"printer disconnected?"

Hello!
I've just changed the slic3r folders for the 'Ormerod-0.5' settings, dragged in two files I'd like to print (the ormerod large and small gear)

It began printing all great, then about 1min simply stops and flags up the following warning;
Can't write to printer (disconnected?). IMAGE ATTACHED

the only way to get the printer back online is to unplug the USB, turn off the motor, wait about 2mins and plug the USB back in.. by this time (as it disconnects with the nozzle down!) there is a large blob of plastic securing the nozzle to the heat bed....

Any thoughts on why this is happenin?
got my fingers crossed it isnt anything bad >.<


any help MUCH appreciated!!!

............should probably add, this happened twice when trying to print. Ive since been playing about with the ormerod moving the motors, it hasn't disconnected. only seems to do so when printing....

A problem with the heat class maybe? - it's not shouting that it's spinning (whereas the other classes are) immediately before the apparent disconnect - RepRap:: Spin calls each of the working classes and Heat is the only one that didn't echo back...

What firmware version are you using?

Ray

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2014 05:19PM by rayhicks.

firmware is the latest i think, 57a

I dont know if the spin call was a conincidence in the timing of the dissconection as the second time it failed was just mid print, image attached.

Well that's annoying - have you tried scrolling up in the log to see if anything pops out at you? I don't have much insight into print run/pronterface I'm afraid (I've used repetier on the mac pretty much since 10th December because it was the only thing that would actually print back then) - you could try dc42's latest firmware (0.57n)- it could be something that got fixed by coincidence I guess, alternatively you could try reverting the changes you made in slic3r and see if it happens when sliced on your previous setup...

Ray

Hi 88, I can't give a reason for that, but are you printing via USB?
It's not wonderful if you do. Best shut the printer down, grab the micro SD card out
and transfer the file on to that. It prints much better.
If I use USB my printer is Jerky. I Sometimes transfer a file to the SD card via USB,
but it takes an age.... Better to put it on the SD card using an adapter.

Also I printed some Z axis gears, and then had a job fitting them.
I found out later that night by chance that my Z axis pillar had moved and so the
holes weren't quite right..... (My printer gets allot of vibration here, so it's not
supprising)....

All the Best,
Kim

---

Please send me a PM if you have suggestions, or problems with Big Blue 360.
I won't see comments in threads, as I move around to much.
Working Link to Big Blue 360 Complete

Hi Ray, I'll give it another couple of attempts tonight and then try the dc42 firmware...
failing that, it may be time to try checking my wiring which i thought was A-OK or giving the MAC a turn at printing...

Hi Kim, yes I print straight from the SD card, did read about lagging when using the USB cable that can show through in prints.. saying that, that the moment i have no prints to show 0.0

gave it another whirl last night, this time I tried putting only the large gear into the g-code file (rather than trying to print two at once)
it didn't disconnect this time... strange.
but it didn't print the file either... seemed to stop extruding on the 1st layer but still move to the g'code cordinates.



Am I creating and printing the g-code files correctly;
1. I open proterface/slic3r settings/ (i have the ormerod-0.5 settings loaded)
2. I drag over the STL file. Click 'export as G-code'. (some times it saves the file as a .g type some times it saves the files as a .gcode)
3. I add this file to the SD card...eject and put into the printer...
4. Re-open pronterface, click connect to printer.
5. I home the X, Y and Z (sometimes I prewarm the heat bed as this seems to take a while to get up to temp), click 'SD' an open the setbed.g file.
6. On pronterface I click 'SD' and click on the 'large-gear.gcode' file.
7. it attempts to print....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2014 05:50AM by 88Zombies.

don't know if it's worth mentioning but....
I noticed this morning, one of the LEDs was flashing very dimly and slowly in the left-enclosure which the PSU is connected to.
It was the LED on the right. I just found this strange as the PSU was pluged in but swithed off on the back...
the LED turned off when I unplugged the PSU from the mains...

Another thought - If you have not fitted the 5V jumper, the Duet is being powered only from the USB port, and many people have found that some computers don't provide quite enough power, so you may like to check that your Duet is being powered from the 12V supply (jumper fitted and not an early Duet board with the resistor fault).

Regarding your LED observation - was the Duet plugged into a USB port of a mains-connected device at the time? If so, it could be voltage leakage from that device, possibly via the mains earth & PSU (which is why it went off when you unplugged). If not, it sounds as if you have faulty mains, causing the PSU to pick up a significant voltage conducted from earth to live downstream of its switch via its suppression capacitors. I had a similar effect in a house I once lived, with some electronic gear showing a weak power LED when switched off, which turned out to be caused by a high resistance earth to the premises. If you have electrical experience, maybe put an AC voltmeter across neutral and earth on the plug socket - it should not read more than a few volts at most. Any higher and you have an earth fault that really needs to get fixed. In the house in question I could also feel a distinct tingle when touching the tap in the shower. If you don't have experience with mains, you can buy a mains safety tester that plugs in and show whether you have any faults.

It also stopped the modem communicating in my Sky box (there was huge mains hum on the phone line when the modem went off-hook), so if you have such a fault it's possibly interfering with your USB comms.

Dave
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