Software does not seem to be talking to electonics.

I am curently in the process of building a mendal and am testing the electronics. The motherboard and extruder controler seem to work, but none of my stepper drivers are responding to the software,and when I to send commands, either via the xyz tab, either nothing happens or the software freezes up.

running this on a windows XP laptop.

[objects.reprap.org]

... which versions of hardware, firmware and software?

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Viktor
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the current set of electronics, the makerbot versions, the current set of firmwire and software, windows XP, using the FDI freind as usb to ttl converter.

Hi

Best to test from a terminal without using the host.

Details in this thread:-

[forums.reprap.org]

Make sure you have the baud rate set correctly for your firmware.

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Regards

Ian

I am, having the same issue, after trying out the latest released 20100806.

I've reduced the baud rate down to 9600, and cleared up a compile error bug under the intercom.h file, where "Serial1" wasn't declared, fixed that to "Serial"

Would like to hear of any ideas of what may be happening please?
I am using Gen3 electronics, with no heated bed, and using the Classic Mendel variables.
My printer is a RepStrap on the cheap, and all the electronics work with old firmware and host software.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2010 04:33AM by Grogyan.

I did have a problem, with the Host software that prevented it speaking to the software but it was unrelated to the firmware, but the USB setup time. (Fix was to change the host source code to pause for a 1 second after setting the board rate). MInd you I did not have the same problem with the firmware compile as you are reporting. Which part of the trunk did you get the firmware from? (I download the firmware at the start of the month)

If you turn debugging on in the host, what output do you see? As this gives the clue normally

David

Using the tagged release that is on sourceforce, dated 20100806. Theoretically this is stable.

With the debug turned on, attemting to jog the Z axis by 10mm.

=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
Java lib Version   = RXTX-2.1-7
DEBUG: Attempting to initialize Arduino/Sanguino [4.813s/4219ms]
comms: G-code: N0 T0 *26 dequeued and sent [12.500s/7687ms]
ERROR: GCodeWriter.waitForResponse() - request to resend from line 0.  RepRap said: rs 0 Serial Error: checksum mismatch.  
Remote (0) not equal to local (99), line received: H00000000 10 000NT*000000000000N 0 * [12.656s/156ms]
comms: Response: rs 0 Serial Error: checksum mismatch.  
Remote (0) not equal to local (99), line received: H00000000 10 000NT*000000000000N 0 * [12.656s/0ms]
comms: G-code: N0 T0 *26 dequeued and sent [12.672s/16ms]
comms: G-code: N0 G1 F5.0 *69 dequeued and sent [73.797s/61125ms]

Well it looks like it is communicating but the line is getting corrupted.

I would use a terminal program to connect to the printer and see what setting you need in order to get the comminucation flow to work rather than with the host software. That way you can double check what the host software might need to be setting. The comms code has not changed that much between versions as far as I can tell other than an increase in the default configuration for the baud rate. It should still be 8N1 and 19200 should work (Well it does with my Techzone Gen 3 electronics).

(Note I still haven't got the extruder to work, but the axis steppers are working fine)

David

I think I have mine working now, I reinstalled the files for the firmware over, leaving the config intact.
Then I deleted the applet directory, and recompiled, the error did not come up, so I went on to uload it to the motherboard.

Then of course, I ran the host first before turning on the machine, as I have always done, as this was the work around to the host always crashing at odd times.
turning the machine on the running the host program, followed by simple jogging seems to work, though I don't know what this will do when I eventually will be running the machine over bluetooth, double henceforth reason I use 9600 baud. Not tried bluetooth since this latest firmware update, will leave that for another day. It worked before, so it should work again.

Now just have a new issue to deal with, homing the x and y axes the machine is reversing too fast and not moving until near the end, when it slows down, I believe this is an issue with 5D turned on.

Your axis probably stops moving because your "fast feed rate" is set higher than your machine can physically achieve. It sounds like it stalls out or whatever you want to call it at operating speeds, but then as it decelerates it begins moving. Try setting your maximum feedrate lower untill you find the speed at which it moves.

you should also be able to reduce the starting speed and max speeds in the firmware and it should all start working

when you home in host it uses max speed defined in the FW

also check your firmware as I think there was a bug that reversed the acceleration routine, ( it did exactly the reverse of what it should do) that got me a while back.

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[richrap.blogspot.com]

I fixed the problem, permanetly.

I set in firmware to not use acceleration, ditto in the host.
Plus I turned down the speed in firmware.

Reason for all this is that I can't guarantee that with 3 different stepper motors, the acceleration won't be a problem, so better safe than sorry, i've disabled it.

Thanks all.