Can't move printer

I am using the MAC version and have setup a printer profile. I click on connect and it shows it is connected. When I try to use the manual controls to move the print head nothing happens. The only thing I can see happening is in the lower left corner it says "Connected - 7 commands waiting". The count goes up with each movement I make, however it seems the commands never get sent.

Any thoughts?

As I stated in the doc, the mac version has some limits doe to Mono not be able to do some things right. One thing is that not all baud rates work - only ansi baud rates work. So you can use 38400, 57600 and 115200 which work.
The x commands waiting shows that no communication started. The port was opened, but I think because of the wrong settings they don't understand each other.
An alternative solution if you want e.g. 250000 is baud aliasing but this is complicated to set up.

I'm currently working on a native Mac version, which can already connect with any baud rate but I need some time to finish it into a usable product. Until then I hope you can live with the .Net version.

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Thanks very much for the info. I will give the other baud rates a try. I really like what I see so far - I can't wait to get it printing!

silby1383 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am using the MAC version and have setup a
> printer profile. I click on connect and it shows
> it is connected. When I try to use the manual
> controls to move the print head nothing happens.
> The only thing I can see happening is in the lower
> left corner it says "Connected - 7 commands
> waiting". The count goes up with each movement I
> make, however it seems the commands never get
> sent.
>
> Any thoughts?

I have the same problem with the windows version. I've set my baud rate at 115200 and can't get movement out of any axis. Using the same settings with Pronterface I've been able to move all axis motors. I'd really like to use Repetier. Any ideas?
Arduino 0023
Mega 2560 R3
Mega 2560 R3 driver
Ramps 1.4
Board 33 in config.h
115200 baud in config.h
Windows XP

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2012 08:34PM by Flyer2.

I have a feeling this is a RAMPS 1.4 issue. Possibly. Maybe.

Everyone please try pressing the reset button on the arduino, and see if the printer then begins accepting commands.

This is the behaviour I am observing on RAMPS 1.4.

To reproduce:
PC powered off
RAMPS Powered Off
Boot PC
Power On RAMPS
Run Repetier Host
Connect
Observe that temperature setting does not update. Probably stays at 200 or some other setting.
Send a Jog command like X +10
Observerthat axis does not move.
Unplug and plug the USB cables from RAMPS 1.4
Observe that nothing changes.
Disconnect, and Connect Host.
Observe that nothing changes.
Press the RESET button on Arduino
Observe that commands are now accepted and temperature changes.

-Wildseyed-

Make sure the communication protocol in host is set to auto to work with all firmwares. Only Repetier-Firmware understands the faster binary format.

Then watch the status bar at the bottom, when you connect. You will see 4 Commands waiting directly after connection start. The number may vary. As long as the number doesn't switch to "Idle" you are not connected. As jcarer already pointer, a reset on the board normally works. Wait5 seconds and you should see the waiting commands vanish. Often disconnect/connect also works (at least with my boards). Sometimes the serial communication seems to be not in sync and the windows host doesn't force a reset on connection in the current version. For the next version I will try to add a Reset button in the Host, that should also help.

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I have my Repetier host working (barely) with the Repetier firmware and windows xp. Will it work at 250000 or only 115200 as with Mac? I take it that repetier host won't work with Marlin?
Thanks

Forgot- I had to press the reset button on my ramps 1.4 before it would start to work. Had a bright red led on also. Thought it was going to explode.

Hi,

windows version works with all baudrates. The new Mac version from my footer also works with all baud rates. It's a complete rewrite of the .NET host and has none of the limitations, the -NET host has under Mac.

---

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Hi
I tried to recreate the issue per jcabrer's directions to no avail. However, after using the manual controls for a while the program seems to freeze from time to time. The only way I can close the program is with task manager. I'm unable to disconnect or do anything else in the program. When that happened I also tried the reset button but it did nothing.
Do you have any info regarding the manual control tab? What does it signify when the x, y, and/or z lines change from red to black? What's simulate, echo and dry run? If all settings are done in the firmware, how effective are the selection tabs in the host program?
Thanks,
Rick

Flyer2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi
> I tried to recreate the issue per jcabrer's
> directions to no avail. However, after using the
> manual controls for a while the program seems to
> freeze from time to time. The only way I can
> close the program is with task manager. I'm
> unable to disconnect or do anything else in the
> program. When that happened I also tried the
> reset button but it did nothing.

When the program freezez something has gone very wrong. Which host do you mean .NET windows or new Mac Host?

> Do you have any info regarding the manual control
> tab? What does it signify when the x, y, and/or z
> lines change from red to black? What's simulate,
> echo and dry run? If all settings are done in the
> firmware, how effective are the selection tabs in
> the host program?
> Thanks,
> Rick
xyz Red = don#t trust coordinates. Host hasn't send home so it is not sure where the extruder really is. Black = homed and shouldn't have hit an endstop (depends on printer dimension set in host).
Dry Run works only with repetier-firmware and is meant to simulate a print without heating/extruding. Mainly for testing purposes.

The manual tab just sends the command to the firmware, so they are effective. Debug information is send on any connect, so they are always valid after connection.

---

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@Flyer2: The original reported problem of the printer not being able to move is unrelated to the host software freezing up. We know this because we see Commands Waiting increasing when we press buttons. It's a problem of not being able to establish communication between Host and the printer hardware. In my case, RAMPS 1.4.

