Folks I need some Extruder help. PLEASE!

Well my Darwin running the lateset firmware for the stepper extruder is doing everything it is supposed to except turn on the extruder stepper motor. This is teh one hurdle left. Now the enable pin is set as pin 5 which conflicts with the fan. Now I tweaked the firmware to use one of the many other pins on the Arduino Mega I am using. I get nothing. I have re-wrote things every way I could think of. I am using Gen 2 electronics with a Gen 1.2 stepper board for all axis and the extruder. What am I missing here???

Thanks

Curly

Ok I shut off 5D in the host software like many others have done. I get nothing. So no one has any idea how to get my extruder to work? I have Step on pin 12 direction on pin 11 and changed the firmware to use pin 5 for enable just as the schematic for the pinchwheel extruder says. Gen 2 Electronics. Latest pinchwheel firmware without 5D installed. Running an Arduino Mega. Anyone?

I also tested my driver board it works great!!!

Ok well when I wait for it to heat up and hit the extrude button on REPRAP host the lights on my stepper driver board go out...so the enable pin works.....why am I not getting step and direction? In Pinsh I have themset. for enable I set it to pin 22, direction pin 24, and speed pin 26. I am running an Arduino Mega with no 5D code on it so I do have a pin 22, 24, and 26. Any thoughts? Anyone? I am at a loss and it would really really suck to spend all of this time building to come this close.

i had the same problem with the makerbot electronics.
There are two further wires to connect from the extruder board to the motherboard.
On the motherboard its two wires that would be used for I2C but are instead are simple step and dir for the extruder board

Hi,

first, a stepper has no speed pin. as faster the signals are on the Step-Pin as faster the motor is. The secound pin is the DIR (turn left, turn Right)


look at the Stepper Motor Driver1.2 page

There is a Test-Firmware ... may be it helps you

Wolfgang

Grogyan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i had the same problem with the makerbot
> electronics.
> There are two further wires to connect from the
> extruder board to the motherboard.
> On the motherboard its two wires that would be
> used for I2C but are instead are simple step and
> dir for the extruder board

Right I think that is for Gen 3 electronics. I have Gen 2 with a PWM board, and temp sensor board, and a stepper controler. Thank you for your response regardless.

Stoffel15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi,
>
> first, a stepper has no speed pin. as faster the
> signals are on the Step-Pin as faster the motor
> is. The secound pin is the DIR (turn left, turn
> Right)
>
>
> look at the Stepper Motor Driver1.2 page
>
> There is a Test-Firmware ... may be it helps you
>
> Wolfgang


Right sorry I was just reading up on how the DC motor was hooked up in case there was some nugget of info there. Yes not speed but step on 26 and direction on 24 pins of an Arduino Mega. The board also works fine I plugged every axis data cable into this board and tested both directions the board works flawlessly. I'm stumped. I also did not get any kind of LED change until I downgraded to host 1.1 from 1.3.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2010 08:17PM by Curlrup.

"Ok well when I wait for it to heat up and hit the extrude button on REPRAP host the lights on my stepper driver board go out.."

the stepper must step without heat the nozzle. (try the Test-Firmware with your Pins)

i think you have cange so much, that nothing works at last

but i have the 3G Hardware so i cant help you more

Wolfgang

Stoffel15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Ok well when I wait for it to heat up and hit the
> extrude button on REPRAP host the lights on my
> stepper driver board go out.."
>
> the stepper must step without heat the nozzle.
> (try the Test-Firmware with your Pins)
>
> i think you have cange so much, that nothing works
> at last
>
> but i have the 3G Hardware so i cant help you
> more
>
> Wolfgang


Gotcha I will start over here. Do the test sketch with the pins I selected. Thanks Wolfgang.

Ok here are the notes from the firmware I am using

Code added to GCode_Interpreter to support stepper-driven extruders. The ordinary DC motor speed (pulse = step) and direction (= direction) pins also drive the stepper. Ther is an additional stepper-enable pin defined. Set this -ve (the default) to not use a stepper drive. Set it to the enable pin for the stepper to use one.

What is -ve? And when they say set it to the enable pin for the stepper to use one they just mean plug in the number of pin the enable for the driver is hooked up to right?

Sorry if I am asking basic questions but I am learning a lot of programing as I go here.

I am at a loss it should just work right? the hardware works the enable pin works...I'm just not getting any step or direction signals. Am I missing something?

Is there a library I need to add to the Arduino software in order to correctly compile and load the 1.4 firmware??

oh, poor boy... cant hear you craying

Let us make a secound try. but..., From where you are ? I am from germany.


First, we need information.

Say what you have best, with a link to show.
Show me a link to the Firmware you use...
same with the software (host)
do you have a Digitalcam ? Make a picture from what you make there.

