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Solved At my wits end. Need help w/ firmware

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by Scifideity, Sep 30, 2021.

  1. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Greetings Programs,

    Apologies for the lengthy post, trying to get as much info presented as I can to hopefully help spark a recognition in someone's memory that can help out :)

    As the title says, I am at my wits end. I really could use some help with my ROBO 3D R1+. It's been running great for years but the stock hotend started clogging up and eventually would never stay unclogged no matter what I tried. So I ordered the e3Dv6 upgrade and got it installed no problem using @WheresWaldo 's post http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/e3d-v6-information-and-installation-guide.17598/.
    I had a list of upgrades I'd always been meaning to take the time to do so I took advantage of the opportunity to also try adding a FRS and LEDs since they weren't too complicated and easily undone if needed.

    I've done firmware tweaks in the past with no issues. I was on the ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 firmware prior to beginning this current tumble down the firmware rabbit hole. I started with Marquis Johnson's Youtube tutorial Expert Mods: Marlin Firmware 1.1.9 Robo 3D R1+ since it pretty much had everything I needed ready to go.

    That's when my problems began. NOT because of anything in his tutorial mind you, the printer just didn't seem to like it for some reason. So I decided to forego/backout the FRS and LED mods and focus on just upgrading the firmware and tweaking for the new e3Dv6 hotend.

    I dug around in the Forums and found a ton of information on Marlin 1.1.x dating back 6 years
    http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...grade-1-1-0-rc8-rcbugfix-for-r1-r1-plus.5806/
    http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/marlin-1-1-9-release-for-robo-r1.22329/
    and many other posts

    At this point, short of Marlin 2.0, I've tried pretty much every version of Firmware I can find.
    Marlin_111_ABL_PLUS
    Marlin_111_MESH_PLUS
    Marlin-bugfix-1.1.9
    RCBF_ABL_PLUS_05_01
    RCBF_ABL_Plus_11-15
    RCBF_ABL_Plus_12-01
    RCBF_MESH_Plus_11-15
    RCBF_MESH_PLUS_12-01
    Robo3dR1-119_bugfix

    I only made the following changes, if not already present, in each:

    Configuration.h

    #define TEMP_SENSOR_0 5 // robo 1, e3Dv6 5
    #define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 310 //robo 320, e3Ev6 310

    Configuration.adv.h
    #define DOGM_SPI_DELAY_US 10 // default 5, changed to 10 due to screen corruption

    I typically use Cura (updated to latest 4.11) but found that it would run bed leveling fine and home properly but as soon as a print started, the right side Z axis would dip way lower than the left to the point of a noticeable slant in the X bar. It'd try to print but wouldn't get much done since the Z was whacked and the extruder was too low against the bed. After messing with that a bit I suspected Cura was doing something I was missing or unseen and shelved Cura.
    I loaded up MatterControl (2.21.6.11055) and was able to get prints to start working but no matter the version of firmware the print would get a few minutes in and suddenly it sounded like the motors froze up or something and they'd stutter back and forth a bit and then go silent stopping dead and then sit there. I've got a nice set of tiny rowboat looking beginnings of 3DBenchy that are a few mm tall piling up from my testing.

    My start gcode in MC is
    G28 X0 Y0 Z0 ; home all axes
    G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle
    M109 S[temperature] ; set the extruder temp and wait
    G28 X0 Y0 Z0 ; Home Z again in case there was filament on nozzle
    M851 Z-0.88 ;setting Z offset- negative is further away from bed
    G29 ; probe the bed

    Depending on the version I get various different errors. Some kick a MINTEMP Error as soon as you try to preheat the bed and hotend but powering down and restarting the printer clears it (most of the time). Sometimes I'd get a THERMAL RUNAWAY error. I've performed PID Tuning to troubleshoot the TEMP issues and it seems to help but the random stutter stopping issue is consistently present so far. (I did order a new thermistor and 40W heater element just in case they'd help but the e3Dv6 is literally brand new so I wouldn't think either would be necessary yet)

    I've tried printing directly connected from my Mac to Robo via USB and MatterControl and saw the stutter failures. Thinking it could be the cable or just transmission delay I switched to my normal setup and sent the gcode file via Octoprint. Same stutter/stop issue remains and shows up after a few minutes of printing.

