How to test Universal Controller Board V1.2.1 using latest host contoller software

Hi there,

About 3 years ago I started building a Rep-Rap Darwin with 1st generation electronics. Then I had to stop. I have now commenced my build but am struggling to work out how I undertake the 3rd test of the build using the latest software.

The instructions say to change the geometry from NullCartesian to Cartesian but I can't find out where to do this.

I am then meant to use the stepper exerciser. The instructions say to select "Tools" > "Stepper exerciser" but there is no "Tools" option.

I have also tried to download version 0.8.3 of the software, which I believe is the version that the instructions are referring to, but can't work out to install it on Kubuntu (Ubuntu 9.10) and run it.

Can anyone help me please?

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Could you please explain again what electronics you are running? (I am unfamiliar with gen1 electronics).

Right from the bat I'm going to ask if you are willing to take the easy way out and upgrade your electronics, since even Gen2 (what I'm running) by now is in "Legacy" status...

-Leav

Having bought all the components for the G1 electronics and invested my bank holiday weekend it would be nice to get it working! However I realised it was probably a long shot and so have just bought the RP parts to build a Mendel instead . On the off chance you can help, here is where I'm at with Darwin:

I've successfully built and tested Power and Communications Card v1.2 and it is the Universal Controller Board v1.2.1 that I am struggling with.

I have successfully completed the first soldering round and tests 1 and 2. Test 3 involves using the "stepper exerciser" to move the X axis and the LED should flash. The closest thing I can figure out to try is connecting it up to the computer and using the "XYZ" tab and changing the numbers a bit. When I do this, the LED does not flash.

For lack of anything better to do, I have eliminated several possible hardware problems following this old forum topic. I used the led_throb.hex, tx_baud.hex and rx_test.hex firmwares to verify

1. the PIC programmer I was using worked
2. the PIC chip itself was not faulty (also tried several different PICs)
3. the Transmit and Receive connections between the UCB and PowerComms boards were the right way around
4. The serial connection with the PC was working

Hunting through some other old topics I found a few people who had to carry on further with the build to get it to work. However without knowing what the equivalent to the "stepper exerciser" is in the new software, I can't be sure that there even is a problem!

Thanks for any light you can shed.

1)you need to verify you are using the correct software version. maybe dig through archives or ask some of the veterans...
if you don't have a "stepper exerciser" that is shown in the instruction than you are not using the correct host version. the newer do all sorts of things including just sending gcode to the arduino. you need the correct software.

2)check the pinout configuration. with the arduino I have to hard program the pins on the arduino firmware and setting them in the host software has no effect since it is only sending gcode to the reprap.

from what I gather the old software doesn;t work this way but you should still check the pinout whether it's on the PIC or the host software.

3)this might be a longshot but do you have opto-endstops connected to your stepper board?

I'm one of those old-timers

I have a set of Gen 1 electronics that used to work. From memory, the Stepper Exerciser was, if I am not mistaken, more or less equivalent to the XYZ panel of the current host software. It's just a little GUI for moving the bot mechanism around under host software control, for testing, basically. There should be no need to find years-old versions of the host software just to do that.

Leav: The current RepRap host software can still be configured to use SNAP, the older serial protocol used by Gen 1 electronics. I am not sure that has been tested much recently, but the option really should still be there, and is supposed to work! The reprap.properties file has settings for whether or not to use GCode or SNAP. I think all you need to do is set the RepRap_Machine property to SNAPRepRap instead of the default GCodeRepRap. You can use the Reprap Host software Preferences (Global tab) to do that, or you can edit the reprap.properties file by hand, whichever you find easier.

If really necessary, I could even get out my old Gen 1 boards which have been gathering dust, and see if they still work, with old and with current host software

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Jonathan