The freezing you are experiencing can happen from time to time. I would not be too concerned, unless it happens very frequently, like so frequent that you cannot print parts. The feature set in Repetier Host is considerable, so there's are many things that could go wrong. In my breif experience though, the software is pretty solid.

Things that can cause Repetier Host to freeze up include:

-Connecting/Disconnecting Multiple Times

-Unplugging/Plugging USB cable

-Trying to Pan (two mouse button drag) the rendered image in the G-Code view without first single-clicking. This one usually un-freezes on its own, but not always. It probably has more to do with my own graphics card than anything else.

-On SOME PCs, connecting an unknown USB device can do it. Especiallyaomething like a web cam, that draws a lot of power from the USB hub interface.

-Wildseyed-

Thanks for the replies.
Just figured out the red/black before I came back online.
That's what I figured the simulate should do- I just haven't been able to get it to work yet.
The program has froze several time and could be due to some of the things posted. Will have to be more careful.
I'm really glad that the repetier host is working- I like it way better that the other programs.
Thanks again for all the help.

repetier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Make sure the communication protocol in host is
> set to auto to work with all firmwares. Only
> Repetier-Firmware understands the faster binary
> format.
>
> Then watch the status bar at the bottom, when you
> connect. You will see 4 Commands waiting directly
> after connection start. The number may vary. As
> long as the number doesn't switch to "Idle" you
> are not connected. As jcarer already pointer, a
> reset on the board normally works. Wait5 seconds
> and you should see the waiting commands vanish.
> Often disconnect/connect also works (at least with
> my boards). Sometimes the serial communication
> seems to be not in sync and the windows host
> doesn't force a reset on connection in the current
> version. For the next version I will try to add a
> Reset button in the Host, that should also help.

Sorry to dig that post, but I have the same issue. I'm using the latest releases for both host (running under linux) and firmware.

When I try to connect, I just see '4 commands waiting' forever. Nothing happens when I reset the board (a RAMPS 1.4, BTW).

If I monitor the serial line, I just see the 'wait' string from the board, every second.

I tried to use another firmware (Marlin), and in this cas, I can connect to the board!

Any idea? Are there some fundamental settings when compiling the firmware in order to get the communication work (I just set the MOTHERBOARD param to 33, and checked the baudrate)?

Thanks,

---

Frédéric

@Frédéric

Try some of the other baud rates.

215000
115000
57600
etc.

I already did (I also changed baudrate in the firmware). I'm puzzled. I also tried repetier under Windows: same problem...

I will try another Arduino Mega board, just in case...

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Frédéric

I don't think it is the Arduino board if t works with Marlin.

I think you had EEPROM_MODE still on 0 when you changed the firmware baud rate. In this case the change has no effect. Try with mode 0 and switch to 2 if you had success to use the EEPROM again and overwrite the old stored baudrate.

For testing you only need baudrate, MOTHERBOARD and EEPROM_MODE 0
Try 115200 or 57600 Baud at first, because these are ANSI baudrates which will work with all os.

---

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Thanks! It works, now... I didn't undestand that the BAUDRATE was also saved in the EEPROM.

I made some tests with different firmwares/hosts/baudrates: the problem seems to come from non standard baudrate in repetier host. I guess there is a limitation with mono on linux...

BTW, what is mode 2 for EEPROM ?

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Frédéric

fma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks! It works, now... I didn't undestand that
> the BAUDRATE was also saved in the EEPROM.
>

That can be confusing sometimes.

> I made some tests with different
> firmwares/hosts/baudrates: the problem seems to
> come from non standard baudrate in repetier host.
> I guess there is a limitation with mono on
> linux...

Don't know for sure with linux but the mac mono version can only handle standard baud rates for some reason, also I know the mac supports all baud rates.
>
> BTW, what is mode 2 for EEPROM ?

There are only EEPROM_MODE 0 and all other valus 1-255. Changing the mode value will force the firmware to overwrite stored eeprom values with the values provided in the configuration.h. As you see, you need sometimes a way to overwrite stored values to get the board back running. This may also needed when you change form Marlin or other firmwares which sore value sin eeprom and had written the same value in byte 0.

---

Repetier-Software - the home of Repetier-Host (Windows, Linux and Mac OS X) and Repetier-Firmware.
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repetier Wrote:

> Don't know for sure with linux but the mac mono
> version can only handle standard baud rates for
> some reason, also I know the mac supports all baud
> rates.

It seems to be the same under linux...

I will make new tests under Windows, because it didn't work neither, last night. But I was messed up with the EEPROM mode, and the baudrate was probably not the one I figured out.

> There are only EEPROM_MODE 0 and all other valus
> 1-255. Changing the mode value will force the
> firmware to overwrite stored eeprom values with
> the values provided in the configuration.h. As you
> see, you need sometimes a way to overwrite stored
> values to get the board back running. This may
> also needed when you change form Marlin or other
> firmwares which sore value sin eeprom and had
> written the same value in byte 0.

Ok, I understand (I had a look at the code, and see how it works).

Thanks again for your help. And congratulation for these great software/firmware.

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Frédéric

I have the exact same problem only with Windows 8.1. Repetier Says it's connected and when I click print it says on the bottom right corner printing. Nothing ever happens, I set the rate to 112500. Any ideas??

@TJKing293 No you are not fully connected. You are connected with serialport whcih is why it switched, but host can not understand communication. That is normally if baud rate is wrong. Try 250000. Other reason might be reset on connect setting if you have a special board.

---

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