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup>, and only comes at a price tag of ca. 90 €/l for the pure stuff and also is used in some nail polish removers, put into a safe mix.</p>\n<p>Acetone is classified as a <em>better</em> solvent (dt = 20.1), and it is known to act as a glue and to soften PLA with some exposure time, but from experience, it can't smooth it. It is available most easy (nail polish remover and in the home depot), and is the least deadly option.</p>\n<p>Propylene-1,2-carbonate is classed as solvent and a far better at it with dt = 27.2. It has been used as an alternative to Ethyl-Acetate<sup><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid#Organic_Solvents_for_PLA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup> and its MSDS is rather gentle<sup><a href=\"https://www.nwmissouri.edu/naturalsciences/sds/p/Propylene%20carbonate.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a></sup>. It comes at a price tag of 130 €/l for the chemical-grade liquid.</p>\n<h1>Conclusion</h1>\n<p>Tetrahydrofuran is not a viable replacement due to its explosive properties. It is not an improvement above Benzene, which at least can be stored safely.</p>\n<p>Using Acetone as a benchmark, Tetrahydrofuran should not smooth the surface in a vapor chamber, as it is a worse solvent than Acetone. It should also take <strong>longer</strong> to soften and dissolve objects than Acetone, but a heated bath or coating the surface with it could help to generate the needed exposure times.</p>\n<p>However, its comparable ethyl-acetate has been claimed to be used as a cleaning, vapor smoothing, and brush on surface smoothing agent successfully and can be used better by helping the solubility via heating, which can be done much safer with ethyl-acetate than THF. In a proper chemical mix, its storage problem can be solved too.</p>\n<p>A better alternative is propylene-1,2-carbonate, which is a better solvent, and much less dangerous.</p>\n<p><strong>tl;dr</strong>: No, Tetrahydrofuran is not able to dissolve PLA in a reasonable time<sup>1</sup> without heat activation and it has worse characteristics than Acetone. It could arguably be used to weld parts, but Dichloromethane would be more effective.</p>\n<hr />\n<p><sup>1 - Sato, Gondo et al. in the aforementioned paper: <em>Solubility tests were performed for 24 h at 35+-1 °C.</em> which means we have a prolonged exposure of a thin film to a huge amount of solvent. how thin a film? <strong>Very</strong> thin: <em>The PLA films\nwere prepared by casting 2 wt % dichloromethane solution onto a\nflat-bottomed glass Petri dish in a glass bell-type vessel and by drying\nunder atmospheric pressure at room temperature. Each solvent\nwas allowed to evaporate for 48 h. The dried PLA films were then\nthermally treated under a vacuum for 48 h at 70 °C to eliminate\nthe residual solvent and to obtain amorphous PLA films. Afterwards,\nthe thermally treated PLA films were cooled at room temperature\nunder atmospheric pressure.</em></sup></p>\n" } ]	2017/02/14	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3587", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/283/" ]	According to Wikipedia, Tetrahydrofuran dissolves PLA. It also apparently dissolves PET. > > THF is considered a relatively nontoxic solvent, with the median lethal dose (LD50) comparable to that for acetone. > > > Wikipedia further states that it's not particularly dangerous provided you keep it away from air circulation, so that it does not form peroxides. > > One danger posed by THF follows from its tendency to form highly explosive peroxides on storage in air. > > > So well, this seems acceptable compared to other possible solvents which are all ridiculously dangerous. The question at hand is now of practical nature: * Is Tetrahudrofuran actually viable replacement for acetone, which only works with ABS? I am asking because the fact that it does dissolve PLA does not really at all mean that it will work well. It could damage PLA structure, be more toxic than wikipedia says or not dry well.	According to Shuichi Sato, Daiki Gondo, Takayuki Wada, Shinji Kanehashi & Kazukiyo Nagai: Effects of various liquid organic solvents on solvent‐induced crystallization of amorphous poly(lactic acid) film in Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Volume 129 Issue 3 (2013), p1607-1617[source](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/app.38833), Tetrahydrofuran is classified as a solvent for PLA. The specific entry on page 1608: ``` Group Solvent Solvent type dd dp dh dt Result Ether Tetrahydrofuran Polar aprotic 16.8 5.7 8 19.4 soluble ``` The values dd dp dh and dt are explained on page 1607: > > The effects of 60 liquid organic solvents on PLA are systematically > investigated using the Hansen solubility parameter (HSP). The HSP > is one of the digitizing methods for analyzing the interaction > between polymer materials and organic solvents. In HSP analysis, > all solvents have three parameters: energy from dispersion bonds > between molecules (dd), dipolar intermolecular force between molecules > (dp), and the hydrogen bonds between molecules (dh). All solvents > were characterized by a point in a three-dimensional structure > at which dd, dp, and dh are plotted on three mutually perpendicular > axes. Generally, if the HSP values of the various organic solvents > are near that of the given polymer, the solvent is considered compatible > with the polymer material. > > > The factor dt is the total Hansen solubility parameter - the bigger this is, the better it is a solvent. 19.4 is a rather good solvent but extremely explosive: in air 20000 ppm (2%) are explosive and thus the allowable concentration in an area is 2000 ppm[source](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/109999.html) Alternatives ============ A similar potent solvent would be Benzene (dt = 18.6) which more easily available and less explosive, but more deadly (10000-20000 ppm fumes) and has an allowable concentration of 500 ppm[source](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/71432.html) Ethyl-acetate is also a solvent (dt = 18.2) and more available. It is explosive at an equal concentration as Tetrahydrofuran[source](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/141786.html), but it has just about half of its vapor pressure (73 mmHg[source](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0260.html) vs. 132 mmHg[source](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0602.html)), so can be stored more safely, and is less aggressive on the body. It is sometimes used to Smooth PLA via vapor chamber[source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid#Organic_Solvents_for_PLA), and only comes at a price tag of ca. 90 €/l for the pure stuff and also is used in some nail polish removers, put into a safe mix. Acetone is classified as a better solvent (dt = 20.1), and it is known to act as a glue and to soften PLA with some exposure time, but from experience, it can't smooth it. It is available most easy (nail polish remover and in the home depot), and is the least deadly option. Propylene-1,2-carbonate is classed as solvent and a far better at it with dt = 27.2. It has been used as an alternative to Ethyl-Acetate[source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid#Organic_Solvents_for_PLA) and its MSDS is rather gentle[source](https://www.nwmissouri.edu/naturalsciences/sds/p/Propylene%20carbonate.pdf). It comes at a price tag of 130 €/l for the chemical-grade liquid. Conclusion ========== Tetrahydrofuran is not a viable replacement due to its explosive properties. It is not an improvement above Benzene, which at least can be stored safely. Using Acetone as a benchmark, Tetrahydrofuran should not smooth the surface in a vapor chamber, as it is a worse solvent than Acetone. It should also take longer to soften and dissolve objects than Acetone, but a heated bath or coating the surface with it could help to generate the needed exposure times. However, its comparable ethyl-acetate has been claimed to be used as a cleaning, vapor smoothing, and brush on surface smoothing agent successfully and can be used better by helping the solubility via heating, which can be done much safer with ethyl-acetate than THF. In a proper chemical mix, its storage problem can be solved too. A better alternative is propylene-1,2-carbonate, which is a better solvent, and much less dangerous. tl;dr: No, Tetrahydrofuran is not able to dissolve PLA in a reasonable time1 without heat activation and it has worse characteristics than Acetone. It could arguably be used to weld parts, but Dichloromethane would be more effective. --- 1 - Sato, Gondo et al. in the aforementioned paper: Solubility tests were performed for 24 h at 35+-1 °C. which means we have a prolonged exposure of a thin film to a huge amount of solvent. how thin a film? Very thin: The PLA films were prepared by casting 2 wt % dichloromethane solution onto a flat-bottomed glass Petri dish in a glass bell-type vessel and by drying under atmospheric pressure at room temperature. Each solvent was allowed to evaporate for 48 h. The dried PLA films were then thermally treated under a vacuum for 48 h at 70 °C to eliminate the residual solvent and to obtain amorphous PLA films. Afterwards, the thermally treated PLA films were cooled at room temperature under atmospheric pressure.
3,596	<p>I have a Prusa i3 that homes properly when you use the menu. After adjusting the bed and homing several times, it keeps the head at a reliable distance. However, when I try to print from an SD card, the printer buries the hot end in the heat bed.</p> <p>What needs to be adjusted to fix this issue?</p> <p>G-code from one of the 2 files</p> <pre><code>M190 S50.000000 M109 S200.000000 ;Sliced at: Mon 13-06-2016 15:39:25 ;Basic settings: Layer height: 0.2 Walls: 1.2 Fill: 20 ;Print time: 3 hours 47 minutes ;Filament used: 11.435m 34.0g ;Filament cost: None ;M190 S50 ;Uncomment to add your own bed temperature line ;M109 S200 ;Uncomment to add your own temperature line G21 ;metric values G90 ;absolute positioning M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode M107 ;start with the fan off G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops G1 Z15.0 F3000 ;move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F200 E3 ;extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again G1 F3000 ;Put printing message on LCD screen M117 Printing... ;Layer count: 446 ;LAYER:0 M107 ;LAYER:1 M106 S127 G1 F2400 E-4.50000 G0 F3000 X81.474 Y58.603 Z0.300 ;TYPE:WALL-INNER G1 F2400 E0.00000 G1 F2220 X83.063 Y56.456 E0.06663 G1 X84.277 Y55.080 E0.11240 G1 X84.836 Y54.444 E0.13353 G1 X85.799 Y53.476 E0.16759 G1 X86.755 Y52.587 E0.20015 G1 X87.179 Y52.244 E0.21376 G1 X88.836 Y50.911 E0.26680 G1 X89.285 Y50.610 E0.28029 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 3597, "author": "Tomáš Zato", "author_id": 283, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/283", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You didn't share much details, which is problem with any question. But let me give some recommendations - I have Prusa i3 MK2 1.75mm.</p>\n\n<p>The fact that it homes correctly does not at all mean that your Y axis is OK.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Verify that PINDA probe's bottom end is <strong>maximum</strong> 1 millimeter above the extruder head.</li>\n<li>Double check that PINDA probe is correctly screwed and does not wiggle.</li>\n<li>Manually check that the printer does not allow you to toutch heatbed with extruder, follow these steps:\n\n<ol>\n<li>Wait for both heatbed and hot end to cool down.</li>\n<li>Put paper sheet on heatbed</li>\n<li>Go to Menu - Settings - Move Axis - Z Axis</li>\n<li>Move the axis down. If hot end toutches and presses on the paper, the calibration is not OK at all.</li>\n</ol></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://manual.prusa3d.com/Guide/Upgrading+firmware/66\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Updating your firmware</a> can't hurt if you didn't do it already.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If this advice does not help you, please update the question to address the following questions:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>How does your G-code beginning work? Ideally, share some short G-code, I could easily check whether it is correct with my printer.</li>\n<li>Does XYZ calibration pass correctly in your printer?</li>\n<li>Take a picture of your extruder so that both PINDA and extruder are visible</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3603, "author": "Carl Witthoft", "author_id": 2191, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2191", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The correlation between the endstop switch -- or sensor -- and the surface of the bed is not known <em>a priori</em> . In your case, there are two possibilities. I'd say the more likely is that your g-code generator is not setting the Z-height offset from the bed correctly. The other is that your bed is tilted, so proper Z-home at one corner does not match the entire bed.</p>\n\n<p>Try this: first manually move the extruder head to all four corners and adjust the bed screws until the separation is identical at all times. Then let your gcode start up -- and don't worry if the extruder depresses the bed during homing, as that doesn't matter. See where the extruder is once the print starts. Adjust the endstop switch up or down to compensate until the print head <strong>when printing</strong> is just off the surface and the first layer adheres well. </p>\n\n<p>If all that doesn't work, then you may have the wrong printer profile settings in your slicing softwqre. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16376, "author": "Nik", "author_id": 28577, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/28577", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had the same issue: Z-axis correctly homing manually but not when printing.</p>\n<p>What worked for me is disabling the following line in the Marlin configuration file:</p>\n<pre><code>#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2017/02/15	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3596", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6033/" ]	I have a Prusa i3 that homes properly when you use the menu. After adjusting the bed and homing several times, it keeps the head at a reliable distance. However, when I try to print from an SD card, the printer buries the hot end in the heat bed. What needs to be adjusted to fix this issue? G-code from one of the 2 files ``` M190 S50.000000 M109 S200.000000 ;Sliced at: Mon 13-06-2016 15:39:25 ;Basic settings: Layer height: 0.2 Walls: 1.2 Fill: 20 ;Print time: 3 hours 47 minutes ;Filament used: 11.435m 34.0g ;Filament cost: None ;M190 S50 ;Uncomment to add your own bed temperature line ;M109 S200 ;Uncomment to add your own temperature line G21 ;metric values G90 ;absolute positioning M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode M107 ;start with the fan off G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops G1 Z15.0 F3000 ;move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F200 E3 ;extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again G1 F3000 ;Put printing message on LCD screen M117 Printing... ;Layer count: 446 ;LAYER:0 M107 ;LAYER:1 M106 S127 G1 F2400 E-4.50000 G0 F3000 X81.474 Y58.603 Z0.300 ;TYPE:WALL-INNER G1 F2400 E0.00000 G1 F2220 X83.063 Y56.456 E0.06663 G1 X84.277 Y55.080 E0.11240 G1 X84.836 Y54.444 E0.13353 G1 X85.799 Y53.476 E0.16759 G1 X86.755 Y52.587 E0.20015 G1 X87.179 Y52.244 E0.21376 G1 X88.836 Y50.911 E0.26680 G1 X89.285 Y50.610 E0.28029 ```	The correlation between the endstop switch -- or sensor -- and the surface of the bed is not known a priori . In your case, there are two possibilities. I'd say the more likely is that your g-code generator is not setting the Z-height offset from the bed correctly. The other is that your bed is tilted, so proper Z-home at one corner does not match the entire bed. Try this: first manually move the extruder head to all four corners and adjust the bed screws until the separation is identical at all times. Then let your gcode start up -- and don't worry if the extruder depresses the bed during homing, as that doesn't matter. See where the extruder is once the print starts. Adjust the endstop switch up or down to compensate until the print head when printing is just off the surface and the first layer adheres well. If all that doesn't work, then you may have the wrong printer profile settings in your slicing softwqre.
3,641	<p>Marlin offers a bunch of different choices for auto-levelling and assisted manual levelling for bent build plates (mesh levelling), but for the moment I want to level things completely manually.</p> <p>That is, I want to move Z to 0, disable steppers, and then move around the print head and adjust the distance between bed and nozzle at various points with a piece of paper.</p> <p>With the old Repetier based firmware on my printer, selecting "home all axes" did not only home XYZ to endstops, but it also moved the head to position (0, 0, 0) afterwards. Then I could simply disable steppers via the menu and go on with my levelling. Note that in my case, the coordinates of the endstop positions are negative for all axes, so moving to the endstops alone isn't cutting it.</p> <p>With Marlin, selecting the "auto home" option merely moves to the endstops and then to some positive Z position (+10). This means I have to use the menu to manually move Z back to 0, which is quite inconvenient, unless I have a PC nearby that allows me to enter G-code.</p> <p>So, that leaves two related questions for me:</p> <p>Is there some simple way to move to (0, 0, 0) with the menu?</p> <p>Can I implement an assisted manual levelling (i.e. some procedure that simply moves the head between a number of different X/Y positions) easily? Does something like that already exist? If not, I wonder why.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3643, "author": "Gunslinger", "author_id": 5395, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5395", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Write a few pieces of gcode to do this. Place it on an SD-card (I assume you have a reader) and select the file you want to execute.</p>\n\n<p>Home all:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z0\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Do you really want to home it directly? I would say you want to take it down slowly and adjusting end-stops incrementally.</p>\n\n<p>First:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z10\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z3\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>etc etc</p>\n\n<p>You can also move it around in the X and Y plane:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z5 X50 Y30\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3695, "author": "Eagl3", "author_id": 6330, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6330", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The way I manually level my bed is by connecting a computer to the printer via USB. As far as I am aware, if you have a touchscreen this should be available on the printer options as well for marlin.</p>\n\n<p>But if you connect a computer, simply run something like pronterface or any other manual control gui and:</p>\n\n<p>1) home axes</p>\n\n<p>2) disable motors</p>\n\n<p>3) move printhead in x/y directions as necessary by hand</p>\n\n<p>4) adjust z height manually with the GUI software. This should not affect your x/y positions or turn on their motors.</p>\n" } ]	2017/02/22	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3641", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6155/" ]	Marlin offers a bunch of different choices for auto-levelling and assisted manual levelling for bent build plates (mesh levelling), but for the moment I want to level things completely manually. That is, I want to move Z to 0, disable steppers, and then move around the print head and adjust the distance between bed and nozzle at various points with a piece of paper. With the old Repetier based firmware on my printer, selecting "home all axes" did not only home XYZ to endstops, but it also moved the head to position (0, 0, 0) afterwards. Then I could simply disable steppers via the menu and go on with my levelling. Note that in my case, the coordinates of the endstop positions are negative for all axes, so moving to the endstops alone isn't cutting it. With Marlin, selecting the "auto home" option merely moves to the endstops and then to some positive Z position (+10). This means I have to use the menu to manually move Z back to 0, which is quite inconvenient, unless I have a PC nearby that allows me to enter G-code. So, that leaves two related questions for me: Is there some simple way to move to (0, 0, 0) with the menu? Can I implement an assisted manual levelling (i.e. some procedure that simply moves the head between a number of different X/Y positions) easily? Does something like that already exist? If not, I wonder why.	Write a few pieces of gcode to do this. Place it on an SD-card (I assume you have a reader) and select the file you want to execute. Home all: ``` G28 G1 Z0 ``` Do you really want to home it directly? I would say you want to take it down slowly and adjusting end-stops incrementally. First: ``` G28 G1 Z10 ``` Then ``` G28 G1 Z3 ``` Then ``` G28 G1 Z1 ``` etc etc You can also move it around in the X and Y plane: ``` G28 G1 Z5 X50 Y30 ```
3,659	<p>I have a Wanhao Duplicator i3.</p> <p>I have done many excellent prints with this printer, and have first hand experience that it can do a pretty much flawless print.</p> <p>But... Recently, I am experiencing weird results. My "flow" seems uneven. When laying down the first layer of the raft, I can see it looks like it "beads" in some places. Thin lines with little "beads" here and there (which seem to be in a constant pattern) i.e. -------()-----()-----()------()------ etc.</p> <p>I initially thought, wet filament... But drying the filament had no noticeable effect. Further more, all my prints seem to be horribly laminated at a certain "height" of the print. This is really strange as it will print perfectly and only at a certain height, mess up about 5mm of layers (height wise), and then print great again. This seems to be a constant now.</p> <p>I dont understand how/why this could happen, as the whole z-axis is on a linear spiral shaft. Unless there is a gcode issue somewhere that I am not aware off. I am using CURA as my slicer and I feel that even if there was an isnturuction hidden somewhere at a certain height, it would possibly effect a single layer, and not 5mm worth of layers.</p> <p>Any ideas?</p> <p>I have tried:</p> <p>Different filament Pushing flow % to 105 and 110% respectively Cleaned extruder gears and print head Oiled z-axis shafts</p> <p>What baffles me, is the weird delamination (or rather lack of lamination) at a certain height. I have not measured this height exactly, but from guestimating, it looks like roughly the same height on every print where the issue is visible (about 3/4 up in the attached image). My support structures are also VERY messy, whilst they were very precise and perfect previously.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/epy7e.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/epy7e.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Thanks</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3643, "author": "Gunslinger", "author_id": 5395, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5395", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Write a few pieces of gcode to do this. Place it on an SD-card (I assume you have a reader) and select the file you want to execute.</p>\n\n<p>Home all:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z0\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Do you really want to home it directly? I would say you want to take it down slowly and adjusting end-stops incrementally.</p>\n\n<p>First:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z10\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z3\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>etc etc</p>\n\n<p>You can also move it around in the X and Y plane:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Z5 X50 Y30\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3695, "author": "Eagl3", "author_id": 6330, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6330", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The way I manually level my bed is by connecting a computer to the printer via USB. As far as I am aware, if you have a touchscreen this should be available on the printer options as well for marlin.</p>\n\n<p>But if you connect a computer, simply run something like pronterface or any other manual control gui and:</p>\n\n<p>1) home axes</p>\n\n<p>2) disable motors</p>\n\n<p>3) move printhead in x/y directions as necessary by hand</p>\n\n<p>4) adjust z height manually with the GUI software. This should not affect your x/y positions or turn on their motors.</p>\n" } ]	2017/02/27	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3659", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6209/" ]	I have a Wanhao Duplicator i3. I have done many excellent prints with this printer, and have first hand experience that it can do a pretty much flawless print. But... Recently, I am experiencing weird results. My "flow" seems uneven. When laying down the first layer of the raft, I can see it looks like it "beads" in some places. Thin lines with little "beads" here and there (which seem to be in a constant pattern) i.e. -------()-----()-----()------()------ etc. I initially thought, wet filament... But drying the filament had no noticeable effect. Further more, all my prints seem to be horribly laminated at a certain "height" of the print. This is really strange as it will print perfectly and only at a certain height, mess up about 5mm of layers (height wise), and then print great again. This seems to be a constant now. I dont understand how/why this could happen, as the whole z-axis is on a linear spiral shaft. Unless there is a gcode issue somewhere that I am not aware off. I am using CURA as my slicer and I feel that even if there was an isnturuction hidden somewhere at a certain height, it would possibly effect a single layer, and not 5mm worth of layers. Any ideas? I have tried: Different filament Pushing flow % to 105 and 110% respectively Cleaned extruder gears and print head Oiled z-axis shafts What baffles me, is the weird delamination (or rather lack of lamination) at a certain height. I have not measured this height exactly, but from guestimating, it looks like roughly the same height on every print where the issue is visible (about 3/4 up in the attached image). My support structures are also VERY messy, whilst they were very precise and perfect previously. [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/epy7e.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/epy7e.jpg) Thanks	Write a few pieces of gcode to do this. Place it on an SD-card (I assume you have a reader) and select the file you want to execute. Home all: ``` G28 G1 Z0 ``` Do you really want to home it directly? I would say you want to take it down slowly and adjusting end-stops incrementally. First: ``` G28 G1 Z10 ``` Then ``` G28 G1 Z3 ``` Then ``` G28 G1 Z1 ``` etc etc You can also move it around in the X and Y plane: ``` G28 G1 Z5 X50 Y30 ```
3,696	<p>I have been playing around with creating scripts to generate some custom G-code for a Malyan M180 and I am having trouble understand what commands to use to switch nozzles. Sometimes I can get the nozzles to switch and it doesn't recenter but sometimes it does. I have been using:</p> <pre><code>G54 M108 T0; switch to left </code></pre> <p>and</p> <pre><code>G55 M108 T1; switch to right </code></pre> <p>Has anyone else looked into this and have any idea what commands or sequence of commands should be used to change nozzles?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3697, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for <strong>T#</strong>, where # is the tool position you want:</p>\n\n<pre><code>T1 ; switch to tool position 1 \n\nT3 ; switch to tool position 3 \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position.</p>\n\n<p>See <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 15454, "author": "Yannik Z.", "author_id": 26522, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26522", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As @tbm0115 has mentioned - it differs. Your <code>M108 T{index of tool}</code> command is perfectly fine on some FlashForge printers, a company known for its different sorts of proprietary code. It is indeed used for tool changing here.</p>\n<p>While on the common Marlin firmware (e.g. used on the popular Creality Ender printers), <code>M108</code> does a completely different thing-namely acting as a break sequence if the G-code parser is in a closed-loop-condition (after certain commands like <code>M109</code> that wait until a certain action takes place).</p>\n" } ]	2017/03/08	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3696", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1476/" ]	I have been playing around with creating scripts to generate some custom G-code for a Malyan M180 and I am having trouble understand what commands to use to switch nozzles. Sometimes I can get the nozzles to switch and it doesn't recenter but sometimes it does. I have been using: ``` G54 M108 T0; switch to left ``` and ``` G55 M108 T1; switch to right ``` Has anyone else looked into this and have any idea what commands or sequence of commands should be used to change nozzles?	No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for T#, where # is the tool position you want: ``` T1 ; switch to tool position 1 T3 ; switch to tool position 3 ``` This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position. See <http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool>
3,700	<p>In trying to understand 3D printers, I have watched some YouTube videos where the crafters make items with hinges. That in itself blows my mind. It is hard to grasp how something with moving parts can be printed. But specifically I am wondering if the concept can be extended to food printers to make, for example, a sugar or chocolate telescoping lollipop (sucker)?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3697, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for <strong>T#</strong>, where # is the tool position you want:</p>\n\n<pre><code>T1 ; switch to tool position 1 \n\nT3 ; switch to tool position 3 \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position.</p>\n\n<p>See <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 15454, "author": "Yannik Z.", "author_id": 26522, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26522", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As @tbm0115 has mentioned - it differs. Your <code>M108 T{index of tool}</code> command is perfectly fine on some FlashForge printers, a company known for its different sorts of proprietary code. It is indeed used for tool changing here.</p>\n<p>While on the common Marlin firmware (e.g. used on the popular Creality Ender printers), <code>M108</code> does a completely different thing-namely acting as a break sequence if the G-code parser is in a closed-loop-condition (after certain commands like <code>M109</code> that wait until a certain action takes place).</p>\n" } ]	2017/03/09	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3700", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6348/" ]	In trying to understand 3D printers, I have watched some YouTube videos where the crafters make items with hinges. That in itself blows my mind. It is hard to grasp how something with moving parts can be printed. But specifically I am wondering if the concept can be extended to food printers to make, for example, a sugar or chocolate telescoping lollipop (sucker)?	No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for T#, where # is the tool position you want: ``` T1 ; switch to tool position 1 T3 ; switch to tool position 3 ``` This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position. See <http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool>
3,795	<p>I replaced the controller board in my Monoprice Select Mini with an Arduino/Ramps setup and compiled an uploaded Marlin 1.1.0-RC8 to run it. I've got most everything calibrated and working with one exception.</p> <p>I tell the printer to home for xyz and then level my bed with a piece of paper then start a print and the nozzle consistently drops too far down into the bed and nothing can extrude. If I adjust the bed and put 1-2mm gap between the nozzle and bed then it prints fine. </p> <p>I can't find anything in Marlin to adjust for this and I'm kind of stumped. I'm printing the original cat gcode that came with the printer that should just work fine as it always has and shouldn't have anything that a slicer would put in there to screw things up. </p> <p>Can anyone point me in the right direction?</p> <p>This is the output of M503</p> <pre><code>Send: M503 Recv: echo:Steps per unit: Recv: echo: M92 X93.00 Y93.00 Z1097.50 E99.00 Recv: echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s): Recv: echo: M203 X300.00 Y300.00 Z5.00 E25.00 Recv: echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2): Recv: echo: M201 X3000 Y3000 Z100 E10000 Recv: echo:Accelerations: P=printing, R=retract and T=travel Recv: echo: M204 P3000.00 R3000.00 T3000.00 Recv: echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s) Recv: echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Y20.00 Z0.40 E5.00 Recv: echo:Home offset (mm) Recv: echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 Recv: echo:Material heatup parameters: Recv: echo: M145 S0 H180 B70 F255 Recv: M145 S1 H240 B110 F0 Recv: echo:PID settings: Recv: echo: M301 P26.15 I2.74 D62.35 Recv: echo: M304 P231.09 I45.21 D295.34 Recv: echo:Filament settings: Disabled Recv: echo: M200 D3.00 Recv: echo: M200 D0 Recv: ok </code></pre> <p>I also wanted to test whether the nozzle is actually moving closer. I did a G28 and manually put a piece of paper's width gap between the nozzle and the bed at all points. Then I started a print with no filament but with the sheet between the nozzle and bed. When it got to temp it homed all the axis and moved the nozzle to the first position. I would expect the paper to maintain the same gap but it tightly presses into the paper. The first gcode move that includes the Z before extruding is :</p> <pre><code>G0 F3600 X42.228 Y46.985 Z0.3 </code></pre> <p>Which you would expect would put even more space between the nozzle and bed for the first .3 layer of filament but it isn't.</p> <p>I printed directly from the SD Card to hopefully rule out Octoprint running gcode before the print so I really think the culprit is Marlin at this point.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3800, "author": "Mikhail Z", "author_id": 3839, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3839", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If nozzle sets lower than it should, after heating up, then you may need to calibrate with heater turned on.</p>\n\n<p>Another (although less likely) reason can be an incorrect Z steps number. However, if the print, after adjusting the first line height, does well, this should not be the case.</p>\n\n<p>Fast track solution is to use <code>M206</code> (something like <code>M206 Z0.3</code>) command to adjust nozzle offset, in your case Z position. This does not fix the root cause but should allow you to mitigate the problem.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 3802, "author": "Jeff", "author_id": 6564, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6564", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I found the issue. When the hotend and bed are at temps for PLA everything works fine but at temps for ABS the Z offset would get all messed up. After a bunch of testing I was able to track it down to a single gcode statment <code>G1 Z15.0 F6000</code> \nAt the higher temps my Z stepper skips steps at that feed rate. </p>\n\n<p>The \"Custom FDM printer\" machine settings I used for my printer in Cura had that statement in it and so did the cat gcode that was on the card from the factory. I changed the feed rate to 200 and was able to print in ABS.</p>\n\n<p>I was surprised Marlin didn't have a 'limit the feedrate for Z to this number' setting.</p>\n" } ]	2017/03/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3795", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6564/" ]	I replaced the controller board in my Monoprice Select Mini with an Arduino/Ramps setup and compiled an uploaded Marlin 1.1.0-RC8 to run it. I've got most everything calibrated and working with one exception. I tell the printer to home for xyz and then level my bed with a piece of paper then start a print and the nozzle consistently drops too far down into the bed and nothing can extrude. If I adjust the bed and put 1-2mm gap between the nozzle and bed then it prints fine. I can't find anything in Marlin to adjust for this and I'm kind of stumped. I'm printing the original cat gcode that came with the printer that should just work fine as it always has and shouldn't have anything that a slicer would put in there to screw things up. Can anyone point me in the right direction? This is the output of M503 ``` Send: M503 Recv: echo:Steps per unit: Recv: echo: M92 X93.00 Y93.00 Z1097.50 E99.00 Recv: echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s): Recv: echo: M203 X300.00 Y300.00 Z5.00 E25.00 Recv: echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2): Recv: echo: M201 X3000 Y3000 Z100 E10000 Recv: echo:Accelerations: P=printing, R=retract and T=travel Recv: echo: M204 P3000.00 R3000.00 T3000.00 Recv: echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s) Recv: echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Y20.00 Z0.40 E5.00 Recv: echo:Home offset (mm) Recv: echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 Recv: echo:Material heatup parameters: Recv: echo: M145 S0 H180 B70 F255 Recv: M145 S1 H240 B110 F0 Recv: echo:PID settings: Recv: echo: M301 P26.15 I2.74 D62.35 Recv: echo: M304 P231.09 I45.21 D295.34 Recv: echo:Filament settings: Disabled Recv: echo: M200 D3.00 Recv: echo: M200 D0 Recv: ok ``` I also wanted to test whether the nozzle is actually moving closer. I did a G28 and manually put a piece of paper's width gap between the nozzle and the bed at all points. Then I started a print with no filament but with the sheet between the nozzle and bed. When it got to temp it homed all the axis and moved the nozzle to the first position. I would expect the paper to maintain the same gap but it tightly presses into the paper. The first gcode move that includes the Z before extruding is : ``` G0 F3600 X42.228 Y46.985 Z0.3 ``` Which you would expect would put even more space between the nozzle and bed for the first .3 layer of filament but it isn't. I printed directly from the SD Card to hopefully rule out Octoprint running gcode before the print so I really think the culprit is Marlin at this point.	I found the issue. When the hotend and bed are at temps for PLA everything works fine but at temps for ABS the Z offset would get all messed up. After a bunch of testing I was able to track it down to a single gcode statment `G1 Z15.0 F6000` At the higher temps my Z stepper skips steps at that feed rate. The "Custom FDM printer" machine settings I used for my printer in Cura had that statement in it and so did the cat gcode that was on the card from the factory. I changed the feed rate to 200 and was able to print in ABS. I was surprised Marlin didn't have a 'limit the feedrate for Z to this number' setting.
3,904	<p>What are the "magic numbers" people refer to regarding print resolution on the Monoprice Select Mini?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3905, "author": "Mark Harrison", "author_id": 6851, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6851", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The \"magic numbers\" are optimal values that work particularly well for the layer height. Michael O'Brien derived these numbers by reverse engineering the <a href=\"https://hackaday.io/project/12696-monoprice-select-mini-electro-mechanical-upgrades/log/44772-x-y-z-a-motors-stepper-driver-investigation\" rel=\"noreferrer\">mechanics of the Z-axis stepper motor</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Using these values as your layer height will generally improve your print quality over using round layer heights such as 0.15, 0.2, or 0.25 by eliminating quantization errors.</p>\n\n<p>To see an example of this, print a copy of <a href=\"http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622\" rel=\"noreferrer\">3DBenchy</a> at 0.15 and 0.175. On the 0.15, you will see some wavy patterns on the curved bow portion compared to the 0.175. This is the result of inexact rounding.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Layer Height (mm)\n0.04375 (results may vary)*\n0.0875\n0.13125\n0.175\n0.21875\n0.2625\n0.30625\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 11637, "author": "Lt72884", "author_id": 19604, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/19604", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Though this approach is logical on paper, in the real world it doesnt work as well. Even if you do choose a magic number for the layer height, you cant gurentee that your print head, once homed at the beginning of a print, is using a full step of the motor. Its more common to be on a half step than a full step with a motor</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 14925, "author": "Jimb", "author_id": 25544, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/25544", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is an issue with homing. It is not synced to the stepper motor so it may occur on something other than a full or half or even quarter step. That said, it always does this so moving up from there, the first little bit may be off but I would expect once the motor runs freely, the error will go away. Also keep in mind with microstepping, you can have 1/16 or 1/32 steps as well. Using the magic number ensures the new position you request is within the limits of the stepper/controller to reach. Its like rounding numbers. if you don't, as you increment, the numbers will always be consistant. If you round, the numbers will dither around.\nAt least thats my $45 (inflation) and stickin to it.\nGood luck everyone and have fun.</p>\n" } ]	2017/04/21	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3904", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6851/" ]	What are the "magic numbers" people refer to regarding print resolution on the Monoprice Select Mini?	The "magic numbers" are optimal values that work particularly well for the layer height. Michael O'Brien derived these numbers by reverse engineering the [mechanics of the Z-axis stepper motor](https://hackaday.io/project/12696-monoprice-select-mini-electro-mechanical-upgrades/log/44772-x-y-z-a-motors-stepper-driver-investigation). Using these values as your layer height will generally improve your print quality over using round layer heights such as 0.15, 0.2, or 0.25 by eliminating quantization errors. To see an example of this, print a copy of [3DBenchy](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622) at 0.15 and 0.175. On the 0.15, you will see some wavy patterns on the curved bow portion compared to the 0.175. This is the result of inexact rounding. ``` Layer Height (mm) 0.04375 (results may vary)* 0.0875 0.13125 0.175 0.21875 0.2625 0.30625 ```
3,925	<p>I broke up my electronics and now the output for X is not working. The stepper is OK. </p> <p>There is any simple solution to remap the output pins? I want the E1 output to act as the X output.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3926, "author": "Kallz", "author_id": 6760, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6760", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you can find pin.h in marlin directory and in pin.h file change # define pinout of z motor and extruder motor</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5786, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When using <a href=\"http://marlinfw.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Marlin firmware</a> you could easily change the pin layout of the extra extruder (E1) with the broken X stepper pins by changing the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h</a> file.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://marlinfw.org/meta/download/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Download</a> the firmware and open the firmware project in <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Arduino IDE</a>. Navigate to the \"Steppers\" section of the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h</a> file and replace:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define X_STEP_PIN 54\n#define X_DIR_PIN 55\n#define X_ENABLE_PIN 38\n#define X_CS_PIN 53\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>for:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define X_STEP_PIN 36\n#define X_DIR_PIN 34\n#define X_ENABLE_PIN 30\n#define X_CS_PIN 44\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>and also change:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E1_STEP_PIN 36\n#define E1_DIR_PIN 34\n#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30\n#define E1_CS_PIN 44\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>to:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E1_STEP_PIN 54\n#define E1_DIR_PIN 55\n#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 38\n#define E1_CS_PIN 53\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>When the file is changed an saved, <a href=\"http://marlinfw.org/docs/basics/install.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">build and upload</a> code to your board and plug the connector of the X stepper into the E1 header.</p>\n" } ]	2017/04/26	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3925", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6893/" ]	I broke up my electronics and now the output for X is not working. The stepper is OK. There is any simple solution to remap the output pins? I want the E1 output to act as the X output.	When using [Marlin firmware](http://marlinfw.org/) you could easily change the pin layout of the extra extruder (E1) with the broken X stepper pins by changing the [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) file. [Download](http://marlinfw.org/meta/download/) the firmware and open the firmware project in [Arduino IDE](https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software). Navigate to the "Steppers" section of the [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) file and replace: ``` #define X_STEP_PIN 54 #define X_DIR_PIN 55 #define X_ENABLE_PIN 38 #define X_CS_PIN 53 ``` for: ``` #define X_STEP_PIN 36 #define X_DIR_PIN 34 #define X_ENABLE_PIN 30 #define X_CS_PIN 44 ``` and also change: ``` #define E1_STEP_PIN 36 #define E1_DIR_PIN 34 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30 #define E1_CS_PIN 44 ``` to: ``` #define E1_STEP_PIN 54 #define E1_DIR_PIN 55 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 38 #define E1_CS_PIN 53 ``` When the file is changed an saved, [build and upload](http://marlinfw.org/docs/basics/install.html) code to your board and plug the connector of the X stepper into the E1 header.
3,967	<p>I'm struggling with my new printer, and I just want to make sure that I have the basic configured correctly. </p> <p>What motherboard ID in <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>configuration.h</code></a> is appropriate for MKS BASE V1.5 in Marlin Firmware?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 3976, "author": "tjb1", "author_id": 233, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/233", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Marlin appears to support older versions of the board (and possibly this one) according to this line </p>\n\n<pre><code>#define BOARD_MKS_13 47 // MKS v1.3 or 1.4 (maybe higher)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>in <code>boards.h</code> which can be found <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/RC/Marlin/boards.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. </p>\n\n<p>The company also has a <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20180223090126/http://osoyoo.com/2016/06/30/mks-1-4-3d-printer-board-marlin-firmware-installation-guide/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">guide</a> and looks to provide pre-configured (but not fully configured?) downloads of Marlin. They have different links for different displays but then ask you to change lines manually but don't mention changing the board so I have no idea what they are doing or what is different between the downloads.</p>\n\n<p>It appears either way you go (Marlin from Github or from Osoyoo) you will need to change some lines to get each axis to behave correctly.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6779, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A more recent version of Marlin Firmware (<em>version 1.1.9 is the last release of this branch, new developments are done in the 2.x branch</em>) nowadays has a separate board constant for the MKS BASE v1.5 board (<code>BOARD_MKS_BASE_15</code>) as can be found in <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/boards.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">boards.h</a>.</p>\n\n<p>The following line quotes the constant for this board from the file:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><code>#define BOARD_MKS_BASE_15 405 // MKS v1.5 with Allegro A4982 stepper drivers</code></p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]	2017/04/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3967", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6778/" ]	I'm struggling with my new printer, and I just want to make sure that I have the basic configured correctly. What motherboard ID in [`configuration.h`](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) is appropriate for MKS BASE V1.5 in Marlin Firmware?	Marlin appears to support older versions of the board (and possibly this one) according to this line ``` #define BOARD_MKS_13 47 // MKS v1.3 or 1.4 (maybe higher) ``` in `boards.h` which can be found [here](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/RC/Marlin/boards.h). The company also has a [guide](https://web.archive.org/web/20180223090126/http://osoyoo.com/2016/06/30/mks-1-4-3d-printer-board-marlin-firmware-installation-guide/) and looks to provide pre-configured (but not fully configured?) downloads of Marlin. They have different links for different displays but then ask you to change lines manually but don't mention changing the board so I have no idea what they are doing or what is different between the downloads. It appears either way you go (Marlin from Github or from Osoyoo) you will need to change some lines to get each axis to behave correctly.
