Good Day all,

I will do the best I can to describe my issue as I am a new 3D printer user and just diving in. I have printed nothing yet and am just trying to figure things out.

I bought a RepRap Prusa i3 and assembled it. It came with an SD card with the PDF assembly instructions and various other PDF docs. Additionally it had the site for the Reptier download and a driver the computer which I am not able to download for whatever reason. I assume it is because I am running Windows 10 and perhaps it is not supported yet by this driver.

Once assembled I ran the test print on the SD card which did not required connection to the printer or the filament as it was to just run it through its' paces. Everything was leveled and looks great. It know where home position is and all steppers and limit switches are working. I cannot confirm the motor that feeds the filament as it will not go that far with a job I am practicing with.

I just wanted to run something simple like a guitar pick so I can get the hang of the printer and the program. So here are my actual issues.

1. Repetier will take the file.

2. Repetier utilizes Slicr3 and slices the file.

3. When done slicing the Print button is unavailable to me in order to print. It does allow me to save the G-Code file either to an SD card or on the computer and go online with Repetier where is recognizes the printer.

4. I put the G-coded file on the SD card and inserted it into the board of the printer. Chose the option to print form SD are the printers digital screen. The only thing that happens is the percentage amount increases on the screen in the SD card section and the timer counts upwards from 0. Nothing else happens. The print head stays at home position and the screen flashes a notice saying, "Waiting for User".

5. The nozzle and the bed do not heat unless I go to the preheat section and tell it to.do so.

Is this an issue with me running Windows 10? Could there be a problem with the board, (Which I doubt because the test print was working and did not require me to have it connected to the computer.) Should I erase the SD card and load it with another program or set up to operate the printer with my computer? Should I dump Repetier and use a program that is not a server based printing program?

I am very confused with this whole thing and just want to be able to download jobs form Thingverse and the other site and practice using this printer until I get used to it and fully understand so I can move forward into creating my own stuff.

Thanks for any and all feedback that anyone can provide. If dumping all files and starting over with something different form what the seller provided to me then I have absolutely no issues doing so. Thank all for your helping a Newbie such as myself.

Regards,
Mookiex4

what you should have is Repetier Host V0.95F or later it can be downloaded where you found Server and is a different program. I am using Windows 10. You got an SD card and it should have all the files you need or the PDF should have links to those files. Don't erase the SD you have just get a new one everything may be on it. Sounds like the computer isn't connecting to the printer to see this hit the connect upper left in Repetier then it should change to disconnect and if you go over to manual control a bar with show Idle and you should be able to move XYZ turn fan off and on and heat the bed and extruder. You have to match printer/computer baud rates. That stuff is found under Printer Settings upper far right next to Emerg Stop under connection tab and should have a valid port, baud rate mine is 11520 for now,transfer protocal autodetect The LCD on printer shows its baud rate set computer to be same. You may have to go into Windows 10 control panel and set up new printer or go to device manager to find conflicts or add drivers. Best to use manufacture files or you will be setting up far more than you want to and calibrating all the stepper steps Since you have Windows 10 get 3D builder to open STL files although I don't use it. When you decide to make your own things look at AUTODESK 123D free version

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rwt

Quote
Roger123D
what you should have is Repetier Host V0.95F or later it can be downloaded where you found Server and is a different program. I am using Windows 10. You got an SD card and it should have all the files you need or the PDF should have links to those files. Don't erase the SD you have just get a new one everything may be on it. Sounds like the computer isn't connecting to the printer to see this hit the connect upper left in Repetier then it should change to disconnect and if you go over to manual control a bar with show Idle and you should be able to move XYZ turn fan off and on and heat the bed and extruder. You have to match printer/computer baud rates. That stuff is found under Printer Settings upper far right next to Emerg Stop under connection tab and should have a valid port, baud rate mine is 11520 for now,transfer protocal autodetect The LCD on printer shows its baud rate set computer to be same. You may have to go into Windows 10 control panel and set up new printer or go to device manager to find conflicts or add drivers. Best to use manufacture files or you will be setting up far more than you want to and calibrating all the stepper steps Since you have Windows 10 get 3D builder to open STL files although I don't use it. When you decide to make your own things look at AUTODESK 123D free version

