Rostock Max V2 - Help with new mainboard settings

Hello,

I have a Rostock Max v2 that have worked ok for many years. One day I decided to upgrade the original 8-bit mainboard to a 32-bit Bigtreetech SKR v1.4 Turbo.

All the main mechanics are still the same as the Rostock MAX v2 original.

I have tried to follow the guidance given in the Marlin firmware files (configuration.h) to use a generic delta profile from the Marlin 2.0.x library and modify it.

I have tried my best doing so and have successfully flashed the firmware onto the SKR 1.4 mainboard. I can connect to it with Pronterface and control the arms with the jog controls. However here is my problem.

The arms move really weirdly when I click the jog controls. If I try to move the effector on only X-axis 10 millimeters then the arms move in what could seem as a random movement, but it isn´t random but repeatable and predicatble. It´s just that it is moving in what seems like as if the effector was riding on the inside of a bowl. The further away from center it moves the more upwards the effector moves. And it also moves faster the further away from the center it moves.

I have tried reading a lot of similar threads on many forums and tried many differnet values in my Marlin configuration.h.

These are the values I have when typing M503 in the serial monitor:

>>> M503
SENDING:M503
echo:  G21    ; Units in mm (mm)
echo:  M149 C ; Units in Celsius
echo:; Filament settings: Disabled
echo:  M200 S0 D1.75
echo:; Steps per unit:
echo: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z80.00 E836.00
echo:; Maximum feedrates (units/s):
echo:  M203 X500.00 Y500.00 Z500.00 E25.00
echo:; Maximum Acceleration (units/s2):
echo:  M201 X9000.00 Y9000.00 Z9000.00 E10000.00
echo:; Acceleration (units/s2): P R T
echo:  M204 P3000.00 R3000.00 T3000.00
echo:; Advanced: B S T X Y Z E
echo:  M205 B20000.00 S0.00 T0.00 X10.00 Y10.00 Z10.00 E5.00
echo:; Endstop adjustment:
echo:  M666 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00
echo:; Delta settings: L R H S XYZ ABC
echo:  M665 L270.00 R135.20 H300.00 S200.00 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 A0.00 B0.00 C0.00
echo:; Material heatup parameters:
echo:  M145 S0 H180 B70 F255
echo:  M145 S1 H240 B100 F255
echo:; PID settings:
echo:  M301 P22.20 I1.08 D114.00
echo:; Stepper driver current:
echo:  M906 X800 Y800 Z800
echo:  M906 T0 E800
echo:; Driver stepping mode:
echo:  M569 S1 X Y Z
echo:  M569 S1 T0 E

I dont know if I have measured correctly when measuring the arms and effector offset, but all measurements are the original from the Rostock Max v2 was when it was delivered. I have contacted SeeMeCNC for help but they referred me to a newer configuration.h file from ther repetier frimware. I don´t know which values I should use. I can post the whole configuration.h file and maybe a little movie clip if that helps.

Anyone who can help me though this.. I would be very grateful for any help!

Thank you very much in advance!

That's typically caused by an incorrect DELTA_RADIUS value. Try I don't know much about Repetier so I don't know if the values from that configuration are apples to apples to Marlin. Have you run auto-calibration in Marlin(G33) yet?

Thank you for your reply and assitance!

I read in a lot of places about a G33 auto-calibration process in Marlin. Itried sending the command G33 in the serial monitor promt but got a syntax error message back.

I dind´t dare to continue down that path until I knew what was wrong with the movement. Because if I try to move the effector up or down,,, the movement is so "skewed" that the effector runs out of the build area (mechanically reachable area) before I cn move the effector more than 10 cm up or down. I´m afraid of, if I send a G33 command successfully that it will forecefully jam itself into one of the towers almost immediately.

I tried using a caliper and measuring the radius manually by using the references from this image: mechanics.

That is how I came up with the values that I entered into configuration.h and what showed up in the M503 output.