3,973	<p>For the Anycubic Kossel Linear Plus I have to upload data to the 3D printer from a software called Arduino and then close it. Then I open Pronterface and put in the right port and baud rate that is in the Arduino files and then click "connect". Afterwards it says </p> <pre><code>connecting... </code></pre> <p>and that is all it does and doesn't fully connect to the printer. I've tried changing the baud rate and port in Pronterface, Arduino and the bit rate in the Device Manager but nothing works. </p> <p>Any suggestions on how to fix this?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4003, "author": "Jake Blocker", "author_id": 6662, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6662", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I know this may be a little late, but I bought the same printer and found that I had problems also. To fix this connection issue I first made sure I had no arduino programs open that were trying the connect to the printer. These would not allow Pronterface to connect to my printer. Then if I still had issues I opened up task manager on my computer just to make sure I had no other programs trying to communicate with the printer. Then if it still can't connect I closed Pronterface and reloaded it a couple of times.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4016, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Only one application can access the Arduino Mega board, via the COM port, at a time. Sometimes, the software can get confused, and keep hold of the COM port, although this is unusual. </p>\n\n<p>For example, if you are connected to your board via Pronterface, and without clicking on Pronterface's Disconnect button first, you then try to upload some code to the Arduino via the Arduino IDE, the Arduino IDE will just sit there complaining that it can not connect - usually with an error, or a timeout message, like this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>See the video tutorial, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuEhQU8vGZk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">#18: Calibration</a>, by <a href=\"http://Build%20A%203D%20Printer.eu\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">BuildA3DPrinter</a>. It is a long video, but extremely informative. At 2:20 he has this exact problem. In fact, throughout the video, the instructor <em>constantly</em> reminds the viewer to disconnect from Pronterface <em>before</em> attempting to upload new firmware via the Arduino IDE.</p>\n\n<p>Now, I know that this is the opposite of your issue, as your can not connect using Pronterface, after using the Arduino IDE, as opposed to the other way around, as shown in the video. However, the solution is most probably the same... Momentarily, disconnect the Arduino board from the USB (i.e. unplug the USB cable for a few seconds and then reconnect it). Then, <em>without</em> using the Arduino IDE, now try to connect Pronterface. It should now work - assuming that you have selected the correct COM port, baud rate etc.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4352, "author": "lowboydrvr", "author_id": 7725, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7725", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I recently purchased and assembled the Anycubic Kossel Delta printer and ran into the same issues. </p>\n\n<p>I found that if I tried to connect with \"COM 1\" first, it would error out, then when I switched to \"COM 4\" (the correct port), it connected. Weird, I know, but it works.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4399, "author": "Michael Pankratz", "author_id": 7826, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7826", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I know this is coming very late, but I'll post anyway in hopes that it may help somebody else experiencing the same frustration.</p>\n\n<p>I received all of the same suggestions again and again on the forums -- about baud rate, COM ports, and a lot else which failed to get Pronterface to connect.</p>\n\n<p>At last I posted to the Anycubic User Group on FB, and quickly received what was in my case the solution -- and so ridiculously simple.</p>\n\n<p>I was told to hit RESET two or three times on Pronterface after hitting CONNECT. Yup, that did it! </p>\n\n<p>Good luck!! :D</p>\n" } ]	2017/05/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3973", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6953/" ]	For the Anycubic Kossel Linear Plus I have to upload data to the 3D printer from a software called Arduino and then close it. Then I open Pronterface and put in the right port and baud rate that is in the Arduino files and then click "connect". Afterwards it says ``` connecting... ``` and that is all it does and doesn't fully connect to the printer. I've tried changing the baud rate and port in Pronterface, Arduino and the bit rate in the Device Manager but nothing works. Any suggestions on how to fix this?	I know this is coming very late, but I'll post anyway in hopes that it may help somebody else experiencing the same frustration. I received all of the same suggestions again and again on the forums -- about baud rate, COM ports, and a lot else which failed to get Pronterface to connect. At last I posted to the Anycubic User Group on FB, and quickly received what was in my case the solution -- and so ridiculously simple. I was told to hit RESET two or three times on Pronterface after hitting CONNECT. Yup, that did it! Good luck!! :D
4,173	<h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>I need a complete list of fasteners (bolts, nuts and washers) for the <em>Sintron Kossel</em>.</p> <hr /> <p>Has anyone bought this kit, and knows the answer, or knows where this is documented?</p> <p>A complete list would be great, but in particular, I need the dimensions (M2.5/3/4/5? and length) and quantity of the bolts (and nuts) which:</p> <ul> <li>fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches to the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders, and;</li> <li>fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches and the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders to the extruded 2020 aluminium.</li> </ul> <p>I have:</p> <ul> <li>Searched the web, but to no avail;</li> <li>Read the <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sintron-3D-Printer-Kossel-Mini-Full-Set-w-Auto-level-for-RepRap-Rostock-Delta-/181845082062" rel="nofollow noreferrer">product page</a>, which states only "screws and nuts provided";</li> <li>Contacted <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/sintron_tech_usa" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sintron</a>, but not had an answer;</li> <li>Obtained the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/iifhhmistuwfja1/Kossel%20mini%20instrution%20by%20sintron%20technology_v2.pdf?dl=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sintron build manual</a> but there is no list contained therein, nor contains details about the fasteners relating to the endstops, and;</li> <li>Obtained the <a href="http://www.robotdigg.com/upload/pdf/2a823cc8a8dcff9da99cce92710cc745.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blomker manual</a>, from which the Sintron manual is copied, but that also has no list (as well as not being relevant with respect to the endstops).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Note that I am only interested in the fasteners <em>specifically for the Sintron Kossel</em> and not the Kossel in general.</strong> The Sintron uses the PCB mounted mechanical switches (with four holes), and not the simple barebones mechanical switches (with two holes), and uses 2020 aluminium<sup>1</sup>, not 1515 OpenBeam:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png" alt="Endstops and PCB mounted mechanical switches for the Sintron Kossel" /></a></p> <p>Why? Because I purchased only the 3D printed parts from Sintron, and I am sourcing the rest of the parts cheaply, either locally or from Chinese suppliers on eBay.</p> <hr /> <p><sup>1</sup> In my particular case, there is an additional complication. The profile of the non-standard/non-"European" 2020 extrusion that I am using, does <em>not</em> take T-Nuts, only M5 hexagonal nuts (it is unbelievably difficult to find the standard 2020 extrusion in Bangkok). Combine that with the fact that the Sintron kit uses only M3 nuts and <em>not</em> M5 (I only discovered this <em>after</em> purchasing the printed parts kit (see the email from Sintron, in my answer below) - not through lack of research, but because there <em>is</em> no available list of fasteners), then I have the problem of finding a nut to use (see <a href="https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/15628/fat-hexagonal-m3-nuts-with-outer-diameter-greater-than-6-mm">Fat hexagonal M3 nuts, with outer diameter greater than 6 mm</a>).</p> <p>Here is a photo</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg" alt="Four pieces of 2020 Aluminium extrusion" /></a></p>	[ { "answer_id": 4174, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I found two lists for the Kossel mini (the documents you referenced are for a mini, so that is what I am assuming you got). One as a <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s_ekMab3iavE6ohXIHZImjlCRGyXr9UWbBqC8XOGF_M/pub?output=html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Google Doc</a> and one as an <a href=\"http://www.tridprinting.com/BOM/Kossel-Mini/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">order sheet</a> </p>\n\n<p>Both seem to list all the fasteners.</p>\n\n<p>Here is a Sintron mini <a href=\"https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/SINTRON-Kossel-Mini-Prime-Line-Roller-Carriage-Wheel-696ZZ-Bearing-linear-rail-MGN12/114769_32427917085.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">carriage assembly</a> and it lists the hardware included</p>\n\n<p>I found an ebay listing for the Sintron 2020 Rails. The recommended screws are M3x20mm and here is the infor on the required t-nuts.<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hjohn.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hjohn.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Happy building.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4176, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>After examining the guide (<a href=\"https://gr33nonline.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/kossel-mini-instrution-by-sintron-technology_v2.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Kossel mini instrution by sintron technology_v2</a>) and the printed parts kit, I came up with an 99.9% complete parts list. The lists relating to the effector and autoprobe mount maybe slightly incorrect:</p>\n\n<pre><code>##Parts List\n\n###Listed by Printer part/section:\n\n####Fasteners\n\n#####BOTTOM VERTEX (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n10 x M3 x 8 mm\n10 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n\n#####TOP VERTEX (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n5 x M3 x 8 mm\n5 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n\n1 x M3 x 35 mm\n1 x M3 nut\n1 x M3 washer\n\n\n#####IDLERS (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n1x M3 x 25 mm\n4x M3 Washers\n1 x M3 Nut\n2x F623ZZ\n\n#####MOTORS (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n2 x grub\n4 x M3 x 8 mm\n1 x 16T/20T GT2 pulley\n\n#####EFFECTOR\n\n6 x M3 nyloc nuts\n6 x M3 x 25 mm\n\n4 (5?) x M3 x 16 mm <<==, or\n2 (3?) x M3 x 16 mm <<==\n2 x M3 x 20 mm <<== For the auto probe, if mounting the autoprobe directly on to a collar, above the hotend, and not on to the flange on the Sintron PLA collar\n\n4 (5?) x M3 nuts <<==\n\n2 x M3 x 8 mm <<== fan mounted to Sintron PLA collar\n2 x M3 nuts <<==\n\n1 x PC4-M6\n\nNote: Some additional bolts are required for the mounting of the hotend. It is unclear what these are. See link.\n\n#####VERTICAL CARRIAGES (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n2 x M3 x 20 mm\n\n#####ROLLER CARRIAGES (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n2 x M3 x 10 mm\n1 x M3 x 25 mm\n3 x M3 nuts\n3 x M6 x 25 mm\n3 x M6 nut \n2 x M6 washer (optional)\n\n#####ENDSTOPS (QUANTITY = 3)\n\nFor each:\n1 x M3 x 8 mm <<==\n1 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n3 x M3 x 8 mm <<==\n3 x M3 nut\n\n#####SPOOL\n\n6 x 625-2RS Bearing (or 625zz)\n5 x M5 x 20 mm\n1 x M5 x 25 mm\n6 x M5 nut\n6 x M5 washer\n(or 7 x M5 washer – there is a discrepancy between the kit (7) and the manual (6))\n3 x M3 x 8 mm ?\n3 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n\n#####EXTRUDER\n\n1 x M3 x 40 mm\n1 x M3 x 8 mm\n1 x M3 x ?? mm <<==\n2 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n\n1 x PC4-01\n\n#####AUTOPROBE\n\nNote: This is optional\n\n2 x M2.5 x 12 mm\n1 x M2.5 x 12 mm\n2 x M3 x 8 mm <<== If mounting the autoprobe on to the flange of the Sintron PLA collar (if mounting directly on to a collar, above the hotend, then these are not required, and 2 x M3 x 20 mm replace 2 x M3 x 16 mm on the effector)\n2 x M3 nuts <<== If mounting the autoprobe on to the flange of the Sintron PLA collar (if mounting directly on to a collar, above the hotend, then these are not required)\n\nSafety Pin 2.5 mm\nSpring 23.5mm\n\nTerminal Block\n1.5mm Allen key\n\nNote: Some additional bolts are required for the mounting of the autoprobe, as well as the hotend. It is unclear what these are.\n\n#####GLASS BED\n\n3 x M3 x 8 mm ?\n1 x M3 x 20 mm\n4 x M3 nut (T-nut)\n\n#####RAMPS\n\nNote: This is optional, as mounting on the top will interfere with the spool\n\n2 x M3 x 35 mm\n2 x M3 nuts\n2 x M3 nuts (T-nut)\n\n###Total Parts:\n\n####Fasteners\n\n#####BOLTS\n\nSize, Length, Quantity\nM3, 25, (1×3)+(6)+(1×3) = 3+6+3 = 12\nM3, 8, (10×3)+(5×3)+(4×3)+(4x3)+(3)+(1)+(2)+(3) = 30+15+12+12+3+1+2+3 = 78\nM3, 16, 5\nM3, 20, (2×3)+(1)+(2) = 6+1+2 = 9\nM3, 10, (2×3) = 6\nM3, 35, 3\nM3, 40, 1\nM6, 25, (3×3) = 9\nM5, 20, 5\nM5, 25, 1\nM2.5, 12, 3\n\n#####GRUB SCREWS\n\nSize, Quantity\n?, (2×3) = 6\n\n#####NUTS\n\nSize, Quantity\nM5, 6\nM6, (3×3) = 9\n—\nEITHER\n\nM3, (10×3)+(5×3)+(1x3)+(1×3)+(5+2)+(3×3)+(1×3)+(3×3)+(3)+(2)+(2)+(4) = 30+15+3+7+9+3+9+3+2+2+4 = 90\n\nOR\n\nM3, (1×3) + (1×3) + (5+2) + (3×3) + (3×3) + (2) = 3+7+9+9+2 = 33\nand\nM3 T-slot nut, (10×3) + (5×3) + (1×3) + (3) + (2) + (4) = 30+15+3+3+2+4 = 57\n—\n\n#####NYLOC NUTS\n\nSize, Quantity\nM3, 6\n\n#####WASHERS\n\nSize, Quantity\nM3, (1x3)+(4×3) = 15\nM6, (2×3) = 6\nM5, 6 (or 7)\n\n####Bearings\n\nSize, Quantity\nF623zz, 6\n625-2RS, 6\nOR\n625zz, 6\n\n####Printed Parts\n\nTBD\n\n####Structural\n\n3 x 2020 x 750/600 mm\n9 x 2020 x 360/240 mm\n\n####Electronics\n\n1 x Arduino Mega 2560\n1 x RAMPS 1.4\n5 x Stepper drivers\n3 x PCB mounted mechanical switch\n3 x Stepper motors\n1 x Extruder stepper\n\n####Belts\n\n3 x 16T/20T GT2 Pulley\nGT2 belt (5 meters)\n\n####Other Parts\n\nSafety Pin 2.5 mm\nSpring 23.5mm\nTerminal Block\n1.5mm Allen key\n9 x Delrin wheels\n9 x 696zz bearings\n\n1 x PC4-M6\n1 x PC4-01\n\n###Uncertainties\n\nThe fasteners required for the following parts is, as yet, unclear\n\nEffector/Hotend mount\nAutoprobe mount\nAdditional Extruder holder screwpoint\n\n###Assumptions\n\nHotbed frame mounts (assumed to be M3 x 8 mm)\nSpool frame mounts (assumed to be M3 x 8 mm)\nEndstops (four M3 x 8 mm are used, not just one)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>See also <a href=\"https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/kossel-sintron-parts-list/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Kossel - Sintron parts list</a>.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>I have a <em>partial</em> answer from the suppliers:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hi </p>\n \n <p>Good Day !</p>\n \n <p>thanks for your contact.</p>\n \n <p>we use M3 bolts + T-nuts .</p>\n \n <p>i suppose the problem is , you don't have T-nuts , right ?</p>\n \n <p>T-nuts is used for 2020 extrusion.</p>\n \n <p>with warm regards.</p>\n \n <p>james</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I replied for a clarification of the length required:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Many thanks for the reply.</p>\n \n <p>I have two types of 2020 extrusion, with differing profiles: one that\n takes T-Nuts, and; one that takes regular hexagonal M5 nuts.</p>\n \n <p>For the T-nut extrusion I have both M3 and M5 T-nuts.</p>\n \n <p>However, the second type of 2020 extrusion takes regular M5 nuts.\n Regular M3 nuts will not stay in place, unless I can find some M3 nuts\n with a larger outer diameter, greater than 7 mm.</p>\n \n <p>With respect to the M3 bolts, what are the lengths required? Are two\n lengths used? One length to secure the endstop switch and holder to\n the 2020 extrusion, and then another length to secure the remaining\n three holes? Looking at the diagram in your build guide, it seems as\n if only one bolt is used to secure the endstop switch and holder to\n the frame, is that correct? Are any other bolts used to secure the PCB\n mounted switch the the endstop holders.</p>\n \n <p>I thank you in advance.</p>\n \n <p>Best regards</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I followed this up with a second email</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hi again James,</p>\n \n <p>Following on from my previous reply.</p>\n \n <p>Firstly, I have found that flanged M3 nuts will work perfectly, in the\n extrusion that will not accept T-Nuts.</p>\n \n <p>Secondly, what I really am looking for is a list of the lengths (and\n dimensions) of the bolts used throughout the Sintron build. In\n particular the endstop bolts. Rather than having to iteratively deduce\n each bolt, a list of the bolts used would be very handy.</p>\n \n <p>I thank you again in advance for your kind consideration.</p>\n \n <p>Best regards,</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I received a second reply from Sintron</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hello Friend.</p>\n \n <p>for endstop . it's M3*8mm . </p>\n \n <p>i am collecting the list of them for you soon.</p>\n \n <p>thanks.</p>\n \n <p>james</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4178, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For the M3 t-nuts, could you use this <a href=\"https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1573410\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">printed solution</a>.\nYou are just attaching a PCB; so, it you wouldn't need that much strength.</p>\n\n<p>Another excuse to use your 3D printer. ;)</p>\n" } ]	2017/05/31	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4173", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762/" ]	### TL;DR I need a complete list of fasteners (bolts, nuts and washers) for the Sintron Kossel. --- Has anyone bought this kit, and knows the answer, or knows where this is documented? A complete list would be great, but in particular, I need the dimensions (M2.5/3/4/5? and length) and quantity of the bolts (and nuts) which: * fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches to the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders, and; * fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches and the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders to the extruded 2020 aluminium. I have: * Searched the web, but to no avail; * Read the [product page](http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sintron-3D-Printer-Kossel-Mini-Full-Set-w-Auto-level-for-RepRap-Rostock-Delta-/181845082062), which states only "screws and nuts provided"; * Contacted [Sintron](http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/sintron_tech_usa), but not had an answer; * Obtained the [Sintron build manual](https://www.dropbox.com/s/iifhhmistuwfja1/Kossel%20mini%20instrution%20by%20sintron%20technology_v2.pdf?dl=0) but there is no list contained therein, nor contains details about the fasteners relating to the endstops, and; * Obtained the [Blomker manual](http://www.robotdigg.com/upload/pdf/2a823cc8a8dcff9da99cce92710cc745.pdf), from which the Sintron manual is copied, but that also has no list (as well as not being relevant with respect to the endstops). *Note that I am only interested in the fasteners specifically for the Sintron Kossel* and not the Kossel in general.** The Sintron uses the PCB mounted mechanical switches (with four holes), and not the simple barebones mechanical switches (with two holes), and uses 2020 aluminium1, not 1515 OpenBeam: [![Endstops and PCB mounted mechanical switches for the Sintron Kossel](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png) Why? Because I purchased only the 3D printed parts from Sintron, and I am sourcing the rest of the parts cheaply, either locally or from Chinese suppliers on eBay. --- 1 In my particular case, there is an additional complication. The profile of the non-standard/non-"European" 2020 extrusion that I am using, does not take T-Nuts, only M5 hexagonal nuts (it is unbelievably difficult to find the standard 2020 extrusion in Bangkok). Combine that with the fact that the Sintron kit uses only M3 nuts and not M5 (I only discovered this after purchasing the printed parts kit (see the email from Sintron, in my answer below) - not through lack of research, but because there is no available list of fasteners), then I have the problem of finding a nut to use (see [Fat hexagonal M3 nuts, with outer diameter greater than 6 mm](https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/15628/fat-hexagonal-m3-nuts-with-outer-diameter-greater-than-6-mm)). Here is a photo [![Four pieces of 2020 Aluminium extrusion](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg)	After examining the guide ([Kossel mini instrution by sintron technology\_v2](https://gr33nonline.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/kossel-mini-instrution-by-sintron-technology_v2.pdf)) and the printed parts kit, I came up with an 99.9% complete parts list. The lists relating to the effector and autoprobe mount maybe slightly incorrect: ``` ##Parts List ###Listed by Printer part/section: ####Fasteners #####BOTTOM VERTEX (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 10 x M3 x 8 mm 10 x M3 nut (T-nut) #####TOP VERTEX (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 5 x M3 x 8 mm 5 x M3 nut (T-nut) 1 x M3 x 35 mm 1 x M3 nut 1 x M3 washer #####IDLERS (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 1x M3 x 25 mm 4x M3 Washers 1 x M3 Nut 2x F623ZZ #####MOTORS (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 2 x grub 4 x M3 x 8 mm 1 x 16T/20T GT2 pulley #####EFFECTOR 6 x M3 nyloc nuts 6 x M3 x 25 mm 4 (5?) x M3 x 16 mm <<==, or 2 (3?) x M3 x 16 mm <<== 2 x M3 x 20 mm <<== For the auto probe, if mounting the autoprobe directly on to a collar, above the hotend, and not on to the flange on the Sintron PLA collar 4 (5?) x M3 nuts <<== 2 x M3 x 8 mm <<== fan mounted to Sintron PLA collar 2 x M3 nuts <<== 1 x PC4-M6 Note: Some additional bolts are required for the mounting of the hotend. It is unclear what these are. See link. #####VERTICAL CARRIAGES (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 2 x M3 x 20 mm #####ROLLER CARRIAGES (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 2 x M3 x 10 mm 1 x M3 x 25 mm 3 x M3 nuts 3 x M6 x 25 mm 3 x M6 nut 2 x M6 washer (optional) #####ENDSTOPS (QUANTITY = 3) For each: 1 x M3 x 8 mm <<== 1 x M3 nut (T-nut) 3 x M3 x 8 mm <<== 3 x M3 nut #####SPOOL 6 x 625-2RS Bearing (or 625zz) 5 x M5 x 20 mm 1 x M5 x 25 mm 6 x M5 nut 6 x M5 washer (or 7 x M5 washer – there is a discrepancy between the kit (7) and the manual (6)) 3 x M3 x 8 mm ? 3 x M3 nut (T-nut) #####EXTRUDER 1 x M3 x 40 mm 1 x M3 x 8 mm 1 x M3 x ?? mm <<== 2 x M3 nut (T-nut) 1 x PC4-01 #####AUTOPROBE Note: This is optional 2 x M2.5 x 12 mm 1 x M2.5 x 12 mm 2 x M3 x 8 mm <<== If mounting the autoprobe on to the flange of the Sintron PLA collar (if mounting directly on to a collar, above the hotend, then these are not required, and 2 x M3 x 20 mm replace 2 x M3 x 16 mm on the effector) 2 x M3 nuts <<== If mounting the autoprobe on to the flange of the Sintron PLA collar (if mounting directly on to a collar, above the hotend, then these are not required) Safety Pin 2.5 mm Spring 23.5mm Terminal Block 1.5mm Allen key Note: Some additional bolts are required for the mounting of the autoprobe, as well as the hotend. It is unclear what these are. #####GLASS BED 3 x M3 x 8 mm ? 1 x M3 x 20 mm 4 x M3 nut (T-nut) #####RAMPS Note: This is optional, as mounting on the top will interfere with the spool 2 x M3 x 35 mm 2 x M3 nuts 2 x M3 nuts (T-nut) ###Total Parts: ####Fasteners #####BOLTS Size, Length, Quantity M3, 25, (1×3)+(6)+(1×3) = 3+6+3 = 12 M3, 8, (10×3)+(5×3)+(4×3)+(4x3)+(3)+(1)+(2)+(3) = 30+15+12+12+3+1+2+3 = 78 M3, 16, 5 M3, 20, (2×3)+(1)+(2) = 6+1+2 = 9 M3, 10, (2×3) = 6 M3, 35, 3 M3, 40, 1 M6, 25, (3×3) = 9 M5, 20, 5 M5, 25, 1 M2.5, 12, 3 #####GRUB SCREWS Size, Quantity ?, (2×3) = 6 #####NUTS Size, Quantity M5, 6 M6, (3×3) = 9 — EITHER M3, (10×3)+(5×3)+(1x3)+(1×3)+(5+2)+(3×3)+(1×3)+(3×3)+(3)+(2)+(2)+(4) = 30+15+3+7+9+3+9+3+2+2+4 = 90 OR M3, (1×3) + (1×3) + (5+2) + (3×3) + (3×3) + (2) = 3+7+9+9+2 = 33 and M3 T-slot nut, (10×3) + (5×3) + (1×3) + (3) + (2) + (4) = 30+15+3+3+2+4 = 57 — #####NYLOC NUTS Size, Quantity M3, 6 #####WASHERS Size, Quantity M3, (1x3)+(4×3) = 15 M6, (2×3) = 6 M5, 6 (or 7) ####Bearings Size, Quantity F623zz, 6 625-2RS, 6 OR 625zz, 6 ####Printed Parts TBD ####Structural 3 x 2020 x 750/600 mm 9 x 2020 x 360/240 mm ####Electronics 1 x Arduino Mega 2560 1 x RAMPS 1.4 5 x Stepper drivers 3 x PCB mounted mechanical switch 3 x Stepper motors 1 x Extruder stepper ####Belts 3 x 16T/20T GT2 Pulley GT2 belt (5 meters) ####Other Parts Safety Pin 2.5 mm Spring 23.5mm Terminal Block 1.5mm Allen key 9 x Delrin wheels 9 x 696zz bearings 1 x PC4-M6 1 x PC4-01 ###Uncertainties The fasteners required for the following parts is, as yet, unclear Effector/Hotend mount Autoprobe mount Additional Extruder holder screwpoint ###Assumptions Hotbed frame mounts (assumed to be M3 x 8 mm) Spool frame mounts (assumed to be M3 x 8 mm) Endstops (four M3 x 8 mm are used, not just one) ``` See also [Kossel - Sintron parts list](https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/kossel-sintron-parts-list/). --- I have a partial answer from the suppliers: > > Hi > > > Good Day ! > > > thanks for your contact. > > > we use M3 bolts + T-nuts . > > > i suppose the problem is , you don't have T-nuts , right ? > > > T-nuts is used for 2020 extrusion. > > > with warm regards. > > > james > > > I replied for a clarification of the length required: > > Many thanks for the reply. > > > I have two types of 2020 extrusion, with differing profiles: one that > takes T-Nuts, and; one that takes regular hexagonal M5 nuts. > > > For the T-nut extrusion I have both M3 and M5 T-nuts. > > > However, the second type of 2020 extrusion takes regular M5 nuts. > Regular M3 nuts will not stay in place, unless I can find some M3 nuts > with a larger outer diameter, greater than 7 mm. > > > With respect to the M3 bolts, what are the lengths required? Are two > lengths used? One length to secure the endstop switch and holder to > the 2020 extrusion, and then another length to secure the remaining > three holes? Looking at the diagram in your build guide, it seems as > if only one bolt is used to secure the endstop switch and holder to > the frame, is that correct? Are any other bolts used to secure the PCB > mounted switch the the endstop holders. > > > I thank you in advance. > > > Best regards > > > I followed this up with a second email > > Hi again James, > > > Following on from my previous reply. > > > Firstly, I have found that flanged M3 nuts will work perfectly, in the > extrusion that will not accept T-Nuts. > > > Secondly, what I really am looking for is a list of the lengths (and > dimensions) of the bolts used throughout the Sintron build. In > particular the endstop bolts. Rather than having to iteratively deduce > each bolt, a list of the bolts used would be very handy. > > > I thank you again in advance for your kind consideration. > > > Best regards, > > > I received a second reply from Sintron > > Hello Friend. > > > for endstop . it's M3\*8mm . > > > i am collecting the list of them for you soon. > > > thanks. > > > james > > > ---
4,177	<p>I have a Tevo Tarantula with a MKS Base 1.5 board and dual extruders. I am running Marlin RC8 Tevo Community build for the dual extruder, large bed and SN04 sensor. </p> <p>All temperature sensors work and give accurate reading but <code>E1</code> when activated runs at 100% until the overtemps kicks in and shuts down the system. Like I said, it reads proper temperatures through the thermistor it just won’t stop at the set temperature. I checked the MOSFET and there is no obvious scorching or bad solder joints on the MKS board. This leads me to believe it is a mix-up in firmware but, being a bit of a newbie on this, I am still getting familiar with G-code and Marlin.</p> <p>I have confirmed the correct board is being referenced in firmware from <code>boards.h</code> but looking at <code>configuration.h</code> I just get confused. What I am thinking is somehow/somewhere <code>E1</code> might be referenced as a fan that is just off or on. Anybody have ideas?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4179, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am not sure what the hardware config is for the <strong>Tevo Tarantula</strong></p>\n\n<p>Make sure your <code>configuration.h</code> file is setup for your hardware.\nThe extruder defines are describe in <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Conditionals_LCD.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Conditional_LCD.h</a></p>\n\n<p>It looks like the <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">configuration.h file</a> on GitHub is configured for a single extruder.</p>\n\n<p>For example, if you have 2 hotends; but, \"HOTENDS=2\" is not set then the I/O will not be configured for the 2nd hotend. I just looked at the code and if <code>HOTENDS == 1</code> then the <code>MOSFET_D_PIN</code> will be used to control FAN1 (which sounds very similar to what you are describing that you are seeing).</p>\n\n<pre><code> #if HOTENDS == 1\n #define FAN1_PIN MOSFET_D_PIN\n #else\n #define HEATER_1_PIN MOSFET_D_PIN\n #endif\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4198, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So, following on from <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4177/dual-extruder-setup-in-marlin/4179#4179\">Mark's answer</a>, in <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Conditionals_LCD.h#L298\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">line 298</a> of <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Conditionals_LCD.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Conditional_LCD.h</a>, you would need to change:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define HOTENDS 1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>to</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define HOTENDS 2\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4407, "author": "Jason", "author_id": 7843, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7843", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had a similar problem, my documentation was wrong and the heater & thermistor were wired in backwards. Maybe recheck your wiring and even try reversing the temp sensor on your board.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4177", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7332/" ]	I have a Tevo Tarantula with a MKS Base 1.5 board and dual extruders. I am running Marlin RC8 Tevo Community build for the dual extruder, large bed and SN04 sensor. All temperature sensors work and give accurate reading but `E1` when activated runs at 100% until the overtemps kicks in and shuts down the system. Like I said, it reads proper temperatures through the thermistor it just won’t stop at the set temperature. I checked the MOSFET and there is no obvious scorching or bad solder joints on the MKS board. This leads me to believe it is a mix-up in firmware but, being a bit of a newbie on this, I am still getting familiar with G-code and Marlin. I have confirmed the correct board is being referenced in firmware from `boards.h` but looking at `configuration.h` I just get confused. What I am thinking is somehow/somewhere `E1` might be referenced as a fan that is just off or on. Anybody have ideas?	I am not sure what the hardware config is for the Tevo Tarantula Make sure your `configuration.h` file is setup for your hardware. The extruder defines are describe in [Conditional\_LCD.h](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Conditionals_LCD.h) It looks like the [configuration.h file](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/bugfix-1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) on GitHub is configured for a single extruder. For example, if you have 2 hotends; but, "HOTENDS=2" is not set then the I/O will not be configured for the 2nd hotend. I just looked at the code and if `HOTENDS == 1` then the `MOSFET_D_PIN` will be used to control FAN1 (which sounds very similar to what you are describing that you are seeing). ``` #if HOTENDS == 1 #define FAN1_PIN MOSFET_D_PIN #else #define HEATER_1_PIN MOSFET_D_PIN #endif ```
4,180	<p>I've always had trouble getting prints to stick directly on my bed, but had great reliability when use rafts. This didn't present a problem when I was using PLA, but I recently got a roll of PETG and it is very hard to remove rafts, so I am once again trying to figure out whats wrong.</p> <p>I am printing the same file (currently a simple square for testing) with the same settings, except I am turning rafts on/off. When rafts are on, my print sticks perfectly. When rafts are off, my print doesn't stick at all - not even the skirt (which sticks fine on the raft print). With rafts on, I can watch my printer lay down a nice line for the skirt / first layer. With rafts off, I watched plastic ooze out of the nozzle and ride along with the print head, not sticking to the plate at all.</p> <p>I have a stock Monoprice Maker Select v2 with the PEI surface it shipped with. I haven't tried any bed additions/changes to get better adhesion, since I know rafts stick fine with what I have. I figure there must be some settings I can change to make my first layer stick too. I am using Simplify3D & have tried a few basic tweaks, but I am largely stabbing in the dark.</p> <p>What are the specific characteristics of a first layer raft, in comparison to a first layer of my print, that might make it stick better?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4191, "author": "Sean Houlihane", "author_id": 4927, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4927", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could experiment with the 'cleaning' part of the startup gcode shown <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/Start_GCode_routines\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a></p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 X100 Y0 F4000 ; move half way along the front edge\nG1 Z1 ; move nozzle close to bed\nM109 S200 ; heat nozzle to 200 degC and wait until reached\nG4 P10000 ; wait 10 seconds for nozzle length to stabilize\nG1 E10 ; extrude 10 mm of filament\nG1 z15 F12000 E5 ; move 15 mm up, fast, while extruding 5mm\nG92 E0 ; reset extruder\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I'm not completely persuaded that it helps a lot, but the idea is to fill the extruder (with some pressure from the bed at a 1mm gap) right before starting the skirt. Typically, I still find the first line of skirt may be quite blobby, but a 2nd line of skirt seems much better. Obviously you need the bed alignment right too. A raft seems to have enough 'extra' extrusion to mask these issues a little bit.</p>\n\n<p>Later reflection suggests that these introductory G-code snippets (I've now started using the PRUSA one of a line along the edge of the bed) risk problems with flexible filament, so it might be best to err on the side of conservative for the extrude volume rather than assume that more is better here.</p>\n\n<p>You can find other similar solutions in this question: <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6355/writing-g-code-swiping-at-start-of-print/6357?s=2\|10.4629#6357\">Writing G-code : swiping at start of print</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4192, "author": "Ecnerwal", "author_id": 6853, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6853", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When I started work on mine, the bed leveling and radius (Delta-only issue) were horrid, and my erstwhile assistant was fond of using a LOT of glue stick, which sort-of made things work, though in many cases with no first layer extrusion.</p>\n\n<p>As I sorted things out, I found an apparent bug (Repetier Host (Mac) and Marlin 1.1.0-RC8 firmware - not sure which side the apparent bug is on, really, but I'd guess Repetier) where setting the first layer by percent lead to no extrusion, and setting an actual width/height it extruded. I also got the bed level and radius sorted so the first layer settings actually applied to most of the print area, rather than being wrong for most of it. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, we sorted out some temperature issues (wrong thermistor type setting) and then found a fairly large discrepancy between the heater block and the nozzle (screwed into it) temperature. I now lay down the first layer (PLA) at a purported 240°C, based on a number of trials at different temperatures (which might change with a different batch of filament, I guess) and the rest at a purported 215°C. I set the first layer width to double the height so it's really laying down some plastic. An excessively LOW first layer height also causes problems (as there's very little plastic coming out if the layer is very low, even if you set the width wide.)</p>\n\n<p>My bed is not heated and is plain glass, but I now get reasonable sticking with a <em>very</em> thin layer of gluestick (I put a dab on and rub it around with a little bit of water - it's barely visible.) With a coated heated bed that sticks to rafts, I think you'll just need to work on your first layer settings (including a level bed) and should not need to worry about glue at all. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4194, "author": "Alejandro Escontrela", "author_id": 7376, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7376", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>While using rafts with PLA is a good idea due to warping, PETG is a material that requires very little build plate adhesion.</p>\n\n<p>When I printed with PLA, I would normally use a two layer raft with a 0.3 mm air gap. With PETG, however, I only need a skirt. I recommend calibrating your extruder height so that when you slide a piece of paper underneath, you feel a gentle tug. While 0.2 mm is enough for printing PLA with rafts, 0.1-0.15 mm has worked well for me in terms of distance from the extruder nozzle to the heat bed. </p>\n\n<p>Also, would you mind sharing your extruder and heat bed temperatures? Ive found that although PETG <em>will</em> melt at the same temperature as PLA, it tends to drag behind the extruder nozzle if the temperature is below ~240°C. </p>\n\n<p>One final note: Even though most PETG distributors specify that a heated build plate is not required, a heated bed helps my prints stick better. I run a 60°C heat bed which seems to make my prints smoother in the end.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/03	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4180", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7350/" ]	I've always had trouble getting prints to stick directly on my bed, but had great reliability when use rafts. This didn't present a problem when I was using PLA, but I recently got a roll of PETG and it is very hard to remove rafts, so I am once again trying to figure out whats wrong. I am printing the same file (currently a simple square for testing) with the same settings, except I am turning rafts on/off. When rafts are on, my print sticks perfectly. When rafts are off, my print doesn't stick at all - not even the skirt (which sticks fine on the raft print). With rafts on, I can watch my printer lay down a nice line for the skirt / first layer. With rafts off, I watched plastic ooze out of the nozzle and ride along with the print head, not sticking to the plate at all. I have a stock Monoprice Maker Select v2 with the PEI surface it shipped with. I haven't tried any bed additions/changes to get better adhesion, since I know rafts stick fine with what I have. I figure there must be some settings I can change to make my first layer stick too. I am using Simplify3D & have tried a few basic tweaks, but I am largely stabbing in the dark. What are the specific characteristics of a first layer raft, in comparison to a first layer of my print, that might make it stick better?	You could experiment with the 'cleaning' part of the startup gcode shown [here](http://reprap.org/wiki/Start_GCode_routines) ``` G1 X100 Y0 F4000 ; move half way along the front edge G1 Z1 ; move nozzle close to bed M109 S200 ; heat nozzle to 200 degC and wait until reached G4 P10000 ; wait 10 seconds for nozzle length to stabilize G1 E10 ; extrude 10 mm of filament G1 z15 F12000 E5 ; move 15 mm up, fast, while extruding 5mm G92 E0 ; reset extruder ``` I'm not completely persuaded that it helps a lot, but the idea is to fill the extruder (with some pressure from the bed at a 1mm gap) right before starting the skirt. Typically, I still find the first line of skirt may be quite blobby, but a 2nd line of skirt seems much better. Obviously you need the bed alignment right too. A raft seems to have enough 'extra' extrusion to mask these issues a little bit. Later reflection suggests that these introductory G-code snippets (I've now started using the PRUSA one of a line along the edge of the bed) risk problems with flexible filament, so it might be best to err on the side of conservative for the extrude volume rather than assume that more is better here. You can find other similar solutions in this question: [Writing G-code : swiping at start of print](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6355/writing-g-code-swiping-at-start-of-print/6357?s=2\|10.4629#6357)
4,216	<p>I'm near the end of the build of a i3 MK2 clone and have run into a problem with the Z-axis motors. Specifically, the Z-axis will move down (and trigger the endstop) but it will only make a quick noise if I try to move it up.</p> <p><code>M119</code> shows all endstops open. Min software stops are currently disabled, as I try to set the printer up. Using Marlin 1.1.3 with a RAMPS 1.4. Both motors turn and I've even uncoupled the entire X-axis carriage.</p> <p>Additional test: reversed the z-axis motor wires and they only go up. Inverted the motor direction in software and they also only go up.</p> <p>Any advice? I've definitely done a few searches but haven't solved the problem.</p> <p><code>Config.h</code> is as follows (clipped due to posting restrictions):</p> <pre><code>//=========================================================================== //============================== Endstop Settings =========================== //=========================================================================== // @section homing // Specify here all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. // Almost all printers will be using one per axis. Probes will use one or more of the // extra connectors. Leave undefined any used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes. #define USE_XMIN_PLUG #define USE_YMIN_PLUG #define USE_ZMIN_PLUG //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG // coarse Endstop Settings //#define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to disable the endstop pullup resistors #if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS) // fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE #endif // Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup). #define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the probe. // Enable this feature if all enabled endstop pins are interrupt-capable. // This will remove the need to poll the interrupt pins, saving many CPU cycles. //#define ENDSTOP_INTERRUPTS_FEATURE //============================================================================= //============================== Movement Settings ============================ //============================================================================= // @section motion /** * Default Settings * * These settings can be reset by M502 * * Note that if EEPROM is enabled, saved values will override these. / /* * With this option each E stepper can have its own factors for the * following movement settings. If fewer factors are given than the * total number of extruders, the last value applies to the rest. / //#define DISTINCT_E_FACTORS /* * Default Axis Steps Per Unit (steps/mm) * Override with M92 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT { 100, 100, 4000, 120 } /* * Default Max Feed Rate (mm/s) * Override with M203 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 200, 200, 3, 25 } /* * Default Max Acceleration (change/s) change = mm/s * (Maximum start speed for accelerated moves) * Override with M201 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION { 3000, 3000, 100, 10000 } /* * Default Acceleration (change/s) change = mm/s * Override with M204 * * M204 P Acceleration * M204 R Retract Acceleration * M204 T Travel Acceleration / #define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z and E acceleration for printing moves #define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 3000 // E acceleration for retracts #define DEFAULT_TRAVEL_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z acceleration for travel (non printing) moves /* * Default Jerk (mm/s) * Override with M205 X Y Z E * * "Jerk" specifies the minimum speed change that requires acceleration. * When changing speed and direction, if the difference is less than the * value set here, it may happen instantaneously. / #define DEFAULT_XJERK 10.0 #define DEFAULT_YJERK 10.0 #define DEFAULT_ZJERK 0.4 #define DEFAULT_EJERK 2.0 //=========================================================================== //============================= Z Probe Options ============================= //=========================================================================== // @section probes // // See http://marlinfw.org/configuration/probes.html // /* * Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN * * Enable this option for a probe connected to the Z Min endstop pin. / #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN /* * Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP * * Enable this option for a probe connected to any pin except Z-Min. * (By default Marlin assumes the Z-Max endstop pin.) * To use a custom Z Probe pin, set Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN below. * * - The simplest option is to use a free endstop connector. * - Use 5V for powered (usually inductive) sensors. * * - RAMPS 1.3/1.4 boards may use the 5V, GND, and Aux4->D32 pin: * - For simple switches connect... * - normally-closed switches to GND and D32. * - normally-open switches to 5V and D32. * * WARNING: Setting the wrong pin may have unexpected and potentially * disastrous consequences. Use with caution and do your homework. * / //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN Z_MAX_PIN /* * Probe Type * * Allen Key Probes, Servo Probes, Z-Sled Probes, FIX_MOUNTED_PROBE, etc. * You must activate one of these to use Auto Bed Leveling below. / /* * The "Manual Probe" provides a means to do "Auto" Bed Leveling without a probe. * Use G29 repeatedly, adjusting the Z height at each point with movement commands * or (with LCD_BED_LEVELING) the LCD controller. / //#define PROBE_MANUALLY /* * A Fix-Mounted Probe either doesn't deploy or needs manual deployment. * (e.g., an inductive probe or a nozzle-based probe-switch.) / #define FIX_MOUNTED_PROBE /* * Z Servo Probe, such as an endstop switch on a rotating arm. / //#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0 // Defaults to SERVO 0 connector. //#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles /* * The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo. / //#define BLTOUCH #if ENABLED(BLTOUCH) //#define BLTOUCH_DELAY 375 // (ms) Enable and increase if needed #endif /* * Enable if probing seems unreliable. Heaters and/or fans - consistent with the * options selected below - will be disabled during probing so as to minimize * potential EM interference by quieting/silencing the source of the 'noise' (the change * in current flowing through the wires). This is likely most useful to users of the * BLTouch probe, but may also help those with inductive or other probe types. / //#define PROBING_HEATERS_OFF // Turn heaters off when probing //#define PROBING_FANS_OFF // Turn fans off when probing // A probe that is deployed and stowed with a solenoid pin (SOL1_PIN) //#define SOLENOID_PROBE // A sled-mounted probe like those designed by Charles Bell. //#define Z_PROBE_SLED //#define SLED_DOCKING_OFFSET 5 // The extra distance the X axis must travel to pickup the sled. 0 should be fine but you can push it further if you'd like. // // For Z_PROBE_ALLEN_KEY see the Delta example configurations. // /* * Z Probe to nozzle (X,Y) offset, relative to (0, 0). * X and Y offsets must be integers. * * In the following example the X and Y offsets are both positive: * #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * * +-- BACK ---+ * \| \| * L \| (+) P \| R <-- probe (20,20) * E \| \| I * F \| (-) N (+) \| G <-- nozzle (10,10) * T \| \| H * \| (-) \| T * \| \| * O-- FRONT --+ * (0,0) / #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 22 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 12 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] // X and Y axis travel speed (mm/m) between probes #define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000 // Speed for the first approach when double-probing (with PROBE_DOUBLE_TOUCH) #define Z_PROBE_SPEED_FAST HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z // Speed for the "accurate" probe of each point #define Z_PROBE_SPEED_SLOW (Z_PROBE_SPEED_FAST / 2) // Use double touch for probing //#define PROBE_DOUBLE_TOUCH /* * Z probes require clearance when deploying, stowing, and moving between * probe points to avoid hitting the bed and other hardware. * Servo-mounted probes require extra space for the arm to rotate. * Inductive probes need space to keep from triggering early. * * Use these settings to specify the distance (mm) to raise the probe (or * lower the bed). The values set here apply over and above any (negative) * probe Z Offset set with Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER, M851, or the LCD. * Only integer values >= 1 are valid here. * * Example: `M851 Z-5` with a CLEARANCE of 4 => 9mm from bed to nozzle. * But: `M851 Z+1` with a CLEARANCE of 2 => 2mm from bed to nozzle. / #define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow #define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5 // Z Clearance between probe points // For M851 give a range for adjusting the Z probe offset #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MIN -20 #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MAX 20 // Enable the M48 repeatability test to test probe accuracy //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_REPEATABILITY_TEST // For Inverting Stepper Enable Pins (Active Low) use 0, Non Inverting (Active High) use 1 // :{ 0:'Low', 1:'High' } #define X_ENABLE_ON 0 #define Y_ENABLE_ON 0 #define Z_ENABLE_ON 0 #define E_ENABLE_ON 0 // For all extruders // Disables axis stepper immediately when it's not being used. // WARNING: When motors turn off there is a chance of losing position accuracy! #define DISABLE_X false #define DISABLE_Y false #define DISABLE_Z false // Warn on display about possibly reduced accuracy //#define DISABLE_REDUCED_ACCURACY_WARNING // @section extruder #define DISABLE_E false // For all extruders #define DISABLE_INACTIVE_EXTRUDER true // Keep only the active extruder enabled. // @section machine // Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector) if an axis goes the wrong way. #define INVERT_X_DIR false #define INVERT_Y_DIR false #define INVERT_Z_DIR false // Enable this option for Toshiba stepper drivers //#define CONFIG_STEPPERS_TOSHIBA // @section extruder // For direct drive extruder v9 set to true, for geared extruder set to false. #define INVERT_E0_DIR false #define INVERT_E1_DIR false #define INVERT_E2_DIR false #define INVERT_E3_DIR false #define INVERT_E4_DIR false // @section homing //#define Z_HOMING_HEIGHT 4 // (in mm) Minimal z height before homing (G28) for Z clearance above the bed, clamps, ... // Be sure you have this distance over your Z_MAX_POS in case. // Direction of endstops when homing; 1=MAX, -1=MIN // :[-1,1] #define X_HOME_DIR -1 #define Y_HOME_DIR -1 #define Z_HOME_DIR -1 // @section machine // Travel limits after homing (units are in mm) #define X_MIN_POS 0 #define Y_MIN_POS 0 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS 230 #define Y_MAX_POS 200 #define Z_MAX_POS 200 // If enabled, axes won't move below MIN_POS in response to movement commands. //#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS // If enabled, axes won't move above MAX_POS in response to movement commands. //#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS /* * Filament Runout Sensor * A mechanical or opto endstop is used to check for the presence of filament. * * RAMPS-based boards use SERVO3_PIN. * For other boards you may need to define FIL_RUNOUT_PIN. * By default the firmware assumes HIGH = has filament, LOW = ran out */ //#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR #if ENABLED(FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR) #define FIL_RUNOUT_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the sensor. #define ENDSTOPPULLUP_FIL_RUNOUT // Uncomment to use internal pullup for filament runout pins if the sensor is defined. #define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SCRIPT "M600" #endif </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 4217, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This sounds similar to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4158/prusa-i3-z-axis-only-goes-down-even-on-up-command\">Prusa i3 Z axis only goes down (even on up command)</a> and <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4090/my-prusa-i3s-z-axis-will-only-go-up\">My Prusa i3's z-axis will only go up</a>. Please check the answers to those questions.</p>\n\n<p>The usual cause of your problem is that you need to:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>install/configure the end stops, and;</li>\n<li>home the Z-axis.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>You say that you have already installed ad configured the end stops. Have you homed it yet, though?</p>\n\n<p>However, check your wiring first as it could just be a simple case of a loose or misplaced connection.</p>\n\n<p>Also, something else to consider, if your stepper is making a grunting noise, and trying to move but can not, then maybe your stepper driver is <em>not supplying enough current</em>, or maybe <em>too much</em>. See <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3134/extruder-stepper-motor-problem-what-can-be-wrong/3136#3136\">my answer</a> to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3134/extruder-stepper-motor-problem-what-can-be-wrong/\">Extruder stepper motor problem, what can be wrong?</a>. Yes, the answer is for an extruder, but all steppers drivers can suffer the same mis-configuration.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4219, "author": "Axel Johansson", "author_id": 7431, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7431", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the carriage is moving in one direction but not the other is seems like a stepper driver problem to me. Or possibly a electrical contact problem as the stepper drvers have one pin each (pin DIR) to control the direction of the stepper. </p>\n\n<p>Have you tried to change the drivers on your RAMPS 1.4? I suggest you temporarily change the stepper driver with an axis you know functions.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4238, "author": "Stefan", "author_id": 7436, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7436", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>UPDATE: Turns out to have been a faulty RAMPS. Replaced the card and made NO changes; z-axis is now behaving properly. Thank you all.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/12	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4216", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7436/" ]	I'm near the end of the build of a i3 MK2 clone and have run into a problem with the Z-axis motors. Specifically, the Z-axis will move down (and trigger the endstop) but it will only make a quick noise if I try to move it up. `M119` shows all endstops open. Min software stops are currently disabled, as I try to set the printer up. Using Marlin 1.1.3 with a RAMPS 1.4. Both motors turn and I've even uncoupled the entire X-axis carriage. Additional test: reversed the z-axis motor wires and they only go up. Inverted the motor direction in software and they also only go up. Any advice? I've definitely done a few searches but haven't solved the problem. `Config.h` is as follows (clipped due to posting restrictions): ``` //=========================================================================== //============================== Endstop Settings =========================== //=========================================================================== // @section homing // Specify here all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. // Almost all printers will be using one per axis. Probes will use one or more of the // extra connectors. Leave undefined any used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes. #define USE_XMIN_PLUG #define USE_YMIN_PLUG #define USE_ZMIN_PLUG //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG // coarse Endstop Settings //#define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to disable the endstop pullup resistors #if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS) // fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE #endif // Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup). #define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the probe. // Enable this feature if all enabled endstop pins are interrupt-capable. // This will remove the need to poll the interrupt pins, saving many CPU cycles. //#define ENDSTOP_INTERRUPTS_FEATURE //============================================================================= //============================== Movement Settings ============================ //============================================================================= // @section motion /** * Default Settings * * These settings can be reset by M502 * * Note that if EEPROM is enabled, saved values will override these. / /* * With this option each E stepper can have its own factors for the * following movement settings. If fewer factors are given than the * total number of extruders, the last value applies to the rest. / //#define DISTINCT_E_FACTORS /* * Default Axis Steps Per Unit (steps/mm) * Override with M92 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT { 100, 100, 4000, 120 } /* * Default Max Feed Rate (mm/s) * Override with M203 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 200, 200, 3, 25 } /* * Default Max Acceleration (change/s) change = mm/s * (Maximum start speed for accelerated moves) * Override with M201 * X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2[, E3[, E4]]]] / #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION { 3000, 3000, 100, 10000 } /* * Default Acceleration (change/s) change = mm/s * Override with M204 * * M204 P Acceleration * M204 R Retract Acceleration * M204 T Travel Acceleration / #define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z and E acceleration for printing moves #define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 3000 // E acceleration for retracts #define DEFAULT_TRAVEL_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z acceleration for travel (non printing) moves /* * Default Jerk (mm/s) * Override with M205 X Y Z E * * "Jerk" specifies the minimum speed change that requires acceleration. * When changing speed and direction, if the difference is less than the * value set here, it may happen instantaneously. / #define DEFAULT_XJERK 10.0 #define DEFAULT_YJERK 10.0 #define DEFAULT_ZJERK 0.4 #define DEFAULT_EJERK 2.0 //=========================================================================== //============================= Z Probe Options ============================= //=========================================================================== // @section probes // // See http://marlinfw.org/configuration/probes.html // /* * Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN * * Enable this option for a probe connected to the Z Min endstop pin. / #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN /* * Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP * * Enable this option for a probe connected to any pin except Z-Min. * (By default Marlin assumes the Z-Max endstop pin.) * To use a custom Z Probe pin, set Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN below. * * - The simplest option is to use a free endstop connector. * - Use 5V for powered (usually inductive) sensors. * * - RAMPS 1.3/1.4 boards may use the 5V, GND, and Aux4->D32 pin: * - For simple switches connect... * - normally-closed switches to GND and D32. * - normally-open switches to 5V and D32. * * WARNING: Setting the wrong pin may have unexpected and potentially * disastrous consequences. Use with caution and do your homework. * / //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN Z_MAX_PIN /* * Probe Type * * Allen Key Probes, Servo Probes, Z-Sled Probes, FIX_MOUNTED_PROBE, etc. * You must activate one of these to use Auto Bed Leveling below. / /* * The "Manual Probe" provides a means to do "Auto" Bed Leveling without a probe. * Use G29 repeatedly, adjusting the Z height at each point with movement commands * or (with LCD_BED_LEVELING) the LCD controller. / //#define PROBE_MANUALLY /* * A Fix-Mounted Probe either doesn't deploy or needs manual deployment. * (e.g., an inductive probe or a nozzle-based probe-switch.) / #define FIX_MOUNTED_PROBE /* * Z Servo Probe, such as an endstop switch on a rotating arm. / //#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0 // Defaults to SERVO 0 connector. //#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles /* * The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo. / //#define BLTOUCH #if ENABLED(BLTOUCH) //#define BLTOUCH_DELAY 375 // (ms) Enable and increase if needed #endif /* * Enable if probing seems unreliable. Heaters and/or fans - consistent with the * options selected below - will be disabled during probing so as to minimize * potential EM interference by quieting/silencing the source of the 'noise' (the change * in current flowing through the wires). This is likely most useful to users of the * BLTouch probe, but may also help those with inductive or other probe types. / //#define PROBING_HEATERS_OFF // Turn heaters off when probing //#define PROBING_FANS_OFF // Turn fans off when probing // A probe that is deployed and stowed with a solenoid pin (SOL1_PIN) //#define SOLENOID_PROBE // A sled-mounted probe like those designed by Charles Bell. //#define Z_PROBE_SLED //#define SLED_DOCKING_OFFSET 5 // The extra distance the X axis must travel to pickup the sled. 0 should be fine but you can push it further if you'd like. // // For Z_PROBE_ALLEN_KEY see the Delta example configurations. // /* * Z Probe to nozzle (X,Y) offset, relative to (0, 0). * X and Y offsets must be integers. * * In the following example the X and Y offsets are both positive: * #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * * +-- BACK ---+ * \| \| * L \| (+) P \| R <-- probe (20,20) * E \| \| I * F \| (-) N (+) \| G <-- nozzle (10,10) * T \| \| H * \| (-) \| T * \| \| * O-- FRONT --+ * (0,0) / #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 22 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 12 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] // X and Y axis travel speed (mm/m) between probes #define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000 // Speed for the first approach when double-probing (with PROBE_DOUBLE_TOUCH) #define Z_PROBE_SPEED_FAST HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z // Speed for the "accurate" probe of each point #define Z_PROBE_SPEED_SLOW (Z_PROBE_SPEED_FAST / 2) // Use double touch for probing //#define PROBE_DOUBLE_TOUCH /* * Z probes require clearance when deploying, stowing, and moving between * probe points to avoid hitting the bed and other hardware. * Servo-mounted probes require extra space for the arm to rotate. * Inductive probes need space to keep from triggering early. * * Use these settings to specify the distance (mm) to raise the probe (or * lower the bed). The values set here apply over and above any (negative) * probe Z Offset set with Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER, M851, or the LCD. * Only integer values >= 1 are valid here. * * Example: `M851 Z-5` with a CLEARANCE of 4 => 9mm from bed to nozzle. * But: `M851 Z+1` with a CLEARANCE of 2 => 2mm from bed to nozzle. / #define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow #define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5 // Z Clearance between probe points // For M851 give a range for adjusting the Z probe offset #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MIN -20 #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MAX 20 // Enable the M48 repeatability test to test probe accuracy //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_REPEATABILITY_TEST // For Inverting Stepper Enable Pins (Active Low) use 0, Non Inverting (Active High) use 1 // :{ 0:'Low', 1:'High' } #define X_ENABLE_ON 0 #define Y_ENABLE_ON 0 #define Z_ENABLE_ON 0 #define E_ENABLE_ON 0 // For all extruders // Disables axis stepper immediately when it's not being used. // WARNING: When motors turn off there is a chance of losing position accuracy! #define DISABLE_X false #define DISABLE_Y false #define DISABLE_Z false // Warn on display about possibly reduced accuracy //#define DISABLE_REDUCED_ACCURACY_WARNING // @section extruder #define DISABLE_E false // For all extruders #define DISABLE_INACTIVE_EXTRUDER true // Keep only the active extruder enabled. // @section machine // Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector) if an axis goes the wrong way. #define INVERT_X_DIR false #define INVERT_Y_DIR false #define INVERT_Z_DIR false // Enable this option for Toshiba stepper drivers //#define CONFIG_STEPPERS_TOSHIBA // @section extruder // For direct drive extruder v9 set to true, for geared extruder set to false. #define INVERT_E0_DIR false #define INVERT_E1_DIR false #define INVERT_E2_DIR false #define INVERT_E3_DIR false #define INVERT_E4_DIR false // @section homing //#define Z_HOMING_HEIGHT 4 // (in mm) Minimal z height before homing (G28) for Z clearance above the bed, clamps, ... // Be sure you have this distance over your Z_MAX_POS in case. // Direction of endstops when homing; 1=MAX, -1=MIN // :[-1,1] #define X_HOME_DIR -1 #define Y_HOME_DIR -1 #define Z_HOME_DIR -1 // @section machine // Travel limits after homing (units are in mm) #define X_MIN_POS 0 #define Y_MIN_POS 0 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS 230 #define Y_MAX_POS 200 #define Z_MAX_POS 200 // If enabled, axes won't move below MIN_POS in response to movement commands. //#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS // If enabled, axes won't move above MAX_POS in response to movement commands. //#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS /* * Filament Runout Sensor * A mechanical or opto endstop is used to check for the presence of filament. * * RAMPS-based boards use SERVO3_PIN. * For other boards you may need to define FIL_RUNOUT_PIN. * By default the firmware assumes HIGH = has filament, LOW = ran out */ //#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR #if ENABLED(FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR) #define FIL_RUNOUT_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the sensor. #define ENDSTOPPULLUP_FIL_RUNOUT // Uncomment to use internal pullup for filament runout pins if the sensor is defined. #define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SCRIPT "M600" #endif ```	UPDATE: Turns out to have been a faulty RAMPS. Replaced the card and made NO changes; z-axis is now behaving properly. Thank you all.
4,251	<p>I am using Marlin firmware with a RAMPS board on an Anet A8 printer. </p> <p>The bed size for the printer is 220 x 220 mm and that is stated in the <code>configuration.h</code> file. When using mesh bed leveling, the nozzle jumps to the first corner on the bed perfectly after setting the x-min to 5.0 but the next two points are off the end of the bed. Here are my settings: </p> <pre><code>// Travel limits after homing (units are in mm) #define X_MIN_POS 5.0 #define Y_MIN_POS 0.0 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS 220 #define Y_MAX_POS 220 #define Z_MAX_POS 240 </code></pre> <p>What could be my issue? </p>	[ { "answer_id": 5580, "author": "Kemal SENYILMAZ", "author_id": 10079, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10079", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The problem is in the code.\nPlease use these:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// The size of the print bed\n#define X_BED_SIZE 220\n#define Y_BED_SIZE 220\n\n// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS 5\n#define Y_MIN_POS 0\n#define Z_MIN_POS 0\n#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE\n#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE\n#define Z_MAX_POS 240\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Your problem will be ok.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6874, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<hr>\n\n<p><em>None of the answers address your question to solve it! The only sensible contribution comes from a comment of <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26/tom-van-der-zanden\">@TomvanderZanden</a>.</em></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>For the sensor to stay <em>within</em> the limits of the bed (considering the offset of the sensor and the size of the hotend carriage) you need to define where the sensor (plus carriage) may go to (to keep the sensor also on the bed, you also need to define the <a href=\"/q/8153/\">sensor limits</a>). The suggested constants are important in defining the size of the bed and the build volume, but changing them does in fact do not solve your problem. Your problem is that you need to address where the sensor may probe within that specified volume i.e. the sensor probing area.</p>\n\n<p>I use ABL (Auto Bel Leveling) on my Anet A8 using a left-front mounted sensor at position (<code>x = -26 mm</code>; <code>y = -40 mm</code> seen from the nozzle center). In order to have the sensor on the bed area without running into the limits of the carriage, you have to calculate (yourself!) what the dimension of the auto bed leveling area is. This is because the sensor is off set from the nozzle. If the sensor reaches for the whole bed, you need extra space on the axis. To explain this, if your <strong>sensor is at the left front</strong>, as in my case, the amount of extra space you have <strong>left on the right side</strong> of the X carriage will determine how far the carriage may go and thus limits the right probe position. If there is no extra space on the carriage (the safest assumption) you just need to add the sensor offset to the maximum bed size (what the nozzle can reach). E.g. my probe X offset is <code>-26 mm</code>. The maximum probe distance is therefore <code>-26 mm + 220 mm = 194 mm</code>.</p>\n\n<p>This means that you need to set the following constants (amongst the settings to enable ABL; the probe and the type of leveling...) in the configuration.h of your Marlin Firmware installation:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -26 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle]\n#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -40 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle]\n\n// Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach).\n#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (0 + 10) // 10\n#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (220 - 26 - 10) // 184\n#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION (220 - 40 - 10) // 170\n#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (0 + 10) // 10\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Furthermore the settings you do mention need to be:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// The size of the print bed\n#define X_BED_SIZE 220\n#define Y_BED_SIZE 220\n\n// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS -33 // Distance from end switch to X = 0 of origin\n#define Y_MIN_POS -10 // Distance from end switch to Y = 0 of origin\n#define Z_MIN_POS 0\n#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE\n#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE\n#define Z_MAX_POS 240\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The <code>-33</code> and the <code>-10</code> define how much the nozzle needs to travel from the endstop position to the print origin! This is not necessary to change when using ABL with a sensor (unless you are using a different print head carriage with a different center of the nozzle). Why these values are <code>-33</code> and <code>-10</code> (or values close to this; e.g. for my printer they are <code>-36</code> and <code>-8</code>) is explained in <a href=\"/a/6376/\">this answer</a>.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/18	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4251", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7485/" ]	I am using Marlin firmware with a RAMPS board on an Anet A8 printer. The bed size for the printer is 220 x 220 mm and that is stated in the `configuration.h` file. When using mesh bed leveling, the nozzle jumps to the first corner on the bed perfectly after setting the x-min to 5.0 but the next two points are off the end of the bed. Here are my settings: ``` // Travel limits after homing (units are in mm) #define X_MIN_POS 5.0 #define Y_MIN_POS 0.0 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS 220 #define Y_MAX_POS 220 #define Z_MAX_POS 240 ``` What could be my issue?	--- None of the answers address your question to solve it! The only sensible contribution comes from a comment of [@TomvanderZanden](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26/tom-van-der-zanden). --- For the sensor to stay within the limits of the bed (considering the offset of the sensor and the size of the hotend carriage) you need to define where the sensor (plus carriage) may go to (to keep the sensor also on the bed, you also need to define the [sensor limits](/q/8153/)). The suggested constants are important in defining the size of the bed and the build volume, but changing them does in fact do not solve your problem. Your problem is that you need to address where the sensor may probe within that specified volume i.e. the sensor probing area. I use ABL (Auto Bel Leveling) on my Anet A8 using a left-front mounted sensor at position (`x = -26 mm`; `y = -40 mm` seen from the nozzle center). In order to have the sensor on the bed area without running into the limits of the carriage, you have to calculate (yourself!) what the dimension of the auto bed leveling area is. This is because the sensor is off set from the nozzle. If the sensor reaches for the whole bed, you need extra space on the axis. To explain this, if your sensor is at the left front, as in my case, the amount of extra space you have left on the right side of the X carriage will determine how far the carriage may go and thus limits the right probe position. If there is no extra space on the carriage (the safest assumption) you just need to add the sensor offset to the maximum bed size (what the nozzle can reach). E.g. my probe X offset is `-26 mm`. The maximum probe distance is therefore `-26 mm + 220 mm = 194 mm`. This means that you need to set the following constants (amongst the settings to enable ABL; the probe and the type of leveling...) in the configuration.h of your Marlin Firmware installation: ``` #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -26 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -40 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (0 + 10) // 10 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (220 - 26 - 10) // 184 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION (220 - 40 - 10) // 170 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (0 + 10) // 10 ``` Furthermore the settings you do mention need to be: ``` // The size of the print bed #define X_BED_SIZE 220 #define Y_BED_SIZE 220 // Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions. #define X_MIN_POS -33 // Distance from end switch to X = 0 of origin #define Y_MIN_POS -10 // Distance from end switch to Y = 0 of origin #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE #define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE #define Z_MAX_POS 240 ``` The `-33` and the `-10` define how much the nozzle needs to travel from the endstop position to the print origin! This is not necessary to change when using ABL with a sensor (unless you are using a different print head carriage with a different center of the nozzle). Why these values are `-33` and `-10` (or values close to this; e.g. for my printer they are `-36` and `-8`) is explained in [this answer](/a/6376/).
4,256	<p>I want to add auto bed leveling before each print. When I enable auto bed level in <code>configuration.h</code>, it only shows <strong>auto bed</strong> in menu. I found this code in <code>cardreader.cpp</code></p> <pre><code>void CardReader::openAndPrintFile(const char name) { char cmd[4 + strlen(name) + 1]; // Room for "M23 ", filename, and null sprintf_P(cmd, PSTR("M23 %s"), name); for (char c = &cmd[4]; c; c++) c = tolower(c); enqueue_and_echo_command(cmd); enqueue_and_echo_commands_P(PSTR("M24")); } </code></pre> <p>and changed it to</p> <pre><code>void CardReader::openAndPrintFile(const char name) { char cmd[4 + strlen(name) + 1]; // Room for "M23 ", filename, and null sprintf_P(cmd, PSTR("M23 %s"), name); for (char c = &cmd[4]; c; c++) c = tolower(c); enqueue_and_echo_command("G28"); enqueue_and_echo_command("G29"); enqueue_and_echo_command(cmd); enqueue_and_echo_commands_P(PSTR("M24")); } </code></pre> <p>Now before each print, the printer does auto bedding <strong>two</strong> times but when print starts the auto bedding is ignored and printer acts like before doing auto bed.</p> <p>Please help me solve this.</p> <p>I'm using Marlin Firmware 1.1.0.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4738, "author": "TextGeek", "author_id": 40, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/40", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not that fluent in G-code, but at <a href=\"https://www.mmsonline.com/columns/understanding-g27-g28-g29-and-g30\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Modern Machine Shop: Understanding G27, G28, G29 and G30</a> I found these descriptions of the <code>G28</code> and <code>G29</code> codes you added:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><code>G28</code>: For any axis letter addresses included in the G28 command, the machine first will move (at rapid) to an intermediate position in those axes. Then, it will rapid to the zero return position in the commanded axes.</p></li>\n<li><p><code>G29</code>: G29 is also a two-step command. First, it causes the machine to move (in the axes commanded) to the intermediate position used in the most recent <code>G28</code> command. Second, it causes the machine to move to the position included in the <code>G29</code> command.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So it sounds to me like you only need one of those two commands. It seems that the code you modified runs separately on startup, rather than for each separate print. I would first try your modification with each G command separately, so you can see exactly what the difference is on your hardware.</p>\n\n<p>I don't know my way around the code involved, but it looks like you'd need to make the modification in another place, such as just before whatever loop sends successive commands to the printer.</p>\n\n<p>Hope that's helpful despite my limited fluency...</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6738, "author": "Nikkoura", "author_id": 12752, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12752", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Rather than modifying the firmware to handle this, have you considered a pre-processing script on your computer, greping for a <code>G29</code> in the G-code, then adding a <code>G28</code>/<code>G29</code> pair at the start of the file if no <code>G29</code> is found?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6740, "author": "Nikkoura", "author_id": 12752, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12752", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>With Marlin 1.1.0, you can automatically run a G-Code file when powering on the printer with a SD card already present.</p>\n\n<p>Add a file named <code>auto0.g</code> at the root of your card, containing the following G-Code:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G28 ;Auto-homing\nG29 ;Bed leveling\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Normally the bed leveling map should be reused for all subsequent prints, until the printer is turned off.</p>\n\n<p>It is possible to provide up to 10 files, from <code>auto0.g</code> to <code>auto9.g</code>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6743, "author": "Trish", "author_id": 8884, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Rather than placing the <code>G28</code> (Home) and <code>G29</code> (bed level) in the configuration, I would place it in the G-code generating slicer as pre-print code. This will automatically add this to the start of any G-code sliced, enforcing the homing and leveling whenever the G-code is run.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6777, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another answer that does exactly what you want involves the use of a print server. A print server is an application that runs the instructions to the printer over a USB connection from another device, this can be your computer/laptop, or a dedicated <a href=\"https://www.raspberrypi.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Raspberry Pi</a> (a small and affordable computer). One such application described here further is <a href=\"https://octoprint.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">OctoPrint</a> (this may very well be done with other applications, but this needs to be checked first!), this print server application allows integration of many third party plug-ins next to the extensive feature set it already has out-of-the-box. One such feature is <code>GCODE scripts</code> (intently spelled this way to match the option in the Octoprint settings menu); this screenshot shows some details:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZIeq.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZIeq.png\" alt=\"GCODE scripts menu options item\"></a></p>\n\n<p>As can be seen from the image, there are specific \"events\" available to process G-code commands at specific event occurences like e.g. just before the print starts. You could use that envent to insert your leveling commands.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Please note that in the image you will find strange G-code commands like <code>OCTO100</code> and <code>OCTO110</code> which is a feature of the plugin called \"GCODE System Commands\" which allows running shell scripts to schedule the fan. I just kill the power to the fan when the printer is idle to get rid of the noise when the printer is just idling, the fan is only needed when the hotend is at elevated temperature.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/18	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4256", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7505/" ]	I want to add auto bed leveling before each print. When I enable auto bed level in `configuration.h`, it only shows auto bed in menu. I found this code in `cardreader.cpp` ``` void CardReader::openAndPrintFile(const char name) { char cmd[4 + strlen(name) + 1]; // Room for "M23 ", filename, and null sprintf_P(cmd, PSTR("M23 %s"), name); for (char c = &cmd[4]; c; c++) c = tolower(c); enqueue_and_echo_command(cmd); enqueue_and_echo_commands_P(PSTR("M24")); } ``` and changed it to ``` void CardReader::openAndPrintFile(const char name) { char cmd[4 + strlen(name) + 1]; // Room for "M23 ", filename, and null sprintf_P(cmd, PSTR("M23 %s"), name); for (char c = &cmd[4]; c; c++) c = tolower(c); enqueue_and_echo_command("G28"); enqueue_and_echo_command("G29"); enqueue_and_echo_command(cmd); enqueue_and_echo_commands_P(PSTR("M24")); } ``` Now before each print, the printer does auto bedding two times but when print starts the auto bedding is ignored and printer acts like before doing auto bed. Please help me solve this. I'm using Marlin Firmware 1.1.0.	Rather than modifying the firmware to handle this, have you considered a pre-processing script on your computer, greping for a `G29` in the G-code, then adding a `G28`/`G29` pair at the start of the file if no `G29` is found?
4,263	<p>I configured Marlin 1.1.3 for auto-leveling with a fix mounted sensor connected to the Z end-stop pin.</p> <p>I have the following settings in my config:</p> <pre><code>#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 25 #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 20 #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] #define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow #define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5 // Z Clearance between probe points #define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 7 #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y GRID_MAX_POINTS_X // The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters). #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 25 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 150 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 30 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 180 </code></pre> <p>I enter <code>M111 S38</code> to enable LEVELING+INFO+ERROR debugging. Then I enter <code>G28</code> to home all axes and then enter <code>G29</code> to start auto-leveling.</p> <p>The auto-leveling starts successfully and after finishing I see the scan grid in console:</p> <pre><code>12:41:35.983 : Bilinear Leveling Grid: 12:41:35.983 : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 12:41:35.983 : 0 -3.127 -3.405 -3.405 -3.292 -3.595 -3.487 -3.537 12:41:35.983 : 1 -3.110 -3.367 -3.337 -3.220 -3.470 -3.350 -3.365 12:41:35.983 : 2 -3.138 -3.367 -3.330 -3.215 -3.442 -3.345 -3.385 12:41:35.984 : 3 -3.013 -3.225 -3.182 -3.047 -3.225 -3.132 -3.150 12:41:35.984 : 4 -2.970 -3.165 -3.097 -2.972 -3.160 -3.045 -3.065 12:41:35.984 : 5 -2.875 -3.075 -3.005 -2.847 -2.990 -2.872 -2.875 12:41:35.984 : 6 -2.680 -2.845 -2.755 -2.615 -2.753 -2.617 -2.622 12:41:35.985 : G29 uncorrected Z:10.00 12:41:35.985 : corrected Z:12.85 12:41:35.985 : <<< gcode_G29 12:41:35.985 : X:120.00 Y:160.00 Z:12.85 E:0.00 Count X:9600 Y:12800 Z:4000 12:41:35.985 : current_position=(120.00, 160.00, 12.85) : sync_plan_position </code></pre> <p>So the auto-leveling scanning seems to be successful.</p> <p>Here is a visual of the leveling grid (but upside down to make it easier to view):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Inverted visual of the leveling grid"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg" alt="Inverted visual of the leveling grid" title="Inverted visual of the leveling grid"></a></p> <p>Naturally I <strong>DO NOT</strong> enter <code>G28</code> after the scanning. </p> <p>I enter <code>G0 Z1</code> to down nozzle almost to table. But when I enter for example <code>G0 X25 Y30</code> and look at level and then I enter <code>G0 X150 Y150</code> I see the big difference between nozzle levels relatively to table. So it seems that height compensation does not work. I expect that Z axis would lift up or down depending on auto-leveling results but Z motor do not work when I move X/Y. </p> <p>By the way I tried 3 point autoleveling. It was pretty rough but Z axis corrected it's level when I moved axes using <code>G0</code> commands. And to avoid questions "why my table is inclined so much?" I deliberately inclined the table to be sure that auto leveling works. By the way, I tried different <code>Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER</code> so the current 0 setting is not actual but situation is the same with any value of this option.</p> <p>What I am doing wrong?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4260, "author": "ON5MF Jurgen", "author_id": 6812, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6812", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One of the applications of 3d printing with wax is when making jewellery using the lost-wax casting process.\nI don't know if there are 'cheap' 3d printers for wax. One brand of 3d printers for wax is Solid-Scape.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4261, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, with the proper equipment.</p>\n\n<p>Printing wax filament (at 51 seconds): <a href=\"https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s</a></p>\n\n<p>There are also options for melting wax, filling a heated reservoir head, and printing with that. I recommend doing this with a cold ambient temperature, so that the wax solidifies quickly. There's no point in just printing a puddle. :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4268, "author": "morevitamins", "author_id": 7420, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7420", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Should be easy to do it in low temperatures, also check for moldlay filament.</p>\n\n<p>Wax is indeed useful for lost-wax casting method.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4269, "author": "iFreilicht", "author_id": 7540, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7540", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, you can. But no, you don't need to make your own filament for it, there is one called <a href=\"http://www.machinablewax.com/product.php?product=52\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Print2Cast</a> that you can buy for about 50$/kg.</p>\n\n<p>This filament has the following recommended slicing settings:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Extrusion temperature:</strong> 140°C-150°C</li>\n<li><strong>Bed temperature:</strong> 80°-90°C</li>\n<li><strong>Shells:</strong> 2-3 (for most models)</li>\n<li><strong>Print speed:</strong> 20 to 70mm/s</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>There are, however, a few more things to look out for when printing with wax, as it is very soft.</p>\n\n<p>The most important issue is the grip of the extruder wheel. See if other people have used your printer/extruder with flexible filaments. If they were successful in doing that, there's a high chance a wax print will succeed as well.</p>\n\n<p>Bed adhesion might also be an issue. <a href=\"http://www.machinablewax.com/product.php?product=52\" rel=\"noreferrer\">MachinableWax.com</a> recommend 6 coats of hair spray on a glass bed, letting each of them dry before adding the next.</p>\n\n<p>Cooling is also important, as with many filaments. You'll probably have to experiment with that a little as either too much or too little can ruin your print.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 8262, "author": "Todd heinz", "author_id": 14522, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/14522", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just make a silicone mold of any of your prints and pour you wax in the silicone,you silicone putty is pretty cheap so is wax ,no need to break the bank as printers have become less expensive and can do a pretty good job </p>\n" } ]	2017/06/19	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4263", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7425/" ]	I configured Marlin 1.1.3 for auto-leveling with a fix mounted sensor connected to the Z end-stop pin. I have the following settings in my config: ``` #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 25 #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 20 #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] #define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow #define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5 // Z Clearance between probe points #define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 7 #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y GRID_MAX_POINTS_X // The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters). #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 25 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 150 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 30 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 180 ``` I enter `M111 S38` to enable LEVELING+INFO+ERROR debugging. Then I enter `G28` to home all axes and then enter `G29` to start auto-leveling. The auto-leveling starts successfully and after finishing I see the scan grid in console: ``` 12:41:35.983 : Bilinear Leveling Grid: 12:41:35.983 : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 12:41:35.983 : 0 -3.127 -3.405 -3.405 -3.292 -3.595 -3.487 -3.537 12:41:35.983 : 1 -3.110 -3.367 -3.337 -3.220 -3.470 -3.350 -3.365 12:41:35.983 : 2 -3.138 -3.367 -3.330 -3.215 -3.442 -3.345 -3.385 12:41:35.984 : 3 -3.013 -3.225 -3.182 -3.047 -3.225 -3.132 -3.150 12:41:35.984 : 4 -2.970 -3.165 -3.097 -2.972 -3.160 -3.045 -3.065 12:41:35.984 : 5 -2.875 -3.075 -3.005 -2.847 -2.990 -2.872 -2.875 12:41:35.984 : 6 -2.680 -2.845 -2.755 -2.615 -2.753 -2.617 -2.622 12:41:35.985 : G29 uncorrected Z:10.00 12:41:35.985 : corrected Z:12.85 12:41:35.985 : <<< gcode_G29 12:41:35.985 : X:120.00 Y:160.00 Z:12.85 E:0.00 Count X:9600 Y:12800 Z:4000 12:41:35.985 : current_position=(120.00, 160.00, 12.85) : sync_plan_position ``` So the auto-leveling scanning seems to be successful. Here is a visual of the leveling grid (but upside down to make it easier to view): [![Inverted visual of the leveling grid](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg "Inverted visual of the leveling grid")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg "Inverted visual of the leveling grid") Naturally I DO NOT enter `G28` after the scanning. I enter `G0 Z1` to down nozzle almost to table. But when I enter for example `G0 X25 Y30` and look at level and then I enter `G0 X150 Y150` I see the big difference between nozzle levels relatively to table. So it seems that height compensation does not work. I expect that Z axis would lift up or down depending on auto-leveling results but Z motor do not work when I move X/Y. By the way I tried 3 point autoleveling. It was pretty rough but Z axis corrected it's level when I moved axes using `G0` commands. And to avoid questions "why my table is inclined so much?" I deliberately inclined the table to be sure that auto leveling works. By the way, I tried different `Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER` so the current 0 setting is not actual but situation is the same with any value of this option. What I am doing wrong?	Yes, with the proper equipment. Printing wax filament (at 51 seconds): <https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s> There are also options for melting wax, filling a heated reservoir head, and printing with that. I recommend doing this with a cold ambient temperature, so that the wax solidifies quickly. There's no point in just printing a puddle. :)
4,267	<p>I have a Monoprice architect which is a barebones clone of the FlashForge Creator Pro, or Replicator 1 Dual. I have upgraded the power supply and added a heated bed and, after getting fed up with MakerBot software, I've started using Cura to slice then post process with GPX.</p> <p>I did a lot of searching and finally found someone who posted their start and end G-code for this particular printer. The only catch is that his code only works on version 15.04.</p> <p>Don't get me wrong, 15.04 is a huge upgrade compared to MakerWare. But, I would really like to start using a newer version like 2.5 or anything relatively new.</p> <p>Here is the start code I found. I have tried it in 2.5 with error in post processing. Any help is appreciated!!</p> <pre><code>; -- START GCODE -- M136 ; start build M73 P0 G90 ; absolute coordinates ; ; set temperatures and assert Vref M140 S{print_bed_temperature} M104 S{print_temperature} T0 G130 X118 Y118 A118 B118 ; set stepper motor Vref to defaults ; let the Z stepper vref stay at eeprom level (probably 40) ; ; home and recall eeprom home position T0 ; home on the right nozzle G28 X Y Z ; home all axes at homing speed G92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 ; set all coords to 0 for now G1 Z5 F500 ; move Z 5mm away so we can carefully hit the limit switch G161 Z F100 ; home Z slowly M132 X Y Z ; recall stored home offsets for XYZ axes ; ; wait for heat up G1 X110 Y-72 Z30 F3300 ; move to waiting position M116 ; wait for temps ; ; purge and wipe G92 E0 ; set current extruder position as 0 so that E15 below makes sense G1 X110 Y-70 Z0.2 F2400.0 ; move to just on the bed G1 X110 Y70 E15 F1200.000 ; extrude a line of filament along the right edge of the bed G92 E0 ; set E to 0 again because the slicer's next extrusion is relative to this 0 ; ; Sliced at: {day} {date} {time} ; Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density} ; Print time: {print_time} ; Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g ; Filament cost: {filament_cost} ; -- end of START GCODE -- </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 4260, "author": "ON5MF Jurgen", "author_id": 6812, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6812", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One of the applications of 3d printing with wax is when making jewellery using the lost-wax casting process.\nI don't know if there are 'cheap' 3d printers for wax. One brand of 3d printers for wax is Solid-Scape.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4261, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, with the proper equipment.</p>\n\n<p>Printing wax filament (at 51 seconds): <a href=\"https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s</a></p>\n\n<p>There are also options for melting wax, filling a heated reservoir head, and printing with that. I recommend doing this with a cold ambient temperature, so that the wax solidifies quickly. There's no point in just printing a puddle. :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4268, "author": "morevitamins", "author_id": 7420, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7420", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Should be easy to do it in low temperatures, also check for moldlay filament.</p>\n\n<p>Wax is indeed useful for lost-wax casting method.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4269, "author": "iFreilicht", "author_id": 7540, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7540", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, you can. But no, you don't need to make your own filament for it, there is one called <a href=\"http://www.machinablewax.com/product.php?product=52\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Print2Cast</a> that you can buy for about 50$/kg.</p>\n\n<p>This filament has the following recommended slicing settings:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Extrusion temperature:</strong> 140°C-150°C</li>\n<li><strong>Bed temperature:</strong> 80°-90°C</li>\n<li><strong>Shells:</strong> 2-3 (for most models)</li>\n<li><strong>Print speed:</strong> 20 to 70mm/s</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>There are, however, a few more things to look out for when printing with wax, as it is very soft.</p>\n\n<p>The most important issue is the grip of the extruder wheel. See if other people have used your printer/extruder with flexible filaments. If they were successful in doing that, there's a high chance a wax print will succeed as well.</p>\n\n<p>Bed adhesion might also be an issue. <a href=\"http://www.machinablewax.com/product.php?product=52\" rel=\"noreferrer\">MachinableWax.com</a> recommend 6 coats of hair spray on a glass bed, letting each of them dry before adding the next.</p>\n\n<p>Cooling is also important, as with many filaments. You'll probably have to experiment with that a little as either too much or too little can ruin your print.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 8262, "author": "Todd heinz", "author_id": 14522, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/14522", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just make a silicone mold of any of your prints and pour you wax in the silicone,you silicone putty is pretty cheap so is wax ,no need to break the bank as printers have become less expensive and can do a pretty good job </p>\n" } ]	2017/06/21	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4267", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7536/" ]	I have a Monoprice architect which is a barebones clone of the FlashForge Creator Pro, or Replicator 1 Dual. I have upgraded the power supply and added a heated bed and, after getting fed up with MakerBot software, I've started using Cura to slice then post process with GPX. I did a lot of searching and finally found someone who posted their start and end G-code for this particular printer. The only catch is that his code only works on version 15.04. Don't get me wrong, 15.04 is a huge upgrade compared to MakerWare. But, I would really like to start using a newer version like 2.5 or anything relatively new. Here is the start code I found. I have tried it in 2.5 with error in post processing. Any help is appreciated!! ``` ; -- START GCODE -- M136 ; start build M73 P0 G90 ; absolute coordinates ; ; set temperatures and assert Vref M140 S{print_bed_temperature} M104 S{print_temperature} T0 G130 X118 Y118 A118 B118 ; set stepper motor Vref to defaults ; let the Z stepper vref stay at eeprom level (probably 40) ; ; home and recall eeprom home position T0 ; home on the right nozzle G28 X Y Z ; home all axes at homing speed G92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 ; set all coords to 0 for now G1 Z5 F500 ; move Z 5mm away so we can carefully hit the limit switch G161 Z F100 ; home Z slowly M132 X Y Z ; recall stored home offsets for XYZ axes ; ; wait for heat up G1 X110 Y-72 Z30 F3300 ; move to waiting position M116 ; wait for temps ; ; purge and wipe G92 E0 ; set current extruder position as 0 so that E15 below makes sense G1 X110 Y-70 Z0.2 F2400.0 ; move to just on the bed G1 X110 Y70 E15 F1200.000 ; extrude a line of filament along the right edge of the bed G92 E0 ; set E to 0 again because the slicer's next extrusion is relative to this 0 ; ; Sliced at: {day} {date} {time} ; Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density} ; Print time: {print_time} ; Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g ; Filament cost: {filament_cost} ; -- end of START GCODE -- ```	Yes, with the proper equipment. Printing wax filament (at 51 seconds): <https://youtu.be/tibkVZB_n9c?t=51s> There are also options for melting wax, filling a heated reservoir head, and printing with that. I recommend doing this with a cold ambient temperature, so that the wax solidifies quickly. There's no point in just printing a puddle. :)
4,304	<p>I have spent ages debugging this problem but I can't figure out what I am doing wrong.</p> <p>I have a Wanhao duplicator i3 (Prusa i3 clone) and until recently I used Wanhao's adapted version of the Cura slicer. But it's quite an old Cura version and I wanted to make use of the improved supports in the new Cura.</p> <p>Unfortunately it seems like I just can't get the infill in the newest Cura to work. I copied all the settings from my Wanhao branded Cura version and printed the same file.</p> <p><strong>This is the result:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJPkN.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJPkN.jpg" alt="Infill of tiny pillars"></a></p> <p>The infill is shaped like many tiny pillars. They are super fragile and while they do support material to be printed on top, they hardly withstand any pressure.</p> <p>I have gone through quite a few testing cubes each with some setting altered, but nothing seemed to help.</p> <p>It can't be the printers fault as I have successfully printed test cubes sliced with the old Cura in between (and not only once). Increasing temperature or slowing down the infill didn't help either. Neither did increasing flow rate or switching to triangular infill pattern. Also I have tried printing with all speeds set to 50mm/s and it still failed.</p> <p><strong>My standard settings</strong> <em>(from which I have created many test cubes with each cube having some settings tweaked)<strong></em>:</strong></p> <pre><code>Layer Height: 0.12 mm Init. Layer Height: 0.10 mm Wall Line Count: 2 Top Layers: 6 Bottom Layers: 4 Infill Line distance: 5 mm (used to be 20 % in old Cura, but this is very dense in the new Cura) Infill Pattern: Lines Infill Overlap Percentage: 20 % Printing Temperature: 200 °C Build Plate Temperature: 60 °C Retraction: Enabled, Distance: 2 mm, Speed: 60 mm/s Speeds: Print:60 mm/s, Infill: 60 mm/s, Outer Wall: 30 mm/s, Inner Wall: 60 mm/s, Top/Bottom: 40 mm/s, Travel: 100 mm/s, Initial Layer: 20 mm/s Combing Mode: All </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 4439, "author": "Tim Kuipers", "author_id": 7956, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7956", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This problem is most commonly caused by infill speeds which are too high.</p>\n\n<p>Instead of printing lines, the filament is caught on one of the lines of the previous layer, leaves a blob there and only restarts extrusion when it hits the next line. Instead of extruding continuously the filament comes out in blobs at the locations where there's filament on the previous layer.</p>\n\n<p>You can have good infill up to some layer and suddenly start getting this problem as of some layer. When the problem occurs the next layer is more likely to show the problem. It's snowballing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4522, "author": "Alex", "author_id": 8177, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8177", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am using the same printer and stopped trying to upgrade to higher CURA. </p>\n\n<p>To my knowledge the branding of the Wanhao Cura Edition is that this Cura knows the specific firmware of your printer and thus is able to do printer specific tasks like calculating printing times etc.</p>\n\n<p>I assume that copying the settings does only copy the settings and not the firmware info of your printer. If these settings however build on firmware info in the Cura wanhao edition, things could get messed up.</p>\n\n<p>I would try uninstalling Cura, make sure the folder with the settings is deleted, reinstall and set it up from scratch.</p>\n\n<p>If your motivation for the upgrade is feature-richness, you could also take a look at <a href=\"http://slic3r.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">slic3r</a> instead.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10239, "author": "edosoft", "author_id": 1882, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1882", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am using the same printer (v1.2) with some upgrades and have been using the latest Ultimaker Cura (4.1) ever since they came out. For the first few prints I used an imported Ultimaker Cura profile, but after 3-4 bad prints I created a new profile from scratch, using a percentage for infill, with no problems at all.</p>\n" } ]	2017/06/28	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4304", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6948/" ]	I have spent ages debugging this problem but I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I have a Wanhao duplicator i3 (Prusa i3 clone) and until recently I used Wanhao's adapted version of the Cura slicer. But it's quite an old Cura version and I wanted to make use of the improved supports in the new Cura. Unfortunately it seems like I just can't get the infill in the newest Cura to work. I copied all the settings from my Wanhao branded Cura version and printed the same file. This is the result: [![Infill of tiny pillars](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJPkN.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJPkN.jpg) The infill is shaped like many tiny pillars. They are super fragile and while they do support material to be printed on top, they hardly withstand any pressure. I have gone through quite a few testing cubes each with some setting altered, but nothing seemed to help. It can't be the printers fault as I have successfully printed test cubes sliced with the old Cura in between (and not only once). Increasing temperature or slowing down the infill didn't help either. Neither did increasing flow rate or switching to triangular infill pattern. Also I have tried printing with all speeds set to 50mm/s and it still failed. My standard settings (from which I have created many test cubes with each cube having some settings tweaked): ``` Layer Height: 0.12 mm Init. Layer Height: 0.10 mm Wall Line Count: 2 Top Layers: 6 Bottom Layers: 4 Infill Line distance: 5 mm (used to be 20 % in old Cura, but this is very dense in the new Cura) Infill Pattern: Lines Infill Overlap Percentage: 20 % Printing Temperature: 200 °C Build Plate Temperature: 60 °C Retraction: Enabled, Distance: 2 mm, Speed: 60 mm/s Speeds: Print:60 mm/s, Infill: 60 mm/s, Outer Wall: 30 mm/s, Inner Wall: 60 mm/s, Top/Bottom: 40 mm/s, Travel: 100 mm/s, Initial Layer: 20 mm/s Combing Mode: All ```	This problem is most commonly caused by infill speeds which are too high. Instead of printing lines, the filament is caught on one of the lines of the previous layer, leaves a blob there and only restarts extrusion when it hits the next line. Instead of extruding continuously the filament comes out in blobs at the locations where there's filament on the previous layer. You can have good infill up to some layer and suddenly start getting this problem as of some layer. When the problem occurs the next layer is more likely to show the problem. It's snowballing.
4,421	<p>I have Ramps 1.4 and would like to get answer on extrusion in Marlin firmware. I have NEMA 17 stepper motor 1.8 deg, set to 1/16 step. Mk7 direct drive. 38 teeth in extruder drive gear. I bought it from <a href="https://www.robotics.org.za/RDKIT-00?search=extru" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this website</a>.</p> <p>Here are my current settings:</p> <pre><code>#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT { 80,80, 4000, 180 } #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 500, 500, 3, 45 } #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION { 9000, 9000, 100, 300 } </code></pre> <p>I am using ABS 1.75 filament and a 0.4 nozzle.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4422, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to the description, the drive gear you have has a <code>10.8mm</code> diameter. This means that (in the ideal case) one full rotation of the drive gear will advance a length of filament equal to its circumference, which is <code>pi x 10.8mm</code> or approximately <code>33.93mm</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Your motor rotates <code>1.8</code> degrees per step, so it takes <code>360 / 1.8 = 200 steps</code> for a full rotation. Since you are using 16x microstepping, this is multiplied to <code>200 x 16 = 3200 steps</code>.</p>\n\n<p>You thus end up with a steps per mm value of <code>3200 / 33.93 = 94.31 steps/mm</code>.</p>\n\n<p>You might need to calibrate this further, for instance by extruding a set length of filament (e.g. 100mm) and measuring how much is actually extruded, and then compensating the steps/mm value to get you closer to the desired 100mm. A simple way to measure this is to put a mark on your filament at 150mm from the extruder, and then (after extruding 100mm) measure how close the mark is to the extruder (which should be 50mm) However, this theoretically computed value should be a good starting point. Note that the speed you do this test at should be close to your normal printing speed, since extruding at a much higher (resp. lower) speed will falsely lead you to believe you are underextruding (resp. overextruding).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4433, "author": "onurozturk", "author_id": 7948, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7948", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Simplest way to calculate your extrusion is:</p>\n\n<p>Set your number of perimeters walls 1\ntop and bottom layer 0\ninfill 0%\nand print simple 20x20x20 cube \nlook at the wall thickness with caliper and compare your extrusion width value on your slicer software</p>\n" } ]	2017/07/25	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4421", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7901/" ]	I have Ramps 1.4 and would like to get answer on extrusion in Marlin firmware. I have NEMA 17 stepper motor 1.8 deg, set to 1/16 step. Mk7 direct drive. 38 teeth in extruder drive gear. I bought it from [this website](https://www.robotics.org.za/RDKIT-00?search=extru). Here are my current settings: ``` #define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT { 80,80, 4000, 180 } #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 500, 500, 3, 45 } #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION { 9000, 9000, 100, 300 } ``` I am using ABS 1.75 filament and a 0.4 nozzle.	According to the description, the drive gear you have has a `10.8mm` diameter. This means that (in the ideal case) one full rotation of the drive gear will advance a length of filament equal to its circumference, which is `pi x 10.8mm` or approximately `33.93mm`. Your motor rotates `1.8` degrees per step, so it takes `360 / 1.8 = 200 steps` for a full rotation. Since you are using 16x microstepping, this is multiplied to `200 x 16 = 3200 steps`. You thus end up with a steps per mm value of `3200 / 33.93 = 94.31 steps/mm`. You might need to calibrate this further, for instance by extruding a set length of filament (e.g. 100mm) and measuring how much is actually extruded, and then compensating the steps/mm value to get you closer to the desired 100mm. A simple way to measure this is to put a mark on your filament at 150mm from the extruder, and then (after extruding 100mm) measure how close the mark is to the extruder (which should be 50mm) However, this theoretically computed value should be a good starting point. Note that the speed you do this test at should be close to your normal printing speed, since extruding at a much higher (resp. lower) speed will falsely lead you to believe you are underextruding (resp. overextruding).
