Solved R1+ Printer not connecting and showing gibberish

Hey guys,

All of a sudden my R1+ printer stopped connecting to my computer. I've tried connecting to a separate computer that I've printed from before and the same thing. I'm using Simplify3D and when I watch the program try to connect, it just shows gibberish and weird characters where before it would show comprehensible code. Do you guys have any ideas? One thing I thought is maybe the cable is bad so was going to pick one up to try. Otherwise it almost seems the firmware got jacked somehow and I'm not able to update it since I can't connect to the printer. PLEASE HELP! Any ideas are appreciated!


Chris

 

Well, a new cable didn't do it. Same problem.

 

I'm wondering if the control board is hosed. And of course just my luck, Robo is out of stock on those...

 

Yeah, I did that and still the same thing. I reinstalled drivers and such too and no luck. The printer and computer aren't communicating for whatever reason.


Chris

 

I'll take a look at the thread. I've also emailed Robo so will hopefully hear back from them tomorrow. Thanks!

 

Don't go by what they show in stock on their parts pages.
Best bet is to call, leave a message, email them, and follow up every day until you get someone to fix your issue.

 

Well, got a call from Robo today, but not a ton of help. They recommended updating the firmware which I did and it's still doing the same thing. Really stange. So, I bought this SainSmart control board setup to replace the control board: http://amzn.to/2mGuWrz It should be here wednesday. Oh, and I realized I have an R1, not an R1+, though I think I have a later R1.

So weird.


Chris

 

Ok guys, well the new board got the machine talking again and everything works except the Z-axis. It tries to move the Z, but just makes a whine sound from both motors like it's trying to move the motors but can't. Almost like not enough power. I tried the R1+ drivers which moved the Z-axis a little, but SUPER slow. Anyone have any thoughts? Everything else seems to be working ok otherwise.


Chris

 

Whoops, sorry, I meant the firmware. I did swap around the stepper drivers too plus the computer drivers. All with the same result and the z-axis not working right.

 

I tried the firmware for both the r1 and r1+ And neither worked right in the z axis

 

Ok, that would make sense as the motors act as though they don't have enough power/torque to turn. I will give that a shot. I'm pretty sure I have a later r1 just short of the plus. There's a total of 4 stepper drivers on the board.

 

Thanks for the help, I greatly appreciate it! I'll report back the results. Unfortunately I won't be able to work on the printer again until after this weekend.