If the radius is wrong, is it the setting that is called:

#define DELTA_PRINTABLE_RADIUS 290.0

or

 #define DELTA_RADIUS 200         // (mm) Get this value from G33 auto calibrate

These are the values I have under the delta menu now:

//===========================================================================
//============================== Delta Settings =============================
//===========================================================================
// Enable DELTA kinematics and most of the default configuration for Deltas
#define DELTA

#if ENABLED(DELTA)

  // Make delta curves from many straight lines (linear interpolation).
  // This is a trade-off between visible corners (not enough segments)
  // and processor overload (too many expensive sqrt calls).
  #define DELTA_SEGMENTS_PER_SECOND 200

  // After homing move down to a height where XY movement is unconstrained
  //#define DELTA_HOME_TO_SAFE_ZONE

  // Delta calibration menu
  // uncomment to add three points calibration menu option.
  // See [minow.blogspot.com]
  #define DELTA_CALIBRATION_MENU

  // uncomment to add G33 Delta Auto-Calibration (Enable EEPROM_SETTINGS to store results)
  //#define DELTA_AUTO_CALIBRATION

  // NOTE NB all values for DELTA_* values MUST be floating point, so always have a decimal point in them

  #if ENABLED(DELTA_AUTO_CALIBRATION)
    // set the default number of probe points : n*n (1 -> 7)
    #define DELTA_CALIBRATION_DEFAULT_POINTS 4
  #endif

  #if EITHER(DELTA_AUTO_CALIBRATION, DELTA_CALIBRATION_MENU)
    // Set the steprate for papertest probing
    #define PROBE_MANUALLY_STEP 0.05      // (mm)
  #endif

  // Print surface diameter/2 minus unreachable space (avoid collisions with vertical towers).
  #define DELTA_PRINTABLE_RADIUS 290.0    // (mm)

  // Center-to-center distance of the holes in the diagonal push rods.
  #define DELTA_DIAGONAL_ROD 270.0        // (mm)

  // Distance between bed and nozzle Z home position
  #define DELTA_HEIGHT 300.00             // (mm) Get this value from G33 auto calibrate

  #define DELTA_ENDSTOP_ADJ { 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 } // Get these values from G33 auto calibrate

  // Horizontal distance bridged by diagonal push rods when effector is centered.
  #define DELTA_RADIUS 200              // (mm) Get this value from G33 auto calibrate

  // Trim adjustments for individual towers
  // tower angle corrections for X and Y tower / rotate XYZ so Z tower angle = 0
  // measured in degrees anticlockwise looking from above the printer
  #define DELTA_TOWER_ANGLE_TRIM { 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 } // Get these values from G33 auto calibrate

  // Delta radius and diagonal rod adjustments (mm)
  //#define DELTA_RADIUS_TRIM_TOWER { 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 }
  //#define DELTA_DIAGONAL_ROD_TRIM_TOWER { 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 }

#endif

I will try other values in these settings and try to see if it get better or worse.

I dig up the Repetier config for Max v2. It doesn't seem apples to apples but I think DELTA_RADIUS could be derived from this section of the Repetier config:
[github.com]
#define DELTA_DIAGONAL_ROD 291.06 // ball cup arms
#define DELTA_MAX_RADIUS 145.0
#define PRINTER_RADIUS 200.0
#define Z_MAX_LENGTH 350
#define END_EFFECTOR_HORIZONTAL_OFFSET 30.22
#define CARRIAGE_HORIZONTAL_OFFSET 26.5 // molded cheapskates

After selecting delta printer type on the config page (https://www.repetier.com/firmware/v100/index.php) it seems like DELTA_RADIUS = PRINTER_RADIUS - END_EFFECTOR_HORIZONTAL_OFFSET. So you could try setting DELTA_RADIUS to 169.78 and see how that changes things.

Thank you kindly for your assistance!

