Trying to compile and install firmware for RAMPS 1.3

Hello RepRap community,

I am new here, and only today finished putting together RepRap, and got stack with installing firmware for Ramps 1.3.

Was following instructions from Ramps 1.3 page (http://www.reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS1.3), and in Firmware section, the first (and preferred) method is Tonokip, and the link is dead ( [github.com] ), so that was a first punch in the face ... Ok, first link is dead, let's try the second best choice "Kliment's Tonokip-Firmware Fork", and it even says "Updated frequently, with many active developers/hackers/users!" So, sounds good, let's click... Ops, page says "THIS FIRMWARE VERSION IS NOW DEPRECATED. ALL FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING UNDER THE NEW NAME Sprinter" So, that's how I got to Sprinter which was recently updated, so looks like I am in the right place!

Ok, reading Readme in Sprinter and finding out that it works with a board called Sanguinololu... And then in instructions "Steps 3,10,11 are hardware-specific to the Sanguinololu and Bath Prusa and should be skipped or modified accordingly for other hardware such as the Arduino Mega 2560". So, how do I know to what step to SKIP and what to MODIFY ACCORDINGLY? For example, step #3:

3. Get the sanguino software, version 0018
[sanguino.cc]

follow the sanguino's readme so that your arduino hardware folder looks like
arduino-0018/hardware/arduino
arduino-0018/hardware/sanguino
arduino-0018/hardware/tools

How do I modify it to work with Arduino Mega 2560?

or step #6:

6. Run make. If everything goes well Sprinter/applet/Sprinter.cpp should have been created.
You can safely ignore the error message mentioning arduino-0018/hardware/arduino/cores/arduino/WString.o

Will 'make' work on Windows?

or step #1:

1. Install the required packages (gcc-avr, avr-libc, etc.)
sudo apt-get install arduino-core

How do I know what packages are required, if after 2 libraries there is "etc"?

Basically, can somebody point me to the right place, to make firmware for Ramps 1.3? May be I am browsing wrong pages and typing something wrong in search engines

Thank you for your support!

--Dmitri

After many experimentations, I was able to compile and upload Sprinter firmware! I am able to use Putty to connect COM10 at speed 115200 and able to send g-commands and get responses back. I can move all step motors, and read temperature readings, so everything is great. But now, when I start Reprap software, it connects to the board, and then gets stuck, so no GUI is displayed. Any ideas?

Curious how you got Sprinter running. I'm more or less in the same place you were when you posted your original questions. Very frustrating, too many options, too many dead links, download after download leading to dead end. Someone who understands all this start to finish needs to create a very clear step by step for those who don't computer program. Even a diagram would be great!

Right now, I can't "run make". What is make? Is it a program? Is it an application within a program? Does it work on windows? I think it's a compiler...or not? Which compiler?

Thanks!

Hi Kenho,

I got stuck on this stage, and couldn't move forward. Posted message here, and not a single reply. So, don't know what to think :-) Looks like community is not supportive at all, and nobody wants to help.

Any ideas how to move forward now?

--Dmitri

Just made a small research, and found a blog post by JoeDaStudd here [jds-reprap.blogspot.com], where he says that:

Quote
Before our brand new printer can print anything the electronics needs firmware. There are numerous different firmwares, each with there own advantages and disadvantages. At the moment there are 2 main contenders when it comes to firmware for RAMPS; Sprinter and Marlin.

So, looks like we can try latest version of Sprinter (https://github.com/kliment/Sprinter) and Marlin (https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin), also, he provides a cool link to a test script:
[reprap.org]
but this test script is for RAMPS1.4, and I am not sure how much RAMPS1.3 is different from RAMPS1.4.

--Dmitri

Looks like your in a simmilar situation to me at the mo

Arduino Mega 2560 Ramp v1.3 recently finished building Prusa WIndows XP

The firmware I'm trying at the moment is Marlin from [github.com]
download by clicking on the little download symbol with ZIP next to it

for the host PC software
I found printer interface which used to be called pronterface it seems to install as a complete package at

[koti.kapsi.fi]
the printrun-experimental-07DEC2011.zip not the mac version

this got me going moving stepper motors and reading temps and controlling the heater.

I'm guessing the other host software's need additional bits installing, I may look into this at a later date.

I'm struggling to get the endstop micro switches working at the moment.

How's it going with you?

Cheers
Simon

ddon Wrote:
> but this test script is for RAMPS1.4, and I am not
> sure how much RAMPS1.3 is different from
> RAMPS1.4.
>
> --Dmitri

From the firmware's point of view, the two are identical. RAMPS1.4 uses smaller components and improves some of the circuits, but the only change to the pin layout is one of the servo connectors, and those don't have any standard use.

looks like my problem with end stops was a problem with Marlin or at least the release I downloaded, went back to sprinter and all is well with the end stops.
Now just need to get the extruder to actually extrude when its supposed to be printing.