Having a nightmare. Hesine Prusa I3 firmware

Has anyone got the firmware that comes with the Hesine Prusa I3?

I know the Hesine uses a Melzi board, but it is pre-configured for use with the hardware of the 3D printer.
I have changed over to a RAMPS1.4/Mega setup and I am having a nightmare trying to setup the firmware.

the "Print area" starts from 0mm, however I have 34mm along the x axis and 12mm along the y axis from the endstops to the start of the print bed. This isn't considered in the firmware and I can't figure out how to add the extra space.

The steps per mm for the Z axis arent changing much. I changed them from 80 to 2560 and there is very little change in the distance the Z axis moves.
Oh, and the heatbed is causing an error, although that may just be a wiring problem, it is the least of my worries atm.

If I had the original firmware (my old board wont connect via USB, hence the reason to change boards) I would be able to atleast get a starting point from the settings.

Thanks

as a quick note. I printed a 200x200x200 mm cube.
It was not printed in the middle of my bed.
the dimentions of the finished cube are

163mm x axis
163mm y axis
10mm z axis

yes, that is right 10mm.
I have 2560 steps per mm on my Z axis.

Either move the endsteps or add some gcode to the start gcode in the slicer, just after homing G28:
G1 X34 Y12 Z0
Then set this new position as the X0 Y0 Z0:
G92

As for the z steps per mm, it depends on the steppersticks microsteps and the z rods thtead size, the mm per full 360 degree rotation. M5 rods are around 0.8mm. So you'll need 1/0.8 mm = 1.25 turns per mm, the number of steps per turn of the stepper motor, usually 200. Then the microstep factor, if all jumpers are placed under the stepperstick on the ramps board is likely to be 16 in the case of 4988, or 32 in the case of 8825. So the number of steps is
1/0.8 x 200 x 16 = 4000
1/0.8 x 200 x 32 = 8000

You also need to set the motor current using the tiny potmeter on the steppersticks. The motors when idle shouldn't make any noise and only run slightly warm to the touch when operating.

Please read the reprap wiki, how to set up your printer.
triffid hunter calibration guide

Managed to sort the height out, apparently repetier was overriding the firmware.

I now have an extruder problem. the extruder is an MK8, it doesnt "grip" the filament.
when i push through with my hand, the filament comes through fine, but no matter how many steps i put in, it doesnt seem to be pushing filament through

I have left it overnight, came back to it this morning to start again with a clear head and now im getting a "Heater Decoupled" message on my LCD with "Error:One heater seems decoupled from thermistor - disabling all for safety!" popping up.

i'm starting to believe that with the mix of broken hardware and random problems popping up every day that i'm not meant to have a 3d printer at all.

Quote
muntahunta
Managed to sort the height out, apparently repetier was overriding the firmware.

I now have an extruder problem. the extruder is an MK8, it doesnt "grip" the filament.
when i push through with my hand, the filament comes through fine, but no matter how many steps i put in, it doesnt seem to be pushing filament through

Tighten the extruder spring tension, I don't recommend adjusting the extruder steps value because it's hard to calibrate the extruder, and steps value are used to specify how many steps required to achieve 1mm

Don't tighten the spring too much or the extruder motor will skipping some steps or grind your filament

It's part of the fun It's a great sense of victory if you've sorted out all the challenges you've faced to get it to print properly. I assure you there are many more challenges ahead, so you better enjoy the challenge I had to battle every step of the way building a prusa i3 but in the end it was worth it, and I enjoy challenges like this that have electronics and mechanical parts. Most of the answers are scattered over the internet so doing a lot of research helps a great deal.

As said just tighten the extruder idler until it grips firmly enough that there are toothmarks on the filament but the idler should not dent or flatten the filament. Also make sure the extruder motor gets enough current.

i have tightened what i think is the extruder spring tension (not entirely 100% on that)
seems no matter what i do its not giving out enough filament.

It worked fine when i was running the old board, what is currently running is horrible.

Here are 2 pics. one of a 20mmx20mmx20mm cube... if you can call it that

and my extruder bits n bobs.

Hold the motor still and try pulling the filament out, it should be tight, not slipping. If that's working try recalibrating the extruder steps per mm, check if the slicer extrusion multiplier is set to 1 and the diameter is correct. Check motor current. That should do the trick.

it slips slightly when i pull it out.

I see. I'm not familiar with the MK8 design but after looking at a few pictures I think I've figured out how it works. The spring puts tension on the idler and there's no direct way to tighten it by screwing it in or out. What you're looking for is either a stronger/longer spring or compress it more so that it applies more pressure on the idler. You could add one or two extra bolts and/or washers on the lower part of the spring so that it's under more tension. This should help to put more pressure on the filament and prevent it from slipping.