    I'm currently on Marlin 1.1.0-RCBugFix and just did another test print to snag a video to show what it's doing. I used MC direct connected for this test.
    In the attached stutter_error_log_20210930-1300.txt the issue happens sometime before N17813. The issue happens and the gcode keeps flowing until I manually cancel the job at N17814. You can see the stutter stop problem in the video in the attached zip file.

    I'm hoping someone has encountered this or a similar issue in the past and has a solution I can try because I'm running out of ideas and things to test/try. I am getting a growing collection of tiny rowboats from all the print failures though. Not sure what I can do with those :D /LOL

    Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    -Shawn
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Forgot to mention. The test print in the previous post video ran for over 10min before the error occurred.

    I've also attempted to go back to the ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 firmware but it won't verify and kicks a screen full of errors like

    SdBaseFile.h:38:8: error: using typedef-name 'fpos_t' after 'struct'
    struct fpos_t {
    ^~~~~~

    I have deployed this firmware to the printer years ago and have the #include <U8glib.h> library but still no dice with verifying or compiling that firmware.

    EDIT:
    Figured the fpos_t after struct error out. Looks like Arduino 1.6+ changed the game and broke the ability to deploy older firmwares. You have to install the old 1.0.6 to deploy ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 but that won't run on a Mac because of the newer software requirements of Mac. /headdesk /headdesk

    EDIT 2:
    Dug out an old windows laptop and was able to get ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 installed. Ran a test print of 3DBenchy and, while it printed better than the other test, it still failed about the same place. Another lil rowboat for the pile.
     
    #2 Scifideity, Sep 30, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    just responding so you know someone saw it. will have an actual response later when I get back.
     
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  4. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Thanks Mark.

    Some additional info :
    It dawned on me the 3DBenchy test file was a common denominator so I tried another file last night to rule it out. A one inch 6 sided dice file. It too failed but printed taller than I got with 3DBenchy. Taking a swag at the amount of filament, it looks like it may be about the same amount of filament in the 3DBenchy failures.

    Just in case, I ordered a new thermistor and higher Watt hot end heating element the other day. The thermistor arrived yesterday and the heating element will be here later today so those are options.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    With this error in your log:

    Pause Due to Error
    Error:Thermal Runaway, system stopped! Heater_ID: 0
    Error:printer halted. kill() called!


    It is almost always a bad thermistor (or loose connections to it) or a weak heater core. You can sort both with the parts you ordered.
    Let us know how it goes.
     
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  6. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Hi Mark,

    Doesn't look like either part was the culprit. I was hoping one of them would have been defective and the solution but the e3Dv6 hot end is brand new and this was my first round of firing the printer up after installing it so the chances weren't good either would be the issue. Definitely had to try them to rule them out though.

    I got them installed and did some testing. On a side note, man is PETG a PITA. Still don't have it dialed in 100% yet but was able to finally get it to stop not sticking to the bed and quit dragging laid down lines around wrapping up the hot end nozzle. I happened to be sitting and staring at the printer watching to see how the filament was doing when the error happened again. The temp readout on the screen was exactly where it should be (was trying 250 at the time and when the error happened the temp read 250). The stuttering happened then the printer goes sort of 'dark' w/ lights off like in the video above. The screen and log show it still thinks it's printing while the temp begins to drop and then eventually it throws an error about temperature failure. I'm thinking there may be another issue that is causing the system to halt unrelated to temperature that results in the heater turning off. When the hot end cools down enough while it still thinks its printing it then throws the temperature error.
    Attached is the log from the test. The stutter stall failure happened at Line 6935 and the printer sounded like the motors were still trying to do something. There was a small 'whine' sound and the carriage was vibrating slightly but remaining in then position it was in when the error occurred. I powered the printer off at Line N7659 after watching it fail and seeing the temp drop 20deg. Up until I powered it off, it still thought it was printing. The display read printing and the log was flowing like normal.

    Any suggestions on what to try next?

