correct.. i noticed this as well. I "thought" that may have been a raft, but i do not have the raft option selected. I peeled a layer off, and the infill on these first few layers does not seem to be enough..
First layer seems a tiny bit too high as the lines do not really touch. Try 0.05mm lower for z endstop. Do only small steps or it sticks like hell on the buildtak.
The main print looks over extruded. Don't forget to find the flow multiplier for your filament. 1.0 might be too high causing an overextrusion making outer part a bit ugly from all that filament.
Try a simple cube with 100% infill. If you over extrude you will very soon see a problem that you have too much material. And at the end you can measure the size for x/y/z accuracy. Will normally be a bit bigger then expected.
Well.. right back to square 1....
I ended up slicing several versions in .5 steps closer.
The last step was slicing at .001. I am getting the same non sticking print first layer because (I think) it’s still too far up. The z axis read 00, but the first layer is still no sticking.....
What the heck am I missing????
It should NOT be this hard.... should it???
I did never say to change slicer setting. No idea what you were changing. I said to configure z min to go 0.05mm lower. That is a firmware config whcih you can do with increasing z probe height by 0.05 mm.
ok.. I COMPLETELY mis-read what you responded with ... Yesterday was a really looong day.. You said "First layer seems a tiny bit too high as the lines do not really touch. Try 0.05mm lower for z endstop. Do only small steps or it sticks like hell on the buildtak."
I interpreted.... Ok.. now change the first layer height no more than .05 until it gets right...
I have changed my first layer height back to the default and when i get home tonight, i will alter the z probe height (with an increase of .05 at a time, testing a print after the change to see if it corrects).
ok.. i thought i had it figured out... I was able to print 1 part, but i think that was pure luck (i had a post with the pictures attached, but it is gone... i tried to print another part, and the issue of the first layer has returned....
when i home all axis and look at z0.. Z0 is setting on the build plate, telling me that z0 is actually zo... i try to print with the first layer at .2 (to try to get the first layer to squash down.. With the display showing z is at .2... the filament is being dropped onto the plate, not pushed to it.. If i stop the print at that point and lay a feeler gauge between the plate and the nozzle, it is .35. the nozzle is a .4 and is set for that in the repetier host.. the first layer is set to .2 with a 200% extrusion I tried with the first layer at .3 with a 200% extrusion with no luck there either.
it seems that now the z height is correct.. I also calibrated the z axis, the first time i tried to move 100mm, it moved 98.5, so i adjusted that and i get 100mm movement up and down..
Is your bed leveled 100%? If not you measure z distance at one point and at othe rpoints it has a different height. Normally a bed has adjustment screws to level it, so that z distance is the same over all positions. What I use is a metal block 6mm height and go to Z=6 and move the hot extruder and test with block below. If it can not rotate and does not crash against nozzle, distance is good.
Is your bed leveled 100%? If not you measure z distance at one point and at othe rpoints it has a different height. Normally a bed has adjustment screws to level it, so that z distance is the same over all positions. What I use is a metal block 6mm height and go to Z=6 and move the hot extruder and test with block below. If it can not rotate and does not crash against nozzle, distance is good.
Just a thought,.. maybe you need to start from the beginning and clear out the autolevel data and disable autolevel and distortion correction, and try to get your bed level mechanically without the software intervention FIRST, then if you have problems go from there with autolevel.
(These commands were copied from the Repetier.ino file in the firmware download package. There are many others).
M322 - Reset auto level matrix M321 S<0/1> - Deactivate auto level, S1 stores it in eeprom
ok.. i reset everything using the commands above. I have a die that is 8.77 tall.. i disabled the steppers and checked the distance at several points on the board several times and adjusted the thumb screws a few times and got it setup to just pass under the nozzle. then i tried to run through the z offset adjustment procedure and here is what i did...