4,637	<p>I have make a little test with 4 dots aligned with A tower, B and C tower. Distance W and S are the same in the stl but not in the print. I have tried diferent values of diagonal root but S always is smaller than W, and all S are equal (more or less 38.20mm) and all W are equal (more or less 40.80). I expect that W and S will be 40mm. How can fix this problem?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkUAj.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkUAj.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><strong>Update:</strong></p> <p>Here is the stl I use: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vwjbo387cmk5qa/DeltaCalibration%20v15.stl?dl=0" rel="noreferrer">https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vwjbo387cmk5qa/DeltaCalibration%20v15.stl?dl=0</a></p> <p><strong>Update:</strong> I have replaced the steper motor in tower B but same result.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4638, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, you have two main issues:</p>\n\n<p><strong>1.-</strong> Your calculation for stepping is a little wrong, for example your firmware indicates 2315.84 when you need 2321.70 (REMEMBER this is an example and is not accurate), So you will see a diference about 2.0mm along your printing. If your printing is bigger more diference you will get.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2.-</strong> Misalignment, your printer is not angled correctly to 90° and also Z axe if has the same condition. with this uncalibrated parameter are you going to have pisa towers on every tall part. \nFor delta Printers this not apply</p>\n\n<p><strong>3.-</strong> Tension. Your belts are a little weak; avoid weak tension band to eliminate something called backslash, of course this is for screw parts but is the same efect and even bigger. Also you will get an accurate dimension of the parts.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4659, "author": "darth pixel", "author_id": 1211, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1211", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I bet your towers are not standing straight (vertical) or\nyour bed is not clearly horizontal</p>\n<p>I've recreated your picture with some assumptions (for example that your SW calculates properly and your steppers and motors act well).</p>\n<p>Take a look here:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4lKx.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4lKx.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>If you deliver your printer dimensions</p>\n<ul>\n<li>tower height (from the base)</li>\n<li>tower distance from the center</li>\n<li>bed distance (height) from the base</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I can calculate what the inclination angle on all towers is, but, I suppose it's not really important.</p>\n<p>The important thing is to set them straight/vertical (perpendicular to the bed).</p>\n<p>We can see from the picture that tower A is the most inclined to the center or\nthe bed highest point is next to tower A (and I bet one of those or both cause the issue).</p>\n<p>As an example, I've made some calculations based on imagined assuptions of the tower height\nhere are details:</p>\n<pre><code> towerH \| inclination\n-----------+----------------\n 300 mm \| 0.11°\n 400 mm \| 0.08°\n 500 mm \| 0.06°\n</code></pre>\n<p>It seems to be quite small but in fact your differences in dimensions are also small!</p>\n<p>The inclination of tower B is bigger as there is bigger difference in dimensions, so maybe the issue is more in bed "horizontality".</p>\n<p>It would be good if you would check and measure these parameters.</p>\n<p>As for the explanation why bed the inclination causes dimension distortion:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jfG1.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jfG1.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>This is exaggerated but it's just to show the issue.</p>\n" } ]	2017/09/18	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4637", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8443/" ]	I have make a little test with 4 dots aligned with A tower, B and C tower. Distance W and S are the same in the stl but not in the print. I have tried diferent values of diagonal root but S always is smaller than W, and all S are equal (more or less 38.20mm) and all W are equal (more or less 40.80). I expect that W and S will be 40mm. How can fix this problem? [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkUAj.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkUAj.png) Update: Here is the stl I use: <https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vwjbo387cmk5qa/DeltaCalibration%20v15.stl?dl=0> Update: I have replaced the steper motor in tower B but same result.	I bet your towers are not standing straight (vertical) or your bed is not clearly horizontal I've recreated your picture with some assumptions (for example that your SW calculates properly and your steppers and motors act well). Take a look here: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4lKx.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4lKx.png) If you deliver your printer dimensions * tower height (from the base) * tower distance from the center * bed distance (height) from the base I can calculate what the inclination angle on all towers is, but, I suppose it's not really important. The important thing is to set them straight/vertical (perpendicular to the bed). We can see from the picture that tower A is the most inclined to the center or the bed highest point is next to tower A (and I bet one of those or both cause the issue). As an example, I've made some calculations based on imagined assuptions of the tower height here are details: ``` towerH \| inclination -----------+---------------- 300 mm \| 0.11° 400 mm \| 0.08° 500 mm \| 0.06° ``` It seems to be quite small but in fact your differences in dimensions are also small! The inclination of tower B is bigger as there is bigger difference in dimensions, so maybe the issue is more in bed "horizontality". It would be good if you would check and measure these parameters. As for the explanation why bed the inclination causes dimension distortion: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jfG1.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jfG1.png) This is exaggerated but it's just to show the issue.
4,646	<p>I'm building my own DLP printer with UV LEDs. I use a 20A relay to power them on, since they require high power and can't be directly driven by arduino or Raspberry.</p> <p>I'm planning to use them with NanoDLP on Raspberry + GRBL on Arduino.</p> <p>Is it possible to make NanoDLP tell GRBL to power on (send digital 1/+5V) the relay when the print starts and power it off (send digital 0/GND) when the print ends?</p> <p>The other way would be to just install an on/off switch and do it manually, but I feel this step should be automated somehow.</p> <p>Is there a way to do it?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4997, "author": "Franco Cicero", "author_id": 9082, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9082", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you don't have to use the Arduino. There´s an option in NanoDLP to control the z-axis through the Raspberry GPIO.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5021, "author": "Seen Green", "author_id": 9115, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9115", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Franco Cicero is completely correct there is an option to control your printer by using the GPIO of the Raspi. To do this you still need a stepper driver motor or some interface between the GPIO and the steppers/LED/etc.</p>\n\n<p>More info here: <a href=\"http://www.buildyourownsla.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3772\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.buildyourownsla.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3772</a></p>\n\n<p>You should really control the LEDs using a mosfet, or even a solid state relay and not just keep them on all the time. The lights should ideally switch on and off for each layer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 7173, "author": "towe", "author_id": 13171, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/13171", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have no experience with either GRBL or DLP printers, but the</p>\n\n<pre><code>M7\nM8\nM9\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>coolant control codes should be able to be sent by NanoDLP to GRBL. Those seem to allow for direct digital output.\nApparently you can set the pin you want them to use in the <code>cpu_map.h</code> file, with the standard being Analog Pins 3 and 4 for the M8 and M7 commands respectively.</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Define flood and mist coolant enable output pins. \n#define COOLANT_FLOOD_DDR DDRC \n#define COOLANT_FLOOD_PORT PORTC \n#define COOLANT_FLOOD_BIT 3 // Uno Analog Pin 3 \n#define COOLANT_MIST_DDR DDRC \n#define COOLANT_MIST_PORT PORTC \n#define COOLANT_MIST_BIT 4 // Uno Analog Pin 4 \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Hope this helps!\nSource: <a href=\"https://github.com/gnea/grbl\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://github.com/gnea/grbl</a></p>\n" } ]	2017/09/22	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4646", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5317/" ]	I'm building my own DLP printer with UV LEDs. I use a 20A relay to power them on, since they require high power and can't be directly driven by arduino or Raspberry. I'm planning to use them with NanoDLP on Raspberry + GRBL on Arduino. Is it possible to make NanoDLP tell GRBL to power on (send digital 1/+5V) the relay when the print starts and power it off (send digital 0/GND) when the print ends? The other way would be to just install an on/off switch and do it manually, but I feel this step should be automated somehow. Is there a way to do it?	I have no experience with either GRBL or DLP printers, but the ``` M7 M8 M9 ``` coolant control codes should be able to be sent by NanoDLP to GRBL. Those seem to allow for direct digital output. Apparently you can set the pin you want them to use in the `cpu_map.h` file, with the standard being Analog Pins 3 and 4 for the M8 and M7 commands respectively. ``` // Define flood and mist coolant enable output pins. #define COOLANT_FLOOD_DDR DDRC #define COOLANT_FLOOD_PORT PORTC #define COOLANT_FLOOD_BIT 3 // Uno Analog Pin 3 #define COOLANT_MIST_DDR DDRC #define COOLANT_MIST_PORT PORTC #define COOLANT_MIST_BIT 4 // Uno Analog Pin 4 ``` Hope this helps! Source: <https://github.com/gnea/grbl>
4,660	<p>I have a <a href="https://www.alunar.net/m508-self-assembly-3d-printer.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Alunar M508 machine</a> that I am trying to get new firmware on. The firmware that was loaded on the machine wasn't very good. The x axis was mirrored and the home point was way off. I was looking into Marlin to put on the machine, but don't have any experience on what to edit in the code to make it work for this machine. </p> <p>Does anyone have any experience with this machine? Uploading new firmware that works or editing the code to make it work for this machine. I appreciate any help!</p> <p>Here is a link to <a href="https://github.com/camalot/alunar-prusa-i3-marlin-i3-firmware" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the firmware I am currently using</a>. I'm on MacOS Sierra 10.12.5 using the 1.6.8 Arduino IDE.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5213, "author": "Ryan Conrad", "author_id": 9543, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9543", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>disclaimer</em>: I am the maintainer of the firmware that <a href=\"https://github.com/camalot/alunar-prusa-i3-marlin-i3-firmware\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">you linked</a>. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>The firmware will not improve your print quality. well, it may to some extent, but for the most part, it wont. </p>\n\n<p>There is fine tuning involved that may be set for MY printer, but the values may need to be changed for you. Not to mention the physical tuning that I have done with my printer. Software is not the place to initially look for print quality improvements.</p>\n\n<p>Some examples:</p>\n\n<p>I printed anti-wobble caps for the Z-axis rods. Which improved the print drastically for me. As the print got higher, the quality got worse.</p>\n\n<p>I printed Z-stop improvements, so I could fine tune the Z-stop.</p>\n\n<p>I printed X & Y belt tensioners. Loose belts cause skipped steps which causes poor quality prints. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6081, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The Alunar firmware you linked is a fork from the main Marlin firmware. If the bed Y direction is reversed, usually the stepper is incorrectly placed (mirrored) this is seen frequently for the Anet A8 printer which is very similar to your printer. In your case the X direction is wrong, this is usually related to the wiring of the stepper, reversing the connector by 180 degrees should do the trick (hardware solution). As a software solution, changing direction is not difficult in Marlin based firmware; you just want to invert the stepper direction; the following section in the configuration.h file does that for you:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector) if an axis goes the wrong way.\n#define INVERT_X_DIR false\n#define INVERT_Y_DIR false\n#define INVERT_Z_DIR true\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Just change <code>INVERT_X_DIR</code> to <code>true</code>.</p>\n\n<p>If your home position is still not working for you, you should look into this section of the same configuration file:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS -33\n#define Y_MIN_POS -10\n#define Z_MIN_POS 0\n#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE\n#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE\n#define Z_MAX_POS 240\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Change the <code>MIN_POS</code> positions as such that it starts at the corner of the bed. A more in depth bed center calibration tutorial can be found <a href=\"https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2280529\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>P.S. Please <strong>do not print</strong> <code>anti-wobble caps for the Z-axis rods</code> (as mentioned in another answer), these are <strong>not reducing the wobble</strong>, in fact they cause problems. What happens if you constrain the top is that you get a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statically_indeterminate\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">statically indeterminate construction</a>; forces and displacements are not predictable! Better solutions to eliminate Z-wobble are lifting devices that decouple X/Y movement from the threaded rod (eccentricity of the threaded rod) from the Z movement. Also fixate the threaded rod above the springy stepper-to-threaded-rod coupler.</p>\n" } ]	2017/09/27	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4660", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8529/" ]	I have a [Alunar M508 machine](https://www.alunar.net/m508-self-assembly-3d-printer.html) that I am trying to get new firmware on. The firmware that was loaded on the machine wasn't very good. The x axis was mirrored and the home point was way off. I was looking into Marlin to put on the machine, but don't have any experience on what to edit in the code to make it work for this machine. Does anyone have any experience with this machine? Uploading new firmware that works or editing the code to make it work for this machine. I appreciate any help! Here is a link to [the firmware I am currently using](https://github.com/camalot/alunar-prusa-i3-marlin-i3-firmware). I'm on MacOS Sierra 10.12.5 using the 1.6.8 Arduino IDE.	The Alunar firmware you linked is a fork from the main Marlin firmware. If the bed Y direction is reversed, usually the stepper is incorrectly placed (mirrored) this is seen frequently for the Anet A8 printer which is very similar to your printer. In your case the X direction is wrong, this is usually related to the wiring of the stepper, reversing the connector by 180 degrees should do the trick (hardware solution). As a software solution, changing direction is not difficult in Marlin based firmware; you just want to invert the stepper direction; the following section in the configuration.h file does that for you: ``` // Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector) if an axis goes the wrong way. #define INVERT_X_DIR false #define INVERT_Y_DIR false #define INVERT_Z_DIR true ``` Just change `INVERT_X_DIR` to `true`. If your home position is still not working for you, you should look into this section of the same configuration file: ``` // Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions. #define X_MIN_POS -33 #define Y_MIN_POS -10 #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE #define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE #define Z_MAX_POS 240 ``` Change the `MIN_POS` positions as such that it starts at the corner of the bed. A more in depth bed center calibration tutorial can be found [here](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2280529). --- P.S. Please do not print `anti-wobble caps for the Z-axis rods` (as mentioned in another answer), these are not reducing the wobble, in fact they cause problems. What happens if you constrain the top is that you get a [statically indeterminate construction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statically_indeterminate); forces and displacements are not predictable! Better solutions to eliminate Z-wobble are lifting devices that decouple X/Y movement from the threaded rod (eccentricity of the threaded rod) from the Z movement. Also fixate the threaded rod above the springy stepper-to-threaded-rod coupler.
4,681	<p>I am new to Fusion 360 and I think I'm going straight to something complicated. Is there a way to make a nose cone for a model rocket? What tools would one you to accomplish this?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4682, "author": "fred_dot_u", "author_id": 854, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you have a specific shape in mind and can create a sketch to represent that shape, you are halfway to your goal.</p>\n\n<p>The concept is simple. Create a single line sketch that would represent the desired curve, starting from, in this example, the nose of the cone and traveling to the base. Create only one-half of the nose cone curve and maintain a \"standard\" axis reference, say, using the Y-axis as the rotation point.</p>\n\n<p>The process is called <a href=\"http://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=GUID-5C62F370-7AB4-4DFD-BE61-F8830F30A6D7\" rel=\"noreferrer\">revolve. Fusion 360</a> supports this action directly.</p>\n\n<pre><code>In the Sculpt workspace, choose Create Revolve.\nSelect the profile to revolve.\nIn the Revolve dialog:\n Click Axis and then select the axis to revolve around.\n Choose Full or Angle to specify whether the revolution is full or to a specific angle.\n For Direction choose One Side, Two Side or Symmetrical.\n For Symmetry, choose None or Circular.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The above text is taken directly from the link. The specific web site also includes a Flash video of the steps involved.</p>\n\n<p>If thickness is required for your creation, consider to draw the sketch from the nose to the base, then use Offset or hand sketch in a parallel line that returns to the nose. Ensure the base segment is joined and that the nose segments are open and are aligned to the Y-axis.</p>\n\n<p>As the sketch is revolved, the nose sections will \"close\" while the base creates the closure necessary to make a solid that is hollow within and open at the bottom.</p>\n\n<p>Use The Google or your preferred search engine with the terms \"Fusion 360 Revolve\" to find many tutorials and videos with the same information presented in various ways.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4685, "author": "TECTEC3 Studios", "author_id": 7019, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7019", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Try model8ng the rocket into the workspace, and then you can extruder a nose cone from the top using a 30 degree angle</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/01	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4681", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8583/" ]	I am new to Fusion 360 and I think I'm going straight to something complicated. Is there a way to make a nose cone for a model rocket? What tools would one you to accomplish this?	If you have a specific shape in mind and can create a sketch to represent that shape, you are halfway to your goal. The concept is simple. Create a single line sketch that would represent the desired curve, starting from, in this example, the nose of the cone and traveling to the base. Create only one-half of the nose cone curve and maintain a "standard" axis reference, say, using the Y-axis as the rotation point. The process is called [revolve. Fusion 360](http://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=GUID-5C62F370-7AB4-4DFD-BE61-F8830F30A6D7) supports this action directly. ``` In the Sculpt workspace, choose Create Revolve. Select the profile to revolve. In the Revolve dialog: Click Axis and then select the axis to revolve around. Choose Full or Angle to specify whether the revolution is full or to a specific angle. For Direction choose One Side, Two Side or Symmetrical. For Symmetry, choose None or Circular. ``` The above text is taken directly from the link. The specific web site also includes a Flash video of the steps involved. If thickness is required for your creation, consider to draw the sketch from the nose to the base, then use Offset or hand sketch in a parallel line that returns to the nose. Ensure the base segment is joined and that the nose segments are open and are aligned to the Y-axis. As the sketch is revolved, the nose sections will "close" while the base creates the closure necessary to make a solid that is hollow within and open at the bottom. Use The Google or your preferred search engine with the terms "Fusion 360 Revolve" to find many tutorials and videos with the same information presented in various ways.
4,735	<p>A while ago, I created some simple command buttons in Octoprint to help with bed levelling, by hopping to particular points on the bed. I realised that what I actually want to do is move Z up 10mm, move, and then home Z though, to avoid ploughing the nozzle along the bed if the level is badly off.</p> <p>So I did this:</p> <pre><code> - commands: - G91 - G1 Z-10 - G90 - G1 X30 Y160 F9000 - G28 Z name: Back Left type: command </code></pre> <p>Which should be, switch to relative move, Move -10mm Z, switch back to absolute, go to the specified point and then home Z.</p> <p>Except there's no Z move. I get the feeling that something might be optimising the moves together into one, or something similar... how can I get my printer to move up, <em>then</em> across, <em>then</em> down?</p> <p>(printer is an quite modified Anet A8 i3 clone - I think the board is Melzi-based?)</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4711, "author": "EvilTeach", "author_id": 1397, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1397", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Nail polish contains acetone. It melts PLA, so yes you <em>could</em> damage it. Google acetone vapor batch to read up on a safer way to do the job.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4714, "author": "cmm", "author_id": 2082, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2082", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would not expect a problem. The greatest problem I would expect would be if the PLA layers were not well bonded, and the coating material could work in between layers. If so, over time the difference in water absorption or thermal expansion could further separate the layers.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4732, "author": "Mark Williamson", "author_id": 8726, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8726", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>NO if you want to smooth your print, gently heat the plastic and with a utensil smooth out the plastic. A hair dryer is a good way of doing this but be careful to only lightly melt the outside of the model.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4791, "author": "joshConway", "author_id": 8827, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8827", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is an ugly question, and an ugly answer.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Nail polish doesn't come with an ingredient list. Nor are there MSDS's available to refer to what solvents are in it. So it's \"unknown 1\"</p></li>\n<li><p>Most every filament company will not give you a list of compounds for colorants or plasticizers used. MSDS is off the table. So, even though we do know what PLA and ABS is inherently, we have no clue about the other ingredients used to make your particular filament. This is \"unknown 2\".</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>What both of these comes down to is a very nasty situation indeed. We know for a fact that ABS dissolves into acetone. PLA does not.... Except we have had reports of PLA that does. When we look further into those responses, and ask them to do a burn test, they smell popcorn and something acrid (ABS). </p>\n\n<p>This guarantees unless we have virgin material and MSDS in hand, you only have a close guess at what material you have. And that's to say nothing about \"nail polish\", and its components.</p>\n\n<p>There are also other solvents that will dissolve PLA. MakerBot back before they turned evil, noted a solution called Beta Solution (90% isopropyl alcohol, 9% KOH, 1% Al(OH)3 ). This stuff is noted for dissolving PLA and leaving ABS intact.</p>\n\n<p>Long story short: \"Could Nail Polish damage pure PLA?\" We can't guarantee purity of PLA, we can't guarantee contents of nail polish's solvents. The only answer is to print a swatch and test yourself. Calibration cubes are quick and easy.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10252, "author": "moe", "author_id": 16741, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16741", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Nail polish will not damage your PLA model.</p>\n\n<p>1) Let's talk about \"gel\" nail polish. Gel polish self-levels, does not drip, is cheap, is much more health-friendly than many finishing methods, and only takes 30 seconds under a suitable strength UV/LED lamp to dry, providing a thick smooth coat (clear, color, glitter!, anything) that makes any layer lines disappear. </p>\n\n<p>2) The FDA regulates nail polish in its \"cosmetics\" category, so, not only are the ingredients known, they have to be printed on the bottle.</p>\n\n<p>3) Gel polish consists of various methacrylate monomers which undergo a radical (in the chemistry sense, although it is pretty darn cool too) polymerization process that is UV-activable. Filament is primarily polyactide, which is polymerized at room temperature. Polymerized polyactide reacts with methylacrylate at the ends of the long strands (not in the middle, which is what you would describe as \"damage\"). Methylacrylate actually makes the PLA ends less reactive (read: it makes it stronger). As an industrial material, this compound is known as \"supertoughened\" PLA.</p>\n\n<p>Hope that clears things up a bit. As an aside, if you're not familiar with the different families of nail polishes, and you want to try this, you can tell if the polish you're looking at is \"gel\" because the bottle will be opaque (keeps UV out).</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/14	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4735", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7233/" ]	A while ago, I created some simple command buttons in Octoprint to help with bed levelling, by hopping to particular points on the bed. I realised that what I actually want to do is move Z up 10mm, move, and then home Z though, to avoid ploughing the nozzle along the bed if the level is badly off. So I did this: ``` - commands: - G91 - G1 Z-10 - G90 - G1 X30 Y160 F9000 - G28 Z name: Back Left type: command ``` Which should be, switch to relative move, Move -10mm Z, switch back to absolute, go to the specified point and then home Z. Except there's no Z move. I get the feeling that something might be optimising the moves together into one, or something similar... how can I get my printer to move up, then across, then down? (printer is an quite modified Anet A8 i3 clone - I think the board is Melzi-based?)	NO if you want to smooth your print, gently heat the plastic and with a utensil smooth out the plastic. A hair dryer is a good way of doing this but be careful to only lightly melt the outside of the model.
4,745	<p>I'm having a Prusa i3 derivative printer with a capacitive sensor for the z-axis. It switches a tiny bit before the nozzle hits the print bed and hence needs a z-offset to be configured.</p> <p>In Slic3r I have configured the z-offset to <code>-0.1</code> on the <em>General</em> page of the <em>Printer Settings</em>, but currently I'm evaluating Cura and can't find such a setting. Slic3r seems to apply this setting directly to the generated z-values in the g-code, so it does not use a short version at the beginning of the g-code. My current (except of the auto-bed-leveling part default) g-code:</p> <pre><code>G28 ;Home G29 ; auto-bed-leveling G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 G1 F200 E3 G92 E0 </code></pre> <p>Is there a way to configure Cura, e.g. using the <em>Start Gcode</em> options, to apply the z-offset?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4746, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You can trick the printer into applying an offset using the <code>G92</code> command:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G0 Z0\n\nG92 Z0.1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>First, we move the nozzle to <code>Z=0</code>. Next, through the <code>G92</code> command, we tell the printer to, from now on, treat the current position as <code>Z=0.1</code>. This effectively applies an offset of <code>-0.1</code> to the Z-axis, since if we now executed <code>G0 Z0</code> again, the nozzle would move down <code>0.1mm</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Note that this needs to be done after homing and leveling to be effective.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, you don't necessarily need to move the nozzle to <code>Z=0</code> for this to work. You could also just insert <code>G92 Z15.1</code> after <code>G0 Z15</code> to get the same effect.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5939, "author": "Saran", "author_id": 10727, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10727", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>For Cura 3.1(?)+:</h1>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Install the plugin: Menu / Plugins / Browse Plugins... / scroll to \"Z Offset plugin\" <strong><-- Install</strong></p></li>\n<li><p>Configure the setting: <code>Printer Profile / Print Setup / Build Plate Adhesion / Z Offset</code></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>set positive value for nozzle liftup</li>\n<li><strong>set negative value</strong> to bring nozzle lower for first layer (like -0.1 for your wanted scenario)</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5946, "author": "Zohar Karabelnik", "author_id": 10734, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10734", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I built my printer five years ago with a similar issue and I strongly suggest that the physical 0 will be the actual 0 instead of tweeking it into the system. Especially if you are exploring and testing new methods, i.e. Cura vs Slic3r settings. In Marlin, you can insert a z adjustment for the endstops but it can create future complications if you decide to upgrade the machine.</p>\n\n<p>Keep it as simple as possible, if a sensor is misplaced don't try to reverse calculate it, the pressure of the motors will nudge it and after a while you'll have the same problem...</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/16	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4745", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5223/" ]	I'm having a Prusa i3 derivative printer with a capacitive sensor for the z-axis. It switches a tiny bit before the nozzle hits the print bed and hence needs a z-offset to be configured. In Slic3r I have configured the z-offset to `-0.1` on the General page of the Printer Settings, but currently I'm evaluating Cura and can't find such a setting. Slic3r seems to apply this setting directly to the generated z-values in the g-code, so it does not use a short version at the beginning of the g-code. My current (except of the auto-bed-leveling part default) g-code: ``` G28 ;Home G29 ; auto-bed-leveling G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 G1 F200 E3 G92 E0 ``` Is there a way to configure Cura, e.g. using the Start Gcode options, to apply the z-offset?	You can trick the printer into applying an offset using the `G92` command: ``` G0 Z0 G92 Z0.1 ``` First, we move the nozzle to `Z=0`. Next, through the `G92` command, we tell the printer to, from now on, treat the current position as `Z=0.1`. This effectively applies an offset of `-0.1` to the Z-axis, since if we now executed `G0 Z0` again, the nozzle would move down `0.1mm`. Note that this needs to be done after homing and leveling to be effective. Of course, you don't necessarily need to move the nozzle to `Z=0` for this to work. You could also just insert `G92 Z15.1` after `G0 Z15` to get the same effect.
4,792	<p>How can I center a model at the middle of the printing area of the printer when creating a g-code with CuraEngine. </p> <p>Are there any parameters I can add to <code>ultimaker2.def.json</code> to achieve this? Thanks.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4798, "author": "joshConway", "author_id": 8827, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8827", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If this is over the commandline tool \"CuraEngine\", then you will have to read the sourcecode. According to the <a href=\"https://ultimaker.com/en/community/4337-doc-of-curaengine\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Author</a>, 'Nope. Only documentation there is in the code, readme and my head.' (cringe!).</p>\n\n<p>If you're talking of the GUI program, then right click and click \"Center\". But this requires GUI usage. Not so nice if you want to automate using curaengine as your slicer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4817, "author": "thedp", "author_id": 8762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8762", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Found a solution.\nThis need to be applied under <code>\"settings\"</code></p>\n\n<pre><code>\"command_line_settings\": {\n \"label\": \"Command Line Settings\",\n \"description\": \"Settings which are only used if CuraEngine isn't called from the Cura frontend.\",\n \"type\": \"category\",\n \"enabled\": true,\n \"children\": {\n \"center_object\": {\n \"description\": \"Whether to center the object on the middle of the build platform (0,0), instead of using the coordinate system in which the object was saved.\",\n \"type\": \"bool\",\n \"label\": \"Center object\",\n \"default_value\": true,\n \"enabled\": true\n }\n }\n}\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2017/10/25	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4792", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8762/" ]	How can I center a model at the middle of the printing area of the printer when creating a g-code with CuraEngine. Are there any parameters I can add to `ultimaker2.def.json` to achieve this? Thanks.	Found a solution. This need to be applied under `"settings"` ``` "command_line_settings": { "label": "Command Line Settings", "description": "Settings which are only used if CuraEngine isn't called from the Cura frontend.", "type": "category", "enabled": true, "children": { "center_object": { "description": "Whether to center the object on the middle of the build platform (0,0), instead of using the coordinate system in which the object was saved.", "type": "bool", "label": "Center object", "default_value": true, "enabled": true } } } ```
4,822	<p>I've successfully installed <code>mjpg-streamer-experimental</code> from <a href="https://github.com/jacksonliam" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jacksonliam</a>/<a href="https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>mjpg-streamer</strong></a>.</p> <p>I just can't figure out how to set the parameter I need in order to rotate my camera 180 degrees (I have my webcam mounted upside down for a custom mount I made).</p> <p>I'm using a Logitech C270. I've been searching online for hours for a solution to this issue and just can't find what I'm looking for. Doesn't help that I'm not very proficient when it comes to this stuff.</p> <hr /> <p>If I run the command suggested in GiF's <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/4823/4762">answer</a>:</p> <pre><code>mjpg_streamer -i 'input_uvc.so -rot 180' </code></pre> <p>I get the following error:</p> <pre><code> libv4l2: error setting pixformat: Device or resource busy Unable to set format: 1196444237 res: 640x480 Init v4L2 failed !! exit fatal i: init_VideoIn failed </code></pre> <p>I seem to get that error when setting any parameters. I'm running Octoprint, if that makes any difference. There doesn't seem to be a rotate option in Octoprint.</p> <p>Information just seems extremely sparse on this particular fork of mjpg-streamer. Searching for that error just gets me a bunch of people that have non-working webcams while mine works perfectly, I just need to rotate it 180 degrees.</p> <hr /> <p>I would <em>really</em> appreciate some help!</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4823, "author": "GiF", "author_id": 8864, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8864", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Edit: Having now installed Octopi myself, I have found that they made it easy to rotate the image right from the interface. If you open the "Settings" and look under "Webcam & Timelapse", there are settings for flipping the image horizontally or vertically and for rotating 90 degrees.</strong></p>\n<hr />\n<p>There are a few ways to rotate the image of which I am aware. You can do it via the input plugin, the client, or post-processing.</p>\n<p>The "input_uvc" and "input_raspicam" plugins both have options to rotate the image. If you are using one of these plugins see the documentation at <a href=\"https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer/blob/master/mjpg-streamer-experimental/plugins/input_uvc/README.md\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">input_uvc</a> or <a href=\"https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer/blob/master/mjpg-streamer-experimental/plugins/input_raspicam/README.md\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">input_raspicam</a> (it is worth noting that the input options may not be supported by all cameras). You should be able to run the command like the following to get a stream that is rotated 180 degrees:</p>\n<pre><code>mjpg_streamer -i 'input_uvc.so -rot 180'\n</code></pre>\n<p>I'm not sure how you are handling the stream, but it is possible that your client can perform the rotation. For example, if you are using VLC you can set the angle of rotation by doing something like this:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the “Tools” menu and select “Effects and Filters”</li>\n<li>In the “Adjustments and Effects” window, on the “Video Effects” tab, select the “Transform” check box</li>\n<li>Select a rotation from the dropdown menu and then click “Close”.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Finally, if you are saving the stream and are only concerned with rotating it afterwards, you can post-process it with a utility like <code>ffmpeg</code>. See this <a href=\"https://superuser.com/questions/578321/how-to-rotate-a-video-180-with-ffmpeg\">post</a> as an example and look for "Rotate" in the accepted answer.</p>\n<p>If your stream is being rendered via a browser you may be able to add some CSS3 formatting to the video element. For example, you could add an ID of <code>videoElement</code> to the stream and then add the following to your CSS:</p>\n<pre><code> #videoElement {\n transform: rotateZ(180deg);\n -webkit-transform:rotateZ(180deg); /* Safari and Chrome /\n -moz-transform:rotateZ(180deg); / Firefox */ \n}\n</code></pre>\n<p>With respect to Octoprint, it appears that Octoprint is an HTML interface, so you could probably edit the markup to use CSS3's transform <code>rotateX</code>. That would rotate the image at the client end (browser). BTW, googling for your error code did have some potentially useful information as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16723, "author": "BgWebDesign", "author_id": 29312, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/29312", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From the <code>help</code> for input plugin "<strong>raspicam</strong>", the following parameters can be passed to this plugin:</p>\n<pre><code>[-fps \| --framerate]...: set video framerate, default 5 frame/sec\n[-x \| --width ]........: width of frame capture, default 640\n[-y \| --height]........: height of frame capture, default 480\n[-quality].............: set JPEG quality 0-100, default 85\n[-usestills]...........: uses stills mode instead of video mode\n[-preview].............: Enable full screen preview\n[-timestamp]...........: Get timestamp for each frame\n</code></pre>\n<pre><code>-sh : Set image sharpness (-100 to 100)\n-co : Set image contrast (-100 to 100)\n-br : Set image brightness (0 to 100)\n-sa : Set image saturation (-100 to 100)\n-ISO : Set capture ISO\n-vs : Turn on video stablisation\n-ev : Set EV compensation\n-ex : Set exposure mode (see raspistill notes)\n-awb : Set AWB mode (see raspistill notes)\n-ifx : Set image effect (see raspistill notes)\n-cfx : Set colour effect (U:V)\n-mm : Set metering mode (see raspistill notes)\n-rot : Set image rotation (0-359)\n-stats : Compute image stats for each picture (reduces noise for -usestills)\n-drc : Dynamic range compensation level (see raspistill notes)\n-hf : Set horizontal flip\n-vf : Set vertical flip\n</code></pre>\n<p>The <strong>-rot</strong> parameter can rotate the image.</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/28	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4822", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8862/" ]	I've successfully installed `mjpg-streamer-experimental` from [jacksonliam](https://github.com/jacksonliam)/[mjpg-streamer](https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer). I just can't figure out how to set the parameter I need in order to rotate my camera 180 degrees (I have my webcam mounted upside down for a custom mount I made). I'm using a Logitech C270. I've been searching online for hours for a solution to this issue and just can't find what I'm looking for. Doesn't help that I'm not very proficient when it comes to this stuff. --- If I run the command suggested in GiF's [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/4823/4762): ``` mjpg_streamer -i 'input_uvc.so -rot 180' ``` I get the following error: ``` libv4l2: error setting pixformat: Device or resource busy Unable to set format: 1196444237 res: 640x480 Init v4L2 failed !! exit fatal i: init_VideoIn failed ``` I seem to get that error when setting any parameters. I'm running Octoprint, if that makes any difference. There doesn't seem to be a rotate option in Octoprint. Information just seems extremely sparse on this particular fork of mjpg-streamer. Searching for that error just gets me a bunch of people that have non-working webcams while mine works perfectly, I just need to rotate it 180 degrees. --- I would really appreciate some help!	Edit: Having now installed Octopi myself, I have found that they made it easy to rotate the image right from the interface. If you open the "Settings" and look under "Webcam & Timelapse", there are settings for flipping the image horizontally or vertically and for rotating 90 degrees. --- There are a few ways to rotate the image of which I am aware. You can do it via the input plugin, the client, or post-processing. The "input\_uvc" and "input\_raspicam" plugins both have options to rotate the image. If you are using one of these plugins see the documentation at [input\_uvc](https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer/blob/master/mjpg-streamer-experimental/plugins/input_uvc/README.md) or [input\_raspicam](https://github.com/jacksonliam/mjpg-streamer/blob/master/mjpg-streamer-experimental/plugins/input_raspicam/README.md) (it is worth noting that the input options may not be supported by all cameras). You should be able to run the command like the following to get a stream that is rotated 180 degrees: ``` mjpg_streamer -i 'input_uvc.so -rot 180' ``` I'm not sure how you are handling the stream, but it is possible that your client can perform the rotation. For example, if you are using VLC you can set the angle of rotation by doing something like this: * Open the “Tools” menu and select “Effects and Filters” * In the “Adjustments and Effects” window, on the “Video Effects” tab, select the “Transform” check box * Select a rotation from the dropdown menu and then click “Close”. Finally, if you are saving the stream and are only concerned with rotating it afterwards, you can post-process it with a utility like `ffmpeg`. See this [post](https://superuser.com/questions/578321/how-to-rotate-a-video-180-with-ffmpeg) as an example and look for "Rotate" in the accepted answer. If your stream is being rendered via a browser you may be able to add some CSS3 formatting to the video element. For example, you could add an ID of `videoElement` to the stream and then add the following to your CSS: ``` #videoElement { transform: rotateZ(180deg); -webkit-transform:rotateZ(180deg); /* Safari and Chrome / -moz-transform:rotateZ(180deg); / Firefox */ } ``` With respect to Octoprint, it appears that Octoprint is an HTML interface, so you could probably edit the markup to use CSS3's transform `rotateX`. That would rotate the image at the client end (browser). BTW, googling for your error code did have some potentially useful information as well.
4,824	<p>I am writing some G-code for my DIY 3D printer. From what I understand, <code>G4</code> is dwell and its expressed in milliseconds. So my extruder takes about 30 seconds to heat up. Do I just type </p> <pre><code>G04 30000 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 4825, "author": "Mick", "author_id": 3953, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3953", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You are correct about needing to specify the dwell value in milliseconds. However, the RepRap Wiki indicates that you need to use the <code>Pn</code> argument, and not just an unadorned number as the argument to the command. To adapt the Wiki's own example, you will need to use:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G4 P30000\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This should cause the firmware to dwell (pause) for 30 seconds.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G4:_Dwell\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RepRap Wiki: G4: Dwell</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10006, "author": "Larry", "author_id": 16541, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16541", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depending on your G-code flavor you may be able to use <a href=\"https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M109:_Set_Extruder_Temperature_and_Wait\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><code>M109</code></a> (heat and wait) instead. If supported M109 will wait until the target temperature is achieved.</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4824", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8837/" ]	I am writing some G-code for my DIY 3D printer. From what I understand, `G4` is dwell and its expressed in milliseconds. So my extruder takes about 30 seconds to heat up. Do I just type ``` G04 30000 ```	You are correct about needing to specify the dwell value in milliseconds. However, the RepRap Wiki indicates that you need to use the `Pn` argument, and not just an unadorned number as the argument to the command. To adapt the Wiki's own example, you will need to use: ``` G4 P30000 ``` This should cause the firmware to dwell (pause) for 30 seconds. [RepRap Wiki: G4: Dwell](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G4:_Dwell)
4,826	<p>On the reprap wiki it says using Znnn it sets a new axis position. But then it says "No physical motion will occur". What would the line <code>G92 E0</code> be used for?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4828, "author": "Mick", "author_id": 3953, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3953", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The <code>G92</code> command is used to set the start position (origin) of one of more axes (including the current extruder) to any arbitrary value. The command <code>G92 E0</code> is often used to perform retraction and nozzle priming. For example, the following commands are often used in start-gcode sequences (prologues) to prime the current extruder by extruding a small amount of filament:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G92 E0 ; Reset the extruder's origin\nG1 F200 E3 ; Extrude 3 millimetres of filament\nG92 E0 ; Reset the extruder's origin\n</code></pre>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G92:_Set_Position\" rel=\"noreferrer\">RepRap Wiki: G92: Set Position</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 13935, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To supplement the accepted answer, and answer a question in the answer's comments (which should not be there), consider the E value as another axis - the axis of the filament.</p>\n<p>If you executed:</p>\n<pre><code>G92 E0 ; Reset the extruder's origin\nG1 F200 E3 ; Extrude 3 millimetres of filament at a rate of 200 units per second\n</code></pre>\n<p>and then went on to printing, the first filament move would have to take you from E3 to whatever E value the next move specified.</p>\n<p>If the next move assumed starting at E0, you'd already be 3 mm further along, and the first move would probably be a retract, so for example, if the next printing move was:</p>\n<pre><code>G1 Xnnn Ynnn E0.5 ; Extrude 0.5 millimetres of filament\n</code></pre>\n<p>then <strong>instead of extruding 0.5 mm, you would actually retract 2.5 mm</strong>, to get from 3.0 to 0.5. Just like moving in a negative direction on any other axis.</p>\n" } ]	2017/10/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4826", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8837/" ]	On the reprap wiki it says using Znnn it sets a new axis position. But then it says "No physical motion will occur". What would the line `G92 E0` be used for?	The `G92` command is used to set the start position (origin) of one of more axes (including the current extruder) to any arbitrary value. The command `G92 E0` is often used to perform retraction and nozzle priming. For example, the following commands are often used in start-gcode sequences (prologues) to prime the current extruder by extruding a small amount of filament: ``` G92 E0 ; Reset the extruder's origin G1 F200 E3 ; Extrude 3 millimetres of filament G92 E0 ; Reset the extruder's origin ``` [RepRap Wiki: G92: Set Position](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G92:_Set_Position)
4,877	<p>I am working on g code for my homebrew 3d printer and i have found the line <code>G1 -2.000 F2400.000</code>. From what i understand there should be an axis before the number and x and y shouldnt have negative. I am using grbl which is for cnc milling but and i have been deleting this line with no problems but i am wondering what it does because i will be upgrading to a "real" 3d printer asap</p>	[ { "answer_id": 4879, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>G1 indicates a movement and -2.000 the distance, F2400.000 the feed rate mm/min, normally the <strong>(-)</strong> values are for retraction on extrusion <strong>E</strong>, for example:</p>\n\n<p>G0 X12 (move to 12mm on the X axis) <br>\nG0 F1500 (Set the feedrate to 1500mm/minute) <br>\nG1 X90.6 Y13.8 E22.4 (Move to 90.6mm on the X axis and 13.8mm on the Y axis while extruding 22.4mm of material) </p>\n\n<pre><code>1. G1 F1500\n2. G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>In the above example, we set the feedrate to 1500mm/minute on line 1, then move to 50mm on the X axis and 25.3mm on the Y axis while extruding 22.4mm of filament between the two points. </p>\n\n<pre><code>1. G1 F1500\n2. G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 F3000\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>However, in the above example, we set a <strong>feedrate of 1500 mm/minute</strong> on <strong>line 1</strong>, then do the move described above <strong><em>accelerating to a feedrate of 3000 mm/minute</em></strong> as it does so. The extrusion will accelerate along with the X and Y movement, so everything stays synchronized. </p>\n\n<p><strong><em>So, in your case if some axis is not defined the feed rate applies to all motors.</em></strong></p>\n\n<p><em>(part of this content is from reprap-wiki)</em></p>\n\n<p>You will see negative numbers if your starting point is on the center of the bed just like rectangular coordinates.</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 X-50.318 Y8.849 E11.70313 \nG1 X-52.606 Y3.087 E12.26689 \nG1 X-53.240 Y1.297 E12.43953 \nG1 X-54.398 Y-2.097 E12.76562 \nG1 X-54.683 Y-2.995 E12.85132 \n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4880, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>G1 -2.000 F2400.000</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Is not valid G-code. As you note, <code>-2.000</code> should be prefixed with an axis (X,Y,Z or E).</p>\n\n<p>Marlin would ignore the <code>-2.000</code> bit and simply treat the command as equivalent to</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 F2400.000\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>which doesn't perform any movement, but sets the feedrate for any future moves to 2400mm/min.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>x and y shouldnt have negative</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not necessarily. Even though normally printing is done in the positive quadrant, negative values can be valid. Not only in relative movement mode, but even in absolute mode (for instance, if you set the center of your bed as (0,0) or if you use a negative z-axis offset the bring the nozzle closer to the bed).</p>\n" } ]	2017/11/04	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4877", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8837/" ]	I am working on g code for my homebrew 3d printer and i have found the line `G1 -2.000 F2400.000`. From what i understand there should be an axis before the number and x and y shouldnt have negative. I am using grbl which is for cnc milling but and i have been deleting this line with no problems but i am wondering what it does because i will be upgrading to a "real" 3d printer asap	> > G1 -2.000 F2400.000 > > > Is not valid G-code. As you note, `-2.000` should be prefixed with an axis (X,Y,Z or E). Marlin would ignore the `-2.000` bit and simply treat the command as equivalent to ``` G1 F2400.000 ``` which doesn't perform any movement, but sets the feedrate for any future moves to 2400mm/min. > > x and y shouldnt have negative > > > Not necessarily. Even though normally printing is done in the positive quadrant, negative values can be valid. Not only in relative movement mode, but even in absolute mode (for instance, if you set the center of your bed as (0,0) or if you use a negative z-axis offset the bring the nozzle closer to the bed).
