Pronterface issues

I already printed quite a lot, but still have many Pronterface issues.

I'm using the latest firmware V0.48 on the Duet board and the latest Printer Interface RepRapPro customized version (feature: file upload to sd-card).

I do zero my Z-axis manually (going to G1 X60 Y20, setting nozzle to ground and then zeroing Z-axis with G92 Z0). After that I set my bed leveling- and axis compensation by opening the SD card and "printing" setbed.g. After that it is not possible in Pronterface to run any other file from SD card. Also disconnecting or resetting doesn't help.
Not to lose my compensation and z-axis settings I do a "special procedure" (basically I think it is resetting the serial interface - hint, hint! to the developers - only so I can preserve the settings).
For that I open Repetier host, connect, send a random command, do an emergency stop and close the program. After that printing from Pronterface and SD card is possible and all settings are preserved. I didn't find any other way to print a file from SD card after initializing with setbed.g so any suggestions are very welcome.

BUT: after printing two more files rien ne va plus. An error message in Pronterface occurs "maximum open file count" and I have to disconnect and reconnect the USB to the Duet board to get it printing again (albeit with the "special procedure" as described above).

Uploading a file is a real nice feature, but due to the speed limitations of the serial interface this is only feasible for very small files. As there is an ethernet connection (erm if it works) I put uploading files via the web interface/ ethernet on the wishlist as this should be no problem with current Due/ SD-card/ ETH-libraries.

One more issue with Pronterface what is really annoying: The progress bar of the print is always "SD printing:0.00%". There is also no traveling path, print picture in the yellow checkered field as it is when printing via USB (what is not recommended due to the slow serial interface). So it's a wild guess when the print might be finished. I use the M114 command to get acutal axis values and by looking at the z-axis value and the maximal z-axis-value for the print - derived from the .stl file in slic3r - that might be an approximation of ETA.

One more (sorry ): There is no emergency stop in Pronterface.

And restarting is also not possible when printing from SD card.

Ok, I leave it there

Markus

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2013 07:08AM by markbee.

---

XBee & electronics blog: [lookmanowire.blogspot.com]

Great summary Markus.

I have all these issues as described, but cannot get network link to function so cannot confirm that 'bit'.
My firmware may be one version behind the above, but in all other aspects, I have the same arrangement and issues.

Thanks Markus, I've copied that into an email and sent it to Adrian Bowyer!

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Okay, I think we have a fix for this! Fresh in from Adrian Bowyer:

"I have tracked this down. It is a Pronterface bug - for reasons that defy rational explanash. the second time you try to print a file Pront. sends two M24 commands, one after the other. The first starts the print. The second caused the firmware to think, "Oh. A new print. What should I print? Nothing - he hasn't sent me an M23..." I've now set it to ignore M24 if a print is already running. The fix is in the duet branch of the Firmware."

Please could you test this?

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Hi Ian,

thx for the quick fix. It is working now without restarting! Also there is no error opening several files after another.
But I recognized a little slippage with the Z-axis. After every print the zero-point of the Z-axis seems to be marginally higher.

[EDIT: A bit offtopic, but I printed the next to last printed part for my replicated Ormerod #004-002 The only part that is missing in the .stl files is the extruder body. Any suggestion?]

All the best,

Markus

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2013 02:18PM by markbee.

---

XBee & electronics blog: [lookmanowire.blogspot.com]

Great! re Z slippage - it could be when the motors turn off at the end of the print. When they turn back on, they jump slightly to the next full step of the motor. There's no way around this - it's the stepper driver that doesn't remember what microstep it was at when it switches off.

Sorry, extruder stl parts were left out when the stls were remade. If you go back in the history, you'll find them. This is the last commit before they disappeared: [github.com]

You want extruder-drive-block.STL, large-gear.STL, small-gear.STL and tongue.stl. In the New Year, you should be able to get a Hardware only kit from us, without the printed parts!

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Great!

New year is in two days

All the best,

Markus

---

XBee & electronics blog: [lookmanowire.blogspot.com]

Is it? Well, it may be a holiday for you, but I expect I'll be down the Ormerod mines, pickaxe in hand, chipping away at the email backlog...

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Any idea's how to get the 'get pos' working in the Printrun software? I'm still at the commissioning stage and have become stuck.
Build time about 20 hours, sorting out the software 15 hours!! most frustrating!
I'm using windows and can run the program and communicate with the printer but missing the 'get pos' button as required by the commissioning.
I've read the bit about downloading more than one program copy but don't know how to completely delete old versions.
Seems a bit drastic why can't it simply be overwritten with the amendments?
Thanks in advance.

