Not working with Geeetech Rostock M301 Delta

Vinoh

Has anyone gotten the Mac version working with a Geeetech Delta printer? I have the Delta cylindrical shape but Repetier-Host seems to be treating it as an x-y. For instance, it controls each motor separately for homing which jams things up. Thanks.

--Dave

Repetier

It is the firmware that controls motors not host. SOund like you have compiled firmware in cartesian mode whcih does exactly that.

Vinoh

I don't think so since the Windows version of Repetier-Host works fine. I did not compile the firmware; it's provided pre-compiled by Geeetech. The Windows version calls it a Rostock whereas the Mac version calls it a Delta although this may not be significant.

Also, the Mac version requires x/y values for the printer shape but changes the values for a total diameter of 200 even though I set the diameter to 170. I have x and y set to +/-100 and the home to 0. Home for z is set to max which is specified as 220 mm. Bug in total diameter aside, are these settings correct?

I have confirmed that G28 works to send the printer home. Does the Mac version issue that code when the home button is pressed? If not, what g-code is sent?

Thanks.

--Dave

Repetier

In mac homing settings is x/y = 0, z = z max.

Home all just sends G28 X0 Y0 Z0 to printer, so what happens then is up to the firmware settings. You can enable send in log window then you even see the commands getting send.

Vinoh

Examining the logs did the trick. While the Mac version sends G28 X0 Y0 Z0 as you said, the Windows version only sends G28. Apparently the firmware provides an unnecessary function to home the individual towers and this causes big problems in a delta printer, especially at low heights. Even when the homing works at higher heights the printer is returning the tower heights as the coordinates which completely messes up subsequent operations in Repetier and made it look like nothing was working.

The solution could be implemented in either place. The firmware could ignore the XYZ flags or Repetier could send just G28 without the flags as it does in the Windows version. I think Repetier server has the same issue.

For now, the workaround is for me to only home the printer with its LCD controller. It's a minor nuisance but not anywhere near as bad as having to run Parallels every time I need to print.

Thanks for your help!

Repetier

Might be the reason I switched to plain G28. What firmware does this useless homing?

Checked server and it homes also correctly from it's web interfaces.

For mac I fixed it for next release.

Vinoh

Excellent!

The firmware is in the relatively new Geeetech Rostock M301. Unfortunately, it's not open source but I've alerted them to the issue and I suspect they will ignore the flags in the next release.

BTW, I just realized there is an even easier workaround. I've entered G28 for Script 1 so all I have to do is press Cmd-1 and the homing should work fine

Love it when seemingly impossible problems turn out to have such an easy solution!