Heated the bed and extruder Home the z axis (put the nozzle in the middle of the bed and ran everything through the software. raise the z axis to 1mm, where the sensor is not tripped..
zold = 1 (right??) moved nothing and Sent a G30 P0 -- z reports as 1.35 sent M114 raise the z axis until the die just slides under the nozzle Sent M114 z=8.360
so.. I "think" with these numbers my calculator says -1.94 if i enter 1.94 into the eeprom, and re-home the z axis, at z0, the nozzle is still off of the bed (i did not measure that distance.) Am i headed in the correct ditrection???
I apologize for not knowing this about that particular model,but do you have physical endstop switches for X,Y,Z? If you set Z=0 to just touch the bed (using the endstop switch) then if you elevate the Z axis with the command G1 Z8.77, your die should just fit if the Z calibration is correct.(you stated it is 8.77 tall). If that is true then moving your carriage to different points (i.e all 4 corners,one at a time, using g-code commands) the G1 Z0 command should just touch the bed at all tested points, that is where the adjustment would come in. On my printer I made a script to move to each corner and the middle, but separate commands work also. If you use g-code to move to the corner you should issue a G1 Z10 command first so you won't scrape the bed while moving, then issue the G1 Z0 command when you are at the desired location.Don't disable steppers , you want them to hold everything still. If your probe is your z-min, then the probe offset needs to be adjusted so your nozzle touches the bed at Z0, then the physical checks can be made. Also if you do a G1 Z10 and then a G30, it should reflect the Z height correctly if the probe is configured correctly. The main thing I am trying to get at is Z0 should be Z0, all points checked should match and a G30 should show the actual Z height you went to at that point. The auto-level and distortion correction just modify the nozzle height to follow a non-linear bed at the lower layers to try to get the print to "stick". But all 4 corners should reflect the same Z height, (according to the picture they are adjustable). If the bed is not perfectly flat you could see a difference in the middle if you initially just check those 5 points (4 corners and middle). Thats when you would use autolevelling.
no apologies needed at all.. I appreciate you taking the time to assist... I am really new to this whole process, after i bought and started to assemble this unit, it looks to be a variant of the Tevo Tarantula (at least all of the parts look the same).. It had a micro switch for the Z stop, but that was not installed because there is a sensor on the z stop. i am trying to get the z offset to be correct but the calculations do not seem to be working. I say this because after doing the calcs, I entered the number 1.94 into the z probe height, now when I home the Z axis and look at where the nozzle ends up, it is actually not on the bed. And when i tell it to print, i can see that the filament is not getting pushed to the bed, but rather getting dropped onto the bed. Is there another value somewhere in the firmware that could change where the z axis is homed, and possible where it starts to print? After I set the z probe height, and then move the nozzle to different points on the bed, and issue a G0 Z0, the nozzle never touches the bed (at Z0). when the Z axis homes, the nozzle comes down until the probe triggers, then it goes up a bit, then back down to where the probe triggers again and stops. The issue "i think" is the offset not begin correct.. I played with the z probe height value (changing it by .5 in the firmware, then re-homing the z axis). I have made it get close enough that it actually pushes the bed down and I know thats too far. I tried to use the cals provided on this page (https://www.repetier.com/documentation/repetier-firmware/z-probing/ ) but i think I may be missing a step, because the number i come up with (-1.94) and i enter 1.94 into the Z probe height, leaves the nozzle off of the bed.
First make sure your mesh data is clear and also turn off bed levelling G33 R0 clear mesh data M321 deactivate auto level now try calibrating your Z probe offset. Once you have the probe calibrated then you can run a G32 or G33 for bilinear or mesh bed levelling.
M320 or running a G32 S2 will reactivate auto level.
I actually have all of the numbers written down... I made several "micro" adjustments to the z-probe height value and re-homed after every one.. got it to where the nozzle just touched the bed at Z0... Thought I was good to go.. I tried to print just after that process, the print failed, I believe because of a cooling issue (opened a different discussion for that)..Also.. the first layer set as .3 with a 200% extrusion was still just getting dropped onto the bed and not squished.. After the print failed, i powered everything off, went to town, when i came back i tried a new print with all of the same values for everything and the first layer issues were back. Looking at the unit while it was printing the skirt, I can see that the nozzle is farther away from the bed than the diameter of the extrusion. Sorry.. i did not measure that time as i figured I had done something wrong and figured I would restart from the ground up and go through the actual measurements of the z probe offset...
