Using ReplicatorG017 with the wades geared extruder.

All,

I recently as in about a month ago started building my Reprap II: Mendel derivative Issac. I am using the makerbot gen3 electronics and the wades geared extruder. I have tried many different firmware variations for my extruder board and finally found one that would function with ReplactorG – 0017.

I am using the firmware that comes with ReplactorG – 0017 ver. 2.2 release 0 for the reprap mother board.
I am using the reprap-gen3-firmware-1.2 – ArduinoSlaveExtruder firmware for the extruder (This shows up as ver0.01 when you load the program but it doesn’t hurt anything).

In the machines.xml file at the root of the ReplactorG – 0017 application folder I added the attached code for the RepRap.

After selecting the reprap mendel from the machine menu and connecting to my repstrap. I can go to the control panel and move all the steppers for xyz.

On the extruder:
I set the PWM to 255
I set the RPM to 5-100 depending on the speed I am looking for. (it extrudes well at 30)
My target temp is 225
I am using PLA for my filament.

From the control panel everything runs great.

Now I am getting to the problem I am facing.

I can control all aspects of the Repstrap from the control panel everything works great. But when I go to generate my Gcode the extruder stepper will not turn and the HBridge is only lit on one side like I am still using the DC motor instead of a stepper motor.

Has anyone run into this problem before or has an idea of how to get around this?

did you modify the firmware to accommodate the stepper motor? Theres a part you have to change in order to use a stepper in the config.h file for the extruder, then re compile and upload it.

[driver name="sanguino3g"]
	<!-- optional, defaults to first serial port found.    [portname]COM1[/portname] -->
	<!-- required: we need 8 bit and 38400 baud. -->
	[rate]38400[/rate]
	[parity]8[/parity]
	<!-- optional, defaults to 1.                          [databits]1[/databits] -->
	<!-- optional, defaults to N.                          [stopbits]N[/stopbits] -->
	[debuglevel]0[/debuglevel]
[/driver]

should be instead:

	[parity]N[/parity]
	[databits]8[/databits]
	[stopbits]1[/stopbits]

In the examples above it was necessary to replace the angle brackets with square brackets so it displays!

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Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

nutz4hs@yahoo.com Wrote:
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> did you modify the firmware to accommodate the
> stepper motor? Theres a part you have to change in
> order to use a stepper in the config.h file for
> the extruder, then re compile and upload it.

This version of ReplicatorG has the firmware updater built-in and uses hex files. So if we need to modify the firmware, I guess we download the sources and use the Arduino software to compile and upload? So we lose the ability to use the built-in updater, or is there a different directory on the Makerbot site for firmware already compiled for an extruder stepper so that we could still use the built-in updater?

This isn't the end of the world, but I just want to make sure that this is necessary. I keep reading about changes to the machines.xml file, which I've already done. Those changes allowed me to control the extruder drive motor from the control panel like the original poster. So I thought I was OK. I don't have the rest of the extruder mounted yet, so I can't fully test it. But it sounds like I'd be in the same boat. This is probably the biggest challenge with an advancing and forking open source project . . . it's hard to know which tips or instructions apply to which versions (both hardware and software). I was hoping that newer firmware accommodated an extruder stepper with simple changes in the software.

Also, is rhmorrison's tip necessary IN ADDITION TO the config.h file changes or INSTEAD OF one of these changes?

Thanks,
Kevin

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2010 09:36AM by chupacabra.

If you have hardware requiring a different config.h, you obviously loose the ability for automatic updates from MakerBot, as these updates would come with the original config.h compiled in.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY