new build folger tech prusa i3 issue with extruder motor

Hi folks,

New build folger tech prusa i3, my first 3d printer. Everything seems to be working except I can't get the extruder motor to move when following the configuration instructions. I have swapped the x-axis stepper and drive card with the extruder drive card and stepper and can get the extruder to work by using the x-axis controls in repetier (and x-axis motor does not respond to extruder commands when swapped). So this leads me to believe this issue is either in code or the reprap board.

I'm using the code provided by Folger Tech from their Google drive.

1) Is there a setting somewhere that I might have missed that is not activating the extruder in code? I have gone throught the instructions again on the setup.
2) If it is indeed a bad reprap, is there a way in code change my extruder from E0 to E1?

Any guidence would be greatly appreciated, this is the only thing standing in front of my first print :-)

Rob....

It is a safety feature to stop the extruder until the hotend-temperature is above 180°C.

Line 224 in marlins configration.h

//this prevents dangerous Extruder moves, i.e. if the temperature is under the limit
//can be software-disabled for whatever purposes by
#define PREVENT_DANGEROUS_EXTRUDE

-Olaf

Thanks for the response. I should have mentioned in the original post that I did wait until the hot end was up to temperature before I tried extruding.

How did you tune the Vref of the e-driver? Probably the current is to low? Does it make any sound?
-Olaf

I followed the directions provided with the kit. I think it was 0.35V. I was able to move the driver card, cable, and stepper to the x-axis control and then I could manually test it and it worked fine. That is why i believe it is either code or the board.

Does anyone now how to hack the code so that I can use the second extruder (E1) on the board as my primary extruder? Basically sway E0 & E1.

So I went and purchased a new RAMPS board and still have the same issue. So now I'm stuck. I have verified that the stepper motor, driver board, wires are not the issue by swapping them with the x-axis.

I downloaded the code from the Folger Tech google drive and have followed all the instructions for configuring repetier. I even tried commenting out PREVENT_DANGEROUS_EXTRUDE

I doubt I could have gotten a 2nd RAMPS board with a bad E0 port, especially since I got it from a completely different source. So it leads me to believe I have a code issue somewhere?????

Would love to know if you managed to resolve this issue. I m in the exact same boat, and first I could not get the filament to load through, (maybe because the motor is not responding). However, I managed to open it all up and check that out, atleast mechanically all looks fine, and while open I positioned the filament in, so when the motor actually responds, it should be easier to pull through.

However, when I tried a test run, with Hotbed @70 and extruder @200, I was hoping the extruder motors will start pulling the filament and perform the print. On Repetier I see all command operations successfully firing, and the X,Y,Z motors work fine navigating. Its just that it wouldn't extrude the filament....Not sure whats going on, my suspicion is that the motor is not responding to the commands or is stuck or something in my Marlin config, that is causing this.

I would be curious to what you uncover.

No resolution. Got fustrated and have put it on the back burner for a while. I have narrowed it down to software as I verified the hardware by hooking the extruder motor to the x-axis controls and then using repetier to "move x-axis" and it will extrude. Keep me posted if you figure it out, and I will do likewise once I get time to dig into it more.

There's some information here. The extruder motor connector pins at the board are reversed in the build guide. (Actually the build guide forgets to tell you to hook up the extruder motor! but the picture shows the connector in the wrong orientation.) This may be the problem.

Craig,

Thanks for the info on the connector being reversed. Unfortunately, switching it around did not fix my issue.... Still no extrusion

I have been stuck at this point since may of 2014. I believe it is something wrong in marlin. But i dont know what.

Have you contacted Folger Tech???

From pins.h

#define E0_STEP_PIN 26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30

You could probably switch them just to verify that the atmega pins used on E0 are not the problem. e.g:
#define E0_STEP_PIN 36 //26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 34 //28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 //24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 26 //36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 28 //34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24 //30

Plug in your driver on E1 slot of RAMPS, but send out the extrusion commands on E0.

Haven't tried this though so try at your own risk. If this s dangerous, anyone is welcome to chime in.


And by the way, though remotely possible, did you ensure that you are extruding from E0 on the printer host interface? Just making sure..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2015 10:52AM by wderoxas.

I have had this same problem for over a year... last night i switched from marlin to repetier and it started printing first try!!!

Quote
wderoxas
From pins.h

#define E0_STEP_PIN 26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30

You could probably switch them just to verify that the atmega pins used on E0 are not the problem. e.g:
#define E0_STEP_PIN 36 //26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 34 //28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 //24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 26 //36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 28 //34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24 //30

Plug in your driver on E1 slot of RAMPS, but send out the extrusion commands on E0.

Haven't tried this though so try at your own risk. If this s dangerous, anyone is welcome to chime in.


And by the way, though remotely possible, did you ensure that you are extruding from E0 on the printer host interface? Just making sure..

Thanks, this is what I have been looking for. The next step in isolating the issue. I'll give it a try this weekend.

Quote
Ecky
Have you contacted Folger Tech???

Yes, but it is painfully slow. They did respond, but it is going back and forth with questions that I thought I had answered in my original email to them. Like are you using the firmware from them, try swapping the stepper driver, etc etc.. Now they requested pictures of my wiring.

Quote
image420
I have had this same problem for over a year... last night i switched from marlin to repetier and it started printing first try!!!

can you elaborate a little more about how you did this? Is there any configuration info that needs to be modified to support the folger tech?

Quote
Bushkill

Quote
wderoxas
From pins.h

#define E0_STEP_PIN 26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 30

You could probably switch them just to verify that the atmega pins used on E0 are not the problem. e.g:
#define E0_STEP_PIN 36 //26
#define E0_DIR_PIN 34 //28
#define E0_ENABLE_PIN 30 //24

#define E1_STEP_PIN 26 //36
#define E1_DIR_PIN 28 //34
#define E1_ENABLE_PIN 24 //30

Plug in your driver on E1 slot of RAMPS, but send out the extrusion commands on E0.

Haven't tried this though so try at your own risk. If this s dangerous, anyone is welcome to chime in.


And by the way, though remotely possible, did you ensure that you are extruding from E0 on the printer host interface? Just making sure..

Thanks, this is what I have been looking for. The next step in isolating the issue. I'll give it a try this weekend.

This worked!!!! My extruder is now working. Thank you wderoxas