Newbie needs help with sw setup for Prusa

Hi everyone,
I just finished building my Prusa with hot bed and don't know what software I need to get it going.
I have RAMPS 1.4/Mega 2560 connected to an acer netbook running win xp 32.
I've downloaded and installed ReplicatorG, Python, skeinforge, arduino but I don't know what to do next.
I use solid works for my cad.
Can someone be kind enough to explain what I need to do next to start printing? I know it sounds stupid but I am 2 weeks old in this arena.
I've searched the web but can't find any concrete info. Just bits and pieces scattered in dozens of wiki pages which doesn't tell me much.
Can you please point me to the right direction?
Thanks.
-Mark

I found this link to be of great value when I was starting. While Ultimaker centric, it's still a great write up.
http://techwall.net/ultimaker-3d-printing-workflow

I read it and will download the netfabb basic and play with it.
If I understand this correctly, I export to .STL file format from Solid Works, use skineforge or netfabb to generate the gcode and then use replicatorg to send it to the ramps?
What I need to find out at this point is;
1- where does arduino software come into picture?
2- in ReplicatorG, under Machine type (Driver) menu, there is a whole bunch of cupcakes, thingomatic, .. etc, but no entry for Prusa-like machines!
Is there a special configuration file I need to load for RAMPS?
Thanks for your help.

Arduino is used to write, compile and load the firmware to the Arduino Mega microcontroller. Marlin firmware firmware is probably the best choice right now. It would be easier to use Pronterface as a host, which comes with Kliment's Printrun.

My $0.02 worth:

Note: What follows is not the ONLY software option, and it may not even be "the best" (whatever that means!), but it is simple, and it works for me!

You need the Arduino software installed on your computer to be able to edit and upload firmware to the Arduino Mega. Without the Arduino host on your computer, you ain't going anywhere!

You need to choose some firmware - there are plenty of choices; I chose Sprinter because it seems to have lots of user support on these forums, so it is easy to get support if it isn't working quite the way you expect, or you don't understand what a particular parameter does, how to calibrate it, etc. It works for me, and following the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", I haven't tried any of the alternatives. I have heard good things about Marlin, so I might give it a try when I have finished "tinkering" with my printer (if that ever happens!), but until then, I'm sticking with Sprinter. Whichever firmware you choose, you will edit and upload it using the Arduino host.

Then you need skeining / slicing software to open the STL models and create the gcode files (which have the actual tool paths, layer thickness, extrusion controls, temperature controls, etc - all tuned for the specific characteristics of YOUR printer!), and Host software to control the printer, pass the gcode to the printer, etc. I first downloaded the "official" RepRap Host software, but I couldn't get it to communicate between my computer and my Arduino (I never quite worked out what the problem is). I then tried Pronterface with SFact as a single integrated interface, and it works fine, so I am sticking with that for now. Again, I may try alternatives (like RepRap Host) once I am out of the "tinkering" phase to see if I can get better results with other software, but for now, Pronterface it is!

Unless you are happy to work only with STL models created by others, you will need software to create 3D solid models of your designs and export in STL format. Pretty well any 3D CAD package can do this, and they range in price from free (OpenSCAD, Google SketchUp, etc) to a few hundred dollars (e.g. Alibre Design PE, which use what I use) to thousands of dollars (Inventor, SolidWorks, etc).

You may optionally want some STL management software to re-orient STL files for best alignment, nesting multiple parts into a single print, etc. You may be able to do this in the CAD software of your choice, but I use the free EasyFIT tool for this task, and it works for me.

Hope this helps!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2011 09:15PM by julianh72.

---

Follow my Mendel Prusa build here: [julianh72.blogspot.com]

thanks guys.
I now understand what the heck is happening.
Being a C programmer for 20 years,I have no difficulty with the source codes written in C or Java, Python and such, no clue..
I will try the Sprinter and Merlin to see which will work better as a host firmware. One thing I noticed looking at the configuration.h include file is that RAMPS 1.4 is not listed. Only up to RAMPS 1.3 !! What do people with 1.4 do?
Would pronterface do the same thing as ReplicatorG?
Julianh72, I will read your blog it looks interesting.
So much to read and so little time in a day

Just choose RAMPS 1.3 (motherboard 33) since 1.4 is pin compatible with it. Also, you should just use Marlin firmware.It's a bit more advanced than Sprinter. There are less jagged edges around circles and curves since it looks ahead to the next move to figure out if it needs to slow down.

Yes, Pronterface is a host like ReplicatorG.

brnrd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Also, you should just
> use Marlin firmware.It's a bit more advanced than
> Sprinter. There are less jagged edges around
> circles and curves since it looks ahead to the
> next move to figure out if it needs to slow down.
>

Curse you, brnrd!!!

Despite my previous claim that I wouldn't be changing my firmware ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it"), now I just HAVE to download and try Marlin!

---

Follow my Mendel Prusa build here: [julianh72.blogspot.com]

I use;

Pronterface for connecting my pc to the printer.

Skeinforge for converting STL files to gcode for Pronterface.

Sprinter for the firmware controlling the printer and reading the gcode.

Arduino 18 for flashing Sprinter onto the ATMEL chip.

julianh72 Wrote:
>
> Curse you, brnrd!!!
>
> Despite my previous claim that I wouldn't be
> changing my firmware ("if it ain't broke, don't
> fix it"), now I just HAVE to download and try
> Marlin!


You're welcome.

It also took a bit of convincing by others before I tried Marlin. The configuration.h files are actually almost identical so it's very easy to change it if you're already on Sprinter. It is based on Sprinter and grbl.

@brnrd;
I downloaded Marlin and in the configuration.h it only has option for gen6 board! also in the marlin.pde, it says "this firmware is optimized for gen6 electronics"!
Sprinter on the other hand was compiled and uploaded to the Mega 2560 with no problems.
What am I missing here?
Thanks

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2011 08:15AM by pic1832.

You probably don't have the right version. Marlin was originally for gen6 only and has since been ported to other electronics.

[github.com]

I downloaded it from the link in wiki
Can any one post a link that works with RAMPS?
Thank you all for helping me out.

Just click on the links that both Andrew and I posted in our messages.

SUCCESS!!! Well mostly done.
I have installed the following;
- Arduio-0023 (working)
- Marlin 0.9.10L changed configuration.h, compiled and uploaded to Mega 2650
- Pronterface (Part of the printrun-d482c66 package). I Set the baud rate to 250000 and when I pushed the connect button, I got a reply back from RAMPS board : "Marlin 0.9.10L [newline] start [newline] Printer is now online"
- Installed NetFabb studio basic (4.8.0) and played with it a bit. It does nothing useful. I need NetFabb engine for ultimaker (costs mucho bucks) to be able to slice and export the Gcode. Useless product... Uninstalled and back to skeinforge I guess.
- EasyFit Pro (2.1) = Installed and runs ok but I need to learn how to actually use it, instead of just staring at the screen.

Next step is to connect the printer one thing at a time (starting with the thermistor on the extruder) and take it from there.
One thing I noticed that am not sure of, is; In Pronterface, when I choose print->open from the menu, I see "STL and Gcode files) in the file types. I understand why it would want to load a Gcode file, but why the STL option? Could it be that it can do what skeinforge does or would it just try to run skeinforge? Is there any alternatives to the scary and ugly looking skeinforge?

I can't thank you guys enough for pointing me to the right direction and helping me see the light.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2011 08:26AM by pic1832.

I think on Windows, Pronterface comes with SFACT which is basically Skeinforge with a friendlier user interface. So, if you open an STL file, it runs SFACT first. I'm not 100% sure since I use it on a Mac.

@BRNRD
SFACT was a separate download.
I ran the test.stl that comes with skeinforge and produced a gcode file using sfacts and then skeinforge.
I then ran Pronterface and emulated printing. Since my RAMPS board is not connected to anything but the computer, I thought I give it a shot and see what happens.
The docs for sfacts says that it will produce a reasonable print even with the default settings. So the two test gcodes were produced with the default settings.
The outcome has me stomped.
The MEGA2560 running Marlin keeps resetting arbitrarily, It happens more often running the gcode generated by sfacts.
Here is a cut and paste of both outputs from Pronterface. Note that each time the 2560 is reset, I see the following;
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
It seems to me that Marlin does not understand some specific gcode and reboots. Perhaps it's running out of time on the watchdog. I don't know anything about the AVR since I am a PIC man myself.
That would explain the constant errors bellow:
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
I thought it was baud rate problem, but I've tried from 250,000 down to 9600 and the same thing happens.
Can any one help with this? Also note the time of completion of each file at the end of it's prospective listing, and the difference between the number of times sfact's gcode causes reboots, compared to skeinforge!


Here is the outputs

--------------------------------
Using SkeinForge to create the Gcode
--------------------------------
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
0 mm of filament used in this print
ok T:0 B:0
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
ok T:0 B:0
Print took 13 minutes 41 seconds

--------------------------------
using SFACT to create the Gcode
--------------------------------
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
128.546208 mm of filament used in this print
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Marlin 0.9.10L
start
Printer is now online
Error: No Line Number with checksum, Last Line:0
Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:0
Resend:1
Print took 7 minutes 43 seconds