You said you are using Slic3r right? Try loading a small item (like the 20mm hollow box ) and slice it. Under the PrintPreview tab on the right, click on the g-code editor and look at the ( I think it's the first G1 line after your initial g-code and see what Z height it's going to. On my machine my default is a 0.2mm layer setting with 0.3mm as first layer, my line reads G1 Z0.300 F7800.000, so I know that it will go to that starting height to extrude, If your code says something like that (whatever your first layer height is) and it's not correct there is probably a configuration problem.(as I see it, I could be wrong)...(are your steppers moving smoothly, no jerkiness or strange noises?)
I am using Slic3r (tried Cura as well as going in a completely different direction with the software from MatterHackers)... Thinking i was setting this up correctly with the instructions i had.. I have been fighting this thing from the start... After a few hours of research and a few postings here.. I "think" I am sneaking up on this. The first thing i tried (when I started this process) was to set the nozzle distance using a bit of paper.. then reading more, i found the post here about z probing and bed leveling.. When looking at the g-code with a first layer height of .2 or .3 (i have been experimenting to see what would work), the code was going to .2 and .3 to start, but the nozzle was obviously not at .2 or .3 because the material was not getting press to the bed...
After getting myself thoroughly confused.. i decided to back it all out and start again from the beginning. I have manually leveled the bed to the nozzle in all 4 corners and the center. I have also started the process of using my steel die to measure the actual distance using the calcs found on the Z probing post.
Now as of 2 nights ago, my laptop took a digger and is of no use to me at all.. I have my Raspberry Pi setup with OctoPi (just to get the ability to send code and read the results) to try to get the ACTUAL value for my z offset setup correct.
Ok.. frustration has again taken over here...
I have put all of the measurements aside and put a dial indicator against the bed, adjusted the z probe height until it touches the bed and does not move the indicator, that makes z0 actually 0 on the bed. I re-homed the z axis several times and the bed does not move and the nozzle is just touching. I go to z10 then x100 y100 and then z0.
The nozzle is not in the plate at all!!! What the hell???
I go back to the initial point and go to z0 and again z is not in the plate. It’s as if the z probe height is only good until I move to a different spot, then it all gets ignored. My z probe height is set to .85 and does not change......
What am I overlooking???!!!???
Ok ... looking again at this..
If I set the z probe height to .95, and homing the z axis from the printer panel, the nozzle just touches the bed, then if I send a g0 z10 then g0 z0, the z axis stops too far away from the bed. I home from the printer and the nozzle touches the bed, home from the software and the nozzle does not touch...
The difference is from the software... tried 2 machines with the same results...
the software does not home the z axis the same way the printer does...???
ok...
Printer alone, no computer at all...
I home the z axis and it drops to where the nozzle just touches the bed...
I go to the z axis on the panel and raise it to 2, then back to 0.. 0 is not on the bed...?? I re home the z and the nozzle is touching.. I send the z to 10 and back to 0..
0 is not zero???
Pk.. Where do i find the always_check_endstops? I have looked at my firmware and have tried to find it in the repetier-host.. Not sure where to locate this to set it to 0
I have looked at the config tool, but there are a LOT of settings that I do not understand (or know the actual values for). will the config tool "Read" my printer to collect that information? (like the processor or mother board).??
I ran through the config tool, downloaded the complete firmware and associated files. Read through the readme file. I do not have any arduino boards (never used any of them). The readme file says that if i have EEProm support, the first upload will copy the configs, but latter will not overwrite and that I should use Repetier-Host to open the eeprom editor to make changes. Given my lack of knowledge here, i would really like to NOT make this board a paperweight...
Any advice or assistance with this would be most appreciated.
