pronterface stopping

Hi folks.

This is my first post. I have a green omerod with the latest firmware (57a I think). I have used both winsowa 7 and Ubuntu and am getting the same problem. The printer stops about 1 hour or so in. I've re flashed the Duet, bought a new usb chord, made sure it fit in the enclosure (minor adjustments needed), cleaned out the extruder, re sliced the file repeatedly, made sure the screen saver isn't causing trouble etc etc etc.

What am I missing? I can get small prints out, but anything of size stops at some point. Ponterface and the printer become non responsive with a reboot the only option.

I'd appreciate any wisdom that comes my way.
Kind regards

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Green Machine - slowly becoming multicoulored!

Hi,

Try upload to SD and then print from the SD, I have not had a freeze doing it this way. If it's still stopping , then It may be something to do with the 5v power, if it works then it points to USB communication problems.

Regards,

Les

Hi Les.

I am printing from the SD card already as printing from the computer gives horrible results. I figured it was speed od info. 5v supply eh? I think there was something about that in the instructions. I'll have a look.

Thanks for the quick reply!

There are a few known causes of this behaviour:

1. PC is connected to the printer by USB but either gone to sleep or is no longer running Pronterface. The print will hang if it has a USB connection to the PC but no program is running to receive the data.

2. Interference on the mains ground line. To avoid this, make sure that the printer and the PC controlling it and nothing else are plugged into the same socket distribution block. Also put a ferrite bed on the USB cable.

PS - there is a patch to Pronterface that avoids the horrible results you were getting when printing directly, and also speeds up file uploading.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2014 04:46AM by dc42.

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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].

Thanks DC42,

I have put 3x iron ferrite winds on the usb cable and isolated the grounds as much as possible. Any other tips as it's still happening exactly as before? I'm trying to print the extruder block and/or the large extruder gear with no success. The small extruder gear prints ok but may be because it's much smaller. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

This seems a pretty monumental item to put in the instructions, no?

Cheers.

Forgot to add that im sitting at the machine using it when it fails so likely not a timeout issue. Also everything js set not to time iht. Is this a hopeless case?

Thanks.

Hi Parper, it sounds like your PC might be going to Sleep, or do you also use external Drives devices at the same time as printing?
I have found that if I transfer data from my phone while printing, and then disconnect the phone it stops the printer.
Also I'd suggest you upgrade that Firmware to DC's latest Firmware, as it's much much better than the 57a your using.
I'm supprised that Rep-Rap haven't upgraded their Firmware yet.

I take it that your SD card has a 10 inside the letter C printed on it... Sometimes they print the Class VERY small so you can hardly see it.

Good Luck. Sometimes we all get these annoying problems, but eventualy you'll find the cause..

Kim..

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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 Parper101,

Just a thought; while you are printing from the SD card, does Pronterface show you any response messages from the Printer? If there are then it is essential that the PC stays 'active' to receive them, otherwise, after a time the bufffer in the Arduino fills up and the whole shebang freezes.

To counteract this you can issue an M111 S0 command to disable debugging completely. I set the print running from the SD card and once away (first layer properly stuck down etc.) I then send M111 S0 and can then close Pronterface and disconnect the serial link altogether and get on with my life while the printer does its thing. Maximum so far an eight hour print with no PC connection at all.

HTH - Steve

Even after sending M111 S0 (or removing the M111 S1 command in config.g, which I advise everyone to do after they have got their Ormerod printing), you can still get messages written to USB, although there are far fewer of them. The problem is that the firmware uses the Arduino Due core for USB I/O, and the Arduino core doesn't have a function to do non-blocking output. I'm planning to change the firmware so as not to use the Arduino output functions. The Arduino framework is great for people learning how to program microcontrollers, but is not really suitable for complex real-time applications like controlling a 3D printer.

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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].

Ok so after disabling the reporting with M111 S0 the reporting stops but the problem doesn't.

It did however get a few layers higher, which I suppose is something. I was at the machine the whole time so it was 'active' for the duration. I'll try using the 57y firmware once I find it.

I've persevered with repeated failure for a month now and it's starting to get to me. I've as much tenacity as the average tinkerer but this is really testing me. At least I've reached out for help to the forums. Thanks a lot for the support thus far. It really helps.

Any other ideas?