4,900	<p>I have a Prusa i3 (from FLSun). I have assembled the printer, calibrated it (fairly decently), and have successfully demonstrated extrusion manually. However, when I try to run a print job (the G-code clearly contains E commands), the extruder motor never rotates. Is this a common problem? Any suggestsions for how to resolve/troubleshoot?</p> <p>I can confirm that the extruder was pre-heated for PLA (up to a generous 220 C).</p> <p>I load an STL file into Repetier v.1.0.2, use the built-in slicer (Slic3r) to generate the G-code. I include a sample of that below:</p> <pre><code>; generated by Slic3r 1.2.9 on 2017-11-08 at 10:54:07 ; external perimeters extrusion width = 0.50mm ; perimeters extrusion width = 0.72mm ; infill extrusion width = 0.72mm ; solid infill extrusion width = 0.72mm ; top infill extrusion width = 0.72mm M107 M104 S200 ; set temperature G28 ; home all axes G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle M109 S200 ; wait for temperature to be reached G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion G92 E0 G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X76.952 Y76.952 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X78.055 Y75.850 E2.04824 F1800.000 G1 X78.650 Y75.324 E2.07282 G1 X81.121 Y73.387 E2.16997 G1 X81.780 Y72.933 E2.19472 G1 X84.467 Y71.309 E2.29186 G1 X85.167 Y70.940 E2.31635 G1 X88.143 Y69.602 E2.41730 </code></pre> <p>As an update, I can no longer reliably get the extruder motor to run (even when I pre-heat) from the LCD. Sometimes, it works fine, but other times it doesn't seem to. Will confirm whether switching the motor connector to the z-axis to test the motor works when I get home this evening.</p> <p>I can confirm 1) that there is no tension pulling on the cable connections during the run, 2) the mainboard and motor connector aren't burned, cracked, and the mosfets have heatsinks on them, and 3) the extruder gear is fixed and rotates freely on the motor axis (I tested this by switching it over to the z-axis connection temporarily and confirming rotation).</p> <p>Here's a photo of my motherboard:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRdQp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRdQp.jpg" alt="A photo of my motherboard"></a></p>	[ { "answer_id": 4901, "author": "ZuOverture", "author_id": 8847, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8847", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This should have been a comment: when you say \"manual extrusion\", do you mean moving filament by hand or using extruder position commands from printer menu? Is extruder motor working at all? You can for example plug it instead of a Z-motor to check.</p>\n\n<p>Suggested points to check:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Motor wire connections, both on extruder and mainboard. Are plugs experiencing tension (being tilted, pulled out) from improperly fixed cables?</li>\n<li>Hardware on mainboard next to motor connector. Does it look burned, cracked, lacks heatsinks on mosfets?</li>\n<li>Is extruder gear not fixed and rotating freely on extruder motor axis? You will hear sound of working motor, but it will look like it's not pulling the filament.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 4967, "author": "Valmond", "author_id": 8328, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8328", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to all the information:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>No reassignment of the extruder in the Gcode</li>\n<li>You can extrude if you push the filament by hand</li>\n<li>Extruder motor works when switched to Z driver</li>\n<li>Z Motor works</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I come to the conclusion that some of your electronics or the motor have fried.</p>\n\n<p>What have fried? I tried to make a step by step check:</p>\n\n<p>Switch drivers between E and Z, but plug the motors as usual:</p>\n\n<p>1) Does the extruder extrude?</p>\n\n<p>Yes: Your driver has fried</p>\n\n<p>No:</p>\n\n<p>2) Were you able to move the Z motor?</p>\n\n<p>No: Motherboard And driver has fried</p>\n\n<p>Yes: </p>\n\n<p>3) Plug in the E motor on the Z driver, can you make the E motor turn?</p>\n\n<p>Yes: Motherboard fried</p>\n\n<p>No: Motor fried</p>\n\n<p>HTH and keep us updated if it worked or not!</p>\n" } ]	2017/11/07	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4900", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8015/" ]	I have a Prusa i3 (from FLSun). I have assembled the printer, calibrated it (fairly decently), and have successfully demonstrated extrusion manually. However, when I try to run a print job (the G-code clearly contains E commands), the extruder motor never rotates. Is this a common problem? Any suggestsions for how to resolve/troubleshoot? I can confirm that the extruder was pre-heated for PLA (up to a generous 220 C). I load an STL file into Repetier v.1.0.2, use the built-in slicer (Slic3r) to generate the G-code. I include a sample of that below: ``` ; generated by Slic3r 1.2.9 on 2017-11-08 at 10:54:07 ; external perimeters extrusion width = 0.50mm ; perimeters extrusion width = 0.72mm ; infill extrusion width = 0.72mm ; solid infill extrusion width = 0.72mm ; top infill extrusion width = 0.72mm M107 M104 S200 ; set temperature G28 ; home all axes G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle M109 S200 ; wait for temperature to be reached G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion G92 E0 G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X76.952 Y76.952 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 G1 X78.055 Y75.850 E2.04824 F1800.000 G1 X78.650 Y75.324 E2.07282 G1 X81.121 Y73.387 E2.16997 G1 X81.780 Y72.933 E2.19472 G1 X84.467 Y71.309 E2.29186 G1 X85.167 Y70.940 E2.31635 G1 X88.143 Y69.602 E2.41730 ``` As an update, I can no longer reliably get the extruder motor to run (even when I pre-heat) from the LCD. Sometimes, it works fine, but other times it doesn't seem to. Will confirm whether switching the motor connector to the z-axis to test the motor works when I get home this evening. I can confirm 1) that there is no tension pulling on the cable connections during the run, 2) the mainboard and motor connector aren't burned, cracked, and the mosfets have heatsinks on them, and 3) the extruder gear is fixed and rotates freely on the motor axis (I tested this by switching it over to the z-axis connection temporarily and confirming rotation). Here's a photo of my motherboard: [![A photo of my motherboard](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRdQp.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRdQp.jpg)	According to all the information: * No reassignment of the extruder in the Gcode * You can extrude if you push the filament by hand * Extruder motor works when switched to Z driver * Z Motor works I come to the conclusion that some of your electronics or the motor have fried. What have fried? I tried to make a step by step check: Switch drivers between E and Z, but plug the motors as usual: 1) Does the extruder extrude? Yes: Your driver has fried No: 2) Were you able to move the Z motor? No: Motherboard And driver has fried Yes: 3) Plug in the E motor on the Z driver, can you make the E motor turn? Yes: Motherboard fried No: Motor fried HTH and keep us updated if it worked or not!
5,035	<p>I am modelling a few cut templates to be used on an hexagonal grid (honeycomb) material using OpenSCAD. Basically, from a reference cell, I need to select all cells that are within a given range and given angle.</p> <p>I implemented this by creating an in memory grid that covers an area larger than what I need (extra range, 360 degrees), and then testing each cell for both the distance and angle requirements, extruding only those that test positive for both conditions.</p> <p>Everything works as expected...</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzJD0.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzJD0.png" alt="Range = 15, Angle = 60°"></a></p> <p>...but now I would also like to add the possibility to have the outer contour of the template without having each individual cell within it (so, a single thin line going around the whole "pizza slice" above).</p> <p>I'm pretty new to OpenSCAD: what would be the best approach here? (I'm happy even with a solution that requires to re-implement what done until now).</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5036, "author": "Mick", "author_id": 3953, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3953", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately, OpenSCAD does not have a 2D hull() transformation, although it has been requested. You might be able to find a pre-written package that implements a 2D hull. However, if all you want is a hexagonal grid with a border of some arbitrary shape, could you not cheat, and get your slicer to generate the grid for you? All you would need to do is generate the envelope, and then slice with a hexagonal grid as in-fill, and request no top or bottom layers. Most slicers will do hexagonal in-fill.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to do it all in OpenSCAD, then I would go about it like this:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Create a 2D grid, similar to what you have now.</li>\n<li>Create a 2D outline of the shape you want, undersized so that you can add a manifold (as a perimeter).</li>\n<li>Duplicate this shape.</li>\n<li>Add a manifold to the first copy.</li>\n<li>Create an intersection of the second copy and the grid.</li>\n<li>Create a union of the two copies.</li>\n<li>Extrude the union.</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5041, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I ended up finding a reasonable solution myself:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/mp3ET.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/mp3ET.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Basically, I diffed two identical, non-hollow geometries, in which the first one had the cells larger than they needed to be (so overlapping with others), and the second one had them exactly of the right dimension:</p>\n\n<pre><code>difference() {\n base_geometry(range, angle, infill, extra_padding = 2);\n base_geometry(range, angle, infill, extra_padding = 0);\n}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This way the only portion of the solid remaining was the <code>extra_padding</code> on the outer edges of the geometry.</p>\n" } ]	2017/11/27	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5035", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134/" ]	I am modelling a few cut templates to be used on an hexagonal grid (honeycomb) material using OpenSCAD. Basically, from a reference cell, I need to select all cells that are within a given range and given angle. I implemented this by creating an in memory grid that covers an area larger than what I need (extra range, 360 degrees), and then testing each cell for both the distance and angle requirements, extruding only those that test positive for both conditions. Everything works as expected... [![Range = 15, Angle = 60°](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzJD0.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzJD0.png) ...but now I would also like to add the possibility to have the outer contour of the template without having each individual cell within it (so, a single thin line going around the whole "pizza slice" above). I'm pretty new to OpenSCAD: what would be the best approach here? (I'm happy even with a solution that requires to re-implement what done until now).	I ended up finding a reasonable solution myself: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mp3ET.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mp3ET.png) Basically, I diffed two identical, non-hollow geometries, in which the first one had the cells larger than they needed to be (so overlapping with others), and the second one had them exactly of the right dimension: ``` difference() { base_geometry(range, angle, infill, extra_padding = 2); base_geometry(range, angle, infill, extra_padding = 0); } ``` This way the only portion of the solid remaining was the `extra_padding` on the outer edges of the geometry.
5,048	<p>The short version of my question is:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>Are 3D printed parts made of ABS likely to survive for <strong>one year</strong> in an incubator at <strong>80℃</strong>?</em></p> </blockquote> <p>Please read on for more details.</p> <p>I am printing some parts that will be used inside an incubator in a lab. They are likely to be used at 80℃ for at least a year, possibly even at higher temperatures than that. (But most likely under 100℃.)</p> <p>We're currently using ABS for these parts. My question is whether 3D printed ABS will degrade under those conditions. (For example: will it become soft and slump; will it discolour; will it become brittle?) The parts clip together to form quite a big object, which is basically a rack holding a lot of glass vials, so it's important that it stays rigid.</p> <p>I did find some papers on thermal degradation of ABS (for example <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141391002000459" rel="noreferrer">this one</a> looks quite comprehensive) but I don't have the experience to interpret them in terms of how my parts will behave practically. I'm also not sure if being 3D printed will make a difference.</p> <p>If ABS is not suitable for this kind of application, are there other plastics that are? We're using the Zortrax M200, so our choices are the plastics listed <a href="https://zortrax.com/materials/zortrax-m-series/" rel="noreferrer">here</a>. I note that PCABS is listed as specifically being temperature resistant, so we might go with that - but we'd prefer ABS if it will work, since it comes in white rather than ivory (which is important for our application) and we have plenty of it available.</p> <hr> <p><strong>update:</strong> we decided in the end that using ABS is too risky, so we went with PCABS and we'll just live with the yellowish colour. (We might paint it white.) It's currently in the oven on a test run, and if it doesn't fail in a few weeks we'll take the risk of running the year-long experiment with this material. However, we would still <em>very greatly</em> appreciate advice from anyone who has concrete knowledge or experience of this kind of situation.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5064, "author": "MechanizedMedic", "author_id": 6093, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6093", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would recommend <a href=\"http://taulman3d.com/bluprint-spec.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Taulman Bluprint</a>, which has a T<sub>g</sub> of 100 °C and prints around 250 °C. </p>\n\n<p>I got a small sample and it printed well with the recommended settings. I didn't do any thermal testing with my print (I made a knob for a lawn mower with it) but Taulman has a solid reputation for engineered filaments.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5072, "author": "Nir", "author_id": 170, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/170", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your ABS filament is likely to be different than the ABS the paper is talking about, at the minimum the filament has added coloring (ABS is not naturally white), its possible it has other additives to make it easier to extrude and - especially for low cost ABS - it's also possible it has other random contaminant.</p>\n\n<p>The \"same\" material from different manufacturers is often very obviously different (for low cost filament, different batches from the same manufacturer are sometimes different) so, even if someone here did have experience with cooking ABS for a year, you can never be sure your ABS will work the same as their ABS.</p>\n\n<p>If the information is not in the material data sheet you can try to contact the manufacturer, other then that, you really have no way of knowing other then trying for yourself.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5378, "author": "Gonz", "author_id": 9816, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9816", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>heat it up see what happens also take into consideration additional support in case it degrades its still holding up. if possible give it somekind of protective coat. someone said paint but can you add a coat of resin or ceramic?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6534, "author": "typo", "author_id": 10684, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10684", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To answer your question briefly: <strong>No, ABS will not survive for a duration of at least one year at 80-100°C</strong>.</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/6X0uY.png\" alt=\"1]\">\nIf you look at the chart above (from Tiganis/Burn), you'll notice, that the blue line (ABS 90°C) is decreasing. I did an eyeball calculation of the graph and arrived at the equation (<code>J</code> for <em>break energy</em>, <code>h</code> for <em>hours</em>):</p>\n\n<pre><code>J = -0.002h + 14\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Based on that, a break energy of 0 Joule will be reached after <em>7056 hours or 294 days</em>.</p>\n\n<p>If you roam around internet forums on 3D printing, you'll find that that value is in the ballpark of people's experiences. I remember one case, where someone put out a piece of ABS in the sun and it broke down after a year.</p>\n\n<p>Tiganis; Burn: The Effects of Heat Aging on Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) Blends. In: Lacasse; Vanier (1999): Durability of Building Materials and Components 8, pp. 912-922.</p>\n" } ]	2017/11/29	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5048", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/612/" ]	The short version of my question is: > > Are 3D printed parts made of ABS likely to survive for one year* in an incubator at 80℃?* > > > Please read on for more details. I am printing some parts that will be used inside an incubator in a lab. They are likely to be used at 80℃ for at least a year, possibly even at higher temperatures than that. (But most likely under 100℃.) We're currently using ABS for these parts. My question is whether 3D printed ABS will degrade under those conditions. (For example: will it become soft and slump; will it discolour; will it become brittle?) The parts clip together to form quite a big object, which is basically a rack holding a lot of glass vials, so it's important that it stays rigid. I did find some papers on thermal degradation of ABS (for example [this one](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141391002000459) looks quite comprehensive) but I don't have the experience to interpret them in terms of how my parts will behave practically. I'm also not sure if being 3D printed will make a difference. If ABS is not suitable for this kind of application, are there other plastics that are? We're using the Zortrax M200, so our choices are the plastics listed [here](https://zortrax.com/materials/zortrax-m-series/). I note that PCABS is listed as specifically being temperature resistant, so we might go with that - but we'd prefer ABS if it will work, since it comes in white rather than ivory (which is important for our application) and we have plenty of it available. --- update: we decided in the end that using ABS is too risky, so we went with PCABS and we'll just live with the yellowish colour. (We might paint it white.) It's currently in the oven on a test run, and if it doesn't fail in a few weeks we'll take the risk of running the year-long experiment with this material. However, we would still very greatly appreciate advice from anyone who has concrete knowledge or experience of this kind of situation.	To answer your question briefly: No, ABS will not survive for a duration of at least one year at 80-100°C. ![1]](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6X0uY.png) If you look at the chart above (from Tiganis/Burn), you'll notice, that the blue line (ABS 90°C) is decreasing. I did an eyeball calculation of the graph and arrived at the equation (`J` for break energy, `h` for hours): ``` J = -0.002h + 14 ``` Based on that, a break energy of 0 Joule will be reached after 7056 hours or 294 days. If you roam around internet forums on 3D printing, you'll find that that value is in the ballpark of people's experiences. I remember one case, where someone put out a piece of ABS in the sun and it broke down after a year. Tiganis; Burn: The Effects of Heat Aging on Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) Blends. In: Lacasse; Vanier (1999): Durability of Building Materials and Components 8, pp. 912-922.
5,066	<p>I recently bought an Anet A8 (<a href="https://pevly.com/anet-a8-3d-printer-review/" rel="noreferrer">https://pevly.com/anet-a8-3d-printer-review/</a>). I've managed to get everything up and running, leveled the board, but am now running into a problem.</p> <p>At the start of the print, the printer moves to 0,0,0, bumps into the switches a couple times (I assume to calibrate or so?), and then starts "printing". But the nozzle "randomly" moves to either an X of 0 or an Y of 0 before returning to the printing position. This movement seems to pull off any basis the printer managed to lay down, which then forms a nice "ball" on the nozzle, to which the rest gets stuck. (I'm still having some other issues with getting the filament to stick to the bed, but there's plenty I still have to try out for that.)</p> <p>During one attempt of printing a very simple small cube, I carefully pulled the filament "ball" from the nozzle while it did one of those movements to X 0, and afterwards it managed to lay down the bottom layer perfectly fine. This causes me to believe those movements are the biggest problem I'm facing right now.</p> <p>After it did the first layer, it moved up a bit, moved to X 0, back to the model, and got stuck on a piece of plastic that was standing upwards.</p> <p>These movements seem to happen at around the same phase in the print, and happen quite consistently. Is this normal behavior? If so, how do I make sure the filament does not get pulled off during these weird movements? If not, how do I get rid of them?</p> <p>(No, not a duplicate of <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/962/printer-randomly-moves-to-home-during-printing-then-resumes-as-normal">Printer randomly moves to home during printing, then resumes as normal</a> as I print directly from PC.)</p> <hr> <p>Edit to add more information:</p> <p>I use Cura 3.0.4 for printing, the stock Anet A8 firmware, and am attempting to print the cube model that comes with Windows 10. (Yes, I've tried different models, same result.)</p> <p>I seem to have more issues, in the video it's visible that the feeding does not seem to work too great, but I think the random movements are the most clear and biggest problem right now, so I should tackle that first.</p> <p>In Cura I've used the Pruisa I3 printer, with the following G-codes:</p> <pre><code>G21 ;metric values G90 ;absolute positioning M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode M107 ;start with the fan off G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops G29 G1 Z15.0 F9000 ;move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F200 E3 ;extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again G1 F9000 M117 Printing... </code></pre> <p>and end</p> <pre><code>M104 S0 ;extruder heater off M140 S0 ;heated bed heater off (if you have it) G91 ;relative positioning G1 E-1 F300 ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F9000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way M84 ;steppers off G90 ;absolute positioning </code></pre> <p>(Yes, I added in the G29 in the start code manually, as I bought the official auto-leveling sensor. I'm not sure if it works though, but I read somewhere that I might need a different version of the firmware to support it properly.)</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/lrk8iG1H4ig" rel="noreferrer">And here's a video showing what my printer does do exactly.</a> It started printing from the center in this case, it seems to randomly either move to the middle or to 0,0,0 when I abort the print.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5074, "author": "Hacky", "author_id": 4708, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4708", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I see two problems in your video:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>It looks like the first layer is built too much upwards. (The level calibration should be so that a Z-height of 0 can barely fit a sheet of paper under the nozzle. )</li>\n<li>Your printer is not extruding at all. As you said, the extrusion has some problems. Extrusion problems will cause adhesion problems too. </li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5083, "author": "Daniël van den Berg", "author_id": 9237, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9237", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I switched to different firmware (the latest Marlin), now the problem has been resolved. So it seems to me that those random movements are not in fact normal, but a flaw in the firmware.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5085, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The main problem shown in the video is because you are printing an oversized part, the random movements to X and Y is due the exceeded lines. Also the nozzle has a wrong Z0 and the part won't get adhesion to the bed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 18500, "author": "Останин Вадим", "author_id": 21932, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/21932", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Formating SD card fixes issue for me.\nI think that writing many times to the same block of SD card corrupt some block of flash SD card memory.</p>\n" } ]	2017/12/02	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5066", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9237/" ]	I recently bought an Anet A8 (<https://pevly.com/anet-a8-3d-printer-review/>). I've managed to get everything up and running, leveled the board, but am now running into a problem. At the start of the print, the printer moves to 0,0,0, bumps into the switches a couple times (I assume to calibrate or so?), and then starts "printing". But the nozzle "randomly" moves to either an X of 0 or an Y of 0 before returning to the printing position. This movement seems to pull off any basis the printer managed to lay down, which then forms a nice "ball" on the nozzle, to which the rest gets stuck. (I'm still having some other issues with getting the filament to stick to the bed, but there's plenty I still have to try out for that.) During one attempt of printing a very simple small cube, I carefully pulled the filament "ball" from the nozzle while it did one of those movements to X 0, and afterwards it managed to lay down the bottom layer perfectly fine. This causes me to believe those movements are the biggest problem I'm facing right now. After it did the first layer, it moved up a bit, moved to X 0, back to the model, and got stuck on a piece of plastic that was standing upwards. These movements seem to happen at around the same phase in the print, and happen quite consistently. Is this normal behavior? If so, how do I make sure the filament does not get pulled off during these weird movements? If not, how do I get rid of them? (No, not a duplicate of [Printer randomly moves to home during printing, then resumes as normal](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/962/printer-randomly-moves-to-home-during-printing-then-resumes-as-normal) as I print directly from PC.) --- Edit to add more information: I use Cura 3.0.4 for printing, the stock Anet A8 firmware, and am attempting to print the cube model that comes with Windows 10. (Yes, I've tried different models, same result.) I seem to have more issues, in the video it's visible that the feeding does not seem to work too great, but I think the random movements are the most clear and biggest problem right now, so I should tackle that first. In Cura I've used the Pruisa I3 printer, with the following G-codes: ``` G21 ;metric values G90 ;absolute positioning M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode M107 ;start with the fan off G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops G29 G1 Z15.0 F9000 ;move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F200 E3 ;extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again G1 F9000 M117 Printing... ``` and end ``` M104 S0 ;extruder heater off M140 S0 ;heated bed heater off (if you have it) G91 ;relative positioning G1 E-1 F300 ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F9000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way M84 ;steppers off G90 ;absolute positioning ``` (Yes, I added in the G29 in the start code manually, as I bought the official auto-leveling sensor. I'm not sure if it works though, but I read somewhere that I might need a different version of the firmware to support it properly.) [And here's a video showing what my printer does do exactly.](https://youtu.be/lrk8iG1H4ig) It started printing from the center in this case, it seems to randomly either move to the middle or to 0,0,0 when I abort the print.	I switched to different firmware (the latest Marlin), now the problem has been resolved. So it seems to me that those random movements are not in fact normal, but a flaw in the firmware.
5,078	<p>I work on communication devices for people with disabilities that prevent them from speaking. This can be anything from a board with symbols on, to a relatively sophisticated app. </p> <p>Some potential users also have sight issues and have to distinguish symbols by feel (these particular users have cognitive disabilities and so braile isn't useful) . Currently the solution is to, by hand, stick items onto the buttons. Like this: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cFS0d.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cFS0d.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>This is effective, but takes a very long time. </p> <p>There exists open symbol libraries <a href="http://straight-street.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">like this</a>, that include nice svg images like <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/e5emeku99xxmeub/traffic%20lights.svg?dl=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> (not uploaded, because SO doesn't like svg, but here's the screenshot: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/746CY.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/746CY.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>A friend converted some of these images into 3d prints like so: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cv41n.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cv41n.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>This was amazing, and useful, but I understand quite time-intensive for him - and there are thousands of these symbols.</p> <p>Here's what I want to know: given that SVG is a relatively simple structure and the symbols are very simple, what are the steps for writing the script that says: "Take the svg, map it to a plane, raise everything that is black by 2mm, everything that is gray by 1mm and add height for the rest of the colours according to this table" ? </p> <p>Bonus points for something that I can reasonably get going on a set of 10000 svg files and come back to later...</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5079, "author": "Ross", "author_id": 7595, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7595", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you install inkscape, pstoedit and ghostscript version 9.21 (not the latest as pstoedit is incompatible) you can get the file into a format that openscad can \nimport using two commands in a cmd file </p>\n\n<pre><code>\"C:\\Program Files\\Inkscape\\inkscape\" -E \"traffic lights.eps\" \"traffic lights.svg\"\n\"C:\\Program Files\\pstoedit\\pstoedit\" -dt -f dxf:-polyaslines \"traffic lights.eps\" \"traffic lights.dxf\"\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>then in openscad</p>\n\n<pre><code>linear_extrude(3) import (\"traffic lights.dxf\");\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>will import gives me </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BM0c.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BM0c.png\" alt=\"openscad\"></a></p>\n\n<p>With a thickness of 3mm - you can see the model needs some scaling but its seems possible although - I can't see an option to scale based on color - </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5082, "author": "Nautis", "author_id": 9285, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9285", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Nothing thats works via scripting BUT is really simple and easy.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>register on tinkercad.com (I know register is a bummer but its a great tool)</li>\n<li>open a new design</li>\n<li>import *.svg file</li>\n<li>adjust height or size of the converted object</li>\n<li>download .stl</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Thats going to take a while for 1000 files but its so simple, printing the stuff will take forever, so you´ve got some time :P</p>\n\n<p>Edit: Maybe edit the topic to something like \"SVG to STL conversion\" which would make the thread more likely to be found.</p>\n" } ]	2017/12/05	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5078", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9273/" ]	I work on communication devices for people with disabilities that prevent them from speaking. This can be anything from a board with symbols on, to a relatively sophisticated app. Some potential users also have sight issues and have to distinguish symbols by feel (these particular users have cognitive disabilities and so braile isn't useful) . Currently the solution is to, by hand, stick items onto the buttons. Like this: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cFS0d.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cFS0d.png) This is effective, but takes a very long time. There exists open symbol libraries [like this](http://straight-street.com/), that include nice svg images like [this one](https://www.dropbox.com/s/e5emeku99xxmeub/traffic%20lights.svg?dl=0) (not uploaded, because SO doesn't like svg, but here's the screenshot: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/746CY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/746CY.png) A friend converted some of these images into 3d prints like so: [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cv41n.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cv41n.jpg) This was amazing, and useful, but I understand quite time-intensive for him - and there are thousands of these symbols. Here's what I want to know: given that SVG is a relatively simple structure and the symbols are very simple, what are the steps for writing the script that says: "Take the svg, map it to a plane, raise everything that is black by 2mm, everything that is gray by 1mm and add height for the rest of the colours according to this table" ? Bonus points for something that I can reasonably get going on a set of 10000 svg files and come back to later...	If you install inkscape, pstoedit and ghostscript version 9.21 (not the latest as pstoedit is incompatible) you can get the file into a format that openscad can import using two commands in a cmd file ``` "C:\Program Files\Inkscape\inkscape" -E "traffic lights.eps" "traffic lights.svg" "C:\Program Files\pstoedit\pstoedit" -dt -f dxf:-polyaslines "traffic lights.eps" "traffic lights.dxf" ``` then in openscad ``` linear_extrude(3) import ("traffic lights.dxf"); ``` will import gives me [![openscad](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BM0c.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BM0c.png) With a thickness of 3mm - you can see the model needs some scaling but its seems possible although - I can't see an option to scale based on color -
5,151	<p>I'm designing a few mechanisms with OpenSCAD, and one of the parameters that need adjustment between printers/filaments is allowances between pieces that need to be assembled together (for example, if I want a "5 mm diameter pin" to fasten two pieces together, how much larger than 5 mm will the holes / how much smaller than 5 mm will the pin need to be).</p> <p>Currently I approach the problem by setting a global variable <code>allowance</code> and manually using it in the code, something like:</p> <pre><code>module pin(radius) { cylinder(r = radius + allowance) } module hole(radius) { cylinder(r = radius - allowance) } </code></pre> <p>I have no real world experience with design though, so I wonder if there are common or <strong>coding</strong> best practices to account for allowances when designing parts like for example:</p> <ul> <li>specific modules to be used,</li> <li>conventional names for variables</li> <li>specific techniques to be used (scaling? vectors?)</li> <li>conventions (like only use tolerances on the fastener, not the fastened object)</li> <li>...?</li> </ul> <p>To clarify: I'm not looking on advice on how to plan the dimensions of my designs. Rather, I am looking for advice on how to organise the OpenSCAD code generating them.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5178, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, the tolerances will depend on material to be used for fabrication of the required part and also where the part will go and fit. Remember the all parts need some clearance to fit properly.</p>\n\n<p>Few years ago (10 years) I was working as Quality Engineer and some Design Engineers were complaining about a Dupont pin was not fitting on the PCB so they told me that I need to force the PCB manufacturing to increase the holes to the higher tolerance. Which I had to ask him firstly the pin size and told me 0.70 mm and hole size 0.80 and maximum 0.90 \n - hmmm and maximum size of the pin? I asked, and they told me proudly 0.78mm so the part will fit perfectly.\n - Oh, so one square pin of 0.78mm will fit on one hole of 0.9mm, but what about the diagonal dimension? if the pin on the higher dimension is close to 1.2mm.</p>\n\n<p>Imagine what happened later, engineering changes and modifying other designs due improper tolerances. pro-engineer software was unable to calculate what the designers needed.</p>\n\n<p>Material has shrinkage, warpage, and other conditions that is needed to know like malleability and hardness and some of this data is on the specification material or the part specification.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5187, "author": "John Deters", "author_id": 7197, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/7197", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It helps to understand the different aspects of dimensions, so you can use the terminology correctly. This will help you define your variables in OpenSCAD with correct names. (Tolerance is the wrong term to use.) And once you have correct names, you'll understand how to specify the dimensions in OpenSCAD.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Tolerance</em> is the amount of random deviation or variation permitted for a given dimension.</li>\n<li><em>Allowance</em> is a planned difference between a nominal or reference value and an exact value. </li>\n<li><em>Clearance</em> is the intentional space between two parts.</li>\n<li><em>Interference</em> is the intentional overlap between two parts. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Two other terms </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Accuracy</em> is the maximum dimensional variation between parts. A machine cannot produce parts with a tighter tolerance than its accuracy.</li>\n<li><em>Precision</em> is the size of the steps your machine is capable of. It is often confused with accuracy.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In your case you need to define the <em>allowance</em> in order to create the <em>clearance</em> you desire.</p>\n\n<p>To design your 5 mm pin and 5 mm hole, you need to understand your machine's accuracy. The printer could print the pin larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. Or it could print the hole larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. You'll need to print some pins and holes and measure the differences between what you defined and what you printed. The difference between the largest and smallest measurements you take is your machine's accuracy. And be sure to check the accuracy in your X, Y, and Z dimensions; your printer might have a difference between them that would impact the roundness of the parts. </p>\n\n<p>Let's say that your printer's measured accuracy is ± 0.2 mm.</p>\n\n<p>Then, we move to clearance. What is the minimum gap between parts you are looking for, and what is the maximum you can accept?</p>\n\n<p>Let's say you want a clearance of at least 0.2 mm between the pin and hole, but no more than 1.0 mm. Since your accuracy is ± 0.2 mm, your pin will be 5.0 ± 0.2 mm, so the hole must therefore be 5.6 mm ± 0.2 mm. The minimum tolerance condition would be an minimum sized hole (5.4 mm) and a maximum sized pin (5.2 mm); the maximum tolerance would be a maximum sized hole (5.8 mm) and a minimum sized pin (4.8 mm).</p>\n\n<p>Note that a clearance of 1.0 mm might be too sloppy for your application. You might think to tighten the tolerances to 0.05 mm in order to reduce the clearance. But if your printer can't produce a part that meets your specified tolerances, you would need to find a different way to manufacture or finish the parts.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5398, "author": "Nick Dancer", "author_id": 9835, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9835", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I’m not aware of a standard in Openscad but I can share what I have done in the past.</p>\n\n<pre><code>cutoutActualDiameter = 10;\ncutoutDiameterClearance = 0.1;\ncutoutDiameter = cutoutActualDiameter + cutoutDiameterClearance;\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I know this is verbose but unfortunately in my experience that is a necessity if you want your code to be maintainable in Openscad. The benefit of this is that up until you need any clearance added you can just use the variable <code>cutoutDiameter</code>and then if and when you do need clearance added you can rename that variable and you don’t have to change any of the code where the variable is consumed.</p>\n\n<p>Would love to hear how others manage this though.</p>\n" } ]	2017/12/20	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5151", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134/" ]	I'm designing a few mechanisms with OpenSCAD, and one of the parameters that need adjustment between printers/filaments is allowances between pieces that need to be assembled together (for example, if I want a "5 mm diameter pin" to fasten two pieces together, how much larger than 5 mm will the holes / how much smaller than 5 mm will the pin need to be). Currently I approach the problem by setting a global variable `allowance` and manually using it in the code, something like: ``` module pin(radius) { cylinder(r = radius + allowance) } module hole(radius) { cylinder(r = radius - allowance) } ``` I have no real world experience with design though, so I wonder if there are common or coding best practices to account for allowances when designing parts like for example: * specific modules to be used, * conventional names for variables * specific techniques to be used (scaling? vectors?) * conventions (like only use tolerances on the fastener, not the fastened object) * ...? To clarify: I'm not looking on advice on how to plan the dimensions of my designs. Rather, I am looking for advice on how to organise the OpenSCAD code generating them.	It helps to understand the different aspects of dimensions, so you can use the terminology correctly. This will help you define your variables in OpenSCAD with correct names. (Tolerance is the wrong term to use.) And once you have correct names, you'll understand how to specify the dimensions in OpenSCAD. * Tolerance is the amount of random deviation or variation permitted for a given dimension. * Allowance is a planned difference between a nominal or reference value and an exact value. * Clearance is the intentional space between two parts. * Interference is the intentional overlap between two parts. Two other terms * Accuracy is the maximum dimensional variation between parts. A machine cannot produce parts with a tighter tolerance than its accuracy. * Precision is the size of the steps your machine is capable of. It is often confused with accuracy. In your case you need to define the allowance in order to create the clearance you desire. To design your 5 mm pin and 5 mm hole, you need to understand your machine's accuracy. The printer could print the pin larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. Or it could print the hole larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. You'll need to print some pins and holes and measure the differences between what you defined and what you printed. The difference between the largest and smallest measurements you take is your machine's accuracy. And be sure to check the accuracy in your X, Y, and Z dimensions; your printer might have a difference between them that would impact the roundness of the parts. Let's say that your printer's measured accuracy is ± 0.2 mm. Then, we move to clearance. What is the minimum gap between parts you are looking for, and what is the maximum you can accept? Let's say you want a clearance of at least 0.2 mm between the pin and hole, but no more than 1.0 mm. Since your accuracy is ± 0.2 mm, your pin will be 5.0 ± 0.2 mm, so the hole must therefore be 5.6 mm ± 0.2 mm. The minimum tolerance condition would be an minimum sized hole (5.4 mm) and a maximum sized pin (5.2 mm); the maximum tolerance would be a maximum sized hole (5.8 mm) and a minimum sized pin (4.8 mm). Note that a clearance of 1.0 mm might be too sloppy for your application. You might think to tighten the tolerances to 0.05 mm in order to reduce the clearance. But if your printer can't produce a part that meets your specified tolerances, you would need to find a different way to manufacture or finish the parts.
5,183	<p>I'm trying to print a cylinder with Flashprint. Problem is, that the .stl file i created (with OpenSCAD) is totally ruined once loaded into Flashprint. With ruined I mean the round outline is now with spikes and steps everywhere. And by loaded I mean directly after loading, not even creating the .gx files. The output of OpenSCAD looks fine, also in other stl viewers I tried.</p> <p>I figured out the problem occurs more when using certain number of fragments ($fn). If its very small, loading works better. But for numbers that make it acutally look like a round circle (eg 50), Flashprint is unable to load them correctly it seems.</p> <p>It's obvious that its no slicing or printing problem, but simply a loading one, since the shown object (which does not look any round) also prints the way it is shown in flashprint before slicing.</p> <p>Does someone know a way to load a cylinder with flashprint correctly, or do I have to switch to different software? I already installed some but am unfamiliar with the printer settings which I do not know in detail. I really though a cylinder should'nt be too complex for any 3D software.</p> <p>Here is the OpenSCAD Code for Cylinder, just create .stl and load into Flashprint to reproduce the Error:</p> <pre><code>rotate_extrude($fn=70) translate([0, 0]) square([20,2]); </code></pre> <p>See also this image (tried native cylinder code, problem remains the same however): <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png" alt=""></a></p>	[ { "answer_id": 5173, "author": "markshancock", "author_id": 6417, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6417", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From an electrical standpoint, a two-phase stepper motors (what most 3D printers use) works the same backwards and forwards, the phase just reverses. If you are stalling on only one direction, I would look to see if you have a mechanical bind in that direction. Generally a wiring issue will cause the motor to either not run at all or to run in the wrong direction.</p>\n\n<p>A few things you can check:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Decouple the motors from their mechanical load and confirm that they all run correctly when they aren't driving a load. If you can't do that, disconnect them all then connect a spare motor to each cable one-at-a-time.</li>\n<li>Turn each of the axis with your hand and make sure it turns smoothly throughout the entire range in both directions. Note: Some times a binding issue is acceleration related - a loose frame or coupling can cause this.</li>\n<li>Monitor the supply voltage to make sure that one of the motors is not pulling the supply down causing all the others to stall.</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 8277, "author": "silver", "author_id": 12950, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12950", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sounds like you are configured for NC switches but are using NO switches, causing them to invert their reported state. Issue a <strong>M119</strong> command and see if the endstop statuses are correct when none are triggered.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 12231, "author": "Bentley", "author_id": 20465, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/20465", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Had a similar issue with one of the stepper motors on a Flashforge Creator Pro.</p>\n\n<p>Just finished a print as the head was returning to the home position and sounded like it was jammed up, inspected in jog mode and it would move left but not right then neither direction, disconnected, check for free movement and all was good found this thread and was thinking it might be a bad motor but turned out to be just a bad wire going to the motor.</p>\n" } ]	2017/12/28	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5183", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9499/" ]	I'm trying to print a cylinder with Flashprint. Problem is, that the .stl file i created (with OpenSCAD) is totally ruined once loaded into Flashprint. With ruined I mean the round outline is now with spikes and steps everywhere. And by loaded I mean directly after loading, not even creating the .gx files. The output of OpenSCAD looks fine, also in other stl viewers I tried. I figured out the problem occurs more when using certain number of fragments ($fn). If its very small, loading works better. But for numbers that make it acutally look like a round circle (eg 50), Flashprint is unable to load them correctly it seems. It's obvious that its no slicing or printing problem, but simply a loading one, since the shown object (which does not look any round) also prints the way it is shown in flashprint before slicing. Does someone know a way to load a cylinder with flashprint correctly, or do I have to switch to different software? I already installed some but am unfamiliar with the printer settings which I do not know in detail. I really though a cylinder should'nt be too complex for any 3D software. Here is the OpenSCAD Code for Cylinder, just create .stl and load into Flashprint to reproduce the Error: ``` rotate_extrude($fn=70) translate([0, 0]) square([20,2]); ``` See also this image (tried native cylinder code, problem remains the same however): [![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png)	From an electrical standpoint, a two-phase stepper motors (what most 3D printers use) works the same backwards and forwards, the phase just reverses. If you are stalling on only one direction, I would look to see if you have a mechanical bind in that direction. Generally a wiring issue will cause the motor to either not run at all or to run in the wrong direction. A few things you can check: 1. Decouple the motors from their mechanical load and confirm that they all run correctly when they aren't driving a load. If you can't do that, disconnect them all then connect a spare motor to each cable one-at-a-time. 2. Turn each of the axis with your hand and make sure it turns smoothly throughout the entire range in both directions. Note: Some times a binding issue is acceleration related - a loose frame or coupling can cause this. 3. Monitor the supply voltage to make sure that one of the motors is not pulling the supply down causing all the others to stall.
5,268	<p>As first layer is so important, I am looking for an easy way to generate the gcode to print just the first layer. I see that with Slic3r you can cut from a Z But for test purposes I prefer just selecting a number of layers to be generated so I can easily generate different "first layer(s) tests" with different first layer(s) settings (width, height, speed, flow....) The only way I achieve it is editing the gcode. Any help? Thanks</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5269, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I understand your question like this:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I know I could cut the mesh and just slice the bottom of my model, but since I am interested in a given <strong>number of layers</strong> and the heigh of a layer may change according to settings (e.g.: 0.2mm, 0.1mm, 0.05mm...), I want to find a way to generate an arbitrary number of layers from the full model. I use slic3r.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If my understanding is correct, then you can achieve what you want with a few steps.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Use verbose GCODE</strong></p>\n\n<p>The setting is under \"Print settings → Output Options\". This will output gcode with comments in it.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Save the finishing gcode of a valid printing job</strong></p>\n\n<p>Basically, open a valid gcode file, and save the last few lines (comments will help you to understand which ones, it changes from printer to printer) in a separate file (<code>gcode.tail</code>). These lines are typically those that move away the nozzle from the print, disable the heating element, the steppers and the part cooling fan.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Prepare the <code>first-lines.sh</code> script</strong></p>\n\n<pre><code>#! /usr/bin/env sh\nsed -e '/move to next layer (3)/,$d' $1 > /tmp/gcode.tmp\necho ~/gcode.tail >> /tmp/gcode.tmp\necho /tmp/gcode.tmp\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>What this script does is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>take a file name from the command line (<code>$1</code>) and savie into <code>gcode.tmp</code> only the part of it up to and excluding the line saying \"move to the next layer (3)\" (you should actually use the number of layers you actually want here, <code>3</code> is just an example). Again, the presence of such a line depends from you generating \"verbose gcode\".</li>\n<li>append to <code>gcode.tmp</code> the content of the file <code>gcode.tail</code> (here replace <code>~/</code> with the actual path on your machine.</li>\n<li>output as a stream the full content of <code>gcode.tmp</code></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Set your printer to automatically run the script onto the generated gcode</strong></p>\n\n<p>This setting is again under \"Print settings → Output Options\". You have to type in the full path to <code>first-lines.sh</code>. Also remember to make the script executable (<code>chmod +x first-lines.sh</code>).</p>\n\n<p>You can also hover over the textbox to get additional information of how you can access slic3r variables there (for example you may want to read the layer height from the settings and compute within the script the number of layers you want to keep).</p>\n\n<p><strong>Profit</strong></p>\n\n<p>:)</p>\n\n<p>Final notes:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>I tried the sed command and have post-processing scripts running on my gcode myself, so it should work, but I haven't tried the full procedure myself, if you encounter bugs please leave a comment so I can fix the answer for everybody. :)</li>\n<li>I use slic3r Prusa Edition (I believe these settings are the same, but just in case... you may wish to <a href=\"https://github.com/prusa3d/Slic3r/releases\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">download</a> that version.</li>\n<li>All of the above should work out-of-the-box on all mainstream Linux distributions and OSX. For windows, it has been suggested in the comments to install <a href=\"http://www.cygwin.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">CygWin</a>.</li>\n<li>Since this procedure still slices the full model and then throw away most of it, you could make it faster by only slicing a reasonably thick \"bottom part\" of your model. For example: say that you know you will never want to print more than 5 layers and never with a layer height past 0.3mm... in this case you could only keep the bottom 2mm of your model and you'd be safe for all other combinations of layers and layer heights. Don't keep <em>exactly</em> 1.5mm though, as this is likely to generate a different top layer than the one in the full model.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Good luck! :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5274, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could just insert an M30 at the end of layer 1, and the job will end there.</p>\n" } ]	2018/01/11	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5268", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4870/" ]	As first layer is so important, I am looking for an easy way to generate the gcode to print just the first layer. I see that with Slic3r you can cut from a Z But for test purposes I prefer just selecting a number of layers to be generated so I can easily generate different "first layer(s) tests" with different first layer(s) settings (width, height, speed, flow....) The only way I achieve it is editing the gcode. Any help? Thanks	I understand your question like this: > > I know I could cut the mesh and just slice the bottom of my model, but since I am interested in a given number of layers and the heigh of a layer may change according to settings (e.g.: 0.2mm, 0.1mm, 0.05mm...), I want to find a way to generate an arbitrary number of layers from the full model. I use slic3r. > > > If my understanding is correct, then you can achieve what you want with a few steps. Use verbose GCODE The setting is under "Print settings → Output Options". This will output gcode with comments in it. Save the finishing gcode of a valid printing job Basically, open a valid gcode file, and save the last few lines (comments will help you to understand which ones, it changes from printer to printer) in a separate file (`gcode.tail`). These lines are typically those that move away the nozzle from the print, disable the heating element, the steppers and the part cooling fan. Prepare the `first-lines.sh` script ``` #! /usr/bin/env sh sed -e '/move to next layer (3)/,$d' $1 > /tmp/gcode.tmp echo ~/gcode.tail >> /tmp/gcode.tmp echo /tmp/gcode.tmp ``` What this script does is: * take a file name from the command line (`$1`) and savie into `gcode.tmp` only the part of it up to and excluding the line saying "move to the next layer (3)" (you should actually use the number of layers you actually want here, `3` is just an example). Again, the presence of such a line depends from you generating "verbose gcode". * append to `gcode.tmp` the content of the file `gcode.tail` (here replace `~/` with the actual path on your machine. * output as a stream the full content of `gcode.tmp` Set your printer to automatically run the script onto the generated gcode This setting is again under "Print settings → Output Options". You have to type in the full path to `first-lines.sh`. Also remember to make the script executable (`chmod +x first-lines.sh`). You can also hover over the textbox to get additional information of how you can access slic3r variables there (for example you may want to read the layer height from the settings and compute within the script the number of layers you want to keep). Profit :) Final notes: * I tried the sed command and have post-processing scripts running on my gcode myself, so it should work, but I haven't tried the full procedure myself, if you encounter bugs please leave a comment so I can fix the answer for everybody. :) * I use slic3r Prusa Edition (I believe these settings are the same, but just in case... you may wish to [download](https://github.com/prusa3d/Slic3r/releases) that version. * All of the above should work out-of-the-box on all mainstream Linux distributions and OSX. For windows, it has been suggested in the comments to install [CygWin](http://www.cygwin.com/). * Since this procedure still slices the full model and then throw away most of it, you could make it faster by only slicing a reasonably thick "bottom part" of your model. For example: say that you know you will never want to print more than 5 layers and never with a layer height past 0.3mm... in this case you could only keep the bottom 2mm of your model and you'd be safe for all other combinations of layers and layer heights. Don't keep exactly 1.5mm though, as this is likely to generate a different top layer than the one in the full model. Good luck! :)
5,275	<p>I've just finished building a new printer and I wanted to take advantage of a 32 bits board I ordered some time ago. The board is an MKS SBase 1.3</p> <p>I've been researching the Smoothiware firmware but somehow I'm not convinced by it yet. One of the things pulling me off is the Z-Probe behavior. On my Arduino-Marlin 1.1.8 machine, I have a probe which serves as both probe and Z-Endstop without a problem and very elegant implemented whereas on Smoothie, it's not so trivial as far as I've seen.</p> <p>Anyway, there is a branch of Marlin which is not yet for release but for testing and it supports 32 bits boards, being mine mentioned above one of them: </p> <p><a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/tree/bugfix-2.0.x" rel="noreferrer">https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/tree/bugfix-2.0.x</a></p> <p>I have yet to find some documentation explaining how to install it. The closest thing I found is a thread on their GitHub "forum":</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/8131" rel="noreferrer">https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/8131</a></p> <p>It seems that you have to build the project to create a firmware.bin file which you can copy to the microSD card and it will flash automatically to the board... again, no "official" documentation found.</p> <p>I've tried the steps described in this thread but I'm not able to compile for my board as it gives an error no matter what:</p> <pre><code>Marlin/src/gcode/eeprom/M500-M504.cpp:74:5: error: no matching function for call to 'MarlinSettings::report(bool, int16_t&)' </code></pre> <p>Has somebody successfully compiled this firmware? Is there something I might be doing wrong?</p> <p>I'm on a macOS machine, using Atom as editor with the Platformio-IDE installed.</p> <p>Any help is appreciated, Thanks in advance!</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5272, "author": "Mick", "author_id": 3953, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/3953", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I doubt that it means very much at all. Filament manufacturers are very tight-lipped about the co-polymers that they add to their base stock in order to improve handling and performance characteristics, so it is impossible to say. The only common attribute that I can see is an advertised diameter tolerance of ±0.02mm. Maybe HD stands for <em>high-definition</em>, rather than <em>high-density</em>?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5289, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So, low-teck, old-style investigative work from my side.... I contacted <a href=\"http://www.filright.com\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a company</a> selling HDPLA and they got back to me with the following reply.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>We created HDPLA as an industrial PLA with special additives. As a result, our so called HDPLA has the advantages of ABS, but prints as easy as regular PLA. HDPLA has high impact, high strength and high heat deflection temperature (hdt). You can also print at high speed (max 140mm/s inhouse tests). HDPLA has is own high strength, but is even more strong after annealing. A heated bed is not necessary (50-60˚C recommended), and you can print with HDPLA with a 3D printer with open structure.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is strikingly similar to the <a href=\"https://www.3dprima.com/filaments/primaselect-pla-pro-1-75mm-750-g-black/a-22432/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">description of what 3Dprima calls \"Prima SELECT PRO\"</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>PrimaSelect™ PLA PRO ist the next generation of high performance PLA for demanding industrial applications. Designed to be able to print fast >120mm/s so you can save on production time. Very high heat resistance (95°C+) after annealing. Excellent mechanical properties combined with a matte surface finish that helps concealing the printed layers for optimum appearance.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While writing this answer I also found <a href=\"http://fiberlogy.com/en/fiberlogy-filaments/filament-hd-pla/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a page</a> that escaped my googling until now, sating an additional property of \"their\" HDPLA: food safety.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>With our HD PLA you have many more options. You can use this material in two ways. Choose the one you like best. You can use it as a normal PLA and get prints characterized by a very good adhesion between the layers and high precision. You can also make your prints acquire similar properties to that of ABS – better impact resistance and high temperature resistance. All you need is an oven. Yes, an oven! By annealing our HD PLA in an oven, in accordance with the manual, you will avoid all the inconveniences of printing with ABS, such as unpleasant odour or hazardous fumes. But these are not all the advantages of HD PLA. For the production of this material we have chosen raw materials that are approved for food contact in compliance with the EU directive and FDA regulations. HD PLA is also certified by RoHS.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So, it looks like HDPLA is not the shorthand of a polymer molecule, but rather <strong>a trade word indicating that the base PLA has been mixed with additives</strong>. Furthermore, the answer I got via mail seems to indicate that <strong>\"HD\" refers to the high <em>Heat Deflection</em> temperature</strong> of the filament (the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_deflection_temperature\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">heat deflection temperature</a> is the temperature at which a polymer or plastic sample deforms under a specified load).</p>\n" } ]	2018/01/12	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5275", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8274/" ]	I've just finished building a new printer and I wanted to take advantage of a 32 bits board I ordered some time ago. The board is an MKS SBase 1.3 I've been researching the Smoothiware firmware but somehow I'm not convinced by it yet. One of the things pulling me off is the Z-Probe behavior. On my Arduino-Marlin 1.1.8 machine, I have a probe which serves as both probe and Z-Endstop without a problem and very elegant implemented whereas on Smoothie, it's not so trivial as far as I've seen. Anyway, there is a branch of Marlin which is not yet for release but for testing and it supports 32 bits boards, being mine mentioned above one of them: <https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/tree/bugfix-2.0.x> I have yet to find some documentation explaining how to install it. The closest thing I found is a thread on their GitHub "forum": <https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/8131> It seems that you have to build the project to create a firmware.bin file which you can copy to the microSD card and it will flash automatically to the board... again, no "official" documentation found. I've tried the steps described in this thread but I'm not able to compile for my board as it gives an error no matter what: ``` Marlin/src/gcode/eeprom/M500-M504.cpp:74:5: error: no matching function for call to 'MarlinSettings::report(bool, int16_t&)' ``` Has somebody successfully compiled this firmware? Is there something I might be doing wrong? I'm on a macOS machine, using Atom as editor with the Platformio-IDE installed. Any help is appreciated, Thanks in advance!	So, low-teck, old-style investigative work from my side.... I contacted [a company](http://www.filright.com) selling HDPLA and they got back to me with the following reply. > > We created HDPLA as an industrial PLA with special additives. As a result, our so called HDPLA has the advantages of ABS, but prints as easy as regular PLA. HDPLA has high impact, high strength and high heat deflection temperature (hdt). You can also print at high speed (max 140mm/s inhouse tests). HDPLA has is own high strength, but is even more strong after annealing. A heated bed is not necessary (50-60˚C recommended), and you can print with HDPLA with a 3D printer with open structure. > > > This is strikingly similar to the [description of what 3Dprima calls "Prima SELECT PRO"](https://www.3dprima.com/filaments/primaselect-pla-pro-1-75mm-750-g-black/a-22432/): > > PrimaSelect™ PLA PRO ist the next generation of high performance PLA for demanding industrial applications. Designed to be able to print fast >120mm/s so you can save on production time. Very high heat resistance (95°C+) after annealing. Excellent mechanical properties combined with a matte surface finish that helps concealing the printed layers for optimum appearance. > > > While writing this answer I also found [a page](http://fiberlogy.com/en/fiberlogy-filaments/filament-hd-pla/) that escaped my googling until now, sating an additional property of "their" HDPLA: food safety. > > With our HD PLA you have many more options. You can use this material in two ways. Choose the one you like best. You can use it as a normal PLA and get prints characterized by a very good adhesion between the layers and high precision. You can also make your prints acquire similar properties to that of ABS – better impact resistance and high temperature resistance. All you need is an oven. Yes, an oven! By annealing our HD PLA in an oven, in accordance with the manual, you will avoid all the inconveniences of printing with ABS, such as unpleasant odour or hazardous fumes. But these are not all the advantages of HD PLA. For the production of this material we have chosen raw materials that are approved for food contact in compliance with the EU directive and FDA regulations. HD PLA is also certified by RoHS. > > > So, it looks like HDPLA is not the shorthand of a polymer molecule, but rather a trade word indicating that the base PLA has been mixed with additives. Furthermore, the answer I got via mail seems to indicate that *"HD" refers to the high Heat Deflection* temperature** of the filament (the [heat deflection temperature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_deflection_temperature) is the temperature at which a polymer or plastic sample deforms under a specified load).
