newbie

Hello,

I am a newbie. I have a prusa since few weeks, and I am trying to print something just for the fun of it. And to learn about printing.

I have had trouble with Z=0, but it seems OK now. I am printing where I should.

Now, I have another problem. The printing is done with much too few material. So the result is barely of the shape and is almost empty. Even the external edge are not filled properly.
It really looks like the extruder is not giving enough. I have check the setting to push for more, encluding checking the filament size (as I was wrong at first, I have 1.7 mm and not 3mm). Still, the same results.

So I guess it could be a problem, clogged nozzle… Or something not related to the quantity, but to the temperature… I am a little lost with so many parameters. So I am asking for your help to give me indication on what I should look first, to find out step by step.

One point is surprising me. When printing, if touching the input filament (actually pushing it a little to "help" it through) I discovered that the filament was indeed often pushed out. As if there was an option to move it up. I have seen parameter about that when the head has to move, but I don't understand why it is so frequent. I wonder if it could be the sign of something else?


I have looked on the wiki and the forum, but it seems all the questions asked or problem found are already much more advance than my case. And as I am leaving in a country where I don't speak the language properly I can't find local help. I hope one of you will be kind to me.

Best regards

Edit: A picture of my "Best" result to date.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2015 05:03AM by fdf.

Have you calibrated your amount of extruded filament and your axis?
See: [reprap.org]

Thanks for your feedback

I guess I should start again. The printer has printed something in the past, but it may has been reset since. The axis are OK I have checked before doing anything, but not the amount of extruded filament.

I'll do that this week-end.
And see what happens…

Hello,

I am working a full calibration.
The hard limit with the switch for X, Y and Z are set and other…

Now needing the extruder calibration as per the wiki.
I get the M503 feedback (see below), but I can't find the M92.
Is it possible it is due to the fact I am using Repetier?

Is there any way to get on specific value back by sending a gcode instruction?

if I send M92, i got

N416 M92 *59

Does it means my current value of M92 is 59? While in the M503 setting return it seems to be 95 ( "10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 200 95.000 Extr.1 steps per mm" )
I tried to change this value by sending M92 E200, but the M503 return doesn't change.
I only get

M92 E200 *111

I tried M92 R (as Read) (but could be Reset too or others but I guess actually meaningless command)
and I got:

M92 R0 *124

I am a little lost here as it seems difficult to set the value if I don't know the initial value and can't check if the change is done.
Your help would be much appreciated.

