Heated bed wiring
Posted by GregL
|
Heated bed wiring January 11, 2014 02:57AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
I look with envy at all you who are printing away....
I have just reached the heated bed wiring - and a big problem.
At the age of 70, my eyesite and dexteritiy are not what they used to be. Crimping and inserting the wires into the two pin connector for the thermistor has defeated me.
So the question is: will soldered connections withstand the heated bed temperatures, and what two pin connector would you recommend?
Greg
Ormerod #17
I have just reached the heated bed wiring - and a big problem.
At the age of 70, my eyesite and dexteritiy are not what they used to be. Crimping and inserting the wires into the two pin connector for the thermistor has defeated me.
So the question is: will soldered connections withstand the heated bed temperatures, and what two pin connector would you recommend?
Greg
Ormerod #17
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 11, 2014 03:55AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 14,672 |
Yes, I had the same trouble so I soldered mine. The heated bed gets up to a maximum of about 120C, so any type of solder should be OK. I soldered the wires to the crimp pins supplied, then slightly crimped the pins so that they would fit easily in the housing.
Although I'm not quite as old as you, I find a headband magnifier with built-in light an essential tool for electronics work these days. Amazon has quite a good selection of them. Maplin sells one too.
A Draper "Helping Hands" is also very useful.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2014 04:00AM by dc42.
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].
Although I'm not quite as old as you, I find a headband magnifier with built-in light an essential tool for electronics work these days. Amazon has quite a good selection of them. Maplin sells one too.
A Draper "Helping Hands" is also very useful.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2014 04:00AM by dc42.
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].
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 11, 2014 01:12PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 119 |
Well I had no crimp tool here available so I used a pair of pointed pliers and folded the edges over the wire and then fluxed the crimp and soldered the wire on each of the crimps.
I also used Hands Free Magnifier which comes in hand, I have a desktop magnifier but that made it way to big LOL.
Paul
RS Ormerod No 436
I also used Hands Free Magnifier which comes in hand, I have a desktop magnifier but that made it way to big LOL.
Paul
RS Ormerod No 436
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 11, 2014 01:14PM |
Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,611 |
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 11, 2014 01:23PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 119 |
Quote
droftarts
If you can't crimp the connections, I think the smallest possible 'chocolate block' type connector you can find would be the best choice. Then you could take the bed off when you needed to.
Ian
RepRapPro tech support
That's a good idea that, you could glue it to the cardboard to stop movement, never liked the movement on mine so I glued my connector to the cardboard to stop movement, those very thin thermistor wires don't really like movement much.
Paul
RS Ormerod No 436
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 12, 2014 05:21AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 19, 2014 03:04PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
Thanks to you all, the guys at RepRapPro and particulary Ian.
I finally finished the wiring today, and commenced the commisioning.
Hot end up to 200 (it seemed to stop at 197 ie never went over the 200). Bed up to 45. X,Y and Z all move 5mm and back again.
None of the homing worked correctly!!
Z homing just ran into the bed, and eventually unscrewed the threaded rod out of the Z gear
The Y stop switch operated opposite to the way it was expected to - mainly because the top two connectors on the switch were being used!!! I wired that up a long time ago; I wonder if the instructions have been 'updated' since then?
Couldn't check it out as Pronterface couldn't find the printer on COM3, where it had been running quite happily.
Try afresh tomorrow.
Greg
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2014 03:04PM by GregL.
Ormerod #17
I finally finished the wiring today, and commenced the commisioning.
Hot end up to 200 (it seemed to stop at 197 ie never went over the 200). Bed up to 45. X,Y and Z all move 5mm and back again.
None of the homing worked correctly!!
Z homing just ran into the bed, and eventually unscrewed the threaded rod out of the Z gear
The Y stop switch operated opposite to the way it was expected to - mainly because the top two connectors on the switch were being used!!! I wired that up a long time ago; I wonder if the instructions have been 'updated' since then?