5,294	<p>So I am trying to get the XSD-Schema from this object. When I open the File I just get something like this code (snippet):</p> <pre><code>¸†2¡Q·2ºyƒeCã2ï…w ïÀ\|¼ðAøä[0Ÿ \|>‚\|ó‘å2²ºFƒ¼Æò1ùàåcj@Þ`ùÐ¸Ì{áÈ;0/\|¾ ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á\|d½¬¬¯Õ ¯±\|l¾…Œo@Þ`ùÐ¸Ì{áÈ;0/\|¾ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á\|d½œ¬¯Ó ¯±\|h\æŒo@Þ`ù¸\| ßBs¦5–Œ~ôè»£(™c´“Ç£[yp1:æ'Ã‰c4Jó Uâ˜ÍÇ<h—8^'Ð¯É </code></pre> <p>What is this? How can I convert it back? I need to edit the structure manually. <br>Thank you in advance.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5298, "author": "Fernando Baltazar", "author_id": 4454, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Seems to be your are trying to edit a file with the wrong file editor.</p>\n\n<p>If you have Microsoft® Windows® 8.1, you can print directly using the 3MF format included. Simply set the print options in the 3D Print PropertyManager and print to the 3D printer. A preview of the print bed and the model's location within the print bed lets you modify settings before committing to a 3D print job.</p>\n\n<p>To access the 3D print dialog box and specify print options, click File > 3DPrint. The print dialog box that is available depends on your installed 3D print driver.</p>\n\n<p>If you need to get the STL you may need to use a file conversion, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MVeFiCN7bA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a> is a youtube tutorial to makeprintable</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5302, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Three likely culprit:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The file is compressed but your machine can't detect it</strong>. So for example the 3MF model has been zipped, and what you are trying to do is opening the zip archive in the text editor, rather than the file that is in the zip archive. Solution: try to see if common decompress utilities like zip, gzip, 7z can open the file.</li>\n<li><strong>The file is a 3MF model but the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_encoding\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">character encoding</a> in the file being different than the one your editor is expecting</strong> (typically <code>Unicode/UTF-8</code>, these days). Solution: read on the rest of this answer.</li>\n<li><strong>The file is a binary one that is totally unrelated to 3MF</strong>. So in essence: an error, you are trying to open maybe an MP3 or a JPG file believing it to be a 3MF instead.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>As for the \"wrong encoding\" option... Oversimplifying a bit, the story goes like this:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>computers write data to files in bytes,</li>\n<li>a byte can only be set to one of its 256 possible values,</li>\n<li>in the early days of computing, when computers were just glorified calculators, it was enough to have a 1:1 ratio between the byte possible values and the symbols one wanted to use, so <a href=\"http://www.asciitable.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ASCII</a> was born (actually ASCII only \"mapped\" the first 127 values of the byte, but that is a detail). So: value #49 would represent a <code>1</code>, value #90 a <code>Z</code> and so on...</li>\n<li>shortly afterwards, computers became powerful enough that people wanted to use them to process human languages, so the need for more characters (like accented ones <code>åáä</code> or the ones from non-latin alphabets like Cyrillic <code>язы́к</code> or arabic <code>عَرَبِيّ‎</code>, or...) came to be and engineers speaking different languages had the \"brilliant\" idea to each use the other 127 \"free slots\" in a byte for their favourite languages, thus a plethora of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_ASCII\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">extended ASCII</a> encodings was born, <strong>each using the same byte value, but each mapping to a different symbol</strong>.</li>\n<li>later on, people began to realise the need to combine the use of say Gaelic, English, Japanese and Farsi with mathematical symbols, and thus they came up to way to map symbols to values expressed as the product of more bytes (so for example: 2 bytes encoding could map 256x256=65536 symbols). Again: each system using the same values but different symbols.</li>\n<li>finally after decades of frustrated users and expensive bugs, engineers around the world settled for a multi-byte <strong>standard that has 1,114,112 possible values that could contain all characters one can possibly need</strong>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Unicode</a> was born.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Back to your question: despite unicode having been around for a few decades now, legacy software and sloppy programming are a thing, and there are still systems that do not use unicode internally but some legacy \"special purpose\" encoding.</p>\n\n<p>Unfortunately, it is <a href=\"https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/a/187174/29074\">impossible to say with certainty how a file was encoded</a>, so <strong>occasionally you may find yourself opening a file and starting decoding it according to a \"conversion table\" that is not the one used by the author of the file itself</strong>. This is what it looks like is happening to you.</p>\n\n<p>Onward to what you can try to do to fix this...</p>\n\n<p>First of all: as attentive readers may have already inferred, <strong>you will need the actual file</strong> for this. In fact if you cut-and-paste its \"content\" from an editor what you are really doing is cutting-and-pasting the <em>decoding</em> your computer did of the byte values, and not the byte values themselves.</p>\n\n<p>Then your best bets are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Try one of the online detectors</strong> like <a href=\"https://nlp.fi.muni.cz/projects/chared/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this one</a>, using \"English\" as a language. These detectors work by trying all the decoders they know of until the decoded file will have English (or another language of your choice) words in it. This may not work for you as a 3MF file is mostly numbers, not text, but it is worth a shot.</li>\n<li><strong>Guesstimate what encoder may have been used</strong>. For example: if you got the file from an old windowsXP machine from Eastern Europe, chances are it may have been encoded with \"windows-1251\". Use an <a href=\"http://www.motobit.com/util/charset-codepage-conversion.asp\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">online converter</a> to see if you were right about it.</li>\n<li><strong>Use brute force</strong>. For this you will require to write a simple programme or ask somebody to do it for you, but the key idea here is to have a script taking your original file and decoding it using all encoders in that programming language knows of. Then it will be up to you to open each decoded file individually and verify if it worked or not.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]	2018/01/17	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5294", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6843/" ]	So I am trying to get the XSD-Schema from this object. When I open the File I just get something like this code (snippet): ``` ¸†2¡Q·2ºyƒeCã2ï…w ïÀ\|¼ðAøä[0Ÿ \|>‚\|ó‘å2²ºFƒ¼Æò1ùàåcj@Þ`ùÐ¸Ì{áÈ;0/\|¾ ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á\|d½¬¬¯Õ ¯±\|l¾…Œo@Þ`ùÐ¸Ì{áÈ;0/\|¾ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á\|d½œ¬¯Ó ¯±\|h\æŒo@Þ`ù¸\| ßBs¦5–Œ~ôè»£(™c´“Ç£[yp1:æ'Ã‰c4Jó Uâ˜ÍÇ<h—8^'Ð¯É ``` What is this? How can I convert it back? I need to edit the structure manually. Thank you in advance.	Three likely culprit: * The file is compressed but your machine can't detect it. So for example the 3MF model has been zipped, and what you are trying to do is opening the zip archive in the text editor, rather than the file that is in the zip archive. Solution: try to see if common decompress utilities like zip, gzip, 7z can open the file. * The file is a 3MF model but the [character encoding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_encoding) in the file being different than the one your editor is expecting (typically `Unicode/UTF-8`, these days). Solution: read on the rest of this answer. * The file is a binary one that is totally unrelated to 3MF. So in essence: an error, you are trying to open maybe an MP3 or a JPG file believing it to be a 3MF instead. As for the "wrong encoding" option... Oversimplifying a bit, the story goes like this: * computers write data to files in bytes, * a byte can only be set to one of its 256 possible values, * in the early days of computing, when computers were just glorified calculators, it was enough to have a 1:1 ratio between the byte possible values and the symbols one wanted to use, so [ASCII](http://www.asciitable.com/) was born (actually ASCII only "mapped" the first 127 values of the byte, but that is a detail). So: value #49 would represent a `1`, value #90 a `Z` and so on... * shortly afterwards, computers became powerful enough that people wanted to use them to process human languages, so the need for more characters (like accented ones `åáä` or the ones from non-latin alphabets like Cyrillic `язы́к` or arabic `عَرَبِيّ‎`, or...) came to be and engineers speaking different languages had the "brilliant" idea to each use the other 127 "free slots" in a byte for their favourite languages, thus a plethora of [extended ASCII](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_ASCII) encodings was born, each using the same byte value, but each mapping to a different symbol. * later on, people began to realise the need to combine the use of say Gaelic, English, Japanese and Farsi with mathematical symbols, and thus they came up to way to map symbols to values expressed as the product of more bytes (so for example: 2 bytes encoding could map 256x256=65536 symbols). Again: each system using the same values but different symbols. * finally after decades of frustrated users and expensive bugs, engineers around the world settled for a multi-byte standard that has 1,114,112 possible values that could contain all characters one can possibly need, and [Unicode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode) was born. Back to your question: despite unicode having been around for a few decades now, legacy software and sloppy programming are a thing, and there are still systems that do not use unicode internally but some legacy "special purpose" encoding. Unfortunately, it is [impossible to say with certainty how a file was encoded](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/a/187174/29074), so occasionally you may find yourself opening a file and starting decoding it according to a "conversion table" that is not the one used by the author of the file itself. This is what it looks like is happening to you. Onward to what you can try to do to fix this... First of all: as attentive readers may have already inferred, you will need the actual file for this. In fact if you cut-and-paste its "content" from an editor what you are really doing is cutting-and-pasting the decoding your computer did of the byte values, and not the byte values themselves. Then your best bets are: * Try one of the online detectors like [this one](https://nlp.fi.muni.cz/projects/chared/), using "English" as a language. These detectors work by trying all the decoders they know of until the decoded file will have English (or another language of your choice) words in it. This may not work for you as a 3MF file is mostly numbers, not text, but it is worth a shot. * Guesstimate what encoder may have been used. For example: if you got the file from an old windowsXP machine from Eastern Europe, chances are it may have been encoded with "windows-1251". Use an [online converter](http://www.motobit.com/util/charset-codepage-conversion.asp) to see if you were right about it. * Use brute force. For this you will require to write a simple programme or ask somebody to do it for you, but the key idea here is to have a script taking your original file and decoding it using all encoders in that programming language knows of. Then it will be up to you to open each decoded file individually and verify if it worked or not.
5,341	<p>I am using python 3.6 with pySerial library to connect to the Hyrel System 30M 3D Printer. I am able to read the data from the device but unable to write any commands to it</p> <p>Here is the code:</p> <pre><code> ser = serial.Serial() ser.port = 'COM4' ser.baudrate = 38400 out = ser.readline() ser.write(b'M106 T14 S30\n') %This is the command to turn on the fan at 30% power </code></pre> <p>Can somebody suggest me how to write commands to printer through python</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5343, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the one in your question is your <em>complete</em> code, a possibility is that your computer is just buffering the output for the serial port, withholding it in memory. Try to add</p>\n\n<pre><code>ser.flush()\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>after your last line. This command will... well... <em>flush</em> anything into the buffer through the actual connection.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 13840, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sorry for the late answer, but with Repetrel v3 and later, we have the option for you to configure a secondary COM port, and relay G- or M-Code commands from your other source through the Repetrel software to the printer. Please contact us for assistance.</p>\n\n<p>Note: I work for Hyrel 3D.</p>\n" } ]	2018/01/24	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5341", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9736/" ]	I am using python 3.6 with pySerial library to connect to the Hyrel System 30M 3D Printer. I am able to read the data from the device but unable to write any commands to it Here is the code: ``` ser = serial.Serial() ser.port = 'COM4' ser.baudrate = 38400 out = ser.readline() ser.write(b'M106 T14 S30\n') %This is the command to turn on the fan at 30% power ``` Can somebody suggest me how to write commands to printer through python	If the one in your question is your complete code, a possibility is that your computer is just buffering the output for the serial port, withholding it in memory. Try to add ``` ser.flush() ``` after your last line. This command will... well... flush anything into the buffer through the actual connection.
5,346	<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xE1dA.gif" alt="enter image description here"></p> <p>This is what is happening to my motor. Any suggestions would help. 1. I have tried adjusting the trimpot. 2. Rewire the connector to match the one on the motherboard. 3. Anything else I found on the internet.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5343, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the one in your question is your <em>complete</em> code, a possibility is that your computer is just buffering the output for the serial port, withholding it in memory. Try to add</p>\n\n<pre><code>ser.flush()\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>after your last line. This command will... well... <em>flush</em> anything into the buffer through the actual connection.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 13840, "author": "Davo", "author_id": 4922, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4922", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sorry for the late answer, but with Repetrel v3 and later, we have the option for you to configure a secondary COM port, and relay G- or M-Code commands from your other source through the Repetrel software to the printer. Please contact us for assistance.</p>\n\n<p>Note: I work for Hyrel 3D.</p>\n" } ]	2018/01/25	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5346", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9741/" ]	![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xE1dA.gif) This is what is happening to my motor. Any suggestions would help. 1. I have tried adjusting the trimpot. 2. Rewire the connector to match the one on the motherboard. 3. Anything else I found on the internet.	If the one in your question is your complete code, a possibility is that your computer is just buffering the output for the serial port, withholding it in memory. Try to add ``` ser.flush() ``` after your last line. This command will... well... flush anything into the buffer through the actual connection.
5,382	<p>Model of the printer is unknown, got it as present, probably something generic cartesian on arduino mega and ramps boards stitched together and with marlin firmware.</p> <p>I've used accepted answer from here to try moving this thing from terminal. <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3112/how-to-directly-send-g-code-to-printer-from-a-linux-terminal">How to directly send G-code to printer from a Linux terminal?</a></p> <p>My first attempt to get access to low-level printer interface looked like that: </p> <pre><code>./baud.py <> /dev/ttyACM0 250000 tail -f /dev/ttyACM0 & cat > /dev/ttyACM0 </code></pre> <p>First it was fine: i've entered g-code, printer executed it and returned an ok message into my terminal.</p> <p>Then i've turned the printer off and on again and repeated the whole process, but now <code>tail -f</code> didn't output anything and printer LCD displayed garbage in the status line after I ran the command.</p> <p>I've also noticed that printer controller reboots every time the serial port is accessed, not sure if it happened in the first time when everything worked well.</p> <p>The output of <code>cat /dev/ttyACM0</code> after baud setting is a bit weird too - and there's garbage in the status line instead of standard "%printername% ready" as well:</p> <pre><code>start echo:Marlin1.0.0 echo: Last Updated: May 20 2017 18:12:04 \| Author: (none, default config) Compiled: May 20 2017 echo: Free Memory: 3763 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232 echo:Hardcoded Default Settings Loaded echo:Steps per unit: echo: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z3200.00 E97.94 echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s): echo: M203 X50.00 Y50.00 Z2.50 E25.00 echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2): echo: M201 X750 Y750 Z100 E10000 echo:Acceleration: S=acceleration, T=retract acceleration echo: M204 S500.00 T500.00 echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s) echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Z1.00 E5.00 echo:Home offset (mm): echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 echo:PID settings: echo: M301 P22.20 I1.08 D114.00 echo:SD init fail echo:Unknown command: "starto" ok echo:Unknown command: "SD init failstartuthor" ok echo:Unknown command: " (none, default config)50.00 Z2.50 E2rBy00.00 Y0.00 Z0.00echo" ok echo:Unknown command: "Unknown command" ok echo:Unknown command: " "starto"own comm" ok echo:Unknown command: "aximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)echo" ok echo:Unknown command: "PID settings" ok echo:Unknown command: "okechecho" ok </code></pre> <p>The "SD init fail" line and everything after it appears when sensor data appears on the LCD, there's a delay before that during which the LCD is empty.</p> <p>If you send commands to printer using something like <code>echo "G0 X10" > /dev/ttyACM0</code>, it executes them only on next serial port accessing (and therefore reboot) - or doesn't execute at all.</p> <p>The interesting part is that Cura "Monitor" tab can actually manipulate the caret and the Cura itself can print things in general - but i want to be able to do it manually.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5385, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Mine is a wild guess, but judging from:</p>\n\n<pre><code>echo:Unknown command: \"starto\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \"SD init failstartuthor\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \" (none, default config)50.00 Z2.50 E2rBy00.00 Y0.00 Z0.00echo\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \"Unknown command\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \" \"starto\"own comm\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \"aximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)echo\"\nok\necho:Unknown command: \"PID settings\"\nok\n</code></pre>\n\n<p><strong>It looks like you may be looping back the output of your printer as an input to itself</strong>. I am very suspicious of your line: <code>tail -f /dev/ttyACM0 &</code> as that seems to indicate your are trying to perform other actions in the same terminal window after you started to monitor the serial connection.</p>\n\n<p>If this is the case, you should definitively <strong>open the monitor in a <em>separate</em> terminal</strong> (<code>tail -f /dev/ttyACM0</code>) and feed the input in a different one (note that yo must not use the final <code>&</code>).</p>\n\n<p>Finally, you probably want to use <code>cat >> /dev/ttyACM0</code> instead of <code>cat > /dev/ttyACM0</code> as you want to append your commands without truncating the existing stream.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5386, "author": "Karashevich B.", "author_id": 9824, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9824", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>That's weird but i've got some code from here: <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6947413/how-to-open-read-and-write-from-serial-port-in-c\">https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6947413/how-to-open-read-and-write-from-serial-port-in-c</a> , changed it a little, removed few lines, ran it - and my port started working just fine. Here's the complete code (for Linux of course).</p>\n\n<p>I guess that was the c_lflag line that solved the problem.</p>\n\n<pre><code>#include <asm/termios.h>\n#include <stropts.h>\n#include <unistd.h>\n#include <fcntl.h>\n#include <string.h>\n\nint set_interface_attribs (int fd) {\n struct termios2 tty;\n memset (&tty, 0, sizeof tty);\n ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, &tty);\n tty.c_cflag&=~CBAUD;\n tty.c_cflag\|=BOTHER;\n tty.c_ispeed=tty.c_ospeed=250000;\n tty.c_cflag = (tty.c_cflag & ~CSIZE) \| CS8;\n tty.c_iflag &= ~IGNBRK;\n tty.c_lflag = 0;\n tty.c_oflag = 0;\n tty.c_cc[VMIN] = 0;\n tty.c_cc[VTIME] = 5;\n tty.c_iflag &= ~(IXON \| IXOFF \| IXANY);\n tty.c_cflag \|= (CLOCAL \| CREAD);\n tty.c_cflag &= ~(PARENB \| PARODD);\n tty.c_cflag &= ~CSTOPB;\n tty.c_cflag &= ~CRTSCTS;\n ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, &tty);\n return 0;\n}\n\nint main() {\n int fd=open(\"/dev/ttyACM0\",O_RDWR\|O_NOCTTY\|O_SYNC);\n set_interface_attribs(fd);\n close(fd);\n return 0;\n}\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2018/02/02	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5382", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9824/" ]	Model of the printer is unknown, got it as present, probably something generic cartesian on arduino mega and ramps boards stitched together and with marlin firmware. I've used accepted answer from here to try moving this thing from terminal. [How to directly send G-code to printer from a Linux terminal?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3112/how-to-directly-send-g-code-to-printer-from-a-linux-terminal) My first attempt to get access to low-level printer interface looked like that: ``` ./baud.py <> /dev/ttyACM0 250000 tail -f /dev/ttyACM0 & cat > /dev/ttyACM0 ``` First it was fine: i've entered g-code, printer executed it and returned an ok message into my terminal. Then i've turned the printer off and on again and repeated the whole process, but now `tail -f` didn't output anything and printer LCD displayed garbage in the status line after I ran the command. I've also noticed that printer controller reboots every time the serial port is accessed, not sure if it happened in the first time when everything worked well. The output of `cat /dev/ttyACM0` after baud setting is a bit weird too - and there's garbage in the status line instead of standard "%printername% ready" as well: ``` start echo:Marlin1.0.0 echo: Last Updated: May 20 2017 18:12:04 \| Author: (none, default config) Compiled: May 20 2017 echo: Free Memory: 3763 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232 echo:Hardcoded Default Settings Loaded echo:Steps per unit: echo: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z3200.00 E97.94 echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s): echo: M203 X50.00 Y50.00 Z2.50 E25.00 echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2): echo: M201 X750 Y750 Z100 E10000 echo:Acceleration: S=acceleration, T=retract acceleration echo: M204 S500.00 T500.00 echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s) echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Z1.00 E5.00 echo:Home offset (mm): echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 echo:PID settings: echo: M301 P22.20 I1.08 D114.00 echo:SD init fail echo:Unknown command: "starto" ok echo:Unknown command: "SD init failstartuthor" ok echo:Unknown command: " (none, default config)50.00 Z2.50 E2rBy00.00 Y0.00 Z0.00echo" ok echo:Unknown command: "Unknown command" ok echo:Unknown command: " "starto"own comm" ok echo:Unknown command: "aximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)echo" ok echo:Unknown command: "PID settings" ok echo:Unknown command: "okechecho" ok ``` The "SD init fail" line and everything after it appears when sensor data appears on the LCD, there's a delay before that during which the LCD is empty. If you send commands to printer using something like `echo "G0 X10" > /dev/ttyACM0`, it executes them only on next serial port accessing (and therefore reboot) - or doesn't execute at all. The interesting part is that Cura "Monitor" tab can actually manipulate the caret and the Cura itself can print things in general - but i want to be able to do it manually.	That's weird but i've got some code from here: <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6947413/how-to-open-read-and-write-from-serial-port-in-c> , changed it a little, removed few lines, ran it - and my port started working just fine. Here's the complete code (for Linux of course). I guess that was the c\_lflag line that solved the problem. ``` #include <asm/termios.h> #include <stropts.h> #include <unistd.h> #include <fcntl.h> #include <string.h> int set_interface_attribs (int fd) { struct termios2 tty; memset (&tty, 0, sizeof tty); ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, &tty); tty.c_cflag&=~CBAUD; tty.c_cflag\|=BOTHER; tty.c_ispeed=tty.c_ospeed=250000; tty.c_cflag = (tty.c_cflag & ~CSIZE) \| CS8; tty.c_iflag &= ~IGNBRK; tty.c_lflag = 0; tty.c_oflag = 0; tty.c_cc[VMIN] = 0; tty.c_cc[VTIME] = 5; tty.c_iflag &= ~(IXON \| IXOFF \| IXANY); tty.c_cflag \|= (CLOCAL \| CREAD); tty.c_cflag &= ~(PARENB \| PARODD); tty.c_cflag &= ~CSTOPB; tty.c_cflag &= ~CRTSCTS; ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, &tty); return 0; } int main() { int fd=open("/dev/ttyACM0",O_RDWR\|O_NOCTTY\|O_SYNC); set_interface_attribs(fd); close(fd); return 0; } ```
5,447	<p>When using <code>G1</code> command in G-code, what is the difference between <code>Z</code>- axis and <code>E</code>- axis?</p> <p>I see all <code>E</code>, <code>F</code> and <code>Z</code> in</p> <pre><code>G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 </code></pre>	[ { "answer_id": 5448, "author": "fred_dot_u", "author_id": 854, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>z-axis refers typically to vertical movement</p>\n\n<p>F references are feed rates/movement rates</p>\n\n<p>E references are for the extruder, referencing the amount and speed to eject filament, negative e-values are retraction commands</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5450, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>G-CODE can be confusing as historically it was <a href=\"http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374\" rel=\"noreferrer\">developed for machining tools</a> rather than FDM printers, and thus:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>not all available commands make sense for a 3D printer</li>\n<li>some of the command do slightly different things than those one may intuitively think they do.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Typically, Cartesian printers use 4 \"axis\": <code>X</code>, <code>Y</code> and <code>Z</code> for moving the printhead in space and <code>E</code> for \"extruder\". The \"extruder axis\" is not in fact at all an axis in the geometrical sense of the word: it refers to the amount of filament to be moved into (extruded) or out of (retracted) the printing head. The reason why it is considered an \"axis\" is that it is used in conjunction with the codes <code>G0</code> and <code>G1</code> which are for movement.</p>\n\n<p>Confusingly, the letter <code>E</code> is <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code#Letter_addresses\" rel=\"noreferrer\">used for the precision feedrate of lathes</a> but in the 3D printing world we rather use <code>F</code> to that purpose. As a non-native English speaker, I was further confused, because for the longest time I thought \"feedrate\" was referring to the amount of filament <em>fed</em> to the printing head, while in fact it is the speed at which the printing head moves (in mm/minute).</p>\n\n<p>So to summarise, your example code \"translated\" would look like this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 ; move up 350 microns at 7.8 m/min\nG1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 ; retract 2mm of filament at 2.4 m/min\nG92 E0 ; reset the extruder position\nG1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000 ; move to X,Y (without changing Z) at 7.8 m/min\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Should you wish to dig deeper into the topic, the <a href=\"http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code\" rel=\"noreferrer\">RepRap wiki page on gcode</a> is rather comprehensive. Mind that several manufacturers add their own \"special codes\" to the common ones....</p>\n" } ]	2018/02/09	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5447", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9887/" ]	When using `G1` command in G-code, what is the difference between `Z`- axis and `E`- axis? I see all `E`, `F` and `Z` in ``` G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 G92 E0 G1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000 G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000 ```	G-CODE can be confusing as historically it was [developed for machining tools](http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374) rather than FDM printers, and thus: * not all available commands make sense for a 3D printer * some of the command do slightly different things than those one may intuitively think they do. Typically, Cartesian printers use 4 "axis": `X`, `Y` and `Z` for moving the printhead in space and `E` for "extruder". The "extruder axis" is not in fact at all an axis in the geometrical sense of the word: it refers to the amount of filament to be moved into (extruded) or out of (retracted) the printing head. The reason why it is considered an "axis" is that it is used in conjunction with the codes `G0` and `G1` which are for movement. Confusingly, the letter `E` is [used for the precision feedrate of lathes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code#Letter_addresses) but in the 3D printing world we rather use `F` to that purpose. As a non-native English speaker, I was further confused, because for the longest time I thought "feedrate" was referring to the amount of filament fed to the printing head, while in fact it is the speed at which the printing head moves (in mm/minute). So to summarise, your example code "translated" would look like this: ``` G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 ; move up 350 microns at 7.8 m/min G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 ; retract 2mm of filament at 2.4 m/min G92 E0 ; reset the extruder position G1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000 ; move to X,Y (without changing Z) at 7.8 m/min ``` Should you wish to dig deeper into the topic, the [RepRap wiki page on gcode](http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code) is rather comprehensive. Mind that several manufacturers add their own "special codes" to the common ones....
5,527	<p>Is the firts time that I saw this movement after the printing has finishig and causes the nozzle crashes to the printed part and I noticed due the part is 14x8 and the nozzle is to near and below to the border of the shape. I supposed that some scripts has changed but, seems to be everything ok.</p> <p>this is the end script:</p> <pre><code>G92 E0 G1 E-1.5000 F1800 ; layer end M104 S0 ; turn off extruder M140 S0 ; turn off bed G28 X0 ; home X axis M84 ; disable motors ; Build Summary ; Build time: 3 hours 9 minutes ; Filament length: 12689.1 mm (12.69 m) ; Plastic volume: 30520.78 mm^3 (30.52 cc) ; Plastic weight: 38.15 g (0.08 lb) </code></pre> <p>Z axis moves down 4mm after finishing going to X0, why? I don't want the nozzle crashes the part on going to zero.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5528, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You can use:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G91\nG1 Z10\n</code></pre>\n\n<p><code>G91</code> make the printer use ralative positioning, while <code>G1 Z10</code> would move the gantry up of 10mm, reagrdless of its actual position.</p>\n\n<p>In order to understand what's going on, you could experiment with the position of those lines in the script.</p>\n\n<p>The safest bet it to insert them at the very top, but you could insert them straight after the homing of the X axis to understand if the drop you are seeing is caused by the homing command itself or by the ´M84´ one.</p>\n\n<p>My <em>guess</em> is that the drop is actually caused by the latter. <code>M84</code> doesn't really \"disable motors\", rather it stops using energy to keep them still (i.e.: it stops the <em>idle hold</em>). What I believe is happening in your case is that when you stop the idle hold, the weight and mechanical play of the X gantry causes it to move slightly (a bit like when you relax your body on the sofa and you \"sink\" in it a bit more).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5531, "author": "Carl Witthoft", "author_id": 2191, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2191", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is something fundamentally wrong with your z-motor drive if both screws are dropping the gantry at all.</p>\n\n<p>Try a couple experiments.<br>\n Write a quick script to move the head somewhere up high, then terminate without the X-homing command. See if the z-axis moves. Ditto for X-home but not motor disable. </p>\n\n<p>Write any script, and while the gantry is up high, pull power and see what happens.</p>\n\n<p>That will at least help narrow down the list of possible problems. In the meantime, please post your printer, the motors, and the driver board/firmware in use.</p>\n" } ]	2018/02/21	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5527", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4454/" ]	Is the firts time that I saw this movement after the printing has finishig and causes the nozzle crashes to the printed part and I noticed due the part is 14x8 and the nozzle is to near and below to the border of the shape. I supposed that some scripts has changed but, seems to be everything ok. this is the end script: ``` G92 E0 G1 E-1.5000 F1800 ; layer end M104 S0 ; turn off extruder M140 S0 ; turn off bed G28 X0 ; home X axis M84 ; disable motors ; Build Summary ; Build time: 3 hours 9 minutes ; Filament length: 12689.1 mm (12.69 m) ; Plastic volume: 30520.78 mm^3 (30.52 cc) ; Plastic weight: 38.15 g (0.08 lb) ``` Z axis moves down 4mm after finishing going to X0, why? I don't want the nozzle crashes the part on going to zero.	You can use: ``` G91 G1 Z10 ``` `G91` make the printer use ralative positioning, while `G1 Z10` would move the gantry up of 10mm, reagrdless of its actual position. In order to understand what's going on, you could experiment with the position of those lines in the script. The safest bet it to insert them at the very top, but you could insert them straight after the homing of the X axis to understand if the drop you are seeing is caused by the homing command itself or by the ´M84´ one. My guess is that the drop is actually caused by the latter. `M84` doesn't really "disable motors", rather it stops using energy to keep them still (i.e.: it stops the idle hold). What I believe is happening in your case is that when you stop the idle hold, the weight and mechanical play of the X gantry causes it to move slightly (a bit like when you relax your body on the sofa and you "sink" in it a bit more).
5,625	<p>So like I sayed in the title, Why can't the Anet A6 do .05 layer height? I found that some printers can do .05 layer heights, but the Anet A6 can't? I am interested to know if it is the stepper motors or the threaded rods or something. Maybe this is something I can do a small "test print" on? </p>	[ { "answer_id": 5626, "author": "mac", "author_id": 9134, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9134", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'm not familiar with the Anet A6 specifically, but as many other things in a 3D printer, the minimum layer height is co-determined by a number of factors. For the Z-axis the factors I am aware of are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The number of steps in the stepper motor</li>\n<li>The geometry of the lead screw</li>\n<li>The tolerance with which the lead screw has been machined</li>\n<li>The microstep settings</li>\n<li>The quality of the stepper drivers</li>\n<li>The amount of play and flexibility of the X-axis gantry</li>\n<li>The ration between filament and nozzle diameter</li>\n<li>The precision of the extruder's stepper motor</li>\n<li>...</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Many printers that claim to have ridiculously low minimum Z-layer height do so by relying on the mathematical model only. It goes something like this: the lead screw has an offset of 1mm per revolution, the stepper motor makes 200 steps and is set for 32 microsteps per step so the minimum resolution should be...</p>\n\n<pre><code>1mm / (200 * 32) = 0.0002mm\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The reality is however different. For example: the lead screw may have been machined with a tolerance of 0.002mm, so to make sure a layer has a thickness >0mm its heigh should be >0.004mm (20 times the theoretical limit computed with the microsteps). But to make sure layers have the same height ±10% you would need to increase the minimum layer heigh of an order of magnitude, bringing it to 0.04mm. A similar reasoning applies for the amount of play in the gantry, while the ratio between filament and nozzle influences the minimum volume of plastic that can be extruded per step (for very thin layers you want to be able to extrude a minimal amount of it).</p>\n\n<p>At the end of the day <strong>this is a typical case of \"a chain is only as strong as its weakest link\"</strong>: the minimum layer height of a printer is affected much more dramatically by the limitations of the most imprecise component in the printer than by the performance of its best one.</p>\n\n<p>As for your question about breaking the printer by issuing g-code with very thin layers: should you issue gcode that requires layers below that limit, the firmware will simply print at the same z-height (see comments, credits to Tom).</p>\n\n<p>I'm unaware of people having permanently damaged their machines by issuing code with too thin Z-layers. But given how the firmware operates, I'd expect the quality of the print to be negatively affected, the filament to be possibly chewed by the cobbed wheel and in extreme cases cloggig of the printer head.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5629, "author": "Tom van der Zanden", "author_id": 26, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your question is based on an incorrect premise. Just because the specifications list \"minimum layer height: 0.1mm\" does not mean the printer is unable to print thinner layers. It just means that the manufacturer is willing to guarantee that printing 0.1mm layers is possible, or that - for whatever reason - the marketing department decided to list 0.1mm in that table. 0.1mm is a nice, round number and seems to be the \"gold standard\" for 3D printers, but rarely is 0.1mm a limit that is inherent in the printer design.</p>\n\n<p>The theoretical precision of the Z-axis is usually at least an order of magnitude better than the advertised minimum layer height. Of course, the precision of the Z-axis is not the only limiting factor (at a certain point, you need to extrude so slowly that you start to be limited by the resolution of the extruder stepper), but often even impractically thin layers print just fine.</p>\n\n<p>In many cases, printers are capable of printing layers far thinner than the manufacturers officially advertise. More often than not, minimum layer height is limited by your patience and the fact that doing a print with thinner layer heights takes much longer for a rather limited gain in quality. Just give it a try and try to print 0.05mm layers, and you might be pleasantly surprised by the results!</p>\n\n<p>(Note: it is advisable to choose a layer height that is a multiple of the distance for a single (full) step of the Z-stepper. For my printer (which has a very coarse leadscrew on the Z-axis), this is 0.02mm so - for me - it would be better to print with 0.06mm or 0.04mm layers than with 0.05mm layers).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 7409, "author": "TehEmoGurl", "author_id": 13463, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/13463", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have an Anet A6 and once you get your settings dialled in, bed level accurate and belt tensioner correct you can do 0.05 mm very well (although I for some reason went with 0.06 mm and never tried the extra 0.01 mm lower but it shouldn't have an issue). Note: I did this using all the stock parts so 0.4 mm brass nozzle.</p>\n\n<p>I highly recommend you print and install a front Y axis frame brace and a Y axis belt tensioning mod as well as an X axis belt tensioner. It will allow you to print at these layer heights much more accurately if you can adjust the tension correctly.</p>\n\n<p>The kit out of the box makes it almost impossible to get good/correct tension on the belts.</p>\n" } ]	2018/03/12	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5625", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8835/" ]	So like I sayed in the title, Why can't the Anet A6 do .05 layer height? I found that some printers can do .05 layer heights, but the Anet A6 can't? I am interested to know if it is the stepper motors or the threaded rods or something. Maybe this is something I can do a small "test print" on?	I'm not familiar with the Anet A6 specifically, but as many other things in a 3D printer, the minimum layer height is co-determined by a number of factors. For the Z-axis the factors I am aware of are: * The number of steps in the stepper motor * The geometry of the lead screw * The tolerance with which the lead screw has been machined * The microstep settings * The quality of the stepper drivers * The amount of play and flexibility of the X-axis gantry * The ration between filament and nozzle diameter * The precision of the extruder's stepper motor * ... Many printers that claim to have ridiculously low minimum Z-layer height do so by relying on the mathematical model only. It goes something like this: the lead screw has an offset of 1mm per revolution, the stepper motor makes 200 steps and is set for 32 microsteps per step so the minimum resolution should be... ``` 1mm / (200 * 32) = 0.0002mm ``` The reality is however different. For example: the lead screw may have been machined with a tolerance of 0.002mm, so to make sure a layer has a thickness >0mm its heigh should be >0.004mm (20 times the theoretical limit computed with the microsteps). But to make sure layers have the same height ±10% you would need to increase the minimum layer heigh of an order of magnitude, bringing it to 0.04mm. A similar reasoning applies for the amount of play in the gantry, while the ratio between filament and nozzle influences the minimum volume of plastic that can be extruded per step (for very thin layers you want to be able to extrude a minimal amount of it). At the end of the day this is a typical case of "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link": the minimum layer height of a printer is affected much more dramatically by the limitations of the most imprecise component in the printer than by the performance of its best one. As for your question about breaking the printer by issuing g-code with very thin layers: should you issue gcode that requires layers below that limit, the firmware will simply print at the same z-height (see comments, credits to Tom). I'm unaware of people having permanently damaged their machines by issuing code with too thin Z-layers. But given how the firmware operates, I'd expect the quality of the print to be negatively affected, the filament to be possibly chewed by the cobbed wheel and in extreme cases cloggig of the printer head.
5,800	<p>Note: I have extended my question as some of you mentioned that the question is not clear.</p> <p>I am using a RAMPS 1.4 board with an Arduino mega 2560. I need to drive a stepper motor as an extruder using either E0 or E1. I am using Repetier-Firmware and can drive the extruder (stepper motor) using the E0 (RAMPS 1.4). Now for my application, I need to make sure that the extruder is in home position before it starts to drive for the very first time. I am trying to use a switch to connect to the end stop and perform this homing operation. I can do this for X, Y, and Z axes. I was wondering how (h/w connections and firmware modification) can I do it for the extruder?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5801, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>The edited question</strong> appears to mention that <strong>the actual extruders of the print head need to home / limit themselves</strong>. The answer is that this is not required. When operating direct or Bowden driven extruder setups, you know (or you can measure or find out experimentally) the distance that the filament has to travel from extruder entry to hot end (e.g. to load new filament). If already loaded, because you have printed before, you also know where the filament is (filament could stop after printing, personally I retract the filament en few mm after a print). When a new print starts you usually reverse the retraction at temperature and extrude some extra filament to prime the nozzle to counteract oozed out filament for instance. At that point, the nozzle is primed and the gcode G92 E0 is then used to tell the extruder this is the start at zero length, sort of the home position of the filament. All this is usually done in the start code of your slicer, similar to disabling bed and hot end temperature or final retract is done in the end code of your slicer.</p>\n\n<p><strong>This answer below addresses the initial question</strong>, this question was not quite clear. It was <strong>phrased as of the head containing the extruders needed to be homed correctly</strong>. The normal end-stops (can be mechanical or optical switches) already ensure that the printer head (containing the extruder or extruders) is homed correctly (if correctly configured in your printer firmware). The home offsets you define in the firmware define that you start at the origin (0,0,0). </p>\n\n<p>Your question does not state what firmware you use, but e.g. in Marlin firmware these settings are found in the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">firmware configuration file</a>.</p>\n\n<p>In this file the following is defined:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS 0\n#define Y_MIN_POS 0\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>These values must be changed according to the offset between your switch and the origin of the heat bed (e.g. Prusa style printers have the origin at the front left).</p>\n\n<p>For my Prusa clone printer I have defined:</p>\n\n<pre><code>// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS -35\n#define Y_MIN_POS -12\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>What this says is that the homing switch for the X axis is 35 mm left of the origin, etc.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5813, "author": "Nick Dancer", "author_id": 9835, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9835", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think the question has already been answered(if at all possible because the question is still not clear exactly what you mean), but let me try putting this a different way.</p>\n\n<p>You have to ask yourself what is homing and why are you doing it. The purpose of homing your axes is to set their 0 position in space. This then means that any subsequent movements will be relative to these 0 positions and assuming the motors skip no steps should allow accurate positioning of the head inside the build volume throughout the print. In other words their relative position should match their absolute position. As has already been stated the extruder axis does not work like this.</p>\n\n<p>Now I think some of the confusion from your question comes around what you mean by homing the extruder. The extruder position is defined by the previously mentioned X, Y and Z axis. The extruder axis however controls the position of the filament inside the hotend and therefore how much filament is extruded into the build volume. This axis is arbitrarily set to 0 using G92 at the beginning of the print because unlike the spacial axes the absolute position of this axis is not particularly important. Strictly speaking if you were to care about the extruder axis’ absolute position, home would probably be the start of the roll. This however is irrelevant. All that you care about during a print is that the extruder axis remains consistent throughout the print to allow accurate extrusion.</p>\n\n<p>So typically at the beginning of a print you will prime the nozzle to ensure plastic is ready to be extruded as ooze from the previous print may create a delay between moving the extruder axis and plastic actually being extruded. Once the nozzle is primed however the axis position will just be set to 0 and then all future positions of that axis will be relative to where it started on the roll.</p>\n\n<p>Hopefully that helps but if it doesn’t I think we still need more clarification of what you are actually trying to accomplish.</p>\n" } ]	2018/04/12	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5800", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10483/" ]	Note: I have extended my question as some of you mentioned that the question is not clear. I am using a RAMPS 1.4 board with an Arduino mega 2560. I need to drive a stepper motor as an extruder using either E0 or E1. I am using Repetier-Firmware and can drive the extruder (stepper motor) using the E0 (RAMPS 1.4). Now for my application, I need to make sure that the extruder is in home position before it starts to drive for the very first time. I am trying to use a switch to connect to the end stop and perform this homing operation. I can do this for X, Y, and Z axes. I was wondering how (h/w connections and firmware modification) can I do it for the extruder?	The edited question appears to mention that the actual extruders of the print head need to home / limit themselves. The answer is that this is not required. When operating direct or Bowden driven extruder setups, you know (or you can measure or find out experimentally) the distance that the filament has to travel from extruder entry to hot end (e.g. to load new filament). If already loaded, because you have printed before, you also know where the filament is (filament could stop after printing, personally I retract the filament en few mm after a print). When a new print starts you usually reverse the retraction at temperature and extrude some extra filament to prime the nozzle to counteract oozed out filament for instance. At that point, the nozzle is primed and the gcode G92 E0 is then used to tell the extruder this is the start at zero length, sort of the home position of the filament. All this is usually done in the start code of your slicer, similar to disabling bed and hot end temperature or final retract is done in the end code of your slicer. This answer below addresses the initial question, this question was not quite clear. It was phrased as of the head containing the extruders needed to be homed correctly. The normal end-stops (can be mechanical or optical switches) already ensure that the printer head (containing the extruder or extruders) is homed correctly (if correctly configured in your printer firmware). The home offsets you define in the firmware define that you start at the origin (0,0,0). Your question does not state what firmware you use, but e.g. in Marlin firmware these settings are found in the [firmware configuration file](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h). In this file the following is defined: ``` // Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions. #define X_MIN_POS 0 #define Y_MIN_POS 0 ``` These values must be changed according to the offset between your switch and the origin of the heat bed (e.g. Prusa style printers have the origin at the front left). For my Prusa clone printer I have defined: ``` // Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions. #define X_MIN_POS -35 #define Y_MIN_POS -12 ``` What this says is that the homing switch for the X axis is 35 mm left of the origin, etc.
