Newbie needs commissioning help
January 05, 2015 11:49AM
Just assembled a Huxley kit and am having three problems with the commissioning.

First problem - the instructions for Axes - Motor movement, say “do not continue without checking current limits”. I can not find any instructions telling me how to check current limits, or even any other instructions telling me to check them.

Second problem - in Pronterface, after setting EEPROM values I get a “echo - SD init fail” entry. What is this this, and is it anything to be concerned about?

Third problem - in Pronterface, After entering M502 I get “Default Settings Loaded”, but after entering M500 all I get is “Sending M500. I do NOT get a “settings stored” entry.

This is all very new to me so I appreciate any help

Bill
Re: Newbie needs commissioning help
January 05, 2015 04:08PM
For current settings you need to know the max current of your motors and then set your drivers to that value or something lower. Without knowing the specifics of your stepper motors and which drivers you are using it's impossible to say, but assuming you have pololu drivers you can find information on setting current at pololu.com. If you have stepstick or other drivers you'll need the relevant instructions from them. In general you adjust the little pot on the driver until the current is correct. As a last resort if you can't find instructions, you could turn the pot down to about 1/3 of a turn above the counter clockwise stop, run the steppers for a few minutes and feel the steppers. If they are cool you have margin to turn up the current. If they are just warm you are likely close to a good setting. If they are burning hot you need to turn the current down. The trial by fire method has a chance of burning out your steppers.

The SD init fail means pronterface is not seeing an SD card. If you have an SD card and reader plugged into or built into your board this may mean you need to adjust your firmware. No big deal if you plan to print directly from the computer. Only needed if you want to print from the SD card.

Not sure about the messages from those Gcodes. It would help if you stated the electronics and firmware versions.
Re: Newbie needs commissioning help
January 07, 2015 01:26PM
Bryan,
Couldn't find a brand on the motors, but they are marked with a current rating, and I found miniature pots on the driver sections of my Melz iboard, so should be able to "wing it". So far the motors are running cool.

I figured the SD init fail was cuz a SD was not plugged in, so not worried about that.

Not going to worry about not getting a settings stored message right now, cuz everything else seems to be going OK. Will check it again after finishing setup.

Thanks for the help, it is appreciated, Bill
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