Has anyone here installed/flashed Repetier firmware onto their Anet A8?

3D Printing
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21

Hi @allanGEE , I am retired and sleep often and well but I do not hold any fixed or imposed schedule except when the wife orders… :wink:

Now I’m confused but it’s not the first time. You just wrote…

Why would I go back to the original firmware when I have Repetier successfully installed?!?!

But in an earlier post you also wrote…

I’ll probably reflash the original firmware so the printer is usable while I do some deeper research.

My understanding is that you have yet to prove that you have successfully installed that new Repetier firmware!

The Anet A8 comes preloaded with it’s own flavour of the Repetier firmware but no way to modify it other than tweak some specific (limited set of) parameters. I have asked my printer supplier (O&Fine store) to provide an actual copy of the firmware code but they never accepted. I guess they consider their tweaking of an otherwise Open source firmware to be proprietary !?

They do provide the compiled code but not the source (human readable form) code. So any upgrade, update on Repetier is lost to us unless the Anet guys decide to give us an updated firmware. We lose the community support that comes with open Source etc…

If you remember, I initially had my share of mechanical/technical issues with my printer and dealing with my chinese supplier to solve these problems was like having my teeth pulled slowly, one by one. That also explains my hesitation to flash new firmware unnecessarily at this time on an otherwise functional printer.

Now don’t worry about me taking the plunge on your behalf only. I am definitely looking at my own interests here as well. I still have my doubts about that package we downloaded (and you installed) from that German site. Who knows what’s in there !? My main concern is with the Anet V1.0 board definition for the Arduino environment. Once this is proven, by having successful prints, getting the latest and greatest Repetier firmware AND getting community support for it should be easy !

22

@JP_Roy I envy your retirement days! :slight_smile:

I’ll recap for clarity.

I’ve successfully printed with original supplied firmware.

I figured out how to get Repetier Host to connect with the original firmware installed, and printed successfully via Repetier Host – but discovered nothing would make auto-leveling work, due to the original firmware not cooperating.

After some trial and error, I manged to install the “repetier” firmware from the German source and I successfully connected to the printer via Repetier Host.

I can get the z-probe to work – so auto-level should now be possible, but I unplugged/removed the original z-min switch so I could plug in the z-probe.

Now, when homing, the z-probe is not over the metal bed, so the extruder wants to “crash” into the bottom of the printer.

The simplest solution appears to be a z-max home, and then z-probing for auto-level.

I just need to figure out how to implement the “simplest” solution. :slight_smile:

Also, as an experiment last night, I tried using the Repetier online firmware configurator – to try some settings – but the board wouldn’t accept the new file generated by Repetier. I’m guessing that’s a problem the German gentleman solved somehow.

So… now I’ll confirm I can replace the z-min switch and print. I expect it to work with no problem.

Then I’ll look into a siple way to implement z-max via Repetier Host.

If that doesn’t work (and even if it does), I’m going to try and figure out how to get something from the Repetier online firmware configuration tool, onto my printer.

As I’m typing, I think I recall that I can upload an existing configuration.h to the online tool. I should see if the “German” one will upload, and I can take a look at the settings that show up.

I have lots of ideas… not enough time.

Keeps me out of trouble though!

23

I just uploaded the “German” Anet-Repetier to the online configuration tool (it says it’s using a “Melzi” board by the way. Although I think I recall him writing that he had to change some pin designations). If I’m not mistaken, with the induction probe installed, I think I can use that online tool to change the homing order to Z up, X, Y, preheat, Z. I can also set the x and y positions for that maneuver.

Now… what happens if I give a “home all” command after that? Who knows! I’m not convinced it will save the probed z position as the “parking” position for the extruder assembly. I have some backup nozzles arriving in the mail at some point, so maybe I’ll just give it a go once I can replace a damaged nozzle. Geronimo!

(and now I have to get back to the job I’m paid to do… and, when I get home, the chores I’ve been putting off. Will post new results once I get a chance to try things)

24

A big step forward!

I installed Skynet3D on my Anet A8 this weekend. I kind of raced through the installation just to see if the safe homing function would work (measures Z-home with the induction probe and then remembers it – so no need for a physical z-stop switch).

It worked. Mostly. It performs a 9-point homing on the bed, and it parks the extruder safely (without mashing it into the bed or frame).

However, when I tried a print, I realized I had my z-offset set incorrectly and the nozzle sat against the bed.

Also, the instructions provided by Skynet3D use the old version of Cura to set things up after installing the firmware, and I was trying to translate those instructions for the latest version of Repetier Host. I’m not exactly sure what steps I took, or in which order, because of that.

But now, since I know it can work, I’m going to do it all over from scratch, and write out step by step instructions. Once that’s done and it’s working, I’ll post them for anyone that wants to give it a go.

25

Hey Allen, what happen with the German Repetier stuff ??

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@JP_Roy I couldn’t figure out how to get it to work with just the induction probe. When I looked into it, I found out Skynet3D has a “safe home” function already written into the configuration file. For now, I think it’s the fastest way for me to get auto-leveling to work. Plus, it still lets me use Repetier.

I uploaded the German Repetier file to the online Configuration Tool but that didn’t give me enough clues.

I will still probably try creating a Repetier “version” some time in the future, but taking the path of least resistance right now.

It seems strange to me – considering how popular they are – that Repetier doesn’t have an Anet setup on their online firmware configuration tool. Maybe there’s an easy way to do it, but I haven’t found it after a lot of googling.

27

In case anyone is still following this. I haven’t given up. We had to wipe our computer’s hard drive to solve some issues with games (priorities, priorities) and now I’m helping my wife prepare for the annual community garage sale she hosts in May. I will be posting results as soon as I get a chance to move forward.