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Repetier-Host Mac 0.56 problem: "5 commands waiting"

Discussion in 'Software' started by Cybus, Nov 16, 2013.

  1. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    Hi everyone,
    I got my printer a couple days ago, and I've been having some issues with getting it to connect to Repetier-Host Mac 0.56. The printer is properly plugged in to the power outlet and the computer, and the switch is in the "on" position, and when I press the "connect" button in Repetier-Host, it turns green and says "connected". But it also says "5 commands waiting" in the blue box on the right under the "Print Panel" tab as shown below. The number of commands goes down when I press the "Fake OK" button, but it whenever it gets to "Idle" in the blue box it is almost instantly replaced with "1 command waiting". Oddly enough, however, sometimes changing the settings (checking or unchecking the "Disable motors after job/job kill" option in the "Behavior" tab in the "Printer Settings" box) will cause the 5 commands waiting message to disappear and go to "Idle". Then, the printer works fine, but if I disconnect it and try to reconnect it again, it has the same problem. I tried using another USB cable, but that didn't help.

    I've done a good bit of research on this problem, but every solution I've seen involves changing an option that doesn't exist in this version of the software, modifying the software itself, or modifying the printer firmware. So does anyone know another way to fix this?
    Thanks!
     
  2. Seshan

    Seshan Active Member

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    Have you tried using a powered USB hub?
     
  3. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    No, but it does appear to be connecting to the printer with a regular USB cable. It seems like it's just a software problem. Anyways, I'll try that when I get a chance.
    Thanks!
     
  4. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    I got a powered USB hub and plugged it in, and at first it was having the same problem, but it's connected and working now. After I try another test print I'll disconnect it and see if it works reliably now. Thanks again!
     
  5. Seshan

    Seshan Active Member

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    Yeah, this seems to be a common problem with the Mac's, I haven't tried to see if it does it with mine yet.
     
  6. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    Well, the print didn't stick, so I killed the job and disconnected the printer. When I tried to reconnect it it went back to "5 commands waiting." I'll try it again tomorrow, but hopefully by next week I'll be able to get a used PC laptop that'll be designated solely for 3D printing purposes.
     
  7. tonycstech

    tonycstech Active Member

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    PC is same thing.
    Cant figure out what the problem is.
     
  8. Leon Grossman

    Leon Grossman Active Member

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    This appears to be a known problem with some Taurino boards. I replaced mine with an amazon Sainsmart board for $20. The safest route is a non-clone Arduino but that will set you back $60.
     
  9. tonycstech

    tonycstech Active Member

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    So i paid $700+ for none working board ?
    Cura does seem to start printing but repetier doesnt.
    I think its software problem
     
  10. Leon Grossman

    Leon Grossman Active Member

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    You may have a different problem than I had. Some taurino boards have an incorrect firmware in the USB-serial control chip. In my case, I could download the firmware from a PC but not from a Mac. I never tried Cura, though.

    And, yes, you paid $700 for a printer that costs a fraction of other printers in it's class. As a result, it is a very good printer but it does have its flaws. One of those flaws is a cheap Arduino clone which has an imperfect track record.
     
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  11. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Which board? Just curious.
     
  12. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Awesome! Thanks. Might consider that route myself...
     
  13. tonycstech

    tonycstech Active Member

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    Dont waste your money. Problem is not the printer or OS. Problem is the software.
    Try another software and see for your self, it works fine.
    I tried "Cura" and it connects no problem and gets things to work, but Repetier keeps having diarrhea.
     
  14. Leon Grossman

    Leon Grossman Active Member

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    It depends on the problem. Just because Cura connects does not inherently mean that there is no problem. I was able to connect with a PC and OctoPrint but never my Mac.

    I can't seem to find the links to the issues with the Taurino boards right now but the 16U2 USB communications chip was flashed with an older, pre-bugfix version of the Mega 2560 R3 firmware. Unfortunately, setting the board into DFU mode so I could update the 16U2 chip did not work so I wound up just replacing the board.

    Just replacing the board as a matter of course doesn't make sense but, if you are like me and cannot download a sketch from the Arduino IDE from your computer, a board replacement may solve the problem.
     
  15. Dark09

    Dark09 New Member

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    Yeah, I had the same experience with Repetier Host on my macbook pro, but Cura/KISSlicer didn't have any of those symptoms, they just worked. In the end Repetier would finally connect if I kept toying with disconnecting from the printer/computer, reboot the laptop, plug in the usb cable from mac to printer, make a slight change in the printer connection settings menu, then click the connect button... It was hit and miss.
     
  16. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    After trying three different pieces software, two different USB cables, and two different computers without any of them reliably connecting to the printer, I'm pretty sure that the connection problems I'm having are due to a fault with the printer.
    So what do you have to do to install this board in the printer? I'm guessing this board isn't exactly the same as the one that's already installed?
     
  17. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    When I emailed Robo3D technical support about this, one of the things they suggested was pressing the reset button on the Taurino board (small black button right behind the 3 in the logo). Unfortunately, this solution followed the same pattern as everything else I've tried to get my printer to work consistently (powered USB hub, Cura, a different computer): it worked fine the first time, connecting immediately without any difficulty. The second time, it took half a dozen tries before it would clear the waiting commands. Now, it doesn't work at all, and I've tried it at least a dozen times over the last day and a half.
    So I decided that I would have to try updating the firmware. Unfortunately, the Sketchbook drop down menu in the Arduino software gets stuck every time I try to use it.
    The only things left to try are buying another computer and a new Taurino board. If that doesn't work, I'll just use my printer as a lamp shade or something.
     
  18. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Hmm. I wonder if that might not indicate a hang/failure communicating with the Arduino board. A flaky board would explain a lot.
     
  19. Cybus

    Cybus Member

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    Well it still doesn't work, but now something actually happens when I press the reset button. It either connects, but immediately encounters some kind of error, which then repeats every second until I disconnect, or it causes strings of mysterious and seemingly meaningless characters to appear in the log. Do these actually mean something, or are they just the product of a few lost and confused electrons?
    EDIT: the reason it only says "1 Command Waiting" instead of 5 is that I hit the "Fake OK" button until it went down to "Idle," and then went back to "1 Command Waiting."
    Repetier Error.png Repetier mysterious characters.png
     

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