You use Windows ?

Then i have enough information, and i think the other too. and we can try to help.

greetings from cologne/ger

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

OK here is what I am running:

The latest Host 1.3
Firmware 1.4 set for Arduino
Arduino environment 0017
Adruino Mega Processor
Gen 2 Electronics
a Stepper extruder using the thermister/temp sensor, PWM board that came with the Gen 2 electronics, and Stepper controler board 1.2

All electronics have been tested and re-tested and re-testeted usinig various test programs. Everything works. When I hit extrude in the Host the stepper driver lights go out meaning the enable pin unlocked the coils. I am getting no step and direction. I even hooked it up with a DC Motor and DC motor controler and I am getting no speed or direction pulses. That is where I am at I no signals going to the extruder to tell it to step and what direction. I have tried diffrent pin assignments, I have sent all of the Axes data cables to the extruder stepper board and it works flawlessly. It is like I am missing something somewhere.

ok, did you read This ?


Generation2Firmware


Firmware 1.4 help

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

hi Curly,

and first of all deinstall your Arduino environment 0017

and reinstall it. dont forget to delete the" .arduino" Directory in your HOME

that all your errors that you produced may be deleted.

and then go the way in the first Link under PINS.H

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

Stoffel15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ok, did you read This ?
>
>
> Generation2Firmware
>
>
> Firmware 1.4 help







Yep I read all of those did all of those changes tried it under Sanguino mode and Arduino mode. Both do not work.

Stoffel15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hi Curly,
>
> and first of all deinstall your Arduino
> environment 0017
>
> and reinstall it. dont forget to delete the"
> .arduino" Directory in your HOME
>
> that all your errors that you produced may be
> deleted.
>
> and then go the way in the first Link under PINS.H



Ok I reinstalled and deleted all of my errors. So what should I try under the pins.h tab?

hi,
did you test the firmware-link is send you in PM ?

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

Stoffel15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hi,
> did you test the firmware-link is send you in PM ?


I just downloaded it. I have not tried this one. I have tried a few 5D that are supposedly forked for Mega Support. I can never get them to compile. I will try this one. I'll keep you posted

Thanks

but clean the arduino 0017 befor you try to compile.. only try with a fresh installation. to get out errors from other firmwares.

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

> When I hit extrude in the Host the stepper driver lights go out meaning the enable pin unlocked the coils

That seems odd. They should be on and begin flashing when you hit extrude in the host.

I'm not exactly sure how the enable signal is managed, but it might be backwards in your setup. Try connecting the enable signal to ground or +5V and see if you can get it working. I believe the Stepper controler board 1.2 has a pull down resistor on the enable line so if you don't connect it to anything it will default to enabled.

---

---

Darwin clone, Gen 2 electronics, Arduino Duemilanove w/ AtMega328, 5D Firmware, Pinchwheel extruder
[www.codeerrors.com]

The 2.x boards have the enable signal the opposite of the 1.2 boards so if the firmware is setup up the newer board then when it enables the steppers it is actually disabling.

There's a define statement that controls the polarity.

mccoyn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > When I hit extrude in the Host the stepper
> driver lights go out meaning the enable pin
> unlocked the coils
>
> That seems odd. They should be on and begin
> flashing when you hit extrude in the host.
>
> I'm not exactly sure how the enable signal is
> managed, but it might be backwards in your setup.
> Try connecting the enable signal to ground or +5V
> and see if you can get it working. I believe the
> Stepper controler board 1.2 has a pull down
> resistor on the enable line so if you don't
> connect it to anything it will default to enabled.

Yes I tried that too. I saw previous posts where this was suggested. It might have even been you

I got the 5D firmware forked for the Mega that Wolfgang sent me to compile so I think I am going to rewire to the pinout called for in that firmware and see what happens. (Thanks Wolfgang)

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting closer. I'll keep you all posted

Thank you so much

Curly

Got it! it all works! That Firmware Wolfgang pointed me to did the trick. Now I need to tweak my extruder it's a little weak. Thank you everyone!!!

---

Mfg
Wolfgang

Aller Anfang war schwer - Wolfstrap

Reprap-fab.org

Erfahrungen kann man leider schlecht weiter geben, die muss man selber machen.

What was the problem/solution? I'm having similar problems not being able to get a stepper motor to work with a reprap v2.2 extruder controller? It just buzzes and skips back and forward.

You might have a diffrent problem than me if you are running the v 2.2 extruder controler. I am running Gen 2 electronics. So no extruder controller. However, What fixed my problem was using a forked firmware that was tweaked to run 5D code on the Arduino Mega. The Mega has more memory and more pins so it is a slightly diffrent setup than a regular Arduino.