Marlin Error

Hi-

I keep getting the message "printer has stopped due to errors" at a random time during each print and I am forced to cancel. This is a very frustrating problem and I dont know what to do.

Marlin. RAMPS 1.4. Pronterface.

-Nick

By the way...

I have tried re-installing firmware and it happens at the same time an any given print (differnt times for different files, but on print "x" it always happens at the same time.)

-Nick

Can you post the communication just before the errror? I think pronterface displays this in a pane to the right of the window.

"Error 0
Extruder 0 MAXTEMP triggered!"

I know this means the temp sensor wires touch... but how does this happen at the EXACT same place en every print? How do I fix this?

Also while im talking about very consistent errors... I have tried to print the two tone whistle. The x-axis shifts over a few centimeters and messes up the print at EXACTLY the same point in EVERY print. How do I fix that?

I also just finished building it so I expected a few problems, but I was printing really good just a few days ago.

-Nick

The shift is probably the stepper driver overheating, turn the pot down maybe 1/16 to 1/8 of a turn on the affected axis.
I know it seems odd it happens at the same place, but it was one of the issues I had early on, and it was stunningly consisten in where in a print it wold happen.

What slicing software do you use? What is HEATER_0_MAXTEMP set to in marlin config? What temperature are you printing at? Are you printing with ABS or PLA?

MAXTEMP is a simple safety cutoff in case you accidentally set your temperature higher than your hotend can survive. If the thermistor shorts, you will get a temperature reading of 0, which is below the safety cutoff HEATER_0_MINTEMP of 5.

---

--
-Nudel
Blog with RepRap Comic

The fact that your prints are messing up in exactly the same place is sort of a hidden blessing, because it will make debugging easier. I would guess your thermistor wires are crimped/held in such away that at the very same place, they're twisted or kinked and they short. See if their insulation has stripped away anywhere, and make sure the crimp connections are clean.

About your skipped steps, you can turn down the ref pot on the pololu that drives that motor, but then the motor might not get enough torque and can skip steps at higher speeds. I recommend pointing a fan at the pololu drivers and keeping the voltage higher; you'll get more motor strength and can run them faster, which can help avoid skipped steps if your nozzle needs to drag through a part of the print that's expanded upward a tad. It will also heat up your motors, so make sure they don't get too hot if their mounts are printed from PLA.

When I first built up my prusa I had the same sort of random stoppage due to the MAX TEMP shutoff. My first prints were great, but nothing after that.eventually I found that wire insulation on my extruder temp resitor fused together. They managed to touch the hotend brass tube.
This didn't cause a short., but changed the temperature to resitance ratios. I ended spliting the fused wires to above the extruder top, and warping each lead in kapton tape. Solved my shutoff issue.

This happens when the board can't calculate temperature. i.e. it loses connection with the thermister on the hotend. It's a setting you can turn off in Marlin, but it's there for good reason. Check your thermister wires/connections.