Ramps 1.4 issues

I purchased the Ramps 1.4 full electronics kit for mendel from the future is 3d a couple of months ago to replace the gen3 electronics on my mendel. the kit suggests an Arduino 2560 [thefutureis3d.com]. After putting it all together I ran the arduino 1.0 and arduino 0023 firmwares. If I choose the 2560 chip, the software compiles but hangs when uploading. If I choose the 1280 chip the software compiles and uploads. From this I conclude that I don't have a 2560 chip but instead have a 1280 chip. With the Arduino 1.0 software, I can upload and run the example blink and fade programs from arduino. I then downloaded the EricZalm-Marlin b4833d5 software, edited the configuration.h file to select 33 for the mother board, compiled and uploaded the software successfully. I then installed and tried replicator-g, reprap, and proterface and cannot connect to the board no matter what i do. Since I bought the Ramps already assembled, I can't see the chip to know exactly what it is. I contacted the company to ask them about the chip and they told me that "You should check the top or bottom of the Arduino board to find the exact version. The 1280 and 2560 have different silk screening on the back. The 2560 looks like this and has 2560 printed below the Mega logo on the top side. The 1280 has the shape of Italy printed on the back. You should select the correct board when flashing the new firmware. " The bottom board of my ramps setup has nothing on it but a black board, no pictures, no silk screening ?? I'm sure there is a simple answer to this that i am missing....just wish I could figure it out. I'm powering the ramps with 2 yellow 12v and 2 grounds on the top board. On the bottom board is a connection for power but I am assuming (through another contact) that the connection on the ramps boards provides power to the board. Any suggestions would be apprecriated.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2012 03:45PM by HereIgoAgain.

Couple of things I can suggest...

Number 1.

Download and unzip the Arduino V023 software. It works just like the new Arduino 1.0 but Marlin definitely compiles correctly using it.

Number 2.

Worth having a look at Pronterface (Printrun) for your PCside. Many people have had issues between RAMPS and replicator G. Pronterface is less torublesome

Printrun can be a bit of a pain to install as you need python and a few other bits and pieces on your PC. But for Windows users there is also a pre-compiled version [koti.kapsi.fi] which is slightly out of date but great for getting started with.

Board wise you should be able to find your board in Arduino. It will make a difference.

Completely agree. Arduino 1.0 is buggy at best, so earlier versions are a better choice. There are differences between 1280 and the 2560, so you should pick 2560 if thats what you have. Good luck!