@Jon Steward
Have a look at droftarts post here [forums.reprap.org]
From memory as it does not install, but runs directly deleting files was a simple issue. I think that there are multiply operating systems supported that it requires the delete step.

Jon, there is this note in the 'commissioning' instructions:
===
NOTE: If your pronterface window does not display the custom buttons (GET POS, BL, BR, CENTRE, etc… ), you most likely have installed a version of Pronterface previously, and the settings file .pronsolerc already exists in your main User folder (the one with the main ‘Documents’, ‘Downloads’ and ‘Pictures’ folders in it – usually C:\Users\{username} on Windows). This file is an invisible/system file, though; make them visible, delete the file and reload the software. You should now see the extra buttons.
===

You may need to delete your existing Pronterface folder, and re-extract the zip file to get Pronterface to recreate the .pronsolerc file. Also, it may not have write permission to put the .pronsolerc file in the C:\Users\{username}\ directory, which will stop it from showing buttons or saving defaults.

The good news is that you don't really need the buttons. The buttons are just shortcuts for gcode commands. The 'GET POS' button equates to M114 which you can send directly to the printer via the console on the right hand side of the Pronterface screen. You can also add your own buttons to the Pronterface interface; there is a '+' button below the central yellow bed display. For a full list of G-codes (though some of them have not been enabled on the new Duet firmware), see: [reprap.org]

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Thank you.
The M114 command worked fine.
Now on to the next fun bit of powering up...:-)

I've got the problem with pronterface as above. I see there is a fix is "The fix is in the duet branch of the Firmware." For the uninitiated what does this mean, is this refereing to the standard 'easy' download of firmware/pronterface or reference to the customised pronterface for the ormerod, I had a look at the customised download before but kind of got put off by the large number of steps required (and every chance to screw it up)? As a mech eng its all a new language, I just want to get my printer printing and not playing in the electronic weeds!

In a similar vein I've loaded the standard fare of software/firmware and whilst Arduino appears in my start list and as a icon on desktop I have to run slic3r and pronterface.exe everytime which doesn't seem right. All I did was download, unzip, is there an install file to run or move the files somewhere different?

---

Regards

Chris H

Hi Ormerod276,
Yes agree, with file downloads, I often seem to have trouble actually finding the download option. Hopefully one of our experts will advise.

Quote

In a similar vein I've loaded the standard fare of software/firmware and whilst Arduino appears in my start list and as a icon on desktop I have to run slic3r and pronterface.exe everytime which doesn't seem right. All I did was download, unzip, is there an install file to run or move the files somewhere different?

This is simply that Arduino is installed into the operating system, but the others arn't and hence the EXE is run.
This is not a problem and there is nothing wrong, it's just the way they are setup.

Hi Ormerod276,

Unfortunately the downloads of slic3r and Pronterface don't include an install package. So under Windows, you need to unzip them into a convenient directory, create a shortcut to the .exe file, and move the shortcut into your Start menu.

To get the latest firmware, go to this github repository, change the branch from 'master' to 'duet' (not 'due'), and click on "Download zip". Then follow the firmware update instructions here.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Hi Guys

I'm having problems with setting up Pronterface. I'd like to use the config uploader and the rest of full programme not easy download.
I've loaded the 5 programmes but that's as far as I can get.
Can someone explain set by step how to complete the installation on to my windows laptop.

Hi Jon,

From readme.md on the github page

"Windows

Download the following, and install in this order:

[python.org]
[pypi.python.org]
[downloads.sourceforge.net]
[pypi.python.org]
[pyglet.googlecode.com]

For the last one, you will need to unpack it, open a command terminal, go into the the directory you unpacked it in and run python setup.py install"

To start pronterface you have to open a command window, change to the directory where pronterface is installed and type "python pronterface.py". The whole thing is simpler with the precompiled version you get here: [reprappro.com]

---

XBee & electronics blog: [lookmanowire.blogspot.com]

Once you have downloaded and installed the 5 parts markbee says, go back to the top of the page, and click the 'download ZIP' on the right hand side. This downloads the actual Pronterface files. The other parts just let it run. Once the ZIP is downloaded, unzip it into a folder where you can find it. Then double click on 'pronterface.py' to run pronterface.

The pre-compiled version doesn't have the extra features; I'm hoping to get this updated in the next couple of days, at least for Windows.

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Thanks Ian and Mark

I'll try again, the software bit is not my strong point but I'm learning fast :-)
Hope I crack it before you do the windows update.