Kim,

my sd card has a 4 in the circle? Not a 10. What's the significance of this? It's a 4 gig card if that helps.

I put the M111 S0 in the config.g file as suggested which while stopping the reporting doesn't fix the error.

I'll keep trying while you're all asleep

4 and 10 are the class of the card which is one measure of their speed, focussed primarily on large file transfers like in cameras and video recorders. Although bigger numbers in geeneral are better, it is not necessarily a good guide to effective speed in more 'computer' like operations where files are accessed differently. There is even bigger variation between brands in this respect with Sandisk being one of the more reliable makers of cards that perform well in this respect. Class 4 Sandisk will often outperform poor class 10 cards and I use these in the Duet with no problems. A good class 10 should also work fine. Crystaldiskmark is a good benchmark program for checking card speeds and shows speeds with small file reads and writes.

FYI
I've now updated the firmware to DC42's with no change. I also upgraded to a class 8 SD card. Same results.

Well I think you are nearly out of options. The PSU might be one culprit to look at, but I don't suppose you have another to test it with. Failing that it could be a Duet board problem, maybe something is getting too hot inside?

Regards,

Les

Have you tried doing the long prints direct from the iamburny web interface using latest dc42 firmware (not via the SD card)? I normally go via SD card myself but the direct method is pretty reliable and this would confirm or eliminate the SD card as being the root cause.

Yes I've tried it from the web interface. Same results.
Anyone? Feeling at the end of my rope here. I experienced eye of a cyclone today..literally (cyclone ita). I'm not in a giving up mood yet.

So from what I can gather as it's printing with the same problems through both web interface and pronterface, after everything else I've tried above, I'm thinking either there is some fault with either the Duet or the files. As it's happening to multiple files does that not point to a setting or a combination of settings in slicer?

The kicker is the parts I do get out, when it stops, they're all different degrees of finished. Some more some less.... and that doesn't strike me as a file problem.

Anyone?
.

Oh, and yes I have tried printing using the chrome Web interface (there's only one yes?). Same results.

This is sounding like either a power problem or a fundamentally bad Duet.

I assume you are powering from the 12V input using the on-board regulator with the jumper 9 installed. If so it might be worth trying an alternative to check whether that be the problem. To do that you remove jumper 9, install jumper 10 and feed 5V into the ext input. There are 3 holes designed for a header for this just below the main 12v connector. You just need the outer 2 (gnd, +5v). A suitable source for this is the standby 5v available on the 3pin header on the power board or you could use the 5v available on any of the molex 4pin power leads. Take care checking polarity.

If you print direct via web which you have tried then this doesn't use the SD. You can also leave the USB cable out before even starting up to eliminate any USB side effects. If it still cracks up with good power arrangements and web i/f isn't responding then it does sound like a bad Duet.

Quote
parper101
So from what I can gather as it's printing with the same problems through both web interface and pronterface, after everything else I've tried above, I'm thinking either there is some fault with either the Duet or the files. As it's happening to multiple files does that not point to a setting or a combination of settings in slicer?

I'm happy to check your files, post your stl and gcode files and I will see how they print. If the files are too large to post pm me and I will give you my email address so you can send them direct.
John

I was going to suggest the loan of a PSU, but that obviously depends where you are!

Regards,

Les

Les,
Thanks for the offer; I live in the middle of nowhere in Australia, and even if you live here too, there's a whole lot of nowhere down here!

Bobtidey,
your suggestion i think would be my absolute last thing to try before trying to get a new board. I recall the numerous bold and italics in the instructions when doing anything power related ( i.e. do this step wrong and you'll BLOW the thing) so that's made me kind of nervous about tinkering with the 5v supply.

Johneato, i've PM'd you with an emali request... files were 7k too big.
The web interface responds fine. It prints lovely until it stops. It stops in what seems to be exactly the same spot (X,Y), but not the same Z layer.

General,
I do have a spare power supply from an old 550w computer I've discarded and is lying around the workshop. Are these standard enough i just swap this out? I'd be a lot more comfortable doing this rather than doing the internal Duet power swap thing. M111 S0 doesn't seem to change anything, except the running commentary.

Who do i see to point them to this commentary if i exhaust the power problem and it points to the duet board? I'm trying very hard to print a spare set of parts before i go away for a month in June. I suppose there is hope, as the whole kit only took 5 days from England! I don't suppose a long extension chord from the other room with a power bar would be a good test of the power eh?