Thanks Roger for the reply. I have a problem with the stuff that was on the SD card. It was all there and included the PDF docs for the build, leveling and a section that had the websites to go to. It sent me to the Repetier website and downloaded the server. That seems to be the one that was free and the others require a donation to move forward to download. I have no problem with that if I knew the Printer was going to work. The stuff that was on the SD card unfortunately appears to have been wiped by the printer.

A little background. One of the downloads on the SD card was for a driver. I went to the site and I assume it was a printer driver for the computer. I never could get it to download and when I clicked on it the screen would reload, so I was forced to assume that it downloaded and since it was a driver I also assumed that I was not going to get a notice. So this is why I am assuming that the computer is not finding the printer. I was following the directions to place a G-Coded file on the SD card which I was able to do quite easily to print from the SD card. Then the digital control screen on the printer started flashing other messages and next thing I know the SD card was wiped. I should have copied it to my computer but did not and that is my newbie error. that will not happen again. I also assume that on the SD card was perhaps a driver for the printer to send info out to a connected computer.

I think I am at the point that if I cannot get the overseas seller to email me the files again I need to find all of the files and instructions I need to load myself and start from scratch. I have tried to search for drivers, but if the printer isn't talking and the computer is not seeing the printer then I cannot have the system search the web for drivers.

Thanks,
Mark

When you go back to Repetier site to get Host you can bypass the donation its still free. There is also available a Repetier configuration program. You should be able to go to Windows and add new hardware ie the printer which most likely has all the settings in the Eprom without the SD card I never use my SD card it sits in a drawer. What specific printer and board does it have as I may have drivers as everything that was on my SD card I had from a site before I got my printer which came with firmware loaded. Windows 10 found and installed my printer and then I exported my eprom to a file but can also view my eprom from Repetier. and this has all the steps/mm for the axes etc. I have an Afinibot A3 with Melzi V2 board and drivers are stored in a file on my computer.as well as newest Slic3r and Repetier zip files should you need that work on a 64/32 bit computer running Windows 10.Your last post went to my email consult me there. Also look in device manager in control panel with printer connected to see what it shows. my drivers may work.

Lets take a step back first.

You say you couldn't install the driver?

What Controller are you using, a RAMPS or somthing else.

I suspect you may simply need the Serial driver installed

If its a cheap chinese Ramps+Mega kit you may need a CH340(g) USB to Serial interface driver.
if not install the Arduino driver since you'll probably want that later anyway.

Assuming your printer has some version of Repetier Firmware on it give Printrun's Pronterface a go, its a bit more obvious if your having serial issues

It does not recognize the printer but it shows something connected which is the serial cable. I ran a troubleshoot on the connection and it did say that the cable may not be compatible with 3.0 USB but I have tried it in all three of the USB ports with no change in result. The computer suggested plugging it into a 2.0 USB port. Now I assume that there is at least on of those. In fact I also assume that only one of those ports is 3.0 and the other two are 2.0. Who knows. I can assure you that it is not me for certain, but I have not checked it either.

Quote
Roger123D
When you go back to Repetier site to get Host you can bypass the donation its still free. There is also available a Repetier configuration program. You should be able to go to Windows and add new hardware ie the printer which most likely has all the settings in the Eprom without the SD card I never use my SD card it sits in a drawer. What specific printer and board does it have as I may have drivers as everything that was on my SD card I had from a site before I got my printer which came with firmware loaded. Windows 10 found and installed my printer and then I exported my eprom to a file but can also view my eprom from Repetier. and this has all the steps/mm for the axes etc. I have an Afinibot A3 with Melzi V2 board and drivers are stored in a file on my computer.as well as newest Slic3r and Repetier zip files should you need that work on a 64/32 bit computer running Windows 10.Your last post went to my email consult me there. Also look in device manager in control panel with printer connected to see what it shows. my drivers may work.