Couldn't check it out as Pronterface couldn't find the printer on COM3, where it had been running quite happily.
Try afresh tomorrow.
Greg
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2014 03:04PM by GregL.
Ormerod #17
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 19, 2014 03:18PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 14,672 |
Quote
GregL
None of the homing worked correctly!!
Z homing just ran into the bed, and eventually unscrewed the threaded rod out of the Z gear
Greg
The Z homing won't work until you have done the G31 calibration. You didn't say what the problem with the x-homing was, but put some white or alu tape on the homing tab on the z-carriage if you haven't already done so.
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].
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 04:20AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 04:34AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 14,672 |
Quote
GregL
Cannot see where G31 is explained in the Commisioning process.
It's at the start of the next page. It may be that your IR sensor is not working. I suggest you ignore any X and Z homing problems until you have verified that the IR probe is working (returning sensible values in response to G31) and have set the G31 parameters in config.g.
Ian, you might want to update the commissioning page to do a check on the IR sensor before testing homing of X and Z.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2014 04:35AM by dc42.
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].
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 04:40AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 1,230 |
Quote
GregL
Cannot see where G31 is explained in the Commisioning process.
Greg
Quote
....Next send a G31 command. This fires the Z probe and reports the measurement it makes in the Serial Monitor window. The measurement should be about 950 or so.
(What’s going on? The Z probe works by reflected IR light. The closer it gets to the aluminium the more light is reflected, and this sends back a bigger voltage to the Duet controller, which converts the voltage into a number. The biggest possible voltage is 3.3 volts, which the Duet would convert to 1023 = 210 – 1. So the 950 means “pretty close”.)
Now. It is not a good idea to zero the Z axis by driving it down and looking for this value for two reasons: 1. the probe is not very accurate or sensitive at the very top end of its range, and 2. it gives us no room for error – we might crash the bed.
So, raise the Z axis in small increments and send a G31 after each movement. As you start, you will see almost no change (not very accurate or sensitive at the top of its range, remember?), but then the readings will start to drop. Stop when they are somewhere between 700 and 600. Suppose the value is 656. Look at the Z position box. Z will probably be between 1 and 2mm off the bed – say it’s 1.8mm.
Now send G31 Z1.8 P656
This use of G31 sets values, rather than reporting them to you. It tells the Duet that a reading of 656 corresponds to Z = 1.8 mm off the bed....
[www.reprappro.com]
Edit: I'm 10 younger than you so maybe better eyes ;-)
Erik
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2014 04:42AM by ormerod168.
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 06:52AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
Tried turning on the IR sensor with M558 P1
Then took a number of G31 readings in mid-air and over my nicely white painted X homing tab.
Result: random numbers between 324 and 344
Covering everything with a cloth (to remove daylight), reduced the random numbers to between 298 and 300
Looking like a dud sensor board
Greg
Ormerod #17
Then took a number of G31 readings in mid-air and over my nicely white painted X homing tab.
Result: random numbers between 324 and 344
Covering everything with a cloth (to remove daylight), reduced the random numbers to between 298 and 300
Looking like a dud sensor board
Greg
Ormerod #17
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 07:20AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 145 |
Oops!
Seems like I miscounted the pins from the right - it was in the tenth, rather than the ninth.
In response to G31, I now get something like: 972 when over the white painted Xend stop tab, and 91 in mid-air.
Just trying the X homing - it stops when half the tab is ciovered. It could travel another 6mm before hitting anything.
So not a dud board, rather a dud builder!
Greg
Ormerod #17
Seems like I miscounted the pins from the right - it was in the tenth, rather than the ninth.
In response to G31, I now get something like: 972 when over the white painted Xend stop tab, and 91 in mid-air.
Just trying the X homing - it stops when half the tab is ciovered. It could travel another 6mm before hitting anything.
So not a dud board, rather a dud builder!
Greg
Ormerod #17
|
Re: Heated bed wiring January 20, 2014 11:51AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 578 |
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.