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Anything related to printer controllers not being Duet, RAMPS or Sanguinololu: microprocessors, motor and heater driver circuitry, gEDA/KiCAD issues, soldering tips, etc.
Re: Sheffield UK - 11 years ago
Sorry for the lack of updates, my fault. My internet has been off for a bit ADSL24 were my provided but their cusotmer service is now so bad it has forced me to look elsewhere, so am in transition. I am writing this from the pub down the road, as good an excuse as any I guess..... The GIST Foundation that used to host the sheffield group has folded. We have set up a Google Group to carry onby aka47 - Sheffield RUG
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
The funny thing is that the most up to date version (That I downloaded and am struggling with) is the 15th of march. I guess this is one of the benefits of git or perhaps nay version control system. It is always clear which bit is older/newer. Should I perhaps be using a differents source ?? This is the one thrown up top of the list in Google.by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Thanks for staying with me on this guys. Yes I had done a from scratch setup before I posted here. The only thing I can think is that there is some python or library issue that skeinforge is bumping into and producing the odd results. To sort out the machine that I was working on for one of the RUG, I hacked out some start and end gcode scripts for now that should see him straight for a while.by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
OK double checking for replace.csv I only fine the one I have created just this time to be sure that there was one there.... As you can see there are only start stop extruder commands (irrelevant on marlin and on a stepper driven mendel) andy@quicksilver:~$ find ./ -name replace.csv ./.skeinforge/alterations/replace.csv andy@quicksilver:~$ cat ./.skeinforge/alterations/replace.csv M101 M103 Myby aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
And heres the gcode and penultimate for running the PLA Blue profile on the same stl file. The penultimate file has temp settings in and the final gcode one doesnt. Rather strange.by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Ok Here's the penultimate. Ignore the start.gcode as i put a set temp in here as a temporary workaround. You can see it see the temperatures though but not set any. Just about to try the PLA Blue profile next.by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Hullo I downloaded :- 2012-03-15 20:07:28 CET (Click to Download) from :- On Monday 5 /11/2012 It is currently being used on my laptop in place of the 45 version I was using (Same build of laptop etc) andy@quicksilver:~$ uname -a Linux quicksilver 3.2.0-33-generic #52-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 18 16:29:15 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux 64Bit Ubuntu, think it is 12.04 I can have a looby aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Yup I have no replace.csv, already hacked the start Gcode. It is a bodge indeed, and misses out on the interlayer temperature changes. If it turns out to be a bug/feature, and no one says anything though it is'nt likely to get fixed.by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Umm already tried chamber, it does put in some temps but looks like it is only for the chamber not the extruder. I would'nt mind but the printer I am sorting for a friend doesnt have a chamber or a controlled heated bed. But thanks for the thought though. I am slowly coming round to the idea that there might be a bug in skeinforge 50 that was'nt in the last version I was using (45). Thanks Fraby aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
It could be somethign silly I am doing, been banging my head against this one all afternoon. First thing I checked was Activate Temperature was ticked. Even unchecked the box that removes reundant mcodes just in case it was being a touch over zealous. I only noticed the problem when I stopped preheating the extruder in pronterface. Look mum no temperatures...... It goes straight into the G1 prby aka47 - Skeinforge
Skeinforge 50 no extruder temps - 12 years ago
Guys Something I just noticed. Skeinforge 50 is not putting gcode instructions into the gcode file to set the extruder temperature. It used to do this OK a while ago but now there is none. I am guessing this was intentional. How do we make Skeinforge50 do like it used to and put them in the gcode ?? Cheers aka47by aka47 - Skeinforge
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Cefiar Thanks for the pointer to the Gen7 research traumflug did. I pretty much concur with all his findings my understanding has been mostly similar. the biggest surprise was the thermistor work. Well done though to traumflug. Adding that robust research back into this discusion then a couple of points stand out. 1. Yes a rethink on the thermistor circuit is a good idea. 2. The situation wby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
On switching stepping modes, my understanding is as follows:- The decision on the need to change mode is governed solely by the frequency of steps being issued. ie if above frequency X (dependant on motor, so will be a setable parameter) we change down a mode, bit like changing gears in a car. if below frequency X we change up a mode. The decision as as to when to action the change is on a coby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Hmm interesting. Apparently there are moves towards using the Texas Instruments DRV8825 as a replacment for the Pololu usual. I wonder if that would make a board using it into a RAMTS board instead of RAMPS........ LOL Or more corectly RADTS if used with a due. I wonder if that one can change modes on the fly. Having had a look at the datasheet it actualy has an output that would generate a sby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Yes I think there would be some mileage in that approach. I guess when you look at the pricing of say microcontrolers like avr's 168 there is an argument for rolling your own code for a microcontroler to be a stepper driver and add the power stages. There are also the PIC range. The new Xmegas have event circuitry in built that makes them much faster if used cleverly, than their native processigby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Just thought of something, prompted by the latest Arduino news about the Due. The Due board is 3.3v io not 5v. So a useful mod would be for the RAMPS board to read ioref from the Arduino and set the logic voltage/level translation to suit. (If it is neecesary). It would be cool to have the option to plug a Ramps sheild onto a DUE at some point int he near future.by aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Hmm now there's a useful idea.... --- quote --- FWIW: You should be able to make something workable by mounting the Pololu's OVER the pins to the Arduino Mega, motor side pointing out. It's not like you need access to those pins (except for debugging perhaps), as there's no way you could actually mount another shield on top of the thing. --- unquote --- It is something that I had paused to thinby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Festival of the Mind Build Weekend - 12 years ago
On the weekend 29th & 30th of september we had a build competition at the Sheffield RepRap User Group. This was in conjunction with the University of Sheffields Festival of the Mind event and was hosted by the Gist Hub. 5 Teams competed to build a Mendel 90 each and print a wining entry that embodied the Craft and Magic of 3D printing. The winning team got to take away the Golden Spanner Trby aka47 - Sheffield RUG
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Just thought I had winged on without realy talking about solutions. An ideal stepper driver would do all that the Pollolu does, in the same plugin format. But have a greater curernt limit (Can't see the need for more than 3 Amp), have serialy programable current and microstep, a larger chip surface for heatsinking and a couple of holes for mounting the heatsink on. If matching holes were placedby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
I agree too about the stepper drivers and have been thinking about this one for a while. An interesting bunch of observations about them:- I don't know of many folk who actualy run them at full current, mine are set about midpoint so should be about 1A ish. But they still get hot enough not to touch them. Which I don't like. There may be PCB design techniques that could/should be used to help wby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: I was only able to talk to my ATmega1284P once? - 12 years ago
Erik Couple of things to check that may help (Or not). 1. If you are attemtping to use the arduino IDE 1.0.1 or better they changed the default bootloader and they way it talks to the IDE/avrdude. from 1.0.1 onwards it uses optiboot. I have had a number of custom Arduno-ish projects stop talkign to the IDE because of this. Reloading with a suitably compiled copy of optiboot fixed this in all cby aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
The blocking diodes are there to block the reverse flow of current to a previous stage that is less smooth. This means that each stage can have progresively better smoothing without needing capacitors that are sized to smooth the previous stage. Ergo cost and space savings. That is the theory anyway. The smoothing for each stage is just enough for the needs of that stage. So Stage 1 the Heaterby aka47 - Controllers
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Yup I pretty much removed mine and put shorting links in as well. Auto motive blade fuses is one I did'nt think of. I am not entirely sure why I would want the fusing on the board anyway. a pair of inline fuse holders with cartdridge fuses would be doable too. Where the fuseholder is, and it's type, I guess is down to personal preference. Talking to folk, screw terminals would seem to be a popuby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: RAMPS 1.5?? - 12 years ago
Yes you might think the RAMBO had it all, for everyone, from a quick look around. Again though as an experimenter I want a setup that is modular so that when I trash bits of it (Which I do, and looking round the forums other experimenters do too) I dont have to replace the whole thing. The current RAMPS setup will allow me to swap any of the drivers and or the Arduino with off the shelf items. Wby aka47 - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Spot the deliberate mistake, not. Just tired saw it when i stopped to look.by aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Ok Starter for now to help with the conversation. This is where we are at. I think there is a bunch more thinking to go into this, but I can add this as ideas develop. On using AC to run the heaters. I agree with a standard wound transformer this is probably doable. You are going to need to either use a triac or rectify it and then use a thyristor or transistor. With the electronic transformeby aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Just thought, 50Khz+ being kind of high, it may be as easy to filter it with a choke/inductor. or Pi filter type circuit.by aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Hmm spliting the power supply by useage perhaps has some mileage too, nice sugestion. I like that one. Divide and conquer, good strategy. Consider. The greatest power draw is for the Heaters. (Happy to debate that one). I have been having a side discusion vie email with Nophead, he sugests that the duty cycle for the heaters settles to aprox 40%. But has'nt studied it too closely as yet. Theby aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Here's some more notes and some piccys particularly on the last article in the forum.by aka47 - Controllers
Re: Experimental Power Supplys - 12 years ago
Here is a link to a guy that has been experimenting with building his own (not reccomended due to the voltages etc) but it has in it useful info. He has repurposed SMPSU transformers for his experiments. The waveforms are shown at the bottom of the article. As I say, very risk and not to be messed about with. My thoughts were to use one as a black box and deal with only the output. Leavingby aka47 - Controllers