I will try this a soon as possible and report back. I also have recently learned that it is possible to temporarily change the radius with M665 R [X] where X in my case would be 169.78 in this trial. This might help someone in a similar situation as me. This would possibly speed up the trial and error part of this since I don´t have to rebuild the whole firmware and reflash the mainboard everytime to just change one value. This might have been self evident for more experienced users, but I´m learning as I go here.

To illustrate the problem I´m having is that my effektor has a movment pattern similar to this image that I found in a post by the user hercek in this thread Link on this forum.


Thank you thehankinator! I really appreciate your help!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2020 07:02AM by RostockDude.

Hell oagain,

I Itried the Radius value of 169.78 and it still was kind of weird. I also tried very high values and low values to see if the problem got better or worse. I still couldn´t understand if the value was too high or too low. I even tried values as low as 130 and as high as 200. I´m starting to suspect that there might be something else that is off aswell.

I found one error that I corrected.. Maybe kind of obvious for experienced people. On a delta one of the XYZ motors needs to be inverted. I tried different combinations and finally got the printer to move all motors in the same direction when manually moving the effector in the Z-axis. This completely changed everything. The radius error still persists though. I cannot run the G33 command yet because I can´t home the any of the axis yet. It absolutely flies off i warp speed up and crashes violently into the endstops. Still, there is small progress. If I get homing working I imagine I can start trying to use the G33 delta calibration program. I will try to change the homing speed. This was the default value:

// Delta only homes to Z
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z  (200*60)

Is there any command to change it without rebuilding the whole firmware? Vscode and platformio is giving me a hard time not working so well unfortunately (not loading platformio correctly, and redownloading and reinstalling extensions everytime I restart)

I tried finding the speed setting for "homing" in the config file. It seems to want to home in a absolutely insane speed. It makes the motors scream in pain during the travel. So now I´m trying to find that value.

Not easy this...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2020 08:02AM by RostockDude.

I tried changing the homing rate to a really low value to see whats going on. I set it to:

#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z  (10*60)

I can see that all endstop triggers are working using M119 command and holding the endstop switch down. This worked for X, Y and Z, illustrating only x_max below.

SENT: M119
READ: Reporting endstop status
READ: x_max: TRIGGERED
READ: y_max: open
READ: z_max: open

The problem is that the motors keep moving up one at least one axis and the motor starts skipping. So something isn´t registering the face that the endstop is triggered. So I haven´t been able to use G33 yet. Still trying to fix homing errors now.

Hmm that sounds like you may have the motors and endstops mixed up. I would verify your cabling that the motor on the X tower is wired to the X port on your controller. Same for Y and Z. Might as well do the same for your endstops - X tower, zmax, etc. If they are mixed up the controller could think the wrong motor has hit the an endstop and keep going.

You were indeed correct!
This is progress. The endstop sensors where connected in the wrong order. I can now home the printer and will try G33 command.

Thank you for your continued support!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2020 09:59AM by RostockDude.

Thank you kindly dear thehankinator!

I´ve gotten my old printer to work again with a new 32-bit mainboard. This makes me immensly happy!
Just a little support and helping attitude gave me the extra energy to keep pushing.

It all works fine now! I just have to calibrate everything in finner detail now!
All the best!

I'm glad to hear you got it working, enjoy.

Quote
RostockDude
Thank you kindly dear thehankinator!

I´ve gotten my old printer to work again with a new 32-bit mainboard. This makes me immensly happy!
Just a little support and helping attitude gave me the extra energy to keep pushing.

It all works fine now! I just have to calibrate everything in finner detail now!
All the best!

hii!

can you share the Configuration.h and Configuration_adv.h?
I'm having problems in configurating my Rostock Max V2 with mks gen l.
Thank you!

Hello,
Sorry for the long absence. I have attached my custom config files here. Since it was a couple of years since I had the printer working, I cant guarantee that the settings are correct.
But hopefully it will help someone.
I am in the process of updating to the newest Marlin, and a lot of settings have changed. These files worked with MARLIN 2.0.x Configurations-release-2.0.6.