Using Pronterface

Ok so I have pronterface and all of the prerequisite software installed. When I start it I can connect, but when I type "move X 10" or anything like that my motors won't move. I checked the firmware and the pins are all correct. Is there something I am missing?

Austin

Great timing, I just went thru it last couple of days. Below are my issues that I just solved.

1. Wiring the steppers correctly. Depends on how many wires you have on your stepper.
2. Firmware on Sprinter didn't have the lib subdir installed.
3. Wiring to the connectors need to be traced for contininuity. So that the signals can get to the motors.

Hope this help.

I know its not the wiring because I've gotten them to move with the test code on the sanguinololu page. Where can I find the lib subdir that needs to be installed?

Austin

must have Sanguino subdir:
c:\Program Files (x86)\Sanguinololu\arduino-0022\hardware\Sanguino

compile and upload firmware

Just in case, make sure the COM port exist and press connect button. Wait for the printer to go online.

Ok I've set that up and reuploaded the firmware, but its still not moving the stepper.

Austin

Is there anything on troubleshooting pronterface? I can't seem to find any information on using it other than how to install it.

To reiterate my problem, I have uploaded the sprinter firmware to my sanguino board. I am using pololus as my stepper drivers, and don't currently have an extruder driver hooked up. However, I am not using a sanguinololu.My pin layout differs a little from the default one on sprinter in that the X,Y, and Z enable pins are all hooked up to digital 12. However, I changed it in pins.h. I have tested the motors by using the test firmware on the sanguinololu page and so know that the motors at least respond. The electronics are not mounted to the frame of the printer yet, and I don't currently have the optoend stops connected. I have installed pronterface and all related software. I have moved my arduino-0022 folder from the documents folder to the program files folder, so that the sub directory looks like how fteo88 described. When I start pronterface I set the port to COM4 and press connect and it says the printer is online. I can not, however, get my steppers to respond when I type move. My stepper motors have six wires, a red, black, green, blue, yellow, and white one. They are connected in that order, where 1B is connected to red, 1A is connected to black, 2A is connected to green, and 2B is connected to blue, and the last two aren't connected to anything. Any ideas?

Austin

Here is what Pololu 4983 says: If you have a six-lead unipolar stepper motor:

Two-phase unipolar stepper motor with six leads. you can connect it to the A4983 or A4988 as a bipolar stepper motor by making the bipolar connections described in the section above and leaving stepper leads A’ and B’ disconnected. These leads are center taps to the two coils and are not used for bipolar operation.

I have 4-wire motors. So I don't know enough.

To verify the pair motor wire have continuity or if shorted/connected (without any power) the motor shaft would be stiff/not moving.

Did the motor vibrate at all? Press X+10, X-10, Y+10, for all axis and extruder. There is a screw on each Pololu and it will control how much current to the motors. Too much current it will vibrate turn it counter clockwise to lessen.

Is the thing powered by ATX or Voltage regulator? Need this to power the motors.

The way its powered is I have a black brick power supply that supplies 12 volts to the sanguino. I use the Vin pin to deliver 12 volts to the Vmot pin on the driver, and use the 5 volt pin on the sanguino to power the Vdd pin on the driver and run it off external. Ok, I'm not quite sure what I did, but when I wrote motor X 50 it said "SENDING:MOTOR X 50" afterward. The motor still isn't moving, but it didn't do that before.
Austin

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2011 08:53PM by Austin Walter.

How many motors are connected to the card? Did they hum when pronterface started up? I figure the motors are Nema 17, correct?

They are Nema 17, and they do not hum when the program starts up.

Austin

vibrate or jiggle at all? Have they ever moved? if so when? trying to figure out if the motors are alive.