Setting the Platform Size

I am trying to use skeinforge to generate gcode for a Solidoodle but I cannot find where I set the size of my build platform. Can anyone help?

Thanks.

You don't really set the size of the print bed in SF, but you do specify the center location (in the Multiply plugin)

I have mine set to 100,100 for my standard 200x200 bed. I don't recall entering any other dimensional paremeters, although it's been a while since I used skeinforge with any regularity.

Platform size can be set in the firmware, my parameters for Marlin (20x20 cm bed):

// Travel limits after homing
#define X_MAX_POS 100
#define X_MIN_POS -100
#define Y_MAX_POS 100
#define Y_MIN_POS -100
#define Z_MAX_POS 90
#define Z_MIN_POS 0

And for Teacup (not quite sure):

#define	X_MIN  -100.0
#define	X_MAX 100.0
#define	Y_MIN -100.0
#define	Y_MAX 100.0
#define	Z_MIN 0.0
#define	Z_MAX 90.0

---

François

OK. Thank you jbernrdis and François Delègue. I checked my firmware settings and entered a value into the Multiply Plugin and now my part is positioned correctly. I am still having problems with Checksum and unknown commands. See my errors bellow:

echo:Unknown command:"N0 ()*78"
echo:Unknown command:"N1 () start.gcode ()*84"
echo:Unknown command:"N3 ()*98"
echo:Unknown command:"N4 ( skeinforge gcode )*61"
echo:Unknown command:"N5 ( 12.03.14 )*112"
Error:No Checksum with line number, Last Line:5
Resend:6
Error:No Checksum with line number, Last Line:5
Resend:6
Error:No Checksum with line number, Last Line:5
Resend:6
Error:No Checksum with line number, Last Line:5
Resend:6
echo:Unknown command:"119"

The first 6 errors numbers N0-N5 are all lines at the beginning of the gcode file that are nothing more than comments. I am not sure why Pronterface is trying to parse comments.

I have no idea why I am getting checksum errors but my printer will not do anything.

Can anyone help?

nobody is trying to parse comments, but lines that begin with an N have a sequence number immediately following that, then the actual G code, then an asterisk and a 2 character check sum. This check sum is used to verify that transmission between the computer and the printer was successful. With a direct - and short - connection, you should never see checksum errors. This indicates that the connection between the two is faulty. Either a bad cable, loose connection, or perhaps the communications parameters, like baud rate, etc, are not the same at both ends.

If you are connecting a reasonable short USB cable between your printer and the computer, it should be rock solid.

I have two different printers and two different cables. Both machines are running Marlin firmware. I get the same errors on both machines when I use skeinforge generated gcode files. Both machines run without any problems when I use slicer generated gcode files. I like prints done with skeinforge on my third printer (a makerbot) and I would really like to use skeinforge with my other two machines.

Are there any trouble shooting steps I can try? What do you mean "lines that begin with N?" I can open the gcode file in note pad and there are no lines that start with N. I apologize for my ignorance but I would really appreciate it if you could explain in more detail what you are saying. Here is a copy (cut and pasted) of the first few lines from the gcode file.

()
() start.gcode ()
G28 ; home all axes
()
( skeinforge gcode )
( 12.03.14 )
( 13.09.25|23:3 )
()
M103
( extrusion )
M105

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2013 01:17AM by nevertoolate.

That's strange. The comments were all removed from the between the parenthesis when I saved that last post.

You won't see the n in your g code files. That is generated by pronterface, along with the checksum, just prior to transmitting it to the printer.

Based on the other thread here, though, I think your problem might be a skeinforge setting, but since I hardly ever use skeinforge anymore, I'm not as familiar with it.

Why don't you use skeinforge anymore? I agree that slier is easier to use but I think skeinforge creates support structs that are far supiror to slicer. Skeinforge supports and easy to remove and slicers are not. I also tend to have problems with my fill not touching my shells. Maybe I don't have slicer configured correctly?

I think you should try removing *all* comments in your gcode (I don't know if Marlin accepts commented lines, perhaps not). Edit: with Export plugin you can "Delete all comments".

> Skeinforge supports and easy to remove and slicers are not.
> I also tend to have problems with my fill not touching my shells.

Those are depending from slicer configuration, not from slicer itself. But as you I largely prefer Skeinforge…

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2013 03:59AM by François Delègue.

---

François

I agree that skeinforge beats slic3r with respect to support. Frankly I hate the Slic3r support. I wish it allowed external-only support like skeinforge does.

The main reason I eventually switched to slic3r is because it is actively developed whereas skeinforge hasn't been updated in about a year and a half. To many things are changing too fast in this field to have a critical piece of the toolchain be basically unsupported.

It took me a long time to make the switch. I was a skeinforge devotee, and I had subpar results with slic3r. But I had to use it for something that sliced improperly in skeinforge, so I made an effort to get the settings right, and frankly I've been there since. The biggest change for me with slic3r was when I specified the extrusion width as 220% instead of letting it calculate for me. Print quality dramatically improved after that.