10:40:01.426 : N274 M503 *4
10:40:01.473 : EPR:2 75 115200 Baudrate
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 129 9.919 Filament printed [m]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:2 125 16752 Printer active 
10:40:01.473 : EPR:2 79 0 Max. inactive time [ms,0=off]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:2 83 360000 Stop stepper after inactivity [ms,0=off]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 3 160.0000 X-axis steps per mm
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 7 160.0000 Y-axis steps per mm
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 11 8000.0000 Z-axis steps per mm
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 15 200.000 X-axis max. feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 19 200.000 Y-axis max. feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 23 1.500 Z-axis max. feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.473 : EPR:3 27 30.000 X-axis homing feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 31 30.000 Y-axis homing feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 35 1.500 Z-axis homing feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 39 20.000 Max. jerk [mm/s]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 47 0.300 Max. Z-jerk [mm/s]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 133 0.000 X home pos [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 137 0.000 Y home pos [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 141 0.000 Z home pos [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 145 200.000 X max length [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 149 200.000 Y max length [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 153 180.000 Z max length [mm]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 51 1000.000 X-axis acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 55 1000.000 Y-axis acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.504 : EPR:3 59 100.000 Z-axis acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 63 1000.000 X-axis travel acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 67 1000.000 Y-axis travel acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 71 100.000 Z-axis travel acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:0 106 1 Bed Heat Manager [0-3]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:0 107 255 Bed PID drive max
10:40:01.551 : EPR:0 124 80 Bed PID drive min
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 108 196.000 Bed PID P-gain
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 112 33.020 Bed PID I-gain
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 116 290.000 Bed PID D-gain
10:40:01.551 : EPR:0 120 255 Bed PID max value [0-255]
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 200 95.000 Extr.1 steps per mm
10:40:01.551 : EPR:3 204 30.000 Extr.1 max. feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:3 208 10.000 Extr.1 start feedrate [mm/s]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:3 212 4000.000 Extr.1 acceleration [mm/s^2]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:0 216 1 Extr.1 heat manager [0-3]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:0 217 140 Extr.1 PID drive max
10:40:01.598 : EPR:0 245 60 Extr.1 PID drive min
10:40:01.598 : EPR:3 218 24.0000 Extr.1 PID P-gain/dead-time
10:40:01.598 : EPR:3 222 0.8800 Extr.1 PID I-gain
10:40:01.598 : EPR:3 226 80.0000 Extr.1 PID D-gain
10:40:01.598 : EPR:0 230 255 Extr.1 PID max value [0-255]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:2 231 0 Extr.1 X-offset [steps]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:2 235 0 Extr.1 Y-offset [steps]
10:40:01.598 : EPR:1 239 1 Extr.1 temp. stabilize time 
10:40:01.614 : EPR:1 250 150 Extr.1 temp. for retraction when heating [C]
10:40:01.614 : EPR:1 252 0 Extr.1 distance to retract when heating [mm]
10:40:01.614 : EPR:0 254 255 Extr.1 extruder cooler speed [0-255]
10:40:01.614 : EPR:3 241 0.000 Extr.1 advance K [0=off]
10:40:01.614 : EPR:3 246 0.000 Extr.1 advance L [0=off]
10:40:03.891 : N275 M105 *7

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2015 10:18PM by fdf.

Sorry if you already checked this, but did you set the nozzle size properly in the software? Also , is your extruder motor current set appropriately? Is the spring or whatever presses the filament on the extruder gear actually tensioned? Set the extruder to feed 10mm and measure it with a ruler. Also hold the filament with your hand and see how hard the motor can pull.

Hello,

I have actually manually tried to have the extruder feed. It feeds one or two mm, then actually start to rip, and does not feed anymore or only very few.If I wait five minutes with the heater on, I can again feed one or two mm. I guessed I had a mechanical problem then.

So I am currently removing the head and opening the extruder to change the nozzle. Start from clean situation is better I guess.

Indeed, while doing so, even hot, even with the hot head separated from the extruder so the filament should be free, I have broken the filament while trying to remove it. So very hot one side and not hot at all the other.
While opening all, I have discovered the fan breathing on the hot end was broken. (electrical connection broken on the electronic card of the fan, difficult to repair then as soldering without initial metal part is difficult).
I wonder if that could be a part of my problem. If no fan, then the hot end can become hot very quickly and upper part remain cool, but the filament in fused an earlier time?)
Anyway, it has proven impossible to fully remove the filament, it was stuck somewhere, clearly.


That's the end of my life… I will start again after receiving the spare parts and will come back to you if needed.

Still, my question on how to set the value of M92 remains… If someone can explain that to me in the mean time, it would be nice.

Have a good week.

In Repetier, you can change any value stored in EEPROM. The syntax is as follows:
M206 T (type of number) P (address of number) X (value to store)

So, for example, to change the extruder steps/mm to 150, you would issue the following:
M206 T3 P200 X150

Hi,

I will try that once I get my spare parts to be able to do new tries…

Thanks for your help.

Hello,

I have started and it was looking much better. Definitelly, it was at least a big par of my problem.

But now have I have new one. The printer is not acknowledge by windows any more. It makes as if the USB is not working . I have tried on several USB ports, with two USB cable.

I had the problem before, not clear on problem. I had restarted the computer and it has worked. But this time it doesn't seem to work at all. So I am stuck as I have no way to communicate with the printer…

I will open another topic in the proper forum…

With the new nozzle, the printing problem is solved, It was definitelly a hardware problem.

This topic is then considered solved.

Thanks all for your help.