    Thanks

    -Shawn
     

    Attached Files:

  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    It can be. It is very picky on the ambient temperature and humidity (unless you have a sealed heated chamber).


    Looking at the tail of that log you attached:


    Code:
    Exception:Device not configured
    Connection Failed: Unknown Reason
    Lost connection to printer
    Communication State: Disconnected
    Read Thread Has Exited
    
    It is getting scrambled at some point and likely the Arduino firmware is rebooting which will lose the connection to the printer.
    The lights dimming is also another potential clue. It is possible that the power supply is dropping off and may be the problem.
    If you can record a video of the printer where it starts to fail and post it somewhere (flickr, imagur, someplace I can see it -- can't directly post it here) and let me take a look. The
    Code:
    Exception:Device not configured
    is a failure to connect/talk to the printer over USB. That can be the Arduino but it can also be the cable. Make sure you have a new, good quality USB cable attached.
     
  8. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Hi Mark,

    I ran another test after moving the printer closer to my Mac and switching to a brand new USB cable. Log file attached.

    You can see the error in action here


    At the 9:25 mark which I believe is around log line N12207 is when things stop.
    After it stopped, the log keeps flowing, the extruder temperature begins to drop, and the printer continues to think it's printing while nothing is actually happening.
    Around log line N13319 is when the temperature of the extruder had cooled down to 230 at the 9:58 mark in the video and the display registered the TEMP FAILE ERROR.
    The printer was just sitting there so I began exporting the log data when about 20-30sec later it started making a loud noise you can hear in this video


    I killed the power once that started.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    OK, looking at the log files all I see of note is the infamous: "Error:Extruder switched off. Temperature fell too much during print!"

    It is repeated a lot which is normal, but I see no other errors before that (or different ones after that).
    It carries on until the end of the log:

    "Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)"

    So that ultimately has to be the cause I suspect. This is addressed in the FAQ (in case you had not already seen that) along with solutions/approaches:

    http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/faq-r1-r1-series-printers.19735/#post-119221

    Sadly there are no timestamps in the GCode terminal log so I can't say that the first occurrence of the error matches your first issue noticed time. However, that is certainly going to produce the sort of failures you are seeing. Next time look in the Gcode terminal immediately when the error/weirdness happens and see if the error is there.
     
  10. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Are you not using an attached PC and only using the LCD for printing?
    Just curious ... it would alter the ways you can troubleshoot this.
     
  11. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    My default method of printing is usually via gcode uploaded to Octoprint. Currently I'm troubleshooting with direct Mac to Printer connection via ~4-5' USB cable using MatterControl to print and capture logs but I've tried some of the previous testing via Octoprint as well.

    I'm on a brand new thermistor and hot end heater and the rest of the e3Dv6 is also brand new. This is my first attempt to get it up and running. I've checked all the connections but am going to recheck everything again just to be sure. I found another thread about a replacement PSU and found one on amazon that'll be here Wednesday in case that turns out to be the issue.

    I'll check out that M999 thread and step through the info there. Since the ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 firmware didn't help I'll re-upgrade back to one of the newer versions. Which would you recommend I go to? There are quite a few threads out there about it and I have so many files downloaded its becoming a jumbled mess /LOL I did see the Marlin 2.0 thread but haven't found/downloaded a full version of that yet.

    Thanks again for the assistance with this.
     
  12. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The temp fall error as we call it is always a problem with the firmware reading the thermistor. Always. The error is raised by Marlin and only when it sees sudden sharp fluctuations in the value coming from the thermistor (hotend or heated bed). I'd suggest for the purposes of troubleshooting that you stay on a version that is "Stock" meaning one of the releases from Robo (edits the confiuration.h are not usually critical, but the version of the firmware can be -- Robo has a poor track record of creating solid firmware configurations).
     
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  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The LCD is great for normal use, but it does not offer you the GCode terminal for troubleshooting :)
     
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  14. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Hi Mark,

    So far I've replaced the thermistor and hot end heater element, multiple different USB cables, and printed via USB and via Octoprint. All with no change in behavior. It's looking like the next logical steps are to start replacing the boards doing all the work since they're one of the few common denominators left. Power Supply is also still a potential culprit and his replacement will be here tomorrow.