5,840	<p>I have the same problem as <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/tevo-tarantula-owners/forums/general/topic:29448" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this person</a> but I don't have those lines in my <code>RAMPS.h</code> file as seen <a href="http://joxi.ru/DmBgR75UNe8k52.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p> <p>I've recently burnt my potentiometer on E0 so the motor isn't working properly anymore. I want to use it on E1 instead. If you have any better idea how to fix this instead of changing code in firmware, feel free to share.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5841, "author": "profesor79", "author_id": 9730, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9730", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>the fastest way is to slice using two extruders and assign all print work to E1.\nSet the head offsets to [0,0] and that shall do the job.</p>\n\n<p>The harder is to edit pins file and do remapping.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 5844, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3925/how-to-switch-motor-outputs-and-use-e1-as-x-in-marlin-firmware/5786#5786\">posting</a> already discusses how you can change the pins to use spare stepper controllers for broken controllers by changing the pin layout. Assuming you are using a RAMPS board and using <a href=\"http://marlinfw.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Marlin firmware</a>, you should look at the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h</a> file.</p>\n\n<p>This file requires changes to address E1 to E0 and vice versa, please edit the file so that:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E0_STEP_PIN 26\n#define E0_DIR_PIN 28\n#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24\n#define E0_CS_PIN 42\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>is changed to:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E0_STEP_PIN 36\n#define E0_DIR_PIN 34\n#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30\n#define E0_CS_PIN 44\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>and also change:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E1_STEP_PIN 36\n#define E1_DIR_PIN 34\n#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30\n#define E1_CS_PIN 44\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>to:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E1_STEP_PIN 26\n#define E1_DIR_PIN 28\n#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24\n#define E1_CS_PIN 42\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>When the file is changed an saved, <a href=\"http://marlinfw.org/docs/basics/install.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">build and upload</a> code to your board and plug the connector of the E0 stepper into the E1 header.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16390, "author": "Marinus", "author_id": 19470, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/19470", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I wanted to expand on the great comment by 0scar and explain what's the fastest way to change pins. I know this is an older topic, but for the sake of people looking for an answer, I figured I add this.</p>\n<p>First of all it's easiest to change the pins in the pins file for your specific board by simply renaming E0 to E1 and vice versa. This is much simpler than copying and pasting the pin numbers per pin. Only do this when swapping entire driver pin lists as this gets quite confusing when switching around only certain pin numbers.</p>\n<p>Second, and this is a big one: don't forget that when you use drivers that are capable of sensorless homing, and when you use that technique, you also have to change the _DIAG_PIN settings or else the sensorless homing won't work correctly.</p>\n" } ]	2018/04/19	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5840", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10566/" ]	I have the same problem as [this person](https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/tevo-tarantula-owners/forums/general/topic:29448) but I don't have those lines in my `RAMPS.h` file as seen [here](http://joxi.ru/DmBgR75UNe8k52.png). I've recently burnt my potentiometer on E0 so the motor isn't working properly anymore. I want to use it on E1 instead. If you have any better idea how to fix this instead of changing code in firmware, feel free to share.	Another [posting](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3925/how-to-switch-motor-outputs-and-use-e1-as-x-in-marlin-firmware/5786#5786) already discusses how you can change the pins to use spare stepper controllers for broken controllers by changing the pin layout. Assuming you are using a RAMPS board and using [Marlin firmware](http://marlinfw.org/), you should look at the [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) file. This file requires changes to address E1 to E0 and vice versa, please edit the file so that: ``` #define E0_STEP_PIN 26 #define E0_DIR_PIN 28 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24 #define E0_CS_PIN 42 ``` is changed to: ``` #define E0_STEP_PIN 36 #define E0_DIR_PIN 34 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 #define E0_CS_PIN 44 ``` and also change: ``` #define E1_STEP_PIN 36 #define E1_DIR_PIN 34 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30 #define E1_CS_PIN 44 ``` to: ``` #define E1_STEP_PIN 26 #define E1_DIR_PIN 28 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24 #define E1_CS_PIN 42 ``` When the file is changed an saved, [build and upload](http://marlinfw.org/docs/basics/install.html) code to your board and plug the connector of the E0 stepper into the E1 header.
5,857	<p>How does Z offset (<code>M851</code>) work with an auto leveling sensor? Does it add the Z offset to the offset of the <code>G29</code> mesh? or the <code>G29</code> value replaces the <code>M851</code>?</p> <p>My printer is an Anet A8 with Marlin firmware, I was having issues with the autoleveling sensor and reset the Z offset to 0 and let <code>G29</code> get the mesh offsets and its working good now.</p> <p>I was looking through Marlin G-code page but couldn't figure out how <code>G29</code> affects <code>M851</code> or vice-versa.</p> <p>My setup with level issues:</p> <pre><code>M851 Z0 G28 M211 S0 ;turned endstops off and got a paper to find the zoffset M851 Z-0.59 M500 M211 S1 </code></pre> <p>And <code>G29</code> before printing.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5858, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p><code>G28</code> instructs the printer to home itself to the X an Y endstops and the Z sensor determines the homing of the Z axis; i.e. when the sensor triggers, this is not necessarily (and most commonly) not the position where the nozzle is at Z=0.</p>\n<p><code>G29</code> determines the shape of the bed by probing the bed. This will set the shape of the bed with respect to the sensor trigger point as described earlier. The Z-offset (set by <code>M851 Z-x.xx</code> is needed to set the offset between the nozzle and the sensor trigger point (to the bed).</p>\n<p>The sequence to determine the offset is:</p>\n<pre><code>M851 Z0; // Set the Z offset to zero height\nG28; // Home Z in the middle of the bed\nG1 Z0; // This will move the head to zero height;\nM211 S0; // This will disable the end stops so that you \n // will be able to proceed lower than Z=0\n</code></pre>\n<p>Now adjust Z height to fit a piece of paper and note the negative Z height (either through the LCD or through an application or <a href=\"/q/10573\">console/terminal</a> over USB)</p>\n<p><em>Please remember, that a sensor doesn't level your bed, is compensates for the shape, the user should always tram (level) the bed as good as possible with respect to the nozzle print head movement plane! This implies that the user should tram the complete bed as good as the skills allow, all corners, like you would do with a normal Z endstop switch.</em></p>\n<pre><code>M851 Z-1.23; // Define the Z offset\nM500; // Store the settings\nM211 S1; // Enable the end stops again\n</code></pre>\n<p>Please note that -1.23 is a fictive value that should be replaced by your own value.</p>\n<p>To explicitly answer the raised question, the <code>G29</code> probes the bed by scanning the surface geometry and the <code>M851</code> adds an offset for the sensor trigger to the nozzle (at the center). The offset is required to let the firmware know where the nozzle is with respect to the trigger point. The offset therefor lowers the scanned <code>G29</code> surface, no replacement is taking place. The sketches below illustrate this:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png\" alt=\"BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition\" title=\"BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/2sGwU.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/2sGwU.png\" alt=\"Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition\" title=\"Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition\" /></a></p>\n<p><em>note that the bottom line of the "M851 Z offset" denotes the <code>G29</code> scanned surface</em></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 7222, "author": "Harly Hallikas", "author_id": 13266, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/13266", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You must use the sequence </p>\n\n<pre><code>G28\nG29\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you do <code>G28</code> after <code>G29</code> it will reset bed leveling. I guess you don't want that.</p>\n\n<p>On my printer deployed z-probe falls 2.3 mm lower than nozzle. In printer settings I've therefore stored static Z-offset of -2.3 mm, so after <code>G28</code> and <code>G29</code> I can be sure that when ever I tell Z-axis to lower to zero, it can go down -12.3 mm, coming to stop at around 0.1 mm above the bed surface (so just a single sheet of paper fits between the nozzle and the bed).</p>\n\n<p>That said, I'm not worrying about sending the Z-offset via print commands, as restart restores the aforementioned -2.3 mm offset.</p>\n" } ]	2018/04/21	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5857", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9988/" ]	How does Z offset (`M851`) work with an auto leveling sensor? Does it add the Z offset to the offset of the `G29` mesh? or the `G29` value replaces the `M851`? My printer is an Anet A8 with Marlin firmware, I was having issues with the autoleveling sensor and reset the Z offset to 0 and let `G29` get the mesh offsets and its working good now. I was looking through Marlin G-code page but couldn't figure out how `G29` affects `M851` or vice-versa. My setup with level issues: ``` M851 Z0 G28 M211 S0 ;turned endstops off and got a paper to find the zoffset M851 Z-0.59 M500 M211 S1 ``` And `G29` before printing.	`G28` instructs the printer to home itself to the X an Y endstops and the Z sensor determines the homing of the Z axis; i.e. when the sensor triggers, this is not necessarily (and most commonly) not the position where the nozzle is at Z=0. `G29` determines the shape of the bed by probing the bed. This will set the shape of the bed with respect to the sensor trigger point as described earlier. The Z-offset (set by `M851 Z-x.xx` is needed to set the offset between the nozzle and the sensor trigger point (to the bed). The sequence to determine the offset is: ``` M851 Z0; // Set the Z offset to zero height G28; // Home Z in the middle of the bed G1 Z0; // This will move the head to zero height; M211 S0; // This will disable the end stops so that you // will be able to proceed lower than Z=0 ``` Now adjust Z height to fit a piece of paper and note the negative Z height (either through the LCD or through an application or [console/terminal](/q/10573) over USB) Please remember, that a sensor doesn't level your bed, is compensates for the shape, the user should always tram (level) the bed as good as possible with respect to the nozzle print head movement plane! This implies that the user should tram the complete bed as good as the skills allow, all corners, like you would do with a normal Z endstop switch. ``` M851 Z-1.23; // Define the Z offset M500; // Store the settings M211 S1; // Enable the end stops again ``` Please note that -1.23 is a fictive value that should be replaced by your own value. To explicitly answer the raised question, the `G29` probes the bed by scanning the surface geometry and the `M851` adds an offset for the sensor trigger to the nozzle (at the center). The offset is required to let the firmware know where the nozzle is with respect to the trigger point. The offset therefor lowers the scanned `G29` surface, no replacement is taking place. The sketches below illustrate this: [![BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png "BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png "BLTouch or 3DTouch sensor Z-offset definition") [![Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2sGwU.png "Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2sGwU.png "Inductive/capacitive proximity sensor Z-offset definition") note that the bottom line of the "M851 Z offset" denotes the `G29` scanned surface
5,921	<p>My Printrbot simple metal's extruder is jammed and I need to heat it up to unjam it. Unfortunately, the printer does't want to connect to my laptop regardless of the program I'm using (Repetier-Host or Cura 15). </p> <p>Is there a way to use a micro SD card to heat up the printer hotend but not print anything?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5923, "author": "profesor79", "author_id": 9730, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9730", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Sure there is. As you use Cura, you can grab any G-code file (you already have) and use it to set hotend temperature (delete the actual printing part from the file) to get something like this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>;FLAVOR:Marlin\n;TIME:102\n;Filament used: 0.0573674m\n;Layer height: 0.2\n;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 3.3.1\n; M190 S60 ;-> this sets the bed temperature so we can comment it out\n; the next line sets the hotend to 200 degrees Celsius\nM104 S200\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>As every line that starts with a semi-colon is a comment and is ignored by the printer, <code>M104 S200</code>, would be the only line you need in the printout file.</p>\n\n<p>If you're interested in knowing more - look here: <a href=\"https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">G-codes on reprap wiki</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6127, "author": "Brendan Smith", "author_id": 6883, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6883", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I heated it up and was able to extract some plastic that had gotten jammed in the hot ends opening. </p>\n\n<p>I heated up the hotend by commenting out all the other lines of code in Cura's start and end G-code tabs (must have missed some because the printer moved. I would just unplug the printer when it stopped moving). I used an SD card but it would probably work with USB too. I tried to force the filament in to force the jam out of the hotend, but that did nothing.</p>\n\n<p>I took apart the extruder assembly and discovered that a section of filament that was too wide got stuck in the hotend's entrance. I pulled the filament out using me multitool and put the extruder back together. Hope this helps others with a similar problem.</p>\n" } ]	2018/05/06	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5921", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6883/" ]	My Printrbot simple metal's extruder is jammed and I need to heat it up to unjam it. Unfortunately, the printer does't want to connect to my laptop regardless of the program I'm using (Repetier-Host or Cura 15). Is there a way to use a micro SD card to heat up the printer hotend but not print anything?	Sure there is. As you use Cura, you can grab any G-code file (you already have) and use it to set hotend temperature (delete the actual printing part from the file) to get something like this: ``` ;FLAVOR:Marlin ;TIME:102 ;Filament used: 0.0573674m ;Layer height: 0.2 ;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 3.3.1 ; M190 S60 ;-> this sets the bed temperature so we can comment it out ; the next line sets the hotend to 200 degrees Celsius M104 S200 ``` As every line that starts with a semi-colon is a comment and is ignored by the printer, `M104 S200`, would be the only line you need in the printout file. If you're interested in knowing more - look here: [G-codes on reprap wiki](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code)
5,962	<p>Looking at the following code, from <a href="https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/2ce73937f3c57aac28a8d5f11a6ed9135a27cdca/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h#L139" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Line 139</a>, <a href="https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/2ce73937f3c57aac28a8d5f11a6ed9135a27cdca/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h" rel="nofollow noreferrer">pins_RAMPS.h</a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufVqI.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Screenshot of code snippet"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufVqI.png" alt="Screenshot of code snippet" title="Screenshot of code snippet"></a></p> <p>Here is the actual code:</p> <pre><code>#if ENABLED(EXTRUDER_USE_E1) #define E0_STEP_PIN 36 #define E0_DIR_PIN 34 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 #ifndef E0_CS_PIN #define E0_CS_PIN 44 #endif #else #define E0_STEP_PIN 26 #define E0_DIR_PIN 28 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24 #ifndef E0_CS_PIN #define E0_CS_PIN 42 #endif #endif #if DISABLED(X_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(Y_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(Z_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(EXTRUDER_USE_E1) #define E1_STEP_PIN 36 #define E1_DIR_PIN 34 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30 #ifndef E1_CS_PIN #define E1_CS_PIN 44 #endif #endif </code></pre> <p>I've already tried everything that the online community tells me to do to solve this problem, but that all doesn't help me. Almost everyone is saying that I just have to swap these lines of code and it will work, but it's not working. Any ideas ?</p> <p>By the way E0 is not working because I've burnt a pot on it :)</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5965, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>At first it was unclear from where the snippet you posted is taken from as it was not stated in the question (<em>this has now been addressed by a moderator edit</em>).</p>\n\n<p>Depending on the value of <code>EXTRUDER_USE_E1</code> (and where and how it is set) the underlying code of the if statement will be carried out. Albeit said, swapping lines will not work, if you want to use the E1 connector of your motherboard, you have to make the printer think that it is using the E0 while it is redirecting to E1! This implies that you need to assign the pins of the E1 to the E0 extruder (so swap the pins, not the lines). This has been explained before in <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5840/how-to-change-e0-to-e1-on-marlin-1-1\">this topic</a> by editing the correct pin layout file of the Marlin firmware.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT :</strong> Further investigation shows that you have a custom Marlin for the TEVO Tarantula and are using the fork of Marlin maintained by <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">JimBrown</a> (<strong>this is essential information</strong> for your question). I have looked into the files, the only thing you would need to do is define the constant <code>EXTRUDER_USE_E1</code> in your <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/EasyConfig-1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">configuration.h</a> file:</p>\n\n<pre><code>//#define EXTRUDER_USE_E1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>to:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define EXTRUDER_USE_E1\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>So do not swap anything. Once this constant is defined, the pin re-allocation is done for you automatically! (see the <a href=\"https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/EasyConfig-1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h file</a>)</p>\n\n<p>Basically, this is exactly the same as is explained in topic <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5840/how-to-change-e0-to-e1-on-marlin-1-1\">How to change E0 to E1 on Marlin 1.1?</a> and hence a duplicate. ;)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10052, "author": "Alfred Hamori", "author_id": 16605, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16605", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I simply swapped the pins </p>\n\n<pre><code>#define E1_STEP_PIN 26 //swapping to E1 FRED\n#define E1_DIR_PIN 28\n#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24\n#ifndef E1_CS_PIN\n #define E1_CS_PIN 42\n#endif\n\n#define E0_STEP_PIN 36 //swapping to E0 FRED\n#define E0_DIR_PIN 34\n#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30\n#ifndef E0_CS_PIN\n #define E0_CS_PIN 44\n#endif\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Which worked for the basic operation, however now that I've tried to add Autoleveling it stopped moving E1 motor. My configuration.h file does not have:<br>\n<code>#define EXTRUDER_USE_E1</code>\n apparently as its an older version also, just like RAMPS.h doesn't have those conditional statements.</p>\n" } ]	2018/05/13	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5962", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10566/" ]	Looking at the following code, from [Line 139](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/2ce73937f3c57aac28a8d5f11a6ed9135a27cdca/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h#L139), [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/2ce73937f3c57aac28a8d5f11a6ed9135a27cdca/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) [![Screenshot of code snippet](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufVqI.png "Screenshot of code snippet")](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufVqI.png "Screenshot of code snippet") Here is the actual code: ``` #if ENABLED(EXTRUDER_USE_E1) #define E0_STEP_PIN 36 #define E0_DIR_PIN 34 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 #ifndef E0_CS_PIN #define E0_CS_PIN 44 #endif #else #define E0_STEP_PIN 26 #define E0_DIR_PIN 28 #define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24 #ifndef E0_CS_PIN #define E0_CS_PIN 42 #endif #endif #if DISABLED(X_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(Y_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(Z_AXIS_USE_E1) && DISABLED(EXTRUDER_USE_E1) #define E1_STEP_PIN 36 #define E1_DIR_PIN 34 #define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30 #ifndef E1_CS_PIN #define E1_CS_PIN 44 #endif #endif ``` I've already tried everything that the online community tells me to do to solve this problem, but that all doesn't help me. Almost everyone is saying that I just have to swap these lines of code and it will work, but it's not working. Any ideas ? By the way E0 is not working because I've burnt a pot on it :)	At first it was unclear from where the snippet you posted is taken from as it was not stated in the question (this has now been addressed by a moderator edit). Depending on the value of `EXTRUDER_USE_E1` (and where and how it is set) the underlying code of the if statement will be carried out. Albeit said, swapping lines will not work, if you want to use the E1 connector of your motherboard, you have to make the printer think that it is using the E0 while it is redirecting to E1! This implies that you need to assign the pins of the E1 to the E0 extruder (so swap the pins, not the lines). This has been explained before in [this topic](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5840/how-to-change-e0-to-e1-on-marlin-1-1) by editing the correct pin layout file of the Marlin firmware. --- EDIT : Further investigation shows that you have a custom Marlin for the TEVO Tarantula and are using the fork of Marlin maintained by [JimBrown](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula) (this is essential information for your question). I have looked into the files, the only thing you would need to do is define the constant `EXTRUDER_USE_E1` in your [configuration.h](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/EasyConfig-1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) file: ``` //#define EXTRUDER_USE_E1 ``` to: ``` #define EXTRUDER_USE_E1 ``` So do not swap anything. Once this constant is defined, the pin re-allocation is done for you automatically! (see the [pins\_RAMPS.h file](https://github.com/JimBrown/MarlinTarantula/blob/EasyConfig-1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h)) Basically, this is exactly the same as is explained in topic [How to change E0 to E1 on Marlin 1.1?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5840/how-to-change-e0-to-e1-on-marlin-1-1) and hence a duplicate. ;)
5,971	<p>I have a spool of translucent PLA filament that doesn't work well with the filament sensor on my Prusa i3 MK3. The translucency trips up the sensor, making it think the filament ran out. I thought I'd create a filament profile in Slic3r and disable the sensor in the "Start G-code" block that gets inserted at the beginning of the exported gcode file. </p> <p>I've got the following code:</p> <pre><code>M900 K{if printer_notes=~/.PRINTER_HAS_BOWDEN./}200{else}30{endif}; Filament gcode M406 ; Disable filament sensor M117 Filament sensor OFF </code></pre> <p>The first line is provided by Prusa's default PLA profile. The second line should disable the sensor, and the third line should print the "Filament sensor OFF" message. If I look in the gcode, it's there:</p> <pre><code>G92 E0.0 M221 S95 M900 K30; Filament gcode M406 ; Disable filament sensor M117 Filament sensor OFF G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M83 ; use relative distances for extrusion ;BEFORE_LAYER_CHANGE </code></pre> <p>But if I print this gcode file, I see no message, and when checking the sensor in the "Tune" menu while printing, the sensor is still on.</p> <p>I thought I might have a problem with line endings, but looking at the file in a hex editor, all the lines seem to end with a <code>0A</code> line feed character, including mine. </p> <p>Why isn't my printer doing anything with the M406 and M117 messages? Full gcode file <a href="https://pastebin.com/YDTN2Qes" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6392, "author": "Toon", "author_id": 9303, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9303", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Have you correctly calibrated your steps per mm a.k.a. esteps? Tom made a great video about it:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">3D printing guides: Calibration and why you might be doing it wrong</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6573, "author": "Greenonline", "author_id": 4762, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Following on from Toon's answer, here is a run down of <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8Rde3uRL1ohROUVg46h1A\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Thomas Sanladerer</a>'s excellent\n video: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">3D printing guides: Calibration and why you might be doing it wrong</a>.</p>\n\n<p><em>However, this may not be a definitive answer to the actual question about warts and bumps...</em></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">0:08 - A step back</a></strong></p>\n\n<p>Back in time - when the RepRap project (and the hobby grade 3D printing market) was new territory - it was seen to be a <em>doable</em> technology, with no restrictions imposed by patents. The new printers created and developed included Darwin, Sells Mendel and Prusa Mendel. These often produced unusable parts.</p>\n\n<p>However, impromptu solutions, or kludges led to poor quality fixes giving poor quality prints, by today's standards. However, people (today) believe that because they worked back then,. that they must still be valid solutions today. However this is not necessarily the case. </p>\n\n<p>The common misconception is that it is necessary to calibrate the esteps per mm for all axes other than extruder - adjusting the x, y and z esteps per mm until the 10 mm cube measures exactly 10x10x10 mm, even if that means squeezing the callipers.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=85\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1:25 - Car analogy</a></strong></p>\n \n <p>You find that your car pulls to the left, when going in a straight\n line, so you adjust the steering. However, then in hard corners and\n the rain the car handles poorly. </p>\n \n <p>Upon closer inspection, it then turns out that the car had a flat\n tyre. You wouldn't compensate for having a flat tyre by adjusting the\n steering, now would you?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>In order to get that 10 mm cube precise, it is usual to calibrate for the filament diameter, and extrusion multiplier (most straightforward option), but some printers aren't even that precise in the first place.</p>\n\n<p>Mechanical, ripple, slaw, blacklash, can throw you off by 0.1 mm. Compensation for this 0.1 mm is certainly possible and achievable. However, then for a larger print, say 100 mm, then these <em>overcompensation</em> will become more evident, and you will be one entire milimeter off the desired dimensions.</p>\n\n<p>So, use the ideal calculated esteps per mm. Timing belts and threaded rods are made to tight tolerances. therefore the worst case of ideal step per mm setting is an inaccuracy of 0.5%.</p>\n\n<p>So, to find the ideal calculated steps use <a href=\"http://prusaprinters.org/calculator/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Prusa's calculator</a> which is very good indeed. </p>\n\n<p>If you are not using belts, or very large printer, then it is worth recalibrating the steps per mm for x and y, as 0.5% will make a noticeable difference in larger parts.</p>\n\n<p>Use the files and instructions for these <strong>Calibration sticks</strong> on <a href=\"https://www.youmagine.com/designs/calibration-sticks\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Youmagine</a>, for proper recalibrating without results slewed by the extrusion multiplier being off by a bit.</p>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=225\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">3:45 - So what do I need to do?</a></strong></p>\n\n<p>What do you need to empirically calibrate your printer? In actual fact, not all that much:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>extruder steps per mm setting</li>\n<li><p>extrusion multiplier (see video link - <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPfBJz3I6Y\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Extruder calibration</a>)</p></li>\n<li><p>print speed, jerk and acceleration settings - These depend upon how much quality you want to sacrifice for increased speed.</p>\n\n<p>Pro-tip: <em>slow your printing down</em>. For example, try printing at half speed. Quality <em>may</em> be improved, and even if it isn't you will be able to observe more clearly what is happening, and going wrong.\n(see video link - <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HsIZuj9vOs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Super Fast Guide:Tuning Speeds</a>)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=270\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">4:30 - Other than that?</a></strong></p>\n\n<p>There is not much else needs calibrating, per se.</p>\n\n<p>With regards to slicer software, there are only a certain range of settings make sense, but this isn't printer calibration. You simply learn the slicer software and, with familiarity, see how far you can go.</p>\n\n<p>These days any well maintained and well built and solid printer will produce good prints.</p>\n\n<p>Most slicers give you decent prints without tweaking or calibrating, other than the basic settings about your printer and deciding how the part should be printed.</p>\n\n<p>What about print temp and retract settings? Well, just use the default settings, or settings which depend upon the type of filament. So, no calibration is required there, as it is a property of the filament.</p>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=324\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">5:24 - Summing up</a></strong></p>\n\n<p>Don't try to calibrate everything</p>\n\n<p>The technology, in particular the software, i.e. slicers, is still developing and improving. Slic3r's prototpye beta (in Nov 2014) has added compensation for fitting errors(?) without messing other things up, which is essentially what the cube calibration tries to do, but in the correct way.</p>\n" } ]	2018/05/15	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5971", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8335/" ]	I have a spool of translucent PLA filament that doesn't work well with the filament sensor on my Prusa i3 MK3. The translucency trips up the sensor, making it think the filament ran out. I thought I'd create a filament profile in Slic3r and disable the sensor in the "Start G-code" block that gets inserted at the beginning of the exported gcode file. I've got the following code: ``` M900 K{if printer_notes=~/.PRINTER_HAS_BOWDEN./}200{else}30{endif}; Filament gcode M406 ; Disable filament sensor M117 Filament sensor OFF ``` The first line is provided by Prusa's default PLA profile. The second line should disable the sensor, and the third line should print the "Filament sensor OFF" message. If I look in the gcode, it's there: ``` G92 E0.0 M221 S95 M900 K30; Filament gcode M406 ; Disable filament sensor M117 Filament sensor OFF G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates M83 ; use relative distances for extrusion ;BEFORE_LAYER_CHANGE ``` But if I print this gcode file, I see no message, and when checking the sensor in the "Tune" menu while printing, the sensor is still on. I thought I might have a problem with line endings, but looking at the file in a hex editor, all the lines seem to end with a `0A` line feed character, including mine. Why isn't my printer doing anything with the M406 and M117 messages? Full gcode file [here](https://pastebin.com/YDTN2Qes).	Following on from Toon's answer, here is a run down of [Thomas Sanladerer](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8Rde3uRL1ohROUVg46h1A)'s excellent video: [3D printing guides: Calibration and why you might be doing it wrong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8). However, this may not be a definitive answer to the actual question about warts and bumps... --- [0:08 - A step back](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=8) Back in time - when the RepRap project (and the hobby grade 3D printing market) was new territory - it was seen to be a doable technology, with no restrictions imposed by patents. The new printers created and developed included Darwin, Sells Mendel and Prusa Mendel. These often produced unusable parts. However, impromptu solutions, or kludges led to poor quality fixes giving poor quality prints, by today's standards. However, people (today) believe that because they worked back then,. that they must still be valid solutions today. However this is not necessarily the case. The common misconception is that it is necessary to calibrate the esteps per mm for all axes other than extruder - adjusting the x, y and z esteps per mm until the 10 mm cube measures exactly 10x10x10 mm, even if that means squeezing the callipers. --- > > [1:25 - Car analogy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=85) > > > You find that your car pulls to the left, when going in a straight > line, so you adjust the steering. However, then in hard corners and > the rain the car handles poorly. > > > Upon closer inspection, it then turns out that the car had a flat > tyre. You wouldn't compensate for having a flat tyre by adjusting the > steering, now would you? > > > --- In order to get that 10 mm cube precise, it is usual to calibrate for the filament diameter, and extrusion multiplier (most straightforward option), but some printers aren't even that precise in the first place. Mechanical, ripple, slaw, blacklash, can throw you off by 0.1 mm. Compensation for this 0.1 mm is certainly possible and achievable. However, then for a larger print, say 100 mm, then these overcompensation will become more evident, and you will be one entire milimeter off the desired dimensions. So, use the ideal calculated esteps per mm. Timing belts and threaded rods are made to tight tolerances. therefore the worst case of ideal step per mm setting is an inaccuracy of 0.5%. So, to find the ideal calculated steps use [Prusa's calculator](http://prusaprinters.org/calculator/) which is very good indeed. If you are not using belts, or very large printer, then it is worth recalibrating the steps per mm for x and y, as 0.5% will make a noticeable difference in larger parts. Use the files and instructions for these Calibration sticks on [Youmagine](https://www.youmagine.com/designs/calibration-sticks), for proper recalibrating without results slewed by the extrusion multiplier being off by a bit. [3:45 - So what do I need to do?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=225) What do you need to empirically calibrate your printer? In actual fact, not all that much: * extruder steps per mm setting * extrusion multiplier (see video link - [Extruder calibration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPfBJz3I6Y)) * print speed, jerk and acceleration settings - These depend upon how much quality you want to sacrifice for increased speed. Pro-tip: slow your printing down. For example, try printing at half speed. Quality may be improved, and even if it isn't you will be able to observe more clearly what is happening, and going wrong. (see video link - [Super Fast Guide:Tuning Speeds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HsIZuj9vOs)) [4:30 - Other than that?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=270) There is not much else needs calibrating, per se. With regards to slicer software, there are only a certain range of settings make sense, but this isn't printer calibration. You simply learn the slicer software and, with familiarity, see how far you can go. These days any well maintained and well built and solid printer will produce good prints. Most slicers give you decent prints without tweaking or calibrating, other than the basic settings about your printer and deciding how the part should be printed. What about print temp and retract settings? Well, just use the default settings, or settings which depend upon the type of filament. So, no calibration is required there, as it is a property of the filament. [5:24 - Summing up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbn1ckR86Z8&t=324) Don't try to calibrate everything The technology, in particular the software, i.e. slicers, is still developing and improving. Slic3r's prototpye beta (in Nov 2014) has added compensation for fitting errors(?) without messing other things up, which is essentially what the cube calibration tries to do, but in the correct way.
5,988	<p>I've just installed two TMC2208 drivers on my RAMPS board. I followed a very good step by step tutorial and after some issues, I got it nearly to work.</p> <p>One problem I still have is that when I tell the printer to lift the Z axis by 5 mm, it lifts it by 10 cm.</p> <p>I haven't changed anything regarding the steps/mm. Previously I had the Pololus, with 1/16 microstepping and now I also have 1/16 on configuration_adv.h file on Marlin 1.1.8</p> <p>However what I noticed when doing a <code>M122</code> is a line which reads:</p> <pre><code>msteps 256 </code></pre> <p>which sounds like the microstepping was set at 1/256 instead.</p> <p>Maybe somebody could tell me if I missed something?</p> <p><strong>UPDATE:</strong></p> <p>After some more digging into it, here is what I've done so far:</p> <ul> <li>Solder the pins on the driver. Original from Watterrot</li> <li>Solder the bridge pads for enabling UART communication</li> <li>Solder the pin for the communication heading upwards</li> <li>Change the <code>configuration_adv.h</code> on Marlin (1.1.8) and enable all that is to enable: USE_TMC2208, Enable debugging, selecting the Z axis, etc</li> <li>Check the pins on <code>pins_RAMPS.h</code> and make sure they are available in my setting</li> <li>Make a Y cable with the 1 kOhm resistor for the TX pin</li> <li>Hook everything up</li> </ul> <p>No matter what I did, the motor moves twice as much as requested. Although I set up 1/16 microstepping, the same I had with my Pololus, I performed the reverse calculation to find out that the actual microstepping on the driver is 1/8.</p> <p>After more investigation, the issue seems to be that the driver is not recognized at all by the Marlin/Board. Thinking that it was a problem with the TX/RX communication, I dug into the available info out there and I found this, <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/9396" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bug: TMC2208 UART Communication uses wrong pins for SoftwareSerial #9396</a>.</p> <p>I proceeded to change the assigned pins for serial RX/TX, but everything is exactly the same.</p> <p>I tried a different Arduino (original), another RAMPS board and even the 1.1.x and 2.0 bugfix branches from Marlin.</p> <p>It seems that the driver is on "legacy" mode and software manipulation is not possible. Although I went through the steps to enable it.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 5990, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't have these controllers, but I read that with default settings the TMC2208 will interpolate the microsteps set by the I/O configuration pins to\n256 microsteps. Please look into how you set up the dip switches / jumper caps on your board, it seems that only 2 are used (MS1 and MS2). Furthermore, can't you just decrease the count of the array <code>DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT</code> for the Z entry in your configuration file?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 12082, "author": "Grigor Tonikyan", "author_id": 20220, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/20220", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most likely your issue is related to the PDN_UART pin on TCM2208 Driver board, on some manufacturers boards the jumper is not set to UART mode by default, so most likely u need to solder jumper to right configuration. Look at datasheet of your driver board.\n for example \n<a href=\"https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-TMC2208-V3.0/blob/master/TMC2208-V3.0%20manual.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-TMC2208-V3.0/blob/master/TMC2208-V3.0%20manual.pdf</a> </p>\n" } ]	2018/05/18	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5988", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8274/" ]	I've just installed two TMC2208 drivers on my RAMPS board. I followed a very good step by step tutorial and after some issues, I got it nearly to work. One problem I still have is that when I tell the printer to lift the Z axis by 5 mm, it lifts it by 10 cm. I haven't changed anything regarding the steps/mm. Previously I had the Pololus, with 1/16 microstepping and now I also have 1/16 on configuration\_adv.h file on Marlin 1.1.8 However what I noticed when doing a `M122` is a line which reads: ``` msteps 256 ``` which sounds like the microstepping was set at 1/256 instead. Maybe somebody could tell me if I missed something? UPDATE: After some more digging into it, here is what I've done so far: * Solder the pins on the driver. Original from Watterrot * Solder the bridge pads for enabling UART communication * Solder the pin for the communication heading upwards * Change the `configuration_adv.h` on Marlin (1.1.8) and enable all that is to enable: USE\_TMC2208, Enable debugging, selecting the Z axis, etc * Check the pins on `pins_RAMPS.h` and make sure they are available in my setting * Make a Y cable with the 1 kOhm resistor for the TX pin * Hook everything up No matter what I did, the motor moves twice as much as requested. Although I set up 1/16 microstepping, the same I had with my Pololus, I performed the reverse calculation to find out that the actual microstepping on the driver is 1/8. After more investigation, the issue seems to be that the driver is not recognized at all by the Marlin/Board. Thinking that it was a problem with the TX/RX communication, I dug into the available info out there and I found this, [Bug: TMC2208 UART Communication uses wrong pins for SoftwareSerial #9396](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/9396). I proceeded to change the assigned pins for serial RX/TX, but everything is exactly the same. I tried a different Arduino (original), another RAMPS board and even the 1.1.x and 2.0 bugfix branches from Marlin. It seems that the driver is on "legacy" mode and software manipulation is not possible. Although I went through the steps to enable it.	I don't have these controllers, but I read that with default settings the TMC2208 will interpolate the microsteps set by the I/O configuration pins to 256 microsteps. Please look into how you set up the dip switches / jumper caps on your board, it seems that only 2 are used (MS1 and MS2). Furthermore, can't you just decrease the count of the array `DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT` for the Z entry in your configuration file?