I am running the Melzi V and I took a photo of it so I had it when I got to work. Unfortunately it is grainy and cannot tell for sure. I swear it said something like Melzi V38 or something along that line. But if you are running V2 then I doubt it is that high of a number at this point. I will try those things as I need to handle the software anyway and wanted to start from scratch and when the board reset itself it wiped the files on the SD card. I will update as I progress.

Ahh, you have a Melzi 1/2 hybrid, often sold as a v3

Have you looked the the can't connect bit on the wiki? Melzi entry on the wiki

Copied here for reference:

Quote

Can't connect to the Melzi (FTDI driver problem)
There has been an issue where a FTDI driver update, pushed out through Microsoft update, disables Melzi controllers that have a non-genuine FTDI chip. This chip is used for USB communication, so the board may look like it's working (LED flashing) but doesn't show up correctly, and Arduino IDE/Pronterface can't connect to it.
This thread describes the problem in detail: [hackaday.com]
Apparently, the only way to visually check the chip is described here: [hackaday.com]
There is a thread about it on the reprap forums here: [forums.reprap.org]
There is a work-around for the problem (forcing driver installation, for Windows) here: [forums.reprap.org]
If the chip has been effected by the driver (ie deemed fake), the device PID is set to '0000'. You can check this in the Mac System Profiler, or on Ubuntu open a terminal window, run "lsusb" and it should show a device at "0403:0000". If you use Ubuntu, there is a tool for resetting the device PID correctly: [www.minipwner.com] Then update the FTDI drivers on your machines so it doesn't rebrick the FTDI chip.

Quote
Guchion
Ahh, you have a Melzi 1/2 hybrid, often sold as a v3

Have you looked the the can't connect bit on the wiki? Melzi entry on the wiki

Copied here for reference:

Quote

Can't connect to the Melzi (FTDI driver problem)
There has been an issue where a FTDI driver update, pushed out through Microsoft update, disables Melzi controllers that have a non-genuine FTDI chip. This chip is used for USB communication, so the board may look like it's working (LED flashing) but doesn't show up correctly, and Arduino IDE/Pronterface can't connect to it.
This thread describes the problem in detail: [hackaday.com]
Apparently, the only way to visually check the chip is described here: [hackaday.com]
There is a thread about it on the reprap forums here: [forums.reprap.org]
There is a work-around for the problem (forcing driver installation, for Windows) here: [forums.reprap.org]
If the chip has been effected by the driver (ie deemed fake), the device PID is set to '0000'. You can check this in the Mac System Profiler, or on Ubuntu open a terminal window, run "lsusb" and it should show a device at "0403:0000". If you use Ubuntu, there is a tool for resetting the device PID correctly: [www.minipwner.com] Then update the FTDI drivers on your machines so it doesn't rebrick the FTDI chip.

Awesome. Sounds like that is going to be some great reading. If that is the issue I am good with workarounds. Now I am looking froward to getting home to try everyones ideas and see what happens. I will definatley post results once I see some positive ones.

WOW. The instructions provided by both Roger123D and Guchion worked. Adding the Repetier Host to my computer and going on the site in the REP RAP forum link provided in this topic did the trick. The site listed in the forum provided by Guchion is the exact site that came as a link on the SD card with the printer. Unfortunately the SD card and the Printer came with no instructions as to why I was there and what exactly to download. You have 3 choices. The link at the very top of the website which is the one I tried downloading originally and is actually on my computer. As you scroll down there is a 32bit and a 64bit version. I needed the 64 bit, but if you go to the bottom there are drivers for OS computers with no more support such as Vista and 8.1, NT and so on. Thank to both of you for getting this thing connected. It moves and heats and such. I can go into the manual tab and move it around so I am connected now for sure.