How did you get your first firmware on the board? I was assuming you did and only need to check the value. Unfortunately that value can not be changed through eeprom.
The board came preloaded as part of the kit I bought.
Does this software have the ability to “get” the current information from the board? There are a lot of settings on the confit tool that I am unsure of...
I started to upload the firmware, but got an error that I need to define the z probe pin, since I did not build this board, I am not entirely sure what settings are safe to change, or what I need to define before I try to upload..???
No the tool can only get settings from an old conguration.h also generated with the tool. Since firmware is GPLv3 licensed, your vendor must offer a download of his modified version on his homepage. That would be the right starting point. Did the original firmware already have support for a z-probe or did you add that and that lead to all your problems?
This was out of the box... I just assembled it ( with the z probe), turned it on and have been fighting it ever since... i deleted all of the offsets in the firmware and started back from the start. If have adjusted the probe so that when I home the s axis as well as when I send a z0 the nozzle gets to just over .0015 from the bed... I have not yet been able to test any printing yet, but I am hopeful that I am getting thee. I have asked the vendor now several times for the code they used and don’t get any info from them, other than “we don’t typically change anything”..
I just hope I am getting close here...
Well they changed at least the configuration.h to match the printer and that is all you want. And since it is a modification of sources they must publish at least that file.
You could test if that option is enabled by homing, go up and trigger endstop manually in air and try to go down. If it goes down it is set of just like you wanted to test. If it does not, that would be the problem.
You could also google if there is a sample configuration for your printer.
ok.. success... I still have been unable to get a config for the printer but... I have been fooling with manually adjusting the z probe to get the home and the z0 to be the same place. I have been able to print parts.. THANK YOU to everyone here for the help.. i now have the issue you mentioned on oct 5... I printed the parts, and now they are stuck like hell to the buildtak.. How do i remove the parts without major damage to the buildtak????
Comments
I "thought" that may have been a raft, but i do not have the raft option selected.
I peeled a layer off, and the infill on these first few layers does not seem to be enough..
The main print looks over extruded. Don't forget to find the flow multiplier for your filament. 1.0 might be too high causing an overextrusion making outer part a bit ugly from all that filament.
Try a simple cube with 100% infill. If you over extrude you will very soon see a problem that you have too much material. And at the end you can measure the size for x/y/z accuracy. Will normally be a bit bigger then expected.
I ended up slicing several versions in .5 steps closer.
The last step was slicing at .001. I am getting the same non sticking print first layer because (I think) it’s still too far up. The z axis read 00, but the first layer is still no sticking.....
What the heck am I missing????
It should NOT be this hard.... should it???
Yesterday was a really looong day..
You said "First layer seems a tiny bit too high as the lines do not really touch. Try 0.05mm lower for z endstop. Do only small steps or it sticks like hell on the buildtak."
I interpreted....
Ok.. now change the first layer height no more than .05 until it gets right...
I have changed my first layer height back to the default and when i get home tonight, i will alter the z probe height (with an increase of .05 at a time, testing a print after the change to see if it corrects).
I was able to print 1 part, but i think that was pure luck (i had a post with the pictures attached, but it is gone...
i tried to print another part, and the issue of the first layer has returned....
when i home all axis and look at z0.. Z0 is setting on the build plate, telling me that z0 is actually zo...
i try to print with the first layer at .2 (to try to get the first layer to squash down..
With the display showing z is at .2... the filament is being dropped onto the plate, not pushed to it..
If i stop the print at that point and lay a feeler gauge between the plate and the nozzle, it is .35. the nozzle is a .4 and is set for that in the repetier host..
the first layer is set to .2 with a 200% extrusion
I tried with the first layer at .3 with a 200% extrusion with no luck there either.
it seems that now the z height is correct..
I also calibrated the z axis, the first time i tried to move 100mm, it moved 98.5, so i adjusted that and i get 100mm movement up and down..
What am i missing??