I'll give it a try. Thanks.

I viewed your picture 1.jpg, there's definitely something is missing on the spring. You're supposed to have an m6 hex bolt on top of it, then it will be pushed by the smaller screw on top, The m3 screw on the bottom sticks out too much and will have no effect on the spring too, it's simply to hold the spring in place, while the top part, like i said, there should be about m6 hex bolt on top of the spring, then pushed by the m3 hex bolt, to the right side of the filament entrance from the picture given.

Without the m6 hex bolt, no matter how much you turn the m3 hex on top, it will have no effect on the tension, I'm unable to give you any pictures because I am running on slow internet speed now, It is recommended you search for my thingiverse profile, for my groove mount adapter for geeetech v2 and v3, there's a video there and it should help you see which m6 hex bolt I meant looking at my mk8 extruder from geeetech

Good luck

The thing is, I got the extruder pre-built. all i did was build the mount and attach the extruder and fan.
there is no hole or place for another bolt to go. this is it.

You don't need another hole or bolt, just another nut, just unscrew the top or bottom bolt, pop out the spring, add a nut and pop back the spring, some creative thinking is encouraged maybe you need to take apart the whole thing, I don't own one so I can't tell you step by step but I'm sure you can figure something out. Taking it apart will also be a good learning experience, you'll know how it works and fix things if something goes wrong. Search google images for reference, looking at a properly assembled part can help finding the problems you run into. Document the disassembly step by step, take pictures so you know how to reassemble it.

These kits really are in a alpha state, not even beta and a lot can and will go wrong, need constant maintainance etc. It's best to build it from scratch so you know how to fix it. It's also highly recommended to keep a detailed log of all challenges, symptoms and possible fixes. They are too numerous to remember them all and you're bound to see some of the problems resurface, you can fall back on your documentation, pictures and logs.

oh believe me, my next printer im ordering all the parts seperatly and building, I just wanted a simple kit to start building and get a basic idea before delving deeper. I plan on having 4 printers eventually, and it may seem i dont enjoy it, but things like this are awesome to me. I love the feeling of accomplishment, i just get a little annoyed at the time

you guys are amazing. who'd have thought a few washers would have done the trick.

only problem now is trying to get better quality prints. i'll post the newest calibration square when its done. it already looks a million times better

OK, New problem....
"Heated Bed: temp sensor defect" - repetier/ramps 1.4

not had my heated bed on yet due to fixing other problems, but now I can print, prints arent sticking too well.
time for the heated bed problem xD

I probably dont have the correct settings for the type of sensor... I have no idea what type they are due to it being in a pack and it is not specified.

// ############# Heated bed configuration ########################

#define HAVE_HEATED_BED 1
#define HEATED_BED_MAX_TEMP 120
#define SKIP_M190_IF_WITHIN 3
#define HEATED_BED_SENSOR_TYPE 1
#define HEATED_BED_SENSOR_PIN TEMP_1_PIN
#define HEATED_BED_HEATER_PIN HEATER_1_PIN
#define HEATED_BED_SET_INTERVAL 5000
#define HEATED_BED_HEAT_MANAGER 0
#define HEATED_BED_PID_INTEGRAL_DRIVE_MAX 255
#define HEATED_BED_PID_INTEGRAL_DRIVE_MIN 80
#define HEATED_BED_PID_PGAIN_OR_DEAD_TIME 196
#define HEATED_BED_PID_IGAIN 33
#define HEATED_BED_PID_DGAIN 290
#define HEATED_BED_PID_MAX 255
#define HEATED_BED_DECOUPLE_TEST_PERIOD 300000
#define MIN_EXTRUDER_TEMP 150
#define MAXTEMP 275
#define MIN_DEFECT_TEMPERATURE -10
#define MAX_DEFECT_TEMPERATURE 290

First cube (along with the heatbed issue) is the waveyness of the lines. it seems to be a pattern so i dont think it is tension of the pulleys. i've had a little look but im going to keep on it. any suggestions for the heatbed or the waveyness are appreciated.

Mind sharing where you put the washer, I fear my hesine is having the same issue. Was it between the head screw and the spring or the spring and the motor.


Thank you

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2015 04:48PM by kernel.

I found this I hope it give you some ideas. I also spotted a site using beer as a sticky surface but have yet to go through my history to see if I can find it again.
[richrap.blogspot.com.au]

I have a hesine prusa i3
I am able to connect to the board using usb; but i do not have the firmware.

Maybe I can provide you with the needed info

Dit you succeed in creating a good configuration for your RAMPS1.4/Mega setup?

I am thinking about replacing my original Melzi board with another (saving the original as working backup)