Delta with reprap firmware - some questions

I have been happily using my Kossel XL Delta for nearly a year now and it works great but only because I know how it behaves.

For instance, I have calibrated the bed temperature at ambient temperature but when I heat it up the actual temperature is 20 - 30 degrees cooler than the set temperature. So if I want to print PLA which sticks to my Printbite at 70c I have to set the bed to 90c, for PETG I have to set it to 105 for 85 and for ABS I have to set it to 150c for 120c. Is there a way to dial these in so they are correct?

Also when I change filament type I have to edit my IR probe trigger height because as the bed temperature increases the trigger height decreases so if I am calibrated for ABS then PETG and PLA wont stick because the nozzle is too far from the bed. Is there an easy way to switch configuration files without editing or some other trick I can use to make it easier?

Does anyone use CraftWare with a Kossel with Reprap firmware? I have been using Cura 15.04.6 but CraftWare seems nicer, particularly as the newer versions of Cura do not support Delta printers and CraftWare supports custom supports. I have tried to use CraftWare but my printer doesnt seem to like the gcode, I think maybe some of the start code and end code needs to be changed but I cannot figure out what I need to change. In my Cura start and end code I have the following

Start.gcode

M104 S{print_temperature} ; Start heating hot end
G28 ; home all axes
G32 ; Autocalibrate - disable with ; if not required
M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion
G1 X0 Y0 Z5 F8000 ; centre nozzle 5mm above bed
M109 S{print_temperature} ; Wait for hot end to reach temperature

end.gcode

M104 S0
M140 S0 ; turn off heated bed
G28 ; home all axes
M84 ; disable motors

But in CraftWare there are header and footer section as well as a layerscript secton. Do I just copy the Cura the Start/End code into the header and footer respectively?


Also does anyone where to edit the CSS on the Duet Web Control to change the popups position and size when you use the extrude/retract buttons as the popups cover the buttons so you have to wait for them to disappear before you can press the buttons again.

FYI I am using DC42's fork of Reprap firmware.

TIA

Bed temperature: it's common to get a temperature drop of 10 to 20C across a glass bed. If you are getting 30C then you may be using the wrong thermistor beta value in your M305 P0 command.

IR sensor trigger height: I presume you want to start the first layer at a different Z=0 height depending on the filament. You can use the G10 command to set up a tool Z offset to do this. You can put the G10 command either in the slicer start gcode, or in a macro file that you run before printing (a different macro file for each material).

I can't help you with CraftWare because I don't know it. If you look at the gcode it generates you may be able to see what is wrong.

Chrishamm can best answer the CSS question.

HTH David

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Thanks David,

My M305 for the bed looks like this.

M305 P0 T100000 B3950 R4700 H-20 L0

the values are what were specified and pre-set by Roland at T3P3, I don't know how to tell if they are correct. Is there something I can do to verify? It may just be that I am using the glass bed with PrintBite on top which if so is fine, I was just wondering if there was something I could do to compensate.


As far as the z offset is concerned, if I set up my G31 configuration for PLA which is G31 X0 Y0 Z1.76 P500 what would I put in the G10 command to change it to Z1.67 for ABS?

Your temperature discrepancy is probably caused by temperature drop across the glass and PrintBite. You can try adjusting the B parameter if you want to compensate. But I suggest you leave it alone, because you know what temperatures work for you.

You are raising the head by 0.09mm when you print ABS. Assuming that you print using tool 0, I think you would need to run G10 P0 Z-0.09 to achieve the same effect. What I can't remember is whether tool offsets are taken into account when you run G32. So you might need to run the G32 with zero offset, and then apply the offset before you start printing.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Thanks David, I will give that a go. If the Tool offset is not taken into account what would the result look like, Would the nozzle wind up crashing into the bed on print or would it wind up much too high?