Using Pronterface???????

I have finished putting togeter my reprap and have installed pronterface, skeinforge, and put marlin on the arduino. iv got a heated bed, and a fan for my ramps 1.3 electronics. and mechanical endstops. I have conected the printer up to pronterface, and can move the x,y, z axis only by clicking the home icon.

The problem is i dont understand what most of the buttons on pronterface do? and am not sure how to get the heater, heat bed, thermisters, fan, and extruder going??? I havnt configured these in firmware, ( i presume constraints such as the enstops, distance each axis can travel without crashing, thermisters, heater resisters and fans (pluged into D9 on the ramps) need to be set for it to work.

I know there is a lot of questions there but how do i do all of this stuff?

Thanks

Quote
fredted1234
The problem is i don't understand what most of the buttons on Pronterface do?

It is pretty self explanatory BUT you can take a look at the Makergear Getting Started Guide.

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

This error keeps coming up? so obviously im doing somthing wrong

Printer stopped deu to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart!. (Temperature is reset. Set it before restarting)

It wont let me connect at 115200, this error comes up

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Connecting to the ramp at 250000 seems to connect tho

Obviously you have to set the baudrate to the same baudrate that is set in the firmware or else it will not work!

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

Ok well this error keeps coming up! I don't understand the hot end doesn't heat up. Or the heat bed..

Printer stopped deu to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart!. (Temperature is reset. Set it before restarting)
Reply Quote

Has anyone ever got this error?

fredted1234 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ok well this error keeps coming up! I don't
> understand the hot end doesn't heat up. Or the
> heat bed..
>
> Printer stopped deu to errors. Fix the error and
> use M999 to restart!. (Temperature is reset. Set
> it before restarting)
> Reply Quote
>
> Has anyone ever got this error?

Yes I have... What usually did it for me was my thermistor was either shorted out or disconnected, triggering Max or Min temp.

Do you the error right away? Is the "Monitor Printer" Box checked... If your temp reads 5or less or ~295 Plus It will trigger the default temp limits in Marlin.

-Nick

I agree that the interface isn't as obvious as one might expect. In acquainting students with Pronterface, I've not seen anyone able to turn on the hot end without having it explained first. So the advice to seek out tutorials is good. Once you learn the interface, it's easy to forget how much or little research it took to learn it

I've gotten very helpful and congenial advice on the IRC channel for problems like this. The forum's a great place to seek out potential answers from the past, but direct help is nice, and IRC seems a better place to find it, IME.

what happend when ou write M999 in the text line under the yellow error message does it give the error again?

yes when i connect to the printer the first thing it says is

Connecting...
start
Printer is now online.
echo: External Reset
Marlin 1.0.0 RC2
echo: Last Updated: 2012-05-02 | Author: erik
echo: Free Memory: 5609 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232
echo:Using Default settings:
ok T:482.7 /0.0 B:0.0 /0.0 @:0
Error:0
: Extruder switched off. MAXTEMP triggered !
Errorrinter stopped deu to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart!. (Temperature is reset. Set it before restarting)

I think the thermisters are ok, do i have to do something with the firmware to get it working/configured?

Thanks for your help

Sounds like either your MAXTEMP is set too low on the firmware (below room temp)

or (like me) you have a dodgy connection on your extruder thermistor

> I think the thermisters are ok, do i have to do
> something with the firmware to get it
> working/configured?

You have to make sure the correct thermistor is selected at the top of configuration.h
By default Marlin is set up for a thermocouple.
If the thermistor is working and you have Marlin configured correctly, when you monitor the temperature in pronterface, it should show something close to room temperature.

yes im almost sure its the wrong setting in marlin?
Now i just need to figure out how to edit the firmware on the arduino?
I have opened the arduino software but cannot see any way of reading the firmware and editing it?

The part of this that is interesting is

Quote

Connecting...
start
Printer is now online.
echo: External Reset
Marlin 1.0.0 RC2

Are you sure nothing is pressing the reset button on your electronics board?

---

--

Charles S.
Software Engineer
Prusa Mendel I2, RAMPS 1.4, Marlin 1.0 R2, Pronterface, Slic3r

no as far as i can see the reset button is not being pressed, I presume the settings need to be changed in marlin? does anyone know how to do this?

thanks for your help

What thermistor/Temp sensor are you using?

-Nick

I'm using a 100k thermister. But finally figured out that when you upload a new version of marlin to the arduino it just erases the previouse one. Got the heaters workin, and the thermisters reading temp(the correct one I don't know). Ha
But the next problem I have is getting the motors to move in both directions. Currently they only move away from the endstops.