MakerFarm 8” i3v Prusa with Printrboard Electronics Trouble I have a MakerFarm 8” i3v

3D Printing
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MakerFarm 8” i3v Prusa with Printrboard Electronics Trouble

I have a MakerFarm 8” i3v Prusa but with Printrboard electronics. I have Printrboard electronics instead of the traditional one for the MakerFarm 8” i3v Prusa as the electronics came from an abandoned DIY build I originally did. I gave up on this DIY build and purchased the MakerFarm i3v to i3v Upgrade. Of course I still have the Printrboard electronics.

Everything is hooked up and to start testing I simply clicked on HOME in Pronterface as I am running this off my computer not the LCD interface. This YouTube video shows what happens.

Hopefully the video is clear enough to show you that I am having the following problems:

  1. All three axis move in jerky steps not smooth movements to the endstops as in the demonstration video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVA8VjegmVE).
    The movement is not only jerky in all the axis but also very slow compared to your video.
  2. The x and y axis movements stop after a few “steps,” 7 to be exact, long before they reach the endstops. The z axis stops after about 330 “steps,” also before it reaches the endstop.
  3. The z axis does stop when I press the z endstop as shown in the video.

I know I have successfully upload firmware to the new Printrboard from my computer because I was able to change the Configuration.h file to reverse the home direction of the x and y axis by this instead of flipping the connector to the Printrboard from the stepper motors.

I tried changing the potentiometers on these axis to see if they made a difference but this only changed the distance of these “steps.”

Interestingly when I originally had this Printrboard hooked up to my homemade 3D printer (before I gave up on it and bought your kit) I experineced the same thing. I assume there is either a problem with firmware settings I loaded onto the Printrboard (the firmware is the one that are downloaded from the MakerFarm site for Printrboard) or the Printrboard itself.

Any help would be appreciated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlZiA6nlmc

2

If you mean adjusting the potentiometers, yes I did. For the x or y axis the “choppiness” of the movement is till there but the length of each “chop” or “step” changes. Thus the amount of rotation of the stepper motors is being changed by the potentiometer adjustments. This is why I think this is actually something wrong with the Printrboard electronics itself instead of the firmware. Then again I am still a novice at this.

3

Do you have your steps/mm set correctly? Because it sounds like you might not. That high pitched sound, and attempt at a step that fails, are things I associated with really wrong steps settings. Like order of magnitude off wrong.

4

Stephen and Nathan thanks for the input. I have Nema 17 Stepper Motors with 1.8 Steps so the section of my Configuration.h file below should be correct:

// INSTRUCTIONS: ENTER PARAMETERS BELOW FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT.
#define MICROSTEPPING_RATIO 0.0625 // Enter microstepping ratio of electronics. Printrboard and Pololu = 1/16, Gen6 = 1/8, etc.
#define XY_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the X and Y motors. See motor datasheet, 1.8degree = 200 steps, 0.9degree = 400 steps
#define Z_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the Z motor(s).
#define EXTRUDER_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the extruder motor.

Stephen’s observation on the steps/mm setting sounds like it could be the problem but I cannot find where that is set in my Configuration.h file.

5

Stephen, I think you are putting me on the correct track as the high pitched sound is exactly what you said. When the high-pitched sound starts the stepper motor stops turning. How do I change the steps/mm?

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Lastly, here is the section of my Configuration.h file that I think deals with steps/mm:

//===========================================================================
//===========================CALIBRATION PARAMETERS==========================
//===========================================================================
// Formula for X and Y steps per mm = [(Number of Motor Steps per Revolution)(1/(microstepping ratio)]/(BeltPitchToothCount)
// Formula for Z steps per mm = (Motor Steps per revolution)*(1/(microstepping ratio)/(Vertical Movement per revolution) where Vert. Movement per revolution = 1.25mm for directly driven M8 rods on Prusa
// Formula for Extruder steps per mm = [(PackingDensity)(Number of Motor Steps per Revolution)(Gear Ratio of Extruder)(1/(microstepping ratio)]/(pi(Diamter of Hobbed Bolt or Pinch Wheel))
// -Equation based on: The Brokentoaster Blog – Open-source hardware and custom design from MP3 players to 3D printing. and HydraRaptor: Spot on flow rate
// -The term ((NozzleDiameter^2)/(ExtrudedFilamentDiamter^2) from the above articles is consolidated to the term “PackingDensity”
// INSTRUCTIONS: ENTER PARAMETERS BELOW FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT.
#define MICROSTEPPING_RATIO 0.0625 // Enter microstepping ratio of electronics. Printrboard and Pololu = 1/16, Gen6 = 1/8, etc.
#define XY_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the X and Y motors. See motor datasheet, 1.8degree = 200 steps, 0.9degree = 400 steps
#define Z_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the Z motor(s).
#define EXTRUDER_MTR_STPS 200 // Enter number of steps per one revolution of the extruder motor.

