Teacup: How to automatically pause a print?

So, I've been playing around using HIPS as a support material, and have it mostly working. The problem is, I still only have a single extruder working correctly.

I'd like to let the printer do the base/interface layers and then pause automatically before it starts the part. That way I can change the filament to ABS at the correct time.

Problem is, I can't figure out a simple way to automatically pause the printer, and then resume the print manually. I'm using RepG and Teacup.

My best idea for a workaround at the moment is to create a dummy heater and temp sensor. Issue an M109 command for the fake heater, and have a physical button on the machine that makes the electronics think the dummy heater is up to temp so the print resumes.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

You could just cut the Gcode file where you want it to pause. Then after sending the first part do your support and then send the next piece of the file.

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Normally you would use a dwell command such as G4 - Dwell

It says in the wiki it is supported here


[reprap.org]


From gcode wiki examples:
[reprap.org]
G4: Dwell
Example: G4 P200

In this case sit still doing nothing for 200 milliseconds. During delays the state of the machine (for example the temperatures of its extruders) will still be preserved and controlled.



You could stay around and watch it, and set it to say G4 P60000 (60 seconds)

Or you could use M226 which is the official pause command; however I don't see support in teacup yet according to the compatibility firmware features. [reprap.org]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2011 07:56PM by jamesdanielv.

heh you could go the virtual heater route, it is a bit roundabout though.

implementing pause would be better. simplest way would be a small addition to queue_step() similar to waitfor_temp that hangs on a digital input, your resume button. You could use one of the endstops if you want to quickly knock together some code and try it out

soft-resume would be a shade trickier, need to prevent the queue going to the next move, and need to prevent the host sending too many commands or we won't be able to recieve the resume command! teacup isn't really set up for hanging in a loop listening for a particular command.

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Wooden Mendel
Teacup Firmware

i sense an additional feature to be added to teacup. right? m226?


would this legally fit with a pause resume button or should to software host be able to resume it? I really don't know.


something like this may be coded as a band aid solution.


pinMode(pausepin,INPUT) ; switches pin to input for monitoring to keep it less painful try not to place near a step for noise considerations


// this section of code will be stuck in a loop until pause pin high
for (int temptrigger=0; temptrigger=0; ){ //keeps loop as long as condition temptrigger=0

temptrigger=digitalRead(pausepin); //read pin

if (temptrigger){ //dual read pin if it is 1 to reduce false reads

temptrigger=digitalRead(pausepin); //read pin again

} //end of temptrigger dual test



} //end of for

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2011 02:04AM by jamesdanielv.

or something as simple as

case 226:
  for (uint8_t debounce = 0; debounce < 8; loopstuff()) 
    if (READ(RESUME_PIN))
      debounce++
    else
      debounce = 0;

perhaps

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Wooden Mendel
Teacup Firmware