Just one more thing though... Repetier and Cura when I try each of these want to heat the nozzle and the bed.I have the heat set on the Printer side as well. Do I 0 out the printer setting and let the software handle it? It seems there is a conflict someplace. I have the printer set at 190 for the nozzle for instance. The software says 210 which I lowered to 190 as the software showed the printer out of the range of ability. The bed came up to temp to 55c but the nozzle got to 167c and stopped right there.

Any ideas on what this next problem is?

Have a great day.

Mark

Quote
Roger123D
When you go back to Repetier site to get Host you can bypass the donation its still free. There is also available a Repetier configuration program. You should be able to go to Windows and add new hardware ie the printer which most likely has all the settings in the Eprom without the SD card I never use my SD card it sits in a drawer. What specific printer and board does it have as I may have drivers as everything that was on my SD card I had from a site before I got my printer which came with firmware loaded. Windows 10 found and installed my printer and then I exported my eprom to a file but can also view my eprom from Repetier. and this has all the steps/mm for the axes etc. I have an Afinibot A3 with Melzi V2 board and drivers are stored in a file on my computer.as well as newest Slic3r and Repetier zip files should you need that work on a 64/32 bit computer running Windows 10.Your last post went to my email consult me there. Also look in device manager in control panel with printer connected to see what it shows. my drivers may work.

WOW. The instructions provided by both Roger123D and Guchion worked. Adding the Repetier Host to my computer and going on the site in the REP RAP forum link provided in this topic did the trick. The site listed in the forum provided by Guchion is the exact site that came as a link on the SD card with the printer. Unfortunately the SD card and the Printer came with no instructions as to why I was there and what exactly to download. You have 3 choices. The link at the very top of the website which is the one I tried downloading originally and is actually on my computer. As you scroll down there is a 32bit and a 64bit version. I needed the 64 bit, but if you go to the bottom there are drivers for OS computers with no more support such as Vista and 8.1, NT and so on. Thank to both of you for getting this thing connected. It moves and heats and such. I can go into the manual tab and move it around so I am connected now for sure.

Just one more thing though... Repetier and Cura when I try each of these want to heat the nozzle and the bed.I have the heat set on the Printer side as well. Do I 0 out the printer setting and let the software handle it? It seems there is a conflict someplace. I have the printer set at 190 for the nozzle for instance. The software says 210 which I lowered to 190 as the software showed the printer out of the range of ability. The bed came up to temp to 55c but the nozzle got to 167c and stopped right there.

Any ideas on what this next problem is?

Have a great day.

Mark

Quote
Guchion
Ahh, you have a Melzi 1/2 hybrid, often sold as a v3

Have you looked the the can't connect bit on the wiki? Melzi entry on the wiki

Copied here for reference:

Quote

Can't connect to the Melzi (FTDI driver problem)
There has been an issue where a FTDI driver update, pushed out through Microsoft update, disables Melzi controllers that have a non-genuine FTDI chip. This chip is used for USB communication, so the board may look like it's working (LED flashing) but doesn't show up correctly, and Arduino IDE/Pronterface can't connect to it.
This thread describes the problem in detail: [hackaday.com]
Apparently, the only way to visually check the chip is described here: [hackaday.com]
There is a thread about it on the reprap forums here: [forums.reprap.org]
There is a work-around for the problem (forcing driver installation, for Windows) here: [forums.reprap.org]
If the chip has been effected by the driver (ie deemed fake), the device PID is set to '0000'. You can check this in the Mac System Profiler, or on Ubuntu open a terminal window, run "lsusb" and it should show a device at "0403:0000". If you use Ubuntu, there is a tool for resetting the device PID correctly: [www.minipwner.com] Then update the FTDI drivers on your machines so it doesn't rebrick the FTDI chip.

