I think this would be pretty easy to add, so I may try to include it for the v1.5 release, but at the moment the extruder calculations are based on the XYZ movement distances and it seems to work very well. However, I know lots of users are using the 5D firmware so I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the tip!by cpwebste - Firmware - experimental, borrowed, and future
@martin - thanks for the tips! And just so you know I have email alerts for this thread so this would work as a way to contact me, but I also have a blog at cpwebste.blogspot.com that has more frequent updates and you can post comments there on anything I have posted. Also I should let you know that I have made a LOT of progress over the past 3 weeks for v1.4 of the GUI and firmware and will beby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
I have updated the Hydra-MMM software to v1.1 which improved some of the file preview abilities for the GUI. I also added a sample gcode by request so that all you have to do is download the zip at the sourceforge page and in 2 clicks you can try out the file previewer and see if it would be something useful to your application. As always feedback is appreciated so let me know if you have any iby cpwebste - Experimental
Just wanted to let everyone here know that I have updated the Hydra-MMM software and firmware to v1.1 with added support for machines using external motor drivers (step and dir pins). Origninally, I was using 4 pins to drive individual MOSFETs attached to each coil of a unipolar stepper motor, but I got a lot of feedback from people who already had Gen3 or similar electronics with external motorby cpwebste - Firmware - experimental, borrowed, and future
Just wanted to let everyone here know that I have updated the Hydra-MMM software and firmware to v1.1 with added support for machines using external motor drivers (step and dir pins). Origninally, I was using 4 pins to drive individual MOSFETs attached to each coil of a unipolar stepper motor, but I got a lot of feedback from people who already had Gen3 or similar electronics with external motorby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
Here is a picture of the GUI. It shows the new file previewer I added which makes it really easy to skim through the timeline of a gcode file and see what the build will look like and look for any incorrect gcodes. Thick lines are used for extruded movements while thin lines are used for movements without extrusion. The color of the line also corresponds to the z height of the line to help witby cpwebste - Experimental
Here is a picture of the GUI. It shows the new file previewer I added which makes it really easy to skim through the timeline of a gcode file and see what the build will look like and look for any incorrect gcodes. Thick lines are used for extruded movements while thin lines are used for movements without extrusion. The color of the line also corresponds to the z height of the line to help witby cpwebste - Firmware - experimental, borrowed, and future
Good idea. I went ahead and made 2 pages on the wiki. One for the machine and the actual physical build at: http://objects.reprap.org/wiki/Hydra-MMM_Prototype The second is for handling all the software and firmware and it located at: http://objects.reprap.org/wiki/Hydra-MMM_Software_and_Firmwareby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
I'm adding a screenshot of the GUI. It shows the new file previewer I added which makes it really easy to skim through the timeline of a gcode file and see what the build will look like and look for any incorrect gcodes. Thick lines are used for extruded movements while thin lines are used for movements without extrusion. The color of the line also corresponds to the z height of the line to heby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
I posted this over on the experimental host software forum, but I thought it should be placed here as well. I am currently working on a new project called Hydra-MMM for multi-headed manufacturing machine. The machine is a cartesian positioning system with multiple, independent toolheads for performing simultaneous operations on the same workpiece (ie FDM prototyping and milling). Because theby cpwebste - Firmware - experimental, borrowed, and future
I am currently working on a new project called Hydra-MMM for multi-headed manufacturing machine. The machine is a cartesian positioning system with multiple, independent toolheads for performing simultaneous operations on the same workpiece (ie FDM prototyping and milling). Because the machine needed to have support for multiple heads and be able to do many things that a standard reprap machineby cpwebste - Experimental
So after having lots of trouble modifying the Reprap firmware, I decided I would start from scratch and create all the software and firmware needed to control our multi-headed machine. The firmware is a little less "matured" than the full blown reprap firmware, but it is able to perform all of the functions that we are going to need and is much easier to modify and play with IMO. The host softwby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
Just updated my blog with a little info about the project. It have been codenamed Hydra due to the fact that we hope to be able to use multiple heads simultaneously. Hopefully lots more to come over the next few weeks!by cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
mochen72, you may be one step ahead of me because I am still looking through the firmware trying to locate where to setup a second extruder. I see all the syntax to handle additional extruders and even a variable for how many extruders you have, but I feel like somewhere you have to put in the offset of your second extruder (ie 20mm down the X axis). Otherwise the firmware won't be able to aligby cpwebste - Wire and Thread Embedded Extrusion
Sebastien: I'll talk to the team and see if they think a forum would be a good medium to document some information on our build. I used my blog at cpwebste.blogspot.com last time and that worked pretty well... Either way, we will find some way to get some info into the public domain. Also we have debated between using a toolchanger or just having multiple heads on the same X axis carriage.by cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