Just a thought,.. maybe you need to start from the beginning and clear out the autolevel data and disable autolevel and distortion correction, and try to get your bed level mechanically without the software intervention FIRST, then if you have problems go from there with autolevel.
M322 - Reset auto level matrix
M321 S<0/1> - Deactivate auto level, S1 stores it in eeprom
BTW I did go to a site selling the HE3D. and there does not seem to be much info other than ordering it.
found this though - on Thingiverse - there is an HE3D group. I hope its correct for your printer.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/p2q6yrlhgb4d23y/HE3D-XI3_Repetier-Firmware.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/download/8bj9v1d47joj3nl/xi3firmware_tutorial_.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/download/1x8ci1w1ck62awv/arduino-1.0.2-windows.rar
I'm hoping this helps, They are older versions of Repetier (0.91) and definitely the Arduino, just trying to get you headed in the right direction.
i reset everything using the commands above.
I have a die that is 8.77 tall..
i disabled the steppers and checked the distance at several points on the board several times and adjusted the thumb screws a few times and got it setup to just pass under the nozzle.
then i tried to run through the z offset adjustment procedure and here is what i did...
Heated the bed and extruder
Home the z axis (put the nozzle in the middle of the bed and ran everything through the software.
raise the z axis to 1mm, where the sensor is not tripped..
zold = 1 (right??)
moved nothing and Sent a G30 P0 -- z reports as 1.35
sent M114
raise the z axis until the die just slides under the nozzle
Sent M114 z=8.360
so.. I "think" with these numbers my calculator says -1.94
if i enter 1.94 into the eeprom, and re-home the z axis, at z0, the nozzle is still off of the bed (i did not measure that distance.)
Am i headed in the correct ditrection???
I am really new to this whole process, after i bought and started to assemble this unit, it looks to be a variant of the Tevo Tarantula (at least all of the parts look the same)..
It had a micro switch for the Z stop, but that was not installed because there is a sensor on the z stop.
i am trying to get the z offset to be correct but the calculations do not seem to be working. I say this because after doing the calcs, I entered the number 1.94 into the z probe height, now when I home the Z axis and look at where the nozzle ends up, it is actually not on the bed. And when i tell it to print, i can see that the filament is not getting pushed to the bed, but rather getting dropped onto the bed.
Is there another value somewhere in the firmware that could change where the z axis is homed, and possible where it starts to print? After I set the z probe height, and then move the nozzle to different points on the bed, and issue a G0 Z0, the nozzle never touches the bed (at Z0).
when the Z axis homes, the nozzle comes down until the probe triggers, then it goes up a bit, then back down to where the probe triggers again and stops. The issue "i think" is the offset not begin correct..
I played with the z probe height value (changing it by .5 in the firmware, then re-homing the z axis). I have made it get close enough that it actually pushes the bed down and I know thats too far.
I tried to use the cals provided on this page (https://www.repetier.com/documentation/repetier-firmware/z-probing/ )
but i think I may be missing a step, because the number i come up with (-1.94) and i enter 1.94 into the Z probe height, leaves the nozzle off of the bed.
Not sure where I am missing a step..??
G33 R0 clear mesh data
M321 deactivate auto level
now try calibrating your Z probe offset.
Once you have the probe calibrated then you can run a G32 or G33 for bilinear or mesh bed levelling.
M320 or running a G32 S2 will reactivate auto level.
also make sure the bed coating value is set to 0
I made several "micro" adjustments to the z-probe height value and re-homed after every one..
got it to where the nozzle just touched the bed at Z0... Thought I was good to go..
I tried to print just after that process, the print failed, I believe because of a cooling issue (opened a different discussion for that)..Also.. the first layer set as .3 with a 200% extrusion was still just getting dropped onto the bed and not squished..
After the print failed, i powered everything off, went to town, when i came back i tried a new print with all of the same values for everything and the first layer issues were back.
Looking at the unit while it was printing the skirt, I can see that the nozzle is farther away from the bed than the diameter of the extrusion. Sorry.. i did not measure that time as i figured I had done something wrong and figured I would restart from the ground up and go through the actual measurements of the z probe offset...