WOW. The instructions provided by both Roger123D and Guchion worked. Adding the Repetier Host to my computer and going on the site in the REP RAP forum link provided in this topic did the trick. The site listed in the forum provided by Guchion is the exact site that came as a link on the SD card with the printer. Unfortunately the SD card and the Printer came with no instructions as to why I was there and what exactly to download. You have 3 choices. The link at the very top of the website which is the one I tried downloading originally and is actually on my computer. As you scroll down there is a 32bit and a 64bit version. I needed the 64 bit, but if you go to the bottom there are drivers for OS computers with no more support such as Vista and 8.1, NT and so on. Thank to both of you for getting this thing connected. It moves and heats and such. I can go into the manual tab and move it around so I am connected now for sure.

Just one more thing though... Repetier and Cura when I try each of these want to heat the nozzle and the bed.I have the heat set on the Printer side as well. Do I 0 out the printer setting and let the software handle it? It seems there is a conflict someplace. I have the printer set at 190 for the nozzle for instance. The software says 210 which I lowered to 190 as the software showed the printer out of the range of ability. The bed came up to temp to 55c but the nozzle got to 167c and stopped right there.

Any ideas on what this next problem is?

Have a great day.

Mark

Normally speaking the setting set by the software for temperatures override the firmware, this is certainly the case with Cura and printrun and Marlin firmware, i doubt it is different for repetier if that is actually what is on the board.
When it stops heating, does the printer still respond or does it hard lock the printer?
Do you have a fan blowing on the print head?

Like the wiki mentions some melzi boards don't get on with their thermistors, so if you have a way of confirming the temp other than that I would, last thing you want is a bad thermal reading causing your printer to over heat and melt!
What worries me is if the printer thinks it is stuck at 167 then it may just keep heating until bad things happen.

Quote
Guchion
Normally speaking the setting set by the software for temperatures override the firmware, this is certainly the case with Cura and printrun and Marlin firmware, i doubt it is different for repetier if that is actually what is on the board.
When it stops heating, does the printer still respond or does it hard lock the printer?
Do you have a fan blowing on the print head?

Like the wiki mentions some melzi boards don't get on with their thermistors, so if you have a way of confirming the temp other than that I would, last thing you want is a bad thermal reading causing your printer to over heat and melt!
What worries me is if the printer thinks it is stuck at 167 then it may just keep heating until bad things happen.

Thanks. I will have to check the temp somehow. I do have two fans at the printer head. I suppose is I can confirm a temp difference then maybe I can set the temp adjusting for the error and purchase a new Thermistor?

Thanks again for helping a newbie through this.

When you are connected to the computer forget about the LCD display leave it at printer ready don't set any temps there All the print,printer and filament settings are done through the slicing program before compiling. In my case Slic3r (not Repetier) are used to set filament diameter and temperature settings and a mess of other settings you eventually learn to change as needed. What you do need is a digital inch/metric caliper to measure sizes like filament diameter. As far as the temperature goes it is possible that the thermistor is loose in the hot end and not making good contact with heater block OR the small heater cartridge is loose in the mounting block in essence just heating air not the actual nozzle and never reaches 190 etc set point in which case it won't start printing. Under that gold tape around the nozzle is the heater cartridge that has a small set screw hex socket make sure its tight as it holds the heater in place. I totally rebuilt my MK8 with a larger set screw, heat sink grease on heater and siliconed thermistor in now it works good. The first thing to print is a 20 mm test cube and see how it looks and measures. good luck

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rwt

Quote
Roger123D
When you are connected to the computer forget about the LCD display leave it at printer ready don't set any temps there All the print,printer and filament settings are done through the slicing program before compiling. In my case Slic3r (not Repetier) are used to set filament diameter and temperature settings and a mess of other settings you eventually learn to change as needed. What you do need is a digital inch/metric caliper to measure sizes like filament diameter. As far as the temperature goes it is possible that the thermistor is loose in the hot end and not making good contact with heater block OR the small heater cartridge is loose in the mounting block in essence just heating air not the actual nozzle and never reaches 190 etc set point in which case it won't start printing. Under that gold tape around the nozzle is the heater cartridge that has a small set screw hex socket make sure its tight as it holds the heater in place. I totally rebuilt my MK8 with a larger set screw, heat sink grease on heater and siliconed thermistor in now it works good. The first thing to print is a 20 mm test cube and see how it looks and measures. good luck

Thank Roger,

I went ahead and retored the setting back to 0 and set it in Cura and it went ahead and started setting the Temps as expected. I was running it through its' paces last night. I was able to get the unit heated up to 190 and 55 on the bed, so it did start trying to print on its' own, but even through the feed motor was trying to push the filament through it wouldn't extrude the filament. Once it did, it was so little and fine I figure the nozzle was not even hot enough. I tried running it up to 210 and 60 on the bed and the nozzle would hit 200 and fluctuate between 199 and 200. So I set it at 198 and figured I would just let it run to see what would happen. I came back and hour later and it was working away and the print head had moved up quite a bit like it was following the layers, which were not there, BUT I looked at the temp and it said 168 even though the target temp still said 190. Perhaps it is the Thermistor, heating cartridge and it just needs to be taken apart and rebuild. Heck for all I know with all the messing around I have had to do to get to this point it is just plain clogged and not working as expected.

Well if nozzle is clogged the extruder should have been clicking like mad and after 30 minutes wore a hole in the filament. If nozzle was to high it should have a glob of filament melted around it and a pile of squiggly filament somewhere. Heat it up to 200 again and push the filament in and it should come out the nozzle then pull it and it should come out with a melted string of filament on the end. Welcome to the world of 3d printing. Other causes extruder needs calibrating, bed needs leveling, extruder stepper needs amp adjustment or nozzle is clogged, tension on extruder gear too weak. To rebuild extruder search on youtube for how to videos before trying.I am assuming you had a valid STL file loaded and sliced when you ran it. you should have the log settings highlighted and running then you can see problems.Also we need to know what extruder you have

Quote
Roger123D
Well if nozzle is clogged the extruder should have been clicking like mad and after 30 minutes wore a hole in the filament. If nozzle was to high it should have a glob of filament melted around it and a pile of squiggly filament somewhere. Heat it up to 200 again and push the filament in and it should come out the nozzle then pull it and it should come out with a melted string of filament on the end. Welcome to the world of 3d printing. Other causes extruder needs calibrating, bed needs leveling, extruder stepper needs amp adjustment or nozzle is clogged, tension on extruder gear too weak. To rebuild extruder search on youtube for how to videos before trying.I am assuming you had a valid STL file loaded and sliced when you ran it. you should have the log settings highlighted and running then you can see problems.Also we need to know what extruder you have

Haha yes welcome to me. Lol... I did have some light shed upon me thus evening. I turned everything on but decided to plug the printer directly into an outlet and not the surge protector. Then it decided it was not going to recognize the printer again. I just happened to be uninstalling Google sketch up because it is not going to help me any. Then I had to reinstall the driver for the serial/USB connection.

Then like magic I got a print control screen on Cura that I have been unable to get prior. Then I set the temp to 200 and the Bed to 60 and instead of fluctuating and low temps it ran right up to temp. We left for some dinner and plumbing parts so I am hoping to see the printer well into the job and all is fixed.

It may seem misguided but I feel like the surge protector caused the voltage to vary to much for the need of the printer and that perhaps Googles 3D printing software doesn't play nice with others. Will update after I see what's up at home.

If your trying to design things and not familiar with CAD try Autodesk 123 Design as it is fairly easy to learn and is aimed at 3D printing and free for personal use with a site for uploading or downloading others work but there are other programs FreeCad is more versatile but harder to learn everyone has their own preferences. There are a lot of 3D communities on Google+ as well for help. Look us up there and 3D Printer Chat.

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rwt