#define PACKING_DENSITY 1.0 // Leave at 1.0 and adjust in Skeinforge 40+. Alternatively, leave at 1.0 in Skeinforge and calculate manually: Packing_Density = (NozzleDiameter^2)/(Measured_Extruded_Filament_Diamter^2)
#define BOLT_DIAMETER 7.00 // Enter measured diameter of hobbed bolt or pinch wheel
#define EXTRUDER_GEAR_RATIO 48/9 // Enter gear ratio of extruder. Wade’s Extruder: 39/11, Accessible Wade’s by Greg Frost: 43/10, Adrian’s Extruder: 59/11, etc.

#define BELT_PITCH 2.5 // 5.08 Enter pitch of X and Y belts in millimeters (space from tooth to tooth). XL belts = 5.08mm
#define GEAR_TEETH 16 // Enter number of teeth on X and Y gears
#define Z_ROD_PITCH 1.25 // Enter pitch of Z rods in millimeters. Pitch = 1.25mm for directly driven M8 rods.
// End MECHANICAL Calibration

#define PI 3.14159265359
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {((XY_MTR_STPS/MICROSTEPPING_RATIO)/(BELT_PITCHGEAR_TEETH)), ((XY_MTR_STPS/MICROSTEPPING_RATIO)/(BELT_PITCHGEAR_TEETH)), ((Z_MTR_STPS/MICROSTEPPING_RATIO)/Z_ROD_PITCH),((PACKING_DENSITYEXTRUDER_MTR_STPSEXTRUDER_GEAR_RATIO*(1/MICROSTEPPING_RATIO))/(PI*BOLT_DIAMETER))}
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 5, 45} // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {9000,7000,50,10000} // X, Y, Z, E maximum start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for skeinforge 40+, for older versions raise them a lot.

#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 2000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for r retracts

//
#define DEFAULT_XYJERK 20.0 // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_ZJERK 0.4 // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_EJERK 5.0 // (mm/sec)

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You can use the M92 command to temporarily set new step/mm values, the syntax is:

M92 X[step value] Y[step value] Z[step value] E[step value] - any axis you don’t include won’t be changed, so if you want to start by just configuring and testing X (for example) it would be M92 X[step value].

Depending on what control program you’re using the box for manually sending commands to your printer may be easy or hard to find, but dig around and you should find it.

Setting those values with M92 means they’ll be lost on restart, so once you get things the way you like don’t power down. First, issue the M500 command which will write the running config to the EEPROM so it becomes permanent. Then you can restart it all you want.

The prusacalc link Nathan posted is a good one to use to figure out what your steps value should be. You need to know details about your motors (they’re almost certainly 1.8 degree steppers), your microstepping setting on your drivers (which should be 1/16 for a printrboard), the kind of belts you’re using, and the number of teeth on your pulleys. For the Z axis you would need to know the pitch of your leadscrew instead of the pulley information. Once you’ve got those things calculated, use the values you get from there with the M92 command and see if that improves things.

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Stephen, thanks I will try that tonight when I get home.

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M500 saves the new m92 setting to eeprom for permanence. Also, too high of a travel speed (for homing) affects homing like this. Try lowering that. The telltale sign is homing doesn’t work but it prints normally if you just start a print. If it jitters all the time, it could be fried drivers

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I have the following movement settings in my Configuration.h file:

//// MOVEMENT SETTINGS
#define NUM_AXIS 4 // The axis order in all axis related arrays is X, Y, Z, E
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE {5060, 5060, 50, 0} // set the homing speeds (mm/min)

11

I had a similar issue, turned out the electronics was fried. Hard to diagnose this without an oscilloscope.

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It does seem similar to when I fried the actual MCU in my Sanguinololu, but then it would just do the chunking movements and occasionally give high pitched screeches and refuse to move at all. The sound on this one still seems more like incredibly wrong steps values. If changing those to be correct doesn’t fix it, though, the board might be electronically damaged.

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Go to the marker farm website and get thier latest firmware.

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Wow! you are all very helpful thanks for taking the time to help me troubleshoot this. Unfortunately same problem:

  1. Tried changing the step value but it had no affect when I changed it in the firmware or using M92.
  2. Tried changing the homing rate. Making it smaller made the choppy steps smaller, making it larger made the choppy steps larger and more violent.
  3. Even tried a different 12V connection off the power supply, still no change.