6,046	<p>I need to add some simple image renders of STL files to a document. I currently open the STL files in Preview or one of the slicers and grab a screen shot.</p> <p>Is there an easier or automatic way to generate PNG images from STL files on a Mac?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6047, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Typically you would install a (free) 3D model program as Fusion 360, FreeCAD, or many more options to choose from. Once installed, import the STL file and use menu options to export a picture of your STL.</p>\n\n<p>Alternatively, if you have some programming skills, you could <a href=\"https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Importing_Geometry\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">import the STL file</a> in OpenSCAD and render and export a picture from there. Simply create an OpenSCAD file with the code line below and it will import your <code>example.stl</code>. </p>\n\n<pre><code>import(\"example.stl\", convexity=10);\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Through the menu you can then export the view to an image. Note that you can do that also from the <a href=\"https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Using_OpenSCAD_in_a_command_line_environment\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">command line</a> as shown by the OP's own answer (nice example of command line usage of OpenSCAD).</p>\n\n<p>These are not the only options, there are many more. E.g. <a href=\"http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2015/05/13/3d-model-stl-to-png-preview/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> is a nice example. It also describes how Thingiverse.com does STL to web image.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6048, "author": "Mark Harrison", "author_id": 6851, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6851", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you have <a href=\"http://www.openscad.org\" rel=\"noreferrer\">OpenSCAD</a> installed, this shell script will generate 100x100 pixel PNG images for each STL file in your current directory.</p>\n\n<pre><code>for i in .stl; do\n T=__tmp__<span class=\"math-container\">$i\n b=`basename $</span>i`\n echo import\$\\\"<span class=\"math-container\">$i\\\"\$\\; >$</span>T\n /Applications/OpenSCAD.app/Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o <span class=\"math-container\">$b.png --imgsize=100,100 $</span>T\n rm $T\ndone\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Credit to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/0scar\">0scar</a> for pointing out STL files can be imported into OpenSCAD.</p>\n\n<p>Update: This code does the same, and generates an html file with annotated images of the files rendered. When I printed a batch of spare parts for my 3D printer I made a hardcopy and stuck it in the box so I could identify the parts later.</p>\n\n<pre><code>n=-1\nH=00-catalog.html\necho ><span class=\"math-container\">$H '<table>'\necho >>$</span>H ' <tr>'\nfor i in <span class=\"math-container\">$; do\n n=`expr $</span>n + 1`\n if test $n = 4; then\n n=0\n echo >>$H ' </tr>'\n echo >>$H ' <tr>'\n fi\n echo $i\n T=__tmp__$i\n B=`basename <span class=\"math-container\">$i .stl`\n echo import\$\\\"$</span>i\\\"\$\\; ><span class=\"math-container\">$T\n /Applications/OpenSCAD.app//Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $</span>B.png --imgsize=200,200 <span class=\"math-container\">$T\n echo >>$</span>H\n echo >><span class=\"math-container\">$H ' <td>'$</span>i'<br><img src=\"'$B'.png\"></td>'\n\n rm <span class=\"math-container\">$T\ndone\necho >>$</span>H ' </tr>'\necho >>$H '</table>'\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6054, "author": "Carl Witthoft", "author_id": 2191, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2191", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you don't mind using screen grabs, you could use AppleScript or whatever it's called in the latest MacOS versions to build an automated script to open each file, grab screen, save, etc. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10802, "author": "Paul", "author_id": 17236, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/17236", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can use OpenSCAD, as stated in the accepted answer. \nHere is a version of that script that works for Windows for anyone who needs it, as I did.</p>\n\n<pre><code># Change height and width to the desired output image dimensions, in pixels.\n# The path to openscad.exe may also have to be adjusted based on your installation.\n\nheight=1080\nwidth=1080\n\nfor i in *.stl; do\n T=__tmp__<span class=\"math-container\">$i\n b=`basename \"$</span>i\"`\n echo import\$\\\"./<span class=\"math-container\">$i\\\"\$\\; > \"$</span>T\"\n C:/'Program Files'/OpenSCAD/openscad.exe -o \"<span class=\"math-container\">$b\".png --autocenter --viewall --imgsize=$</span>width,<span class=\"math-container\">$height \"$</span>T\"\n rm \"$T\"\ndone\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2018/05/28	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6046", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6851/" ]	I need to add some simple image renders of STL files to a document. I currently open the STL files in Preview or one of the slicers and grab a screen shot. Is there an easier or automatic way to generate PNG images from STL files on a Mac?	If you have [OpenSCAD](http://www.openscad.org) installed, this shell script will generate 100x100 pixel PNG images for each STL file in your current directory. ``` for i in .stl; do T=__tmp__$i b=`basename $i` echo import$\"$i\"$\; >$T /Applications/OpenSCAD.app/Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $b.png --imgsize=100,100 $T rm $T done ``` Credit to [0scar](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/0scar) for pointing out STL files can be imported into OpenSCAD. Update: This code does the same, and generates an html file with annotated images of the files rendered. When I printed a batch of spare parts for my 3D printer I made a hardcopy and stuck it in the box so I could identify the parts later. ``` n=-1 H=00-catalog.html echo >$H '<table>' echo >>$H ' <tr>' for i in $\; do n=`expr $n + 1` if test $n = 4; then n=0 echo >>$H ' </tr>' echo >>$H ' <tr>' fi echo $i T=__tmp__$i B=`basename $i .stl` echo import$\"$i\"$\; >$T /Applications/OpenSCAD.app//Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $B.png --imgsize=200,200 $T echo >>$H echo >>$H ' <td>'$i'<br><img src="'$B'.png"></td>' rm $T done echo >>$H ' </tr>' echo >>$H '</table>' ```
6,050	<p>I don't know how to say this but during the print, the printer will randomly have difficulty extruding the filament. I will have to give the filament a <em>boost</em> for it to keep going. Once I done the <em>boost</em>, the extruder keeps going perfectly fine for a while.</p> <p>I am using a Prusa I3 clone bought second hand. I am using the settings that the previous owner gave me (I personally know him). He previously printed a lot of stuff with those settings and they seem to work well. I also bought the brand of same filament as he did for my first roll.</p> <p>My question is:</p> <p><strong>Has anyone had this problem or anything similar and if they did, how did they resolve it?</strong></p> <p>If anymore precision or clarification is needed, please ask.</p> <p><strong>EDIT</strong></p> <p>When I say <code>boost</code> I mean that I have to push it down a bit more for it to countinue extruding.</p> <p>I am using 3D branche filament (it's a local store in Montreal).</p> <p>I do sometime hear it click before the print. When it does that. I stop the print and restart it.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6047, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Typically you would install a (free) 3D model program as Fusion 360, FreeCAD, or many more options to choose from. Once installed, import the STL file and use menu options to export a picture of your STL.</p>\n\n<p>Alternatively, if you have some programming skills, you could <a href=\"https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Importing_Geometry\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">import the STL file</a> in OpenSCAD and render and export a picture from there. Simply create an OpenSCAD file with the code line below and it will import your <code>example.stl</code>. </p>\n\n<pre><code>import(\"example.stl\", convexity=10);\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Through the menu you can then export the view to an image. Note that you can do that also from the <a href=\"https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Using_OpenSCAD_in_a_command_line_environment\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">command line</a> as shown by the OP's own answer (nice example of command line usage of OpenSCAD).</p>\n\n<p>These are not the only options, there are many more. E.g. <a href=\"http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2015/05/13/3d-model-stl-to-png-preview/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> is a nice example. It also describes how Thingiverse.com does STL to web image.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6048, "author": "Mark Harrison", "author_id": 6851, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6851", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you have <a href=\"http://www.openscad.org\" rel=\"noreferrer\">OpenSCAD</a> installed, this shell script will generate 100x100 pixel PNG images for each STL file in your current directory.</p>\n\n<pre><code>for i in .stl; do\n T=__tmp__<span class=\"math-container\">$i\n b=`basename $</span>i`\n echo import\$\\\"<span class=\"math-container\">$i\\\"\$\\; >$</span>T\n /Applications/OpenSCAD.app/Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o <span class=\"math-container\">$b.png --imgsize=100,100 $</span>T\n rm $T\ndone\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Credit to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/0scar\">0scar</a> for pointing out STL files can be imported into OpenSCAD.</p>\n\n<p>Update: This code does the same, and generates an html file with annotated images of the files rendered. When I printed a batch of spare parts for my 3D printer I made a hardcopy and stuck it in the box so I could identify the parts later.</p>\n\n<pre><code>n=-1\nH=00-catalog.html\necho ><span class=\"math-container\">$H '<table>'\necho >>$</span>H ' <tr>'\nfor i in <span class=\"math-container\">$; do\n n=`expr $</span>n + 1`\n if test $n = 4; then\n n=0\n echo >>$H ' </tr>'\n echo >>$H ' <tr>'\n fi\n echo $i\n T=__tmp__$i\n B=`basename <span class=\"math-container\">$i .stl`\n echo import\$\\\"$</span>i\\\"\$\\; ><span class=\"math-container\">$T\n /Applications/OpenSCAD.app//Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $</span>B.png --imgsize=200,200 <span class=\"math-container\">$T\n echo >>$</span>H\n echo >><span class=\"math-container\">$H ' <td>'$</span>i'<br><img src=\"'$B'.png\"></td>'\n\n rm <span class=\"math-container\">$T\ndone\necho >>$</span>H ' </tr>'\necho >>$H '</table>'\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6054, "author": "Carl Witthoft", "author_id": 2191, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/2191", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you don't mind using screen grabs, you could use AppleScript or whatever it's called in the latest MacOS versions to build an automated script to open each file, grab screen, save, etc. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10802, "author": "Paul", "author_id": 17236, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/17236", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can use OpenSCAD, as stated in the accepted answer. \nHere is a version of that script that works for Windows for anyone who needs it, as I did.</p>\n\n<pre><code># Change height and width to the desired output image dimensions, in pixels.\n# The path to openscad.exe may also have to be adjusted based on your installation.\n\nheight=1080\nwidth=1080\n\nfor i in *.stl; do\n T=__tmp__<span class=\"math-container\">$i\n b=`basename \"$</span>i\"`\n echo import\$\\\"./<span class=\"math-container\">$i\\\"\$\\; > \"$</span>T\"\n C:/'Program Files'/OpenSCAD/openscad.exe -o \"<span class=\"math-container\">$b\".png --autocenter --viewall --imgsize=$</span>width,<span class=\"math-container\">$height \"$</span>T\"\n rm \"$T\"\ndone\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2018/05/28	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6050", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10816/" ]	I don't know how to say this but during the print, the printer will randomly have difficulty extruding the filament. I will have to give the filament a boost for it to keep going. Once I done the boost, the extruder keeps going perfectly fine for a while. I am using a Prusa I3 clone bought second hand. I am using the settings that the previous owner gave me (I personally know him). He previously printed a lot of stuff with those settings and they seem to work well. I also bought the brand of same filament as he did for my first roll. My question is: Has anyone had this problem or anything similar and if they did, how did they resolve it? If anymore precision or clarification is needed, please ask. EDIT When I say `boost` I mean that I have to push it down a bit more for it to countinue extruding. I am using 3D branche filament (it's a local store in Montreal). I do sometime hear it click before the print. When it does that. I stop the print and restart it.	If you have [OpenSCAD](http://www.openscad.org) installed, this shell script will generate 100x100 pixel PNG images for each STL file in your current directory. ``` for i in .stl; do T=__tmp__$i b=`basename $i` echo import$\"$i\"$\; >$T /Applications/OpenSCAD.app/Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $b.png --imgsize=100,100 $T rm $T done ``` Credit to [0scar](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/0scar) for pointing out STL files can be imported into OpenSCAD. Update: This code does the same, and generates an html file with annotated images of the files rendered. When I printed a batch of spare parts for my 3D printer I made a hardcopy and stuck it in the box so I could identify the parts later. ``` n=-1 H=00-catalog.html echo >$H '<table>' echo >>$H ' <tr>' for i in $\; do n=`expr $n + 1` if test $n = 4; then n=0 echo >>$H ' </tr>' echo >>$H ' <tr>' fi echo $i T=__tmp__$i B=`basename $i .stl` echo import$\"$i\"$\; >$T /Applications/OpenSCAD.app//Contents/MacOS/OpenSCAD -o $B.png --imgsize=200,200 $T echo >>$H echo >>$H ' <td>'$i'<br><img src="'$B'.png"></td>' rm $T done echo >>$H ' </tr>' echo >>$H '</table>' ```
6,152	<p>So as the title said my heated bed stopped heating mid print. </p> <p>I'm pretty confident the bed itself is not the problem as I've ran continuity tests from the wires and a resistance check (which showed a total resistance of about 1.5 ohms, which is where it should be). I've done voltage checks across the input terminals which showed a successful output of 12 V. </p> <p>Finally I did a voltage test across the output terminal at D8 where the heated bed should be outputted to. The result came up with nearly 0 V. I then noticed that the LED that usually lights up for D8 was turned off. The weird thing is, I unplugged the wires from D8 and this time the LED lit up like it was supposed to. Due to this, I believe the problem to be with the MOSFET attached to D8. </p> <p>My proposed solution would be to move the heated bed terminal to D9 instead of D8. I wish to this because despite the firmware set up for a fan, I do not have a fan attached to D9. This leaves this terminal open and with a potentially unharmed MOSFET. Despite this I have found no information on how to go about accomplishing this. </p> <p>What do you guys think? Is that even a good idea or should the component (or board be replaced)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6160, "author": "profesor79", "author_id": 9730, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9730", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you can swap pins in Marlin firmware.\nWhen you download it from GitHub, there is a file called <a href=\"https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware/blob/MK3/Firmware/pins.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins.h</a> (please be aware that this file is an example), and you can play with your setup to skip the broken mosfet.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Sometimes, it could be easier and faster to desolder and swap elements directly on the board - that depends on the skill set we have</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6162, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First you should check if the bed still works when applying 12V directly. You can then also check the voltage over the 12V output terminals to measure the power supply unit while it is powering the bed. It is unclear whether you measured the voltage of the PSU while it was powering a large load.</p>\n\n<p>It is also a good idea to get the external MOSFET board out of the equation (the less components you have, the less you need to troubleshoot).</p>\n\n<p>From the post can be concluded that you are using the so-called RAMPS EFB setup, e.g. in <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Marlin firmware</a> defined by constant <code>IS_RAMPS_EFB</code> in your firmware printer setup (Extruder on pin 10, fan on pin 9 and bed on pin 8).</p>\n\n<p>In the pin configuration file <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h</a> you can find the following lines:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define FAN_PIN RAMPS_D9_PIN\n#define HEATER_BED_PIN RAMPS_D8_PIN\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>To change the pin layout, switch the values of the constants.</p>\n" } ]	2018/06/11	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6152", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11056/" ]	So as the title said my heated bed stopped heating mid print. I'm pretty confident the bed itself is not the problem as I've ran continuity tests from the wires and a resistance check (which showed a total resistance of about 1.5 ohms, which is where it should be). I've done voltage checks across the input terminals which showed a successful output of 12 V. Finally I did a voltage test across the output terminal at D8 where the heated bed should be outputted to. The result came up with nearly 0 V. I then noticed that the LED that usually lights up for D8 was turned off. The weird thing is, I unplugged the wires from D8 and this time the LED lit up like it was supposed to. Due to this, I believe the problem to be with the MOSFET attached to D8. My proposed solution would be to move the heated bed terminal to D9 instead of D8. I wish to this because despite the firmware set up for a fan, I do not have a fan attached to D9. This leaves this terminal open and with a potentially unharmed MOSFET. Despite this I have found no information on how to go about accomplishing this. What do you guys think? Is that even a good idea or should the component (or board be replaced)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.	First you should check if the bed still works when applying 12V directly. You can then also check the voltage over the 12V output terminals to measure the power supply unit while it is powering the bed. It is unclear whether you measured the voltage of the PSU while it was powering a large load. It is also a good idea to get the external MOSFET board out of the equation (the less components you have, the less you need to troubleshoot). From the post can be concluded that you are using the so-called RAMPS EFB setup, e.g. in [Marlin firmware](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/) defined by constant `IS_RAMPS_EFB` in your firmware printer setup (Extruder on pin 10, fan on pin 9 and bed on pin 8). In the pin configuration file [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) you can find the following lines: ``` #define FAN_PIN RAMPS_D9_PIN #define HEATER_BED_PIN RAMPS_D8_PIN ``` To change the pin layout, switch the values of the constants.
6,153	<p>Im planning on building an enclosure for my CR-10S and am debating whether to use MDF walls lined with an insulation foam that reduces noise and keeps the heat in or going with double pane glass walls.</p> <p>My main concern is not necessarily keeping the enclosure hot as it is for noise reduction. Obviously the wood with insulation will give better sounds dampening, but I am wondering if anyone has tried both or at least heard a printer before and after with both and if the glass alone had a significant effect on the sounds reduction.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6160, "author": "profesor79", "author_id": 9730, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/9730", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you can swap pins in Marlin firmware.\nWhen you download it from GitHub, there is a file called <a href=\"https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware/blob/MK3/Firmware/pins.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins.h</a> (please be aware that this file is an example), and you can play with your setup to skip the broken mosfet.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Sometimes, it could be easier and faster to desolder and swap elements directly on the board - that depends on the skill set we have</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6162, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First you should check if the bed still works when applying 12V directly. You can then also check the voltage over the 12V output terminals to measure the power supply unit while it is powering the bed. It is unclear whether you measured the voltage of the PSU while it was powering a large load.</p>\n\n<p>It is also a good idea to get the external MOSFET board out of the equation (the less components you have, the less you need to troubleshoot).</p>\n\n<p>From the post can be concluded that you are using the so-called RAMPS EFB setup, e.g. in <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Marlin firmware</a> defined by constant <code>IS_RAMPS_EFB</code> in your firmware printer setup (Extruder on pin 10, fan on pin 9 and bed on pin 8).</p>\n\n<p>In the pin configuration file <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pins_RAMPS.h</a> you can find the following lines:</p>\n\n<pre><code>#define FAN_PIN RAMPS_D9_PIN\n#define HEATER_BED_PIN RAMPS_D8_PIN\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>To change the pin layout, switch the values of the constants.</p>\n" } ]	2018/06/11	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6153", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11057/" ]	Im planning on building an enclosure for my CR-10S and am debating whether to use MDF walls lined with an insulation foam that reduces noise and keeps the heat in or going with double pane glass walls. My main concern is not necessarily keeping the enclosure hot as it is for noise reduction. Obviously the wood with insulation will give better sounds dampening, but I am wondering if anyone has tried both or at least heard a printer before and after with both and if the glass alone had a significant effect on the sounds reduction.	First you should check if the bed still works when applying 12V directly. You can then also check the voltage over the 12V output terminals to measure the power supply unit while it is powering the bed. It is unclear whether you measured the voltage of the PSU while it was powering a large load. It is also a good idea to get the external MOSFET board out of the equation (the less components you have, the less you need to troubleshoot). From the post can be concluded that you are using the so-called RAMPS EFB setup, e.g. in [Marlin firmware](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/) defined by constant `IS_RAMPS_EFB` in your firmware printer setup (Extruder on pin 10, fan on pin 9 and bed on pin 8). In the pin configuration file [pins\_RAMPS.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_RAMPS.h) you can find the following lines: ``` #define FAN_PIN RAMPS_D9_PIN #define HEATER_BED_PIN RAMPS_D8_PIN ``` To change the pin layout, switch the values of the constants.
6,179	<p>I have got a problem that after upgrading my printer to an aluminum frame my extruder went from around 400 steps per mm at 16 micro steps (which did match the manufacturer's recommendation perfectly) to a bit over 1000 steps per mm at 16 micro steps.</p> <p>This is a problem for me, since the limited amount of steps per second lower my maximum retraction speed.</p> <p>What I tried since the rebuild:</p> <ol> <li><p>Replace and adjust the current of the stepper driver - no change, even with another type of driver on different micro steps, of course with other values, but also about 2.5 times too high;</p> </li> <li><p>Connecting another motor with another cable - the other motor with nothing attached to it drove the same angle as my extruder stepper.</p> </li> </ol> <p>Could it be that the ATmega2560 on my MKS gen 1.4 board got damaged? Or did I change something in the firmware, which does have this effect?</p> <p>I am using Marlin 1.8.5 and a E3D Titan 1:3 geared extruder and I am using the same setup as before! E3D claims to have 437 steps per mm on a 200 steps/revolution Nema 17 stepper and 16 micro steps. This value was working perfectly fine before.</p> <h3>Update:</h3> <p>With an Arduino Nano I measured the amount of steps my board sends at 418.5 steps/mm (programmed in EEPROM and in firmware) on a specific amount of extrusion length</p> <pre><code>G92 E0 -> G1 F100 E30 </code></pre> <p>and I got</p> <pre><code>5220 steps for 30mm extrusion (reproducible). </code></pre> <p>It should be</p> <pre><code>418.5 steps/mm30mm = 12555 steps. </code></pre> <p>Where,</p> <pre><code>(12555/5220) 418.5 steps/mm = 1007 steps/mm </code></pre> <p>to have the effect of 418.5 steps/mm</p> <p>...which is, oddly, the exact number that I got by marking filament, extruding, measuring and calculating.</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6181, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After a rebuild, and certainly after changing to another extruder (e.g. replacing it by a geared extruder like you supposedly did as taken from the comments above before the edit, which now clearly is not the case) or setup e.g. other stepper drivers, you should always calibrate the extruder. </p>\n\n<p>To calibrate you e.g. disconnect the hot end nozzle and command to extrude 100 mm. Be sure to make marks and measure the extruded distance. Divide the latter value by 100 to divide this result by the steps per mm value in the configuration file. So, if you measured 102 mm and commanded 100 for 400 steps, the new would be 400/(102/100) = 392. There is a lot to find on this matter on the internet. All can be done with G-codes that can be entered through a terminal connected over the USB port. E.g. applications as Pronterface, Repetier-Host, OctoPrint, etc. all have a terminal interface to the printer if connected over USB.</p>\n\n<p>You could find more detailed instructions e.g. <a href=\"https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-calibrate-your-extruder\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>, or this <a href=\"https://www.google.no/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=0ahUKEwjsuYaexNXbAhWxx6YKHXtTADIQwqsBCEYwBQ&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6182, "author": "Bastian__", "author_id": 11099, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11099", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Ok, thanks everyone for at least taking time to read or thinking about this.</p>\n\n<p>The Problem is an absolute mess and there are two possible reasons:</p>\n\n<p>-> the octoprint eeprom editor is broken</p>\n\n<p>-> the ATMega2560's eeprom is broken. as far as i know companies buy used atmegas to cheapen the price and the >100k writes on my chip has been reached</p>\n\n<p>I will try to figure out the exact problem, if i find time in the next days.\nMy current setup is just deactivate eeprom and i'm good to go. Even wiping eeprom with a small arduino sketch will get the error to return.</p>\n\n<p>Now i will be able to sleep again :D</p>\n" } ]	2018/06/15	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6179", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11099/" ]	I have got a problem that after upgrading my printer to an aluminum frame my extruder went from around 400 steps per mm at 16 micro steps (which did match the manufacturer's recommendation perfectly) to a bit over 1000 steps per mm at 16 micro steps. This is a problem for me, since the limited amount of steps per second lower my maximum retraction speed. What I tried since the rebuild: 1. Replace and adjust the current of the stepper driver - no change, even with another type of driver on different micro steps, of course with other values, but also about 2.5 times too high; 2. Connecting another motor with another cable - the other motor with nothing attached to it drove the same angle as my extruder stepper. Could it be that the ATmega2560 on my MKS gen 1.4 board got damaged? Or did I change something in the firmware, which does have this effect? I am using Marlin 1.8.5 and a E3D Titan 1:3 geared extruder and I am using the same setup as before! E3D claims to have 437 steps per mm on a 200 steps/revolution Nema 17 stepper and 16 micro steps. This value was working perfectly fine before. ### Update: With an Arduino Nano I measured the amount of steps my board sends at 418.5 steps/mm (programmed in EEPROM and in firmware) on a specific amount of extrusion length ``` G92 E0 -> G1 F100 E30 ``` and I got ``` 5220 steps for 30mm extrusion (reproducible). ``` It should be ``` 418.5 steps/mm30mm = 12555 steps. ``` Where, ``` (12555/5220) 418.5 steps/mm = 1007 steps/mm ``` to have the effect of 418.5 steps/mm ...which is, oddly, the exact number that I got by marking filament, extruding, measuring and calculating.	Ok, thanks everyone for at least taking time to read or thinking about this. The Problem is an absolute mess and there are two possible reasons: -> the octoprint eeprom editor is broken -> the ATMega2560's eeprom is broken. as far as i know companies buy used atmegas to cheapen the price and the >100k writes on my chip has been reached I will try to figure out the exact problem, if i find time in the next days. My current setup is just deactivate eeprom and i'm good to go. Even wiping eeprom with a small arduino sketch will get the error to return. Now i will be able to sleep again :D
6,277	<p>My G29 command reports</p> <pre><code>+0.178 +0.281 +0.830 -0.614 -0.012 +0.371 -1.208 -0.849 -0.351 </code></pre> <p>So should I tighten up the screw of the bed, close to 0,0 position or loosen it?</p> <p>I have a feeling that when I loosen it, it gets away from zero and I expect the opposite to happen.</p> <p>For bed leveling i use a capacitive probe and after playing around with the screws here is the result</p> <pre><code>+0.406 +0.127 +0.411 -0.161 -0.007 -0.041 -0.572 -0.652 -0.668 </code></pre> <p>Finally the leveling process was found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_1Kg45APko" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> But the question remains. The value <code>-0.572</code> corresponds close to <code>0,0</code> ?</p>	[ { "answer_id": 6274, "author": "fred_dot_u", "author_id": 854, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After you use the Slice Now button (and the slicing progress bar shows completed), select the preview tab. To the right of the window you will see a pair of vertical sliders. Each slider changes the start and finish locations for the filament layers.</p>\n\n<p>You can slide the left one to the bottom, which will \"empty\" the virtual print bed. Each movement upward will display a succeeding layer, showing the placement of the filament. This ostensibly will present to you alignment information as well as unexpected holes or other failure points.</p>\n\n<p>I don't know of any slicer that lacks a preview. That doesn't mean one does not exist, but why would such a useful feature be omitted?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6314, "author": "Peter", "author_id": 11267, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11267", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Using Repetier Host V2.1.2 and slicing with Slic3r (or with CuraEngine), there is an \"edit Gcode\" button under the Print Preview tab. It is located at the top right of the screen. With that button you can access, examine and change the Gcode of the project you are working on.</p>\n" } ]	2018/07/03	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6277", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/10230/" ]	My G29 command reports ``` +0.178 +0.281 +0.830 -0.614 -0.012 +0.371 -1.208 -0.849 -0.351 ``` So should I tighten up the screw of the bed, close to 0,0 position or loosen it? I have a feeling that when I loosen it, it gets away from zero and I expect the opposite to happen. For bed leveling i use a capacitive probe and after playing around with the screws here is the result ``` +0.406 +0.127 +0.411 -0.161 -0.007 -0.041 -0.572 -0.652 -0.668 ``` Finally the leveling process was found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_1Kg45APko) But the question remains. The value `-0.572` corresponds close to `0,0` ?	Using Repetier Host V2.1.2 and slicing with Slic3r (or with CuraEngine), there is an "edit Gcode" button under the Print Preview tab. It is located at the top right of the screen. With that button you can access, examine and change the Gcode of the project you are working on.
6,355	<p>Ok, I did it, I ordered myself an Ender-3, a genuine 24V e3D hotend, inductive sensor and some better tubing/clamps to cope with the problem the CR10/Ender line has occasionally.</p> <p>But now I need to fix up my Cura for the machine coming in. The start is the CR10, and fixing the dimensions is easy.</p> <p>But now comes the tricky part: Start and End G-code. For my TronXY I never bothered with changing it away from the "basic" settings that a "custom 3D printer" on Marlin gave, but this time I want to know what I type in there. The basic code, after I dragged out the G-code handbook from the RepRap wiki to add the missing comments is:</p> <pre><code>G28 ;Home G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the Gantry up 15mm going fast ;Prime the extruder G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance G1 F200 E3 ; extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance </code></pre> <p>The <a href="https://reprap.org/wiki/Start_GCode_routines" rel="noreferrer">RepRap Wiki</a> suggests that there could be made so much more from this. </p> <p>I would love to <em>swipe</em> the nozzle before starting to print, making sure that the curled up filament from this first extrusion doesn't get squished against the nozzle and make a bad first layer.</p> <p><strong>How does an example (commented) G-code for swiping the nozzle look like?</strong></p>	[ { "answer_id": 6356, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>What code we have so far</h2>\n<p>The code already made by Ultimaker Cura 3 (and then commented on) can be explained a little more:</p>\n<p><code>G28 ;Home</code><br>\n<em>This homes your machine to hit end stop positions, from now on your printer knows the coordinates of the print volume. This place it knows as <0-0-0> - check where that is: above the print surface or next to it!<br></em>\n<code>G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the Gantry up 15mm going fast</code><br>\n<em>Instruct the build plate to move down, or in your case lift the head up 15 mm at 6000 mm/min<br></em>\n<code>;Prime the extruder</code><br>\n<em>This is a comment that the nex code will deal with priming the nozzle<br></em>\n<code>G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance</code><br>\n<em><a href=\"https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G92:_Set_Position\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">G92</a> sets the position of the extruder by resetting the current position to the specified value of zero<br></em>\n<code>G1 F200 E3 ; extrude 3mm of feed stock</code><br>\n<em>This will extrude 3 mm of filament at a feedrate of 200 mm/min<br></em>\n<code>G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance</code><br>\n<em>This will reset the extruder length again to zero<br></em></p>\n<h2>Result of the code</h2>\n<p>Basically you will have some filament dangling on your nozzle now, or falling of as the nozzle is hot creating a fine string. You now are facing the possibility that the primed material will be dragged along the build plate to the start of the print.</p>\n<h2>Nozzle Preparation: Priming sequences</h2>\n<h3>Ultimaker 3: 'blob'&swipe</h3>\n<p>An alternative I really like is the priming sequence of the Ultimaker 3. The hot end is instructed near the origin of the printer at about a height of 2 mm above the build plate when it starts to extrude plastic, once the extruded plastic becomes a puddle of about 6 mm in diameter the build plate lowers a few mm's and keep extruding for a bit. It then moves in positive Y direction (to the back) and raises the platform (this is the swipe action), then retracts and starts to move to the print start. Now the puddle of filament stays near the origin and will not be dragged.</p>\n<p>You can easily make a similar schematic for your printer, I've done so also for various printers. Try and experiment what works best for you. The swipe action is the movement where the nozzle will be instructed to move near the build plate while moving in a certain direction (Y or X), a height of a few tenths is enough to swipe.</p>\n<p>I don't have my exact profile here, but you could add (skipping feedrates):</p>\n<pre><code>G1 Y15 Z0.2 ; moves the nozzle backwards and down from 15 mm to 0.2 mm\nG1 Y20 Z0.2 ; swipes the nozzle, this should cut off the "worm"\nG1 Z1 ; raise for movement to start of print to add a little space to travel\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6357, "author": "Trish", "author_id": 8884, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<h2>The lazy way: Skirt/Brim</h2>\n<p>With my TronXY X1 I learned pretty fast, that this first bit of extrusion on an unheated bed can totally mess up the first layer by being just in the way, as explained in the question.</p>\n<p>To some degree, this behavior can be avoided by adding a skirt of a certain length. An equally good alternative that also increases bed adhesion for tricky parts is the brim. Both are not set via G-code but can be added by the slicer. In Ultimaker Cura both are found in the tab Build Plate Adhesion as type, as the following pictures show:</p>\n<h3>Skirt: 2 lines, minimum length 250mm</h3>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/iN6IM.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/iN6IM.png\" alt=\"Skirt: 2 lines, minimum length 250mm\" /></a></p>\n<h3>Brim: minimum length 250mm, 8mm width</h3>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL1Fn.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL1Fn.png\" alt=\"Brim: minimum length 250mm, 8mm width\" /></a></p>\n<h2>The Prusa Priming-line</h2>\n<p>Angus/MakersMuse introduced me to the Prusa Priming Line in one of his <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6csbJ5965Bk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tutorial videos</a>. For his Wanhao he used (for the video) just this start G-code script:</p>\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Y-3 F500 ; Move out of print volume\nG1 X60 E9 F500 ; start purge line\nG1 X100 E12.5 F500 ; finish purge line\n</code></pre>\n<p>This resulted in a nice line like this:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAWQW.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAWQW.png\" alt=\"A printed "Prusa Priming Line"\" /></a></p>\n<p>In Ultimaker Cura, this piece of code is added via the preferences of a machine. In Cura 3, you usually had to add the starting G-code yourself. Since at least version 4.2.1, all preset machines contain some variant of a priming line, usually at the left side.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6406, "author": "Trish", "author_id": 8884, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Blob & Cut</h2>\n<p>A different approach is to move to a position out off the print bed, then extrude a long piece of filament and then move forward, cutting the filament at the edge of the print surface. A sample G-code that needs to be adjusted to your bed:</p>\n<pre><code>G28\nG1 Y-5 X5 Z0.1 F500 ; Move off the print surface, a bit above the 0\nG92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance\nG1 F200 E10 ; extrude 10mm of feed stock\nG92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance\nG1 Y2 F500 ; Move into the print platform\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 7480, "author": "Benni Zwölfer", "author_id": 13571, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/13571", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is my code:</p>\n\n<p>START CODE:</p>\n\n<pre><code>M117 Preparing.... ; Nozzle clean message\n\nM140 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ; set bed temp\n\nM107 ; Turn layer fan off\nG21 ; Metric\nG28 ; Home X/Y/Z axis\nG0 X0 Y0 Z20 F9000 ; Move up 20mm for heating\n\nM104 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ; set extruder temp\nM190 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ; wait for bed temp\nM109 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ; wait for extruder temp\n\nG92 E0 ; Zero extruder\n\nG28 ; Home X/Y/Z axis\nG0 X1 Z0.1 F9000 ; Move up 0.1mm\nG0 Y10 F500 ; Move 10mm to get rid of material\nG0 Z1 F9000 ; Move up\nG0 Y110 F9000 ; Move to line start\nG0 Z0.2 F9000 ; Move down\n\nG1 Y20 E25 F500 ; Extrude 25mm filament over 90mm Y axis\nG1 Y10 F500 ; Move 10mm without extracting\nG92 E0 ; Reset extruder\nG1 E-7 F1400 ; Retract 7mm filament\n\nM117 Printing.... ; Printing message\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>END CODE:</p>\n\n<pre><code>G91 ; Incremental coordinates\nG1 E-3 F1800 ; Retract\nG1 Z10 F9000 ; Move up\nG90 ; Absolute cooridinates\nM106 S0 ; Turn off cooling fan\nM104 S0 ; Turn off extruder\nM140 S0 ; Turn off bed\nG1 X0 Y220 F9000 ; Move back\nM84 ; Disable motors\nM117 Finished!. ; Printing message\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It's almost working perfectly. I can start prints without checking if the first layer is good (requires a leveled bed).</p>\n\n<p>I am open for improvements</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 10809, "author": "R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE", "author_id": 11157, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11157", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've experimented a lot with priming/swiping in the G-code prologue, as a result of realizing from <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/8643/11157\">this question and answer</a> how important it is to get it right. The key points are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Don't go back and forth; you risk picking back up material you already got rid of. Just swipe in one direction.</li>\n<li>Don't overextrude. This can lead to ending with pressure remaining (especially for printers with bowden extruders) after the swipe/prime line is finished. It's fine if your extrusion rate is so low that adhesion doesn't start til halfway down the line.</li>\n<li>Slow movement with fan on is good.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>And with that said, here's what I use with my Ender 3:</p>\n\n<pre><code>M106 ; Max fan to discourage ooze sticking to nozzle\nG28 ; Home all axes\nG92 E0 ; Reset Extruder\nG1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching\nG1 X0.1 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to start position\nG1 X0.1 Y200.0 Z0.3 F750.0 E18 ; Draw priming line\nG92 E0 ; Reset Extruder\nG1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I also undo all but 1mm of the filament retraction at the end of my epilogue (custom end) G-code, to leave the printer in a state comparable to having freshly loaded filament. If you don't undo the retraction here, the low extrusion rate in the prologue might not be enough to prime the next time you print, but increasing it would over-prime in the case where you're dealing with freshly loaded filament.</p>\n" } ]	2018/07/10	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6355", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884/" ]	Ok, I did it, I ordered myself an Ender-3, a genuine 24V e3D hotend, inductive sensor and some better tubing/clamps to cope with the problem the CR10/Ender line has occasionally. But now I need to fix up my Cura for the machine coming in. The start is the CR10, and fixing the dimensions is easy. But now comes the tricky part: Start and End G-code. For my TronXY I never bothered with changing it away from the "basic" settings that a "custom 3D printer" on Marlin gave, but this time I want to know what I type in there. The basic code, after I dragged out the G-code handbook from the RepRap wiki to add the missing comments is: ``` G28 ;Home G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the Gantry up 15mm going fast ;Prime the extruder G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance G1 F200 E3 ; extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ; reset extrusion distance ``` The [RepRap Wiki](https://reprap.org/wiki/Start_GCode_routines) suggests that there could be made so much more from this. I would love to swipe the nozzle before starting to print, making sure that the curled up filament from this first extrusion doesn't get squished against the nozzle and make a bad first layer. How does an example (commented) G-code for swiping the nozzle look like?	The lazy way: Skirt/Brim ------------------------ With my TronXY X1 I learned pretty fast, that this first bit of extrusion on an unheated bed can totally mess up the first layer by being just in the way, as explained in the question. To some degree, this behavior can be avoided by adding a skirt of a certain length. An equally good alternative that also increases bed adhesion for tricky parts is the brim. Both are not set via G-code but can be added by the slicer. In Ultimaker Cura both are found in the tab Build Plate Adhesion as type, as the following pictures show: ### Skirt: 2 lines, minimum length 250mm [![Skirt: 2 lines, minimum length 250mm](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iN6IM.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iN6IM.png) ### Brim: minimum length 250mm, 8mm width [![Brim: minimum length 250mm, 8mm width](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL1Fn.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL1Fn.png) The Prusa Priming-line ---------------------- Angus/MakersMuse introduced me to the Prusa Priming Line in one of his [tutorial videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6csbJ5965Bk). For his Wanhao he used (for the video) just this start G-code script: ``` G28 G1 Y-3 F500 ; Move out of print volume G1 X60 E9 F500 ; start purge line G1 X100 E12.5 F500 ; finish purge line ``` This resulted in a nice line like this: [![A printed "Prusa Priming Line"](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAWQW.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAWQW.png) In Ultimaker Cura, this piece of code is added via the preferences of a machine. In Cura 3, you usually had to add the starting G-code yourself. Since at least version 4.2.1, all preset machines contain some variant of a priming line, usually at the left side.
6,375	<p>When I print large prints close to (but not exceeding) the maximum dimensions of the heated build platform on my Anet A8, the brim or skirt or the print itself is printed outside the heated bed, while there is some space left at the opposite sites. It appears as if the print is not in the center.</p> <ul> <li>Why is the print not centered on the bed?<br><em>It was centered in the slicer before generating the G-code.</em></li> <li>How can I center the print to make it fit on the heated build platform?</li> </ul>	[ { "answer_id": 6376, "author": "0scar", "author_id": 5740, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>When centered in the slicer correctly, without offsets defined in the slicer, the printer is most probably incorrectly configured! Luckily you can do something about that! Basically, you will have to calibrate the printer for a new center.</p>\n<h2>Printer origin?</h2>\n<p>First of all, the firmware determines where your origin of the printer is. This implies that you need to properly set bed dimensions and offset values from the end stop switches in the firmware (usually not necessary out-of-the-box, but important when a newer or different firmware version is uploaded). These offsets determine where the origin of the bed plate is located. For Marlin firmware it is very common (for most printers) to have the origin specified at the front left corner (when facing the printer). From the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">configuration of Marlin</a> we find the origin is e.g. in the front-left corner. Note that this can be rotated 180 degrees in certain printers, so the aft-right. Also be aware that there are a few printers that have the origin in the center, e.g. Delta's and a few Cartesian printers. Marlin definition (edited snippet) of a common bed layout:</p>\n<pre>\n * +-- BACK ---+\n * \| \|\n * L \| (+) \| R\n * E \| \| I\n * F \| (-) N (+) \| G\n * T \| \| H\n * \| (-) \| T\n * \| \|\n * O-- FRONT --+\n * (0,0)\n * .(-Xh, -Yh)\n</pre>\n<h2>How do I find the physical origin of the printer?</h2>\n<p>This can be tested by instructing the head/nozzle to go to e.g. (0, 0, 15) using a <a href=\"/q/10573\">terminal/console</a> or a simple G-code file with a move to that coordinate that you print from SD card (e.g. <code>G1 X0 Y0 Z15 F500</code>); <em>note a Z of 15 is chosen for safety!</em>. When this is performed, the nozzle should be at the (elevated, so X, Y) origin as defined by your firmware. Usually this is at the left front corner of your build plate (there may be clips there, so therefore the elevated value), but this may be different depending on the firmware settings or firmware brand.</p>\n<p>Next step is to configure the slicer as such that this coincides with the actual origin. Incorrect slicer settings can cause the slicer to assume the origin is at a different position than your actual position. In Ultimaker Cura, the "Origin at center" is notoriously known for this when the physical origin is not in the center, but in a corner. When the slicer is properly instructed, but the origin is still not at the corner of the build plate (<strong>beware!</strong> in some printers the origin is in the middle of the plate) you might have incorrect endstop to origin offsets.</p>\n<h2>Determine the offset first!</h2>\n<p>To quantify the offset of the center as it is known by the printer software (firmware) it is advised to print a large square that is a few percentage smaller than the maximum size of the bed. E.g. you can create a square hull at e.g. 90 % of the dimensions of the bed (parametric designs are very useful for this purpose, see e.g. <a href=\"https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2280529/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this design</a>). There are many things (<code>.stl</code> models) to be found on the internet. If it includes a cross, even better as some platforms have a mark in the center of the bed.</p>\n<p><em>Example of a bed center calibration model</em><br>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eM3Wm.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eM3Wm.jpg\" alt=\"bed center calibration model\" /></a></p>\n<p>Once printed, measure the distance from every edge from the build platform to the printed square. If you fail to print the square, please check the level of the platform; <strong>this is also an excellent test for the level of your bed!</strong>\nThe measurements should give you a notion of the offset of the bed. E.g. for the X-axis you measure a distance of 12 mm on the left and 8 mm on the right (when facing the printer) you can easily deduce that the center is (12 - 8)/2 = 2 mm to the right (positive X direction). This implies that the printer manufacturer has done a lousy job by delivering you a printer with an offset bed; better said incorrectly configured in their firmware. Note this is not uncommon!</p>\n<h2>How to fix this!</h2>\n<p>Once you quantified the offset, you want to be sure that your next print prints in the middle of the bed. How to proceed? Basically there are a couple of solutions you can use, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>A simple solution (i.e. if the printer support this) is to adjust the position of the endstops. Alternatively you can print alternate endstop holders to match the position change as measured from the calibration print.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Another simple and popular solution is applying an <strong>offset in the slicer</strong>. You could do that in the printer options some of the available slicers. If such options are not available, you could add <strong>G-code commands in the start code</strong> to create the offset (e.g. <code>G1</code> X-2 moves to the left and <code>G92 X0</code> resets the X origin). Note that this is a quick fix and should be applied wisely. The printer does not know where the actual center is! You merely changed if after the homing sequence. Exchanging <code>.gcode</code> with fellow enthusiasts with the same printer may have adverse effects.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>A far better solution is to fix the center in the firmware so that the printer knows the <strong>actual</strong> center. This requires some extra effort by uploading firmware (files including configuration settings) to the printer or send G-code commands. The latter option will be discussed first.</p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>A prerequisite of this method is that it requires the <a href=\"https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">G-code command</a> <code>[M206](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M206:_Offset_axes)</code> to be supported by your firmware; note that not all 3D printer firmware solutions are able to use this G-code command for axes offset definition. E.g. the stock Anet A8 runs a modified Repetier version that does not support <code>M206</code>, it would be time to upload a new firmware like e.g. <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Marlin Firmware</a> making this particular printer safer as the stock firmware does not include thermal runaway protection! See question: "<a href=\"/q/8466/\">What is Thermal Runaway Protection?</a>". To send G-code commands to a printer you have the option to hook up your computer to the printer over USB and use a 3D printer program that support sending commands to the printer (this is called a terminal; i.e. an interface to the printer). Programs like <a href=\"http://www.pronterface.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PronterFace</a>, <a href=\"https://www.repetier.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Repetier-Host</a>, <a href=\"https://octoprint.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">OctoPrint</a>, and probably many more have such an interface. A simple alternative that works also is creating a text file (with <code>.gcode</code> extension) with the commands on separate lines and executing the "print". The following codes need to be sent: <code>M206</code> e.g. <code>M206 X-2 Y2</code> (move center left and to the back, note to use integer values, float values are not allowed!) and store this new center with <code>M500</code>.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>The final, best solution is to set it fixed in the firmware. This requires an upload of a more recent configured version of an applicable firmware. See e.g. question: "<a href=\"/q/5848\">How to upload firmware to reprap printer?</a>". Note that there are different methods to upload a firmware to the board, it is best to search the internet for the applicable method for your board.</p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>To do that you will have to be comfortable with computer software and tools to build source files and upload binary code to the printer. This depends on the type of firmware you choose and therefore cannot be described for each firmware in detail. Various sources on the internet describe this process. Generally speaking, it requires you to set the bed and offset values/positions correctly. For Marlin Firmware this comes down to changing the settings in the <a href=\"https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">configuration file</a>, this is similar in other firmware software solutions:</li>\n</ol>\n<pre>\n// The size of the print bed\n#define X_BED_SIZE 220\n#define Y_BED_SIZE 220\n \n// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.\n#define X_MIN_POS -35 ; used to be -33, so 2 mm shift to left now\n#define Y_MIN_POS -8 ; used to be -10, so 2 mm shift to the back\n#define Z_MIN_POS 0\n#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE\n#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE\n#define Z_MAX_POS 240\n</pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 6386, "author": "Sean Houlihane", "author_id": 4927, "author_profile": "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4927", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As to <strong>why</strong> this happens, particularly with a budget printer the end-stop mountings may not be particularly precisely located, or the moving part may actuate the endstop slightly differently in each build. In my case, replacing the hot end (and thus the whole carriage) gave me an offset of some cm. With this upgrade, it was impossible to retain the stock calibration since the extruder dimensions are quite different.</p>\n\n<p>As to <strong>how to fix it</strong>, the easiest way for me was to modify the 'start g-code'. This fix only applies to the particular slicer, means that what I slice for my A8 won't be centred on the work maker-club Prusa, but doesn't need me to mess about with firmware or apply a per-model update.</p>\n\n<p>After the Z-home operation, I already have a pre-extrude step. Prior to this, I set the actual position of what I want my homed point to be, using <code>G92</code></p>\n\n<pre><code>M82 ; absolute extrusion mode\nG28 ; home all\nG92 X17 Y-12 ; re-define origin\nG92 E0.0 ; reset extruder distance position\n</code></pre>\n" } ]	2018/07/11	[ "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6375", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com", "https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/" ]	When I print large prints close to (but not exceeding) the maximum dimensions of the heated build platform on my Anet A8, the brim or skirt or the print itself is printed outside the heated bed, while there is some space left at the opposite sites. It appears as if the print is not in the center. * Why is the print not centered on the bed? It was centered in the slicer before generating the G-code. * How can I center the print to make it fit on the heated build platform?	When centered in the slicer correctly, without offsets defined in the slicer, the printer is most probably incorrectly configured! Luckily you can do something about that! Basically, you will have to calibrate the printer for a new center. Printer origin? --------------- First of all, the firmware determines where your origin of the printer is. This implies that you need to properly set bed dimensions and offset values from the end stop switches in the firmware (usually not necessary out-of-the-box, but important when a newer or different firmware version is uploaded). These offsets determine where the origin of the bed plate is located. For Marlin firmware it is very common (for most printers) to have the origin specified at the front left corner (when facing the printer). From the [configuration of Marlin](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) we find the origin is e.g. in the front-left corner. Note that this can be rotated 180 degrees in certain printers, so the aft-right. Also be aware that there are a few printers that have the origin in the center, e.g. Delta's and a few Cartesian printers. Marlin definition (edited snippet) of a common bed layout: ``` * +-- BACK ---+ * \| \| * L \| (+) \| R * E \| \| I * F \| (-) N (+) \| G * T \| \| H * \| (-) \| T * \| \| * O-- FRONT --+ * (0,0) * .(-Xh, -Yh) ``` How do I find the physical origin of the printer? ------------------------------------------------- This can be tested by instructing the head/nozzle to go to e.g. (0, 0, 15) using a [terminal/console](/q/10573) or a simple G-code file with a move to that coordinate that you print from SD card (e.g. `G1 X0 Y0 Z15 F500`); note a Z of 15 is chosen for safety!. When this is performed, the nozzle should be at the (elevated, so X, Y) origin as defined by your firmware. Usually this is at the left front corner of your build plate (there may be clips there, so therefore the elevated value), but this may be different depending on the firmware settings or firmware brand. Next step is to configure the slicer as such that this coincides with the actual origin. Incorrect slicer settings can cause the slicer to assume the origin is at a different position than your actual position. In Ultimaker Cura, the "Origin at center" is notoriously known for this when the physical origin is not in the center, but in a corner. When the slicer is properly instructed, but the origin is still not at the corner of the build plate (beware! in some printers the origin is in the middle of the plate) you might have incorrect endstop to origin offsets. Determine the offset first! --------------------------- To quantify the offset of the center as it is known by the printer software (firmware) it is advised to print a large square that is a few percentage smaller than the maximum size of the bed. E.g. you can create a square hull at e.g. 90 % of the dimensions of the bed (parametric designs are very useful for this purpose, see e.g. [this design](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2280529/)). There are many things (`.stl` models) to be found on the internet. If it includes a cross, even better as some platforms have a mark in the center of the bed. Example of a bed center calibration model [![bed center calibration model](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eM3Wm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eM3Wm.jpg) Once printed, measure the distance from every edge from the build platform to the printed square. If you fail to print the square, please check the level of the platform; this is also an excellent test for the level of your bed! The measurements should give you a notion of the offset of the bed. E.g. for the X-axis you measure a distance of 12 mm on the left and 8 mm on the right (when facing the printer) you can easily deduce that the center is (12 - 8)/2 = 2 mm to the right (positive X direction). This implies that the printer manufacturer has done a lousy job by delivering you a printer with an offset bed; better said incorrectly configured in their firmware. Note this is not uncommon! How to fix this! ---------------- Once you quantified the offset, you want to be sure that your next print prints in the middle of the bed. How to proceed? Basically there are a couple of solutions you can use, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. 1. A simple solution (i.e. if the printer support this) is to adjust the position of the endstops. Alternatively you can print alternate endstop holders to match the position change as measured from the calibration print. 2. Another simple and popular solution is applying an offset in the slicer. You could do that in the printer options some of the available slicers. If such options are not available, you could add G-code commands in the start code to create the offset (e.g. `G1` X-2 moves to the left and `G92 X0` resets the X origin). Note that this is a quick fix and should be applied wisely. The printer does not know where the actual center is! You merely changed if after the homing sequence. Exchanging `.gcode` with fellow enthusiasts with the same printer may have adverse effects. A far better solution is to fix the center in the firmware so that the printer knows the actual center. This requires some extra effort by uploading firmware (files including configuration settings) to the printer or send G-code commands. The latter option will be discussed first. 3. A prerequisite of this method is that it requires the [G-code command](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code) `[M206](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M206:_Offset_axes)` to be supported by your firmware; note that not all 3D printer firmware solutions are able to use this G-code command for axes offset definition. E.g. the stock Anet A8 runs a modified Repetier version that does not support `M206`, it would be time to upload a new firmware like e.g. [Marlin Firmware](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin) making this particular printer safer as the stock firmware does not include thermal runaway protection! See question: "[What is Thermal Runaway Protection?](/q/8466/)". To send G-code commands to a printer you have the option to hook up your computer to the printer over USB and use a 3D printer program that support sending commands to the printer (this is called a terminal; i.e. an interface to the printer). Programs like [PronterFace](http://www.pronterface.com/), [Repetier-Host](https://www.repetier.com/), [OctoPrint](https://octoprint.org/), and probably many more have such an interface. A simple alternative that works also is creating a text file (with `.gcode` extension) with the commands on separate lines and executing the "print". The following codes need to be sent: `M206` e.g. `M206 X-2 Y2` (move center left and to the back, note to use integer values, float values are not allowed!) and store this new center with `M500`. The final, best solution is to set it fixed in the firmware. This requires an upload of a more recent configured version of an applicable firmware. See e.g. question: "[How to upload firmware to reprap printer?](/q/5848)". Note that there are different methods to upload a firmware to the board, it is best to search the internet for the applicable method for your board. 4. To do that you will have to be comfortable with computer software and tools to build source files and upload binary code to the printer. This depends on the type of firmware you choose and therefore cannot be described for each firmware in detail. Various sources on the internet describe this process. Generally speaking, it requires you to set the bed and offset values/positions correctly. For Marlin Firmware this comes down to changing the settings in the [configuration file](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h), this is similar in other firmware software solutions: ``` // The size of the print bed #define X_BED_SIZE 220 #define Y_BED_SIZE 220 // Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions. #define X_MIN_POS -35 ; used to be -33, so 2 mm shift to left now #define Y_MIN_POS -8 ; used to be -10, so 2 mm shift to the back #define Z_MIN_POS 0 #define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE #define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE #define Z_MAX_POS 240 ```