Z_MIN always triggered

I have a new motherboard I am trying to get working. It is a MKS SGEN_L V2.0 board with MKS TMC2208 drivers in UART mode. I have a 3DTOUCH probe as well. My first issue is the Z_MIN setting is always TRIGGERED when I run a m119 command. The results are actually:
SENDING:M119
Reporting endstop status
x_min: open
y_min: open
z_min: TRIGGERED

I have tried changing the Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING to true, did not work. I am using Marlin 2.0.6.2 that is from MKS site on GITHUB.

This is the first item stopping me, but, it is likely the one that is impacting other issues.

You have #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN

Which says to use Z_MIN endstop for the probe ie P1_25

and you have #define Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN P1_24

Which says use Z_MAX for the probe..

Which is it?

Pick one of these only.

Quote
Dust
You have #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN

Which says to use Z_MIN endstop for the probe ie P1_25

and you have #define Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN P1_24

Which says use Z_MAX for the probe..

Which is it?

Pick one of these only.

The probe is connected to pin P1_24. Something that is not clear to me is the naming convention for Z_MIN and Z_MAX. For the Z axis (actually all 3 axis) there are two connections for the endstops, one is marked as being Z- and the other Z+. Pin P1_24 is part of the Z+ group, and P1_25 is in the Z- group. Are the Z+ connections used for Z_MAX, and the Z- for Z_MIN or is there no relationship between the two terms?

If you move in a negative direction on any axis you move towards it min position. Therefor Z- is the min endstop
If you move in a positive direction on any axis you move towards the max position.Therefor Z+ is the max endstop

Comment out #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN as you are not using the Zmin endstop for the probe, your using the z-max endstop according to 'The probe is connected to pin P1_24' above.

Thanks for the explanation, the various online instructions keep saying z_min, but then say it's P1_24 which is in the z+ socket.
I will make the changes once I get home.

I commented out the #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN line and rebuilt the firmware. When I run m119 now I get one step forward, and one backwards.

SENDING:M119
Reporting endstop status
x_min: open
y_min: open
z_min: open
z_probe: TRIGGERED

Now I have a z_probe that is triggered all the time. If I attempt a g28 it homes both x and y, but only lowers the bed 10mm and never deploys the probe. It will then fail with the following error:

Error:!! STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999
[ERROR] Error:!! STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999

Errorrinter stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
[ERROR] Errorrinter stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)

Error:!! STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999
[ERROR] Error:!! STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999

I have checked the wiring from motherboard to probe, and have continuity on all wires, meter beeps and shows 0 ohms.

Most likely you have your bltouch black and white cable plugged in backwards

you need to look up your motherboard pins diagram [github.com]

See the 3 pins for the z-max plug

+5v
GND
p1.24

Your black wire must be on GND
your white wire must be on P1.24

The wires are connected as you state. Changing the Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING to false from true will change z_min to open from triggered, so I changed the z_max setting to true since the probe is connected to z_max but that did not change it.

Are you getting the Control signal to raise or lower the PIN.

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Computer Programmer / Electronics Technician

Please take a pictures of your controller and how the bltouch is wired in

Quote
Roberts_Clif
Are you getting the Control signal to raise or lower the PIN.

When printer turns on or is connected via USB to my laptop the probe cycles twice. It is non-responsive to the m280 commands.

Thats means your PWM cable is either not plugged in correctly or badly wired, or around the wrong way. Or plugged into a place the firmware is not configured for.

Given that everywhere seems to have probe labeled as z_min_probe, and I am using the z+ socket and pin number, could this be simply just change it to use z_min connection and pin number instead?

Quote
Dust
Please take a pictures of your controller and how the bltouch is wired in

If you mean where the wires are connected on the motherboard, I have attached 2. Motherboard is mounted inside a case, but you can see where they are connected. The black wire in the 3 wire connector that is connected to the servo connections at the end of the z- and z+ connectors, is connected to the yellow wire in the harness that came with the 3dprobe.

I tried enabling the #define USE_ZMAX_PLUG since the probe is connected to the z+ connections. I also changed #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true to match the z_min setting. I ran m119 both before the second change, and after the second change and I am getting the following from a m119 command.

SENDING:M119
Reporting endstop status
x_min: open
y_min: open
z_min: open
z_probe: TRIGGERED

Your servo cable is in backwards!!!!!

