exxos blog - random goings on

Blogs & guides and tales of woo by forum members.
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23498
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by exxos »

What a surprise :lol: :roll:

IMG_0264.JPG
IMG_0264.JPG (56.27 KiB) Viewed 1407 times

I used the "baby step" option to move the Z-offset to get it level with the bed etc so its on -0.20. But it was like 1mm above the bed :WTF:

I homed it like 20 times, and it was always consistent at that, so I do not think my homing switch is to blame. However I had to move the offset to +0.20 to get it correct height. Then I homed again and had to put it back to what it was originally -0.20

So I think what is happening is that when I turn the printer off and on again, the display shows the correct offsets, but is not actually applying it to the motors. So when I manually adjust it and then rehome, it then reads the value on the screen. So I guess if I simply moved it just 0.01mm and back again and rehome is that it would then home correctly.

I will see if I can do this with Gcodes instead. I think there is a bug in the firmware somewhere :roll:
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
sporniket
Posts: 956
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by sporniket »

At some point, I would not be surprised that you end up replacing the microcontroller by a ST through the parallel port, and writing a STOS program to drive the whole thing...
User avatar
Badwolf
Posts: 2231
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:09 pm

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:10 pm So I think what is happening is that when I turn the printer off and on again, the display shows the correct offsets, but is not actually applying it to the motors. So when I manually adjust it and then rehome, it then reads the value on the screen. So I guess if I simply moved it just 0.01mm and back again and rehome is that it would then home correctly.
Probably asking the obvious, but are all the temperatures (hotend and bed) consistent throughout?

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23498
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by exxos »

sporniket wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:40 pm At some point, I would not be surprised that you end up replacing the microcontroller by a ST through the parallel port, and writing a STOS program to drive the whole thing...
That's a great idea! I'm starting to think I need to write my own firmware to drive these things! Imagine that, a Atari ST printing out parts for future Atari ST's :lol:
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23498
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:03 pm Probably asking the obvious, but are all the temperatures (hotend and bed) consistent throughout?
Yep. I tried a test print this morning and it failed. Then I left the temperatures on for half an hour why went and had lunch. Then came back and repeated the test and was exactly the same. It does look like the bed not perfectly flat because of the magnetic stuff.. But it only seems to be a problem towards the edges of the bed. I am really thinking of getting some glass cut and using that because I am not convinced that all this metal is not warping all over the place.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
Badwolf
Posts: 2231
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:09 pm

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:06 pm Yep. I tried a test print this morning and it failed. Then I left the temperatures on for half an hour why went and had lunch. Then came back and repeated the test and was exactly the same. It does look like the bed not perfectly flat because of the magnetic stuff.. But it only seems to be a problem towards the edges of the bed. I am really thinking of getting some glass cut and using that because I am not convinced that all this metal is not warping all over the place.
Glass isn't a silver (or transparent) bullet. At the levels of precision you're dealing with here, glass will bow too.

If it's varying heights across the bed, perhaps up the mesh levelling points? It's slower and boring but it can do wonders.

I started with four points IIRC (a 2x2 grid) and it worked terribly. It turned out there was a peak in the bed down the centre running front to back. Possibly a heating bow, but that's not really the axis upon which it's secured, so I dunno.

Anyway, long story short, changing to 6 points (3x2) improved things greatly as now it's actually taking a measurement at both edges and the 'high' ridge.

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
User avatar
sporniket
Posts: 956
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by sporniket »

I was wondering, at least for small pieces like the square, whether UV 3D printer would yield more consistent results ?
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23498
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:20 pm If it's varying heights across the bed, perhaps up the mesh levelling points? It's slower and boring but it can do wonders.
The ABL actually seems to make things worse. I really do not know why. It seems to think the bed is leaning across the X-axis for some reason, when its not.But again I think it does not recover values correctly on power up. I don't really have a problem with doing the bed levelling if it actually improved things. But every time I turn it on, it ends up making things considerably worse :roll: Another problem is there is no manual for this printer either. So I pretty much have to guess what everything is doing, but ultimately gave up in the end and just turned it off.

I don't know if you ( or anyone for that matter) knows how to read the Z-probe via Gcodes ? it is a magnetic one, so I assume it will change value based on how close it is to the bed.This way I could see with the probe if the bed is walking over time or something.

I really would like to use this for my "z-end stop" rather than my hall effect switch, but no idea how to set that up either. I have half a feeling @PhilC Might have done something like that already but cannot remember ?
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23498
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by exxos »

sporniket wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:30 pm I was wondering, at least for small pieces like the square, whether UV 3D printer would yield more consistent results ?
The ones which have the "bath of liquid" ? I did look into that, but seemed a lot of messing about and cleaning up afterwards.

I think the bulk of my problems are some of the calibration settings on the printer are not actually stored or loaded correctly. A lot of them I am sending Gcodes already in my start-up script.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: exxos blog - random goings on

Post by PhilC »

@exxos I use a bltouch which most firmware supports as standard, then do an auto bed level before each print by putting the gcode G29 in the startup code in Cura.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
Post Reply

Return to “MEMBER BLOGS”