RepRap Mendel wont respond to slicers.

Hello

I bought a RepRap Mendel i3 second hand (from what research I have gathered) fully assembled for £60. This also came with filament and a USB with an old Arduino software, the firmwhere, modles, software and slicers that he put together, he had never ran it due to family commitments but I traced it back to previous owners and they say they have used it and it did work. I have never seen it run myself but if anything I have parts I can use.

I turn it on and all lights come on on the motor drivers and boards. I have it set to COM 7 and with 115200 baud rate on control panel, Arduino, slic3r, Cura, pronterface and Repitier. The cooling fan starts too. When I try to connect in Pronterface it is just connecting indefinitely. Cura doesn't want to know it exists. Repitier eventually stabilises out to doing temperature checks and coming back ok but whatever I do inside the slicer the printer doesn't respond such as moving the axis or heating the bed or nozzle. The motors did resist me at one point in the past when I tried to move an axis by hand but they wont now. I have also installed Sprinzer Melzi through the old Arduino IDE and that was a success but sadly nothing else has been a success.

I have tried just about anything and everything to get this to work. I am new to 3d printers and a mechanical engineer by trade so forgive my stupidity haha. Any assistance is much appreciated. Thanks.

Did you install the usb drivers when you installed the arduino software ? if you did, pronterface should auto find the correct port no.
Open device manager and check the arduino port is listed.

I didn't install the USB drivers myself. But pronterface generates a list of COM ports usually 6 and 7 but I always use 7 in pronterface. In the controll panels device manager COM and LPT there is USB Serial Port (COM 7) that is my printer. It is set to 115200 baud rate 8 data bits, 1 stop bits, and no flow control.

normally Arduino Firmware runs with 250000baud

I did try that but the control panel has 230400, the Arduino has 250000 or 230400, pronterface has 250000. They all have 115200 though. My question is is there a hardwired baud rate in the machine that I have to get my computer and all programs talking at at the same time and this doesn't change no matter what I do or is this changeable in the control panel and as long as they are all talking on the same rate then its ok no matter what it is? I feel its the former. I programmed a multicopter flight controller with 115200 baud rate and I got a smaller printer to 'work' with this baud rate but that's specific to the board not the computer so no help there. I will try set all progams to 250000 or as close as I can get as that's something I haven't tried. Also the Repitier server connects to the printer in an instant but wont do much past that.

Thanks guys.

Update, I tried it on Repitier host the downloadable programme not the server because that has a matching 230400 baud rate. My computer control panel doesn't have 250000. no matter if its 115200 or 230400 it still says access to COM port 7 is denied (which is my printer port) I have tried it on all programmes with both 115200 and 250000 and 230400 and nothing.

If you get access denied it's most commonly some other software still accessing the port. You can't connect two programs at the same time. Check if any of your software, like Ardunio IDE, Pronterface, Repetier host or similar is still running.

I opened repitier host in a fresh start-up with no other programs running. no matter what port I plugged the printer into or baud rate or anything I got that message. Repitier server seems to connect just fine but nothing else other than that. Pronterface just connects infinitely and cura doesn't want to know it. These may be symptoms of the same problem (a crappy printer hahah). I think repitier server is the way to go or attest its the most promising. Thanks for the suggestion.

I didn't use Repetier Server, so I don't know it, but you need to stop the Repetier Server before you try to connect with Repetier Host or anything else. You probably know this already, but I just want to be sure.

The latest release of repetier server will automatically connect to the printer port,so as Inhumierer said, you need to stop the server (in windows start menu) or turn off the server auto connect option.

I started up my computer and before doing anything I disconnected from the Wi-Fi to prevent that from happening but the server connects so that's a step further than all other software I have got.

If you are connecting to the printer with repetier server, then repetier host will connect to the server on its network address or local 127.0.0.1:3344 (if on same computer)

I am not too bothered about the repitier downloaded software not connecting or any other slicers so lets just ignore them for now. The repitier server connects fine but doesn't do anything after that. Can you explain that?

Guys? I am sorry but I am still at a loss. I need this printer online. Just anything I am doing wrong. This thing has been going on for months and really getting to me. I just want a working printer. Sorry.

If you have Repetier Server running, and it is connected to the printer, your other programs (like Pronterface, Repetier Host etc.) need to connect to Repetier Server, NOT the printer itself.
If you disconnect or shut down Repetier Server, you should be able to connect to your printer with Pronterface, Repetier Host etc.

Well with my whole computer offline and repitier server out of the question no slicers connect no matter what setting or anything. But I think you might agree with me that I can at least control each axis independently from the server as there option is there to do so however its connected but nothing happens again no matter of settings or order of button pushes. If I disconnect the printer from my computer the motors stiffen up but as I say if I can get this to work I will because I really cant afford another one especially new.

hi...... my printer print only the first layer .... thn stop printing ........ how to solve cold extrusion prevented.... msg display in Pront face.... help me to solve his .. struggle here nealy 5 days

I am not the one to help but I advise you make your own thread. This was setup to solve my issue and you may get confused between my problem and I will yours. Start a new thread and explain your problem in more detail. sorry.