Here is servo part of the pin diagram


Note the 3 pins, From left to right they Signal, 5v then GND

The bltouch servo wire has 3 wires
black is GND
red is 5v
yellow is Signal


Turn your servo plug around so the black is on the right not the left.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2020 07:49PM by Dust.

I have lengthened the wires to fit my setup. In my post I said that the black wire is connected to the yellow wire on the probe harness. Yellow is the signal wire. The red is 5v, and the green is connected to the black on the harness. The reason I did not use a black wire was simply because I stated at the ground side of the 2 pin connector on the motherboard. The connector is connected correctly.

I know you are getting frustrated, we can only troubleshooting from the information you provide us with.
It is sometimes very difficult to trouble shoot when the equipment is right in front of us, You cannot image the magnitude of complexity when it is over a forum...

We are trying to Help you, just do not know what to check now..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2020 07:07PM by Roberts_Clif.

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Computer Programmer / Electronics Technician

then your soldering is suspect

The probe is controller by a PWM signal on the IO line. the amount of PWM set the function. Its that simple.



If simple M280 gcodes do nothing, you have a wiring issue or a dead probe.

I thought I had already posted this earlier today, but I can't see it.

I had ordered a 3dprobe a while ago as a spare (too cheap to ignore) and it arrived today. I plugged the new probe into the existing wiring and it works. I can run g28, g29 as well as the individual move commands for all 3 axis. The further I get into installing the replacement motherboard for the one that got burnt up, the more things I find that no longer work. I had a 12864 screen plugged into the mainboard when it went up and now that I try it, it is not working anymore. As I have posted in the other thread I have regarding that motherboard, the motherboard just burnt up the thing in the middle of the board after simply turning the switch on. Printer had been working the best it has ever ran, mounted in a case with no way to access the underside of the board, and there is nothing above the board to short it out. After sacrificing an MKS SGEN_L v1.0 with the TMC2209 drivers installed I found that one driver had also burnt. Pretty sure it was the driver that killed the motherboard, and the 3dtouch and the 12864. Personally I don't really care now, I will just toss it all out.

I am still getting the m119 message showing the same messages.

SENDING:M119
Reporting endstop status
x_min: open
y_min: open
z_probe: TRIGGERED

Quote
Roberts_Clif
I know you are getting frustrated, we can only troubleshooting from the information you provide us with.
It is sometimes very difficult to trouble shoot when the equipment is right in front of us, You cannot image the magnitude of complexity when it is over a forum...

We are trying to Help you, just do not know what to check now..

I completely understand how difficult it is to diagnose something with essentially no eyes or hands. I worked a number of years in a tech support department for a fax and modem sharing software. This was done via phone calls, and the worst part were the customers that would do what they wanted instead of what they were asked to do. But the good part was there was emotion in voice calls, so no way to misinterpret what they were saying. I was only pointing out that I had already explained the wire colours. There is no way anyone can know this, but, I don't ask for help until I have tried everything I can think of. Not saying I have tried it all, just saying I have tried all I know or can figure out myself. With the probe cycling twice when starting printer, I figured that would rule out the probe because in my way of thinking. Same for the 3 wire connection, if you plug it in while usb is connected to pc and the probe cycles, the wiring for those 3 wires should be good to go. I had already ran a continuity test on all wires from terminals to terminals and got 0 ohms on all 5 wires, and no continuity between any two wires of different colour.

The probe is working now, but the triggering message is still shown.

Not sure if this will help though On my 3D Printers if the following lines are not the same state my probe acts up.

#define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to False for TL-W3MC2.
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to same logic as "Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING".

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Computer Programmer / Electronics Technician

Those setting shouldn't matter as modern marlin has

#if ENABLED(BLTOUCH)
  #ifndef Z_PROBE_SERVO_NR
    #define Z_PROBE_SERVO_NR 0
  #endif
  #undef DEACTIVATE_SERVOS_AFTER_MOVE

  // Always disable probe pin inverting for BLTouch
  #undef Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING
  #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false
  #if ENABLED(Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN)
    #undef Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING
    #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false
  #endif
#endif

So no matter what you set when you enable bltouch
Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false
Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false

Thank you Dust !!!

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Computer Programmer / Electronics Technician