Since this happens identically on the x and y axis I cannot believe there is anything wrong with the stepper motors. I am beginning to think that this is a hardware not a software problem. I am open to any further suggestions.

Note in the video below that the y axis moves a few steps then stops moving and the stepper motor stops moving yet the stepping sound (signal?) still goes on for a while.

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@Nathan_Walkner You are correct. My MakerFarm kit did not come with a ramps board as I really did not get a full kit, I actually got the MakerFarm i3v to i3v Upgrade (http://www.makerfarm.com/index.php/3d-printer-kits/makerfarm-i3v-to-i3v-upgrade.html) as I already had the electronics (Printrboard), 2 stepper motors, a 8" heat bed, and a Greg’s Extruder with J-type hot end from my failed attempt to build a large format printer from an old large format scanner (https://plus.google.com/104236978869666493835/posts/Mf6rLu4kxYz). Actually I did not have the Printrboard originally as the one I purchased 3 years ago I lost somewhere in the menagerie of my basement shop. Alas, I am going back to a full MakerFarm Prusa 8" i3v Kit (V-Slot Extrusion) build. I purchased the Ramps electronics from MakerFarm last night as well as the exact power supply they recommend. Thus I will have a traditional Prusa 8" i3v Kit (V-Slot Extrusion).

I am sending the Printrboard I have currently back to Colin at MakerFarm to see if it is actually failed, which the manufacturer is supposed to determine. Unfortunately, I am sure that these electronics come from overseas and my experience with electronics manufactured overseas from my “day job” is that the original manufacturer will rarely admit that one of their items was manufactured incorrectly.

I do have one question though. When I first started looking at 3D printers some 3 years ago, Printrboard seemed to be the electronics of choice. Now it seems to be Ramps. Is the change mainly due to the ability of Ramps to do more things like more fans and multiple extruders?

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If you want the best printrboard, order from us. To my knowledge, all other printrboards are made abroad and are several revs behind our lastest changes. Ours is made with all the best components and firmware changes are authored by us to correspond. I know it sounds like a marketing pitch but it’s not. I have had people cheat me by sending in their printrboards to try to get me to replace it and they didn’t even buy it here. I was shocked by the low quality parts and changes they made to the board to save money- even grey-market components. Maker farm shows a picture of “revC”… There is no revC from us… We saw a crapppy version come out of India labeled revC and skipped over it to D. Now we are testing revF6 :wink:

/rant

There is no comparison, our printrboards are the highest quality and we stand behind them. I’m sitting 10 feet from my pick and place line right now.

All that to say, if it was made elsewhere, the firmware that works on it will be a mystery, to me at least. Best of luck though! There must be a group of people somewhere that can help.

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@Brook_Drumm Thanks for the input. I did look at your Printrbot site and you seem to have some very nice products. The fact that they are made in the US is a plus as being a chemical engineer for 30+ years I know quite well the devastation in our US economy 3rd world products have been despite the fact that the US still has one of the most efficient and quality producing workforces in the world.

If you look at where this project started some 3 years ago (https://plus.google.com/104236978869666493835/posts/dKLiCeRY9Gk) you can understand why I started with such a piece-meal approach. Matter of fact those 3 years ago when I started your company was one of the ones I was looking at for parts. At least I went with another small US-based company MakerFarm.

Though I started off programming on punch cards 35 years ago I still find computers and coding tedious. Except at the base level at which you are determining which position the transistor on the chip is in, programming is totally dependent on the “rules” of the computer language involved not those of Mother Nature. I sometimes wonder if programs have gotten so complicated, compiled on top of compiled on top of complied, that there are very few whom really understand how they actually function such that whether a program works is now reduced to trial and error.

In hindsight, even though I can build things and am pretty good at coding it would have probably have been better to just have bought a pre-built unit like one of yours. If there is one thing I have learned at operating and designing chemical plants for 30 years is that you do not add more uncertainties to a project then there absolutely has to be. I guess that is what I finally reduced it to with this 3D printer. Getting the electronics from MakerFarm to simply make this one of their standard units goes a long way in eliminating these uncertainties and seeing that I already had all the other parts it seemed the logical choice. That choice would have been far different if I had known at the start what I know now. But sometimes your failures teach you much more than your easy successes.

Or as my favorite singer/songwriter the late Warren Zevon wrote in his classic, "Boom Boom Mancini:

“When Alexis Arguello gave Boom Boom a beating
Seven weeks later he was back in the ring
Some have the speed and the right combinations
If you can’t take the punches, it don’t mean a thing”