Thinking i was setting this up correctly with the instructions i had.. I have been fighting this thing from the start...
After a few hours of research and a few postings here.. I "think" I am sneaking up on this.
The first thing i tried (when I started this process) was to set the nozzle distance using a bit of paper.. then reading more, i found the post here about z probing and bed leveling..
When looking at the g-code with a first layer height of .2 or .3 (i have been experimenting to see what would work), the code was going to .2 and .3 to start, but the nozzle was obviously not at .2 or .3 because the material was not getting press to the bed...
After getting myself thoroughly confused.. i decided to back it all out and start again from the beginning.
I have manually leveled the bed to the nozzle in all 4 corners and the center.
I have also started the process of using my steel die to measure the actual distance using the calcs found on the Z probing post.
Now as of 2 nights ago, my laptop took a digger and is of no use to me at all..
I have my Raspberry Pi setup with OctoPi (just to get the ability to send code and read the results) to try to get the ACTUAL value for my z offset setup correct.
I have put all of the measurements aside and put a dial indicator against the bed, adjusted the z probe height until it touches the bed and does not move the indicator, that makes z0 actually 0 on the bed. I re-homed the z axis several times and the bed does not move and the nozzle is just touching. I go to z10 then x100 y100 and then z0.
The nozzle is not in the plate at all!!! What the hell???
I go back to the initial point and go to z0 and again z is not in the plate. It’s as if the z probe height is only good until I move to a different spot, then it all gets ignored. My z probe height is set to .85 and does not change......
What am I overlooking???!!!???
If I set the z probe height to .95, and homing the z axis from the printer panel, the nozzle just touches the bed, then if I send a g0 z10 then g0 z0, the z axis stops too far away from the bed. I home from the printer and the nozzle touches the bed, home from the software and the nozzle does not touch...
The difference is from the software... tried 2 machines with the same results...
the software does not home the z axis the same way the printer does...???
Printer alone, no computer at all...
I home the z axis and it drops to where the nozzle just touches the bed...
I go to the z axis on the panel and raise it to 2, then back to 0.. 0 is not on the bed...?? I re home the z and the nozzle is touching.. I send the z to 10 and back to 0..
0 is not zero???
ALWAYAS_CHECK_ENDSTOPS 0
to prevent that z probe which triggers before bed touches stops the move early.
Where do i find the always_check_endstops?
I have looked at my firmware and have tried to find it in the repetier-host..
Not sure where to locate this to set it to 0
#define ALWAYS_CHECK_ENDSTOPS 1
should be
#define ALWAYS_CHECK_ENDSTOPS 0
but better you change it with config tool. Searching without my spelling error might help here.
will the config tool "Read" my printer to collect that information? (like the processor or mother board).??
Read through the readme file.
I do not have any arduino boards (never used any of them).
The readme file says that if i have EEProm support, the first upload will copy the configs, but latter will not overwrite and that I should use Repetier-Host to open the eeprom editor to make changes.
Given my lack of knowledge here, i would really like to NOT make this board a paperweight...
Any advice or assistance with this would be most appreciated.
Does this software have the ability to “get” the current information from the board? There are a lot of settings on the confit tool that I am unsure of...
I started to upload the firmware, but got an error that I need to define the z probe pin, since I did not build this board, I am not entirely sure what settings are safe to change, or what I need to define before I try to upload..???
I just hope I am getting close here...
You could test if that option is enabled by homing, go up and trigger endstop manually in air and try to go down. If it goes down it is set of just like you wanted to test. If it does not, that would be the problem.
You could also google if there is a sample configuration for your printer.
I still have been unable to get a config for the printer but...
I have been fooling with manually adjusting the z probe to get the home and the z0 to be the same place.
I have been able to print parts.. THANK YOU to everyone here for the help..
i now have the issue you mentioned on oct 5...
I printed the parts, and now they are stuck like hell to the buildtak..
How do i remove the parts without major damage to the buildtak????