Sebastien: For the hardware it will probably be our own design for some type of CNC/rapid prototyping hybrid. It is going to need to have a lot more mechanical advantage for some of the other tasks we have in mind for it. As far as how we will handle the two different heads, we have looked at a basic toolchanger setup as well as options to simply give each of the heads their own Z axis so theby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
I am currently a senior in Mechanical Engineering and will be doing my senior project in the area of entry-level rapid prototyping. One of the techniques I want to investigate is the use for milling to improve the accuracy of FDM printing. Here is an example of how it would work. The FDM process would proceed as normal, however, the software would add something like 0.2mm to the outline of tby cpwebste - Shape Deposition Manufacturing Working Group
The main change that I made were the ones described in the extruder v2 page. I simply chaned the STEP_EN_PIN to a value >= 0. I think I used Arduino pin 5. I moved the fan onto one of the analog pins that I wasn't using (analog1, one of the max endstops I think). Then you just use the extruder speed control in the host software. It's shown with units of rpm but if you have the pinch wheelby cpwebste - RepRap Host
I've spent a good amount of time in the past couple days debugging everything and it ended being that one of the other .pde's, either the extruder.pde or command interpreter were corrupted. When I replaced them and made the changes above it started working. I had to adjust the E_STEPS_PER_MM for my smaller 0.4mm nozzle, but after that, when I press extrude it extrudes! One big problem thoughby cpwebste - RepRap Host
I am using the software to generate Gcode from an stl file and then send it to my Arduino that has the GCode_Interpreter firmware loaded on it. The firmware is the most up to date version and I am pretty sure I have everything hooked up correctly. Is the stepgenie a suitable replacement for the reprap extruder controller (gen 3 I think)? The step genie specs are at stepgenie.com. The IC has aby cpwebste - RepRap Host
Thanks freds. I went ahead and applied all the relevant changes. Here is the issue I am still having. My motor drivers require a step pulse each time the motor needs to step. So for the extruder to keep turning it would require continuous pulses on the step input. With the new firmware I seem to be only able to get a constant logic HIGH or LOW. It does not seem to be sending continuous pulsby cpwebste - RepRap Host
I have also encountered irregularities when trying to operate both the heater and the extruder manually at the same time. I am using the Reprap host software 20081218 on Windows XP for reference.by cpwebste - RepRap Host
I am interested in what modifications need to be made to the Arduino firmware to accommodate a pinch-wheel style extruder where the extruder motor is a stepper motor instead of a DC motor. It looks like the firmware currently has it setup as a DC motor which it is controlling the speed via pwm. This is obviously not a good idea to try to control a stepper motor driver this way. Can someone poiby cpwebste - RepRap Host
I am not totally sure whether to put this here or in the software forum, but I am encountering what I think is some kind of bug with either the Arduino firmware or the host software. My problem is that I now have my entire electronics board, together, tested, and working. The issue that I am having is that the extruder motor driver turns on fine when pressing extrude in the Windows host softwarby cpwebste - Controllers
Thanks for the reply BodgeIt. I have the Arduino Decimilia for reference. I think I may have stumbled upon something that might be causing this. As per your suggestions I have removed the jumper on the Arduino for selecting between USB or external (9V with onboard regulator I think). It appears that this makes the 5V pin on the Arduino the sole source of power. After doing this I powered bothby cpwebste - Controllers
My question to your technique would be are the GND/5V/12V lines not connected once you get inside of the power supply. I envision one massive 5V node that supplies 5V to all the 5V outputs from the power supply. In this case, I don't see how using different taps to that line would make any difference. If that is not the case and the different Molex cables have different supply circuits insideby cpwebste - Controllers
I am currently supplying all the motors with the 5V rail. I may move to 12V eventually, but at the moment I'm keeping the current through the motors down. The 5V rails can supply 25 Amps from the power supply so it is more than capable. I will try out regulating the arduino and TC chip tonight. I did look around at other 5V regulator circuits with the L7805 and noticed some variation on the cby cpwebste - Controllers
I just happen to have a couple L7805CVs sitting around so I will try to find space for this on the breadboards tonight. One additional question, what the arduino thinks is +5V needs to be the same as what the TC chip sees as 5V right? So should I connect the arduino 5V pin to the output from this regulator as well? I'm not sure if that 5V pin on the arduino is a output, reference input, or somby cpwebste - Controllers
Good to know. I followed James' advice and basically connected every 5V pin that the power supply has together and ran it to the breadboard. That offered enough current for everything to turn smoothly. As for the thermocouple issue, I still haven't figured it out. Basically it works right when I turn it on. If I just move the Z axis after powering everything up it works fine. The moment Iby cpwebste - Controllers
I also noticed that when I plug in all 4 of my motors, the Z axis stepper no longer has enough torque to move than platform. My power supply can support up to 18 Amps on the 12V rail so I'm thinking that wouldn't be a problem with that, but what else could be the culprit? I have the whole circuit on a breadboard and have one molex connector powering the entire thing (+5V). Maybe I need to useby cpwebste - Controllers