    I can get a new Arduino Mega 2560 REV3 [A000067] ordered but is it better to use the Arduino brand or are the clones just as good? I've used both Arduino and Clone versions of UNOs in other projects for years with no real discernible difference between them.
    In searching for the main board I noticed can order this entire kit with everything for less than the cost of the Arduino Mega 2560 so was curious if you thought it'd do the trick just as well as the brand name stuff given I'm not a 24/7/365 shop running the printer all the time?

    Thanks,

    -Shawn
     
  15. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I have had good luck with Arduino Mega clones, one of the small details that will matter is that they use CH340 serial controllers and those can be problematic, BUT I have over the course of (almost 8 -- GAD!) years used many of the clone boards without any issues.

    Yes, I strongly suggest of the the All-In-One kits that has everything for the printer:
    1) Arduino Mega (clone)
    2) ramps 1.4
    3) Stepper drivers
    4) usually an LCD controller thrown in as well

    They are more cost-effective than buying the boards themselves AND you end up with spare parts :)
     
  16. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Cool. Spare parts are always a good thing. :D
    Just ordered the kit and it should be here Thursday. If all goes well I'll have this printer up and running Thursday night :).
    I'll post an update once I've finished the ROBO organ transplant and give it a test run.
     
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  17. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Good luck!
     
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  18. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    Hi Mark,

    Got the boards swapped out. Went ahead and swapped the Arduino, RAMPS, and Stepper Drivers.
    Installed the ROBO3DR1PLUSV2 firmware and am currently troubleshooting.

    I used this thread to get everything hooked up.

    http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...and-rewiring-to-make-generic-ramps-work.8356/

    I've gone over the wiring multiple times and everything seems to match up with that thread's recommendations. The display shows current ambient temperature for both the bed and extruder temperatures so those are looking good. I'm having an issue getting it to Auto Home from the Control Panel. I can go into the menu and move Z up and down with the knob but if I try to move X or Y they only move in one direction. Turning the knob in the opposite direction doesn't move either backwards. When trying Auto Home it starts out like things are normal but when it drops the Z down to the bed it doesn't seem to be acknowledging the Z end-stops and keeps trying to go lower. I've got my end-stops configured like the second diagram you posted in that thread on page 2.
    (Image is upside down compared to the wiring diagram)

    end-stops_RAMPS.jpg

    I noticed there are labels for Z, Y, and X one row over from the positions in the wiring diagram and even the diagram shows the same labels in the same empty rows. Do I have these wired up correct? I've triple checked and confirmed that I do have the Z wires for Z, Y wires for Y, and X wires for X.

    Another oddity that happened the first time I tried to Auto Home was the X carriage moved all the way to the right, hit the end and tried to keep going. I powered down to check all my wiring again when that happened and it's not happened again so far but the above issue may need figuring out before moving on to this one IF it still remains once Z is behaving.

    Any thoughts or suggestions on the Z issue?

    Thanks

    -Shawn
     
  19. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    It looks like you are off by one row on each of the X/Y/Z endstops. I think they each should move to the right one (in your pic above).

    These pics are NOT specific to the Robo, but chcek out the endstops. Try moving them over one.

    RAMPS 1.4 EN-sinsensor-alt (1).jpg

    ramps-1-4-schema-1920px.jpg
     
  20. Scifideity

    Scifideity Member

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    I went by the image in this thread http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...ake-generic-ramps-work.8356/page-2#post-97726
    Looks like its got the positions one row off as well unless I'm misreading it.

    Moving them over one row to line up with the Z-, Y-, and X- labels on the board did the trick.
    Got a test print going to see how it does. <fingers crossed>
    I'm hopeful since there isn't a circuit board left to replace (ignoring the LCD and PSU).

    The image above is excellent. Definitely adding that to my notes :)

    I'll report back when this test print is done and if all goes well, this thread can be marked as Solved.

    Thanks again for all the assistance. It is greatly appreciated.

    -Shawn
     
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