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Green Machine - slowly becoming multicoulored!

Hello,
I had a similar problem where my printer stopped suddenly while printing. I could resolve this issue by reducing my maximum bed offset to less than 1mm. What do your G30 commands look like?

Quote
parper101
General,
I do have a spare power supply from an old 550w computer I've discarded and is lying around the workshop. Are these standard enough i just swap this out? I'd be a lot more comfortable doing this rather than doing the internal Duet power swap thing. M111 S0 doesn't seem to change anything, except the running commentary.

Yes it should just swap out. Sometimes a good quality 550w PSU is better than a 650w cheapo one. Check the 12v output rating on the 550w one.

Regards,

Les

Just checking, you did add the Jumper 9 so that the board is powered from the +12V? Without that it is trying to run just of USB power for all the logic and that is definitely going to be unreliable.

Parper101:

1. Can you confirm that the version of my firmware you are running is 057y ?

2. The Duet board as supplied has very poor resilience in the presence of mains dropouts. What is the quality of the mains supply in your area?

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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].

I have got a very similar problem, I have used the printer for week without problem, now I am unable to print for more than a hour an hour and half, I always update the firmware to the last that I find (many thanks to dc42) the printer simple stop responding and I have to unplug and replug the USB connector and of course I have to throw away some pla and my time... Also I notice that if power on a light (a 35w Halogen lamp) It immediately stop printing, I suppose that it is for the IR sensor (I hate the IR sensor).

I've try to reinstall Arduino IDE with the USB drivers.

Now for test I have done a simple macro on prontface, just x1 g50 y50 x1 g100 x100 looped to see if it stop responding and It stop responding, I'have notice that if when the printer is stuck if I reboot the pc It will resume it job (I suppose the serial command in cache) so I think the problem is of communication with the pc.

It's very frustrating....

Quote
raffybuffy
Also I notice that if power on a light (a 35w Halogen lamp) It immediately stop printing, I suppose that it is for the IR sensor (I hate the IR sensor).

The IR from the halogen light should only cause a problem when you are doing X- or Z-homing, not while printing. So I suspect that the current surge when the light is turned on is causing a mains transient that is upsetting the Duet. Assuming you have a USB connection between the PC and the Duet, try powering the PC and the Ormerod and nothing else except other PC peripherals from the same surge-protected distribution block. Also put a ferrite bead on the USB cable if you don't already have one.

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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].

thank you dc42,
I'll try as soon as possible.

SOLVED!!!! SOLVED!!!! SOLVED!!!! SOLVED!!!!


Hi Folks,

Todays learnings:

FIRMWARE: M115 sends the following: FIRMWARE_VERSION:0.53 ELECTRONICSuet DATE:2014-01-06 ...i must have followed an old link to DC42's updated firmware. I had 57a installed previously and unwittingly downgraded myself to 53. I picked the wrong one obviously. I've now downloaded DC42 57y and installed it. As the problem started before i 'updated' the firmware, i suspect the problem stemmed from the faulty PSU as discovered below.

PSU: I pulled my PSU out and subtituted an old one i have that sounds like jet engine on take-off. In taking the supplied PSU out i noticed one of the crimped wires was disconnecrted and had pulled out from the connector ... AHA!!
These two things were done together and now it works PERFECTLY!!!

(so happy... sniff ...so happy)

Now to the buggered PSU!!! Anyone know how I go about getting a replacement PSU? Any RepRap Reps haning around this thread?

Thanks so much to everyone for helping me narrow down the possibilities. Your patience has been incredibly helpful.
Raffybuffy, hopefully your problem is also fixed soon. It sounds similar enough to mine to be a power related issue.

Thanks again to everyone who responded... everything helped. I'll keep watching the forums to see if i can help others.
Specifically thanks to DC42 for the beauty tweaks to the firmware... it prints WAY better now! ( i was impressed before

Kind regards,
Tim

(p.s. the first proper print in about a MONTH of trying!!!! Probably wasted a half kilo of PLA trial and error testing... oh well... the mystery is solved)

Ok I use an UPS to stabilize power input (on UPS out I have only pc and printer), and a ferrite bead on USB, now it print perfectly (all the night).

Thanks dc42, Tim I am happy you have solved!!!!