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Differential IR height sensor, Attemptin' Clone....ain't sure of success...now stage 10

Discussion in 'Mods and Upgrades' started by jim3Dbot, Aug 25, 2015.

  1. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    I checked the Ohms everywhere I could find no problem.
    Things I couldn't check cap, IR, tiny ...
    Will swap out IR's sometime.
    I don't think my buddy is visiting again soon. (Family visit once a year +-)

    I lost my extruder motor on the main prusa, had to replace the gear as I broke it taking it off.
    Problem is the new gear is a different ratio.
    Started tuning, just to realize I've been doing it all wrong.........

    My prints are now nicer than what they were, I even managed to print an Eiffel tower. Including the fine tip.!

    How is the GL480's working out? No more false triggers?[/QUOTE]

    Hi Puff,
    Glad things are working out with the print quality.
    A couple of suggestions for troubleshooting the IR's, Tiny, and capacitor.

    Test Capacitor...Use your ohmmeter on a very high resistance scale. Place the black lead on ground of the terminal header...then place red lead on Vcc header pin. Be certain Mini is unplugged. As soon as you connect red lead, immediately observe ohmmeter.....capacitor will charge, meter will increase in resistance, towards infinity. If no charging is noticed, than cap is opened....if very low resistance is noticed cap is shorted.

    Test IR's...Apply power to mini......using a digital camera observe both IR's...a violet color light should be observed from both IR's in the camera viewfinder......if none is seen, try another camera....a few cameras cannot see the IR...most can.

    Test Micro...Upon powering up the mini, look for the Red LED to blink twice/four times.

    The GL480's function well, as Dave intended.......the trigger range is much less then the +/- 9 degree, but no false triggers and usually no calibration required.

    If you cannot get that repaired, send it back and I will repair, just shipping is a bummer at about 7,900 miles.

    Keep me posted...........Take Care
     
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  2. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Here's a few pics I think are worth posting. Part of an on-going conversation with Puff........He did a great job enclosing reprap printer...don't you think?


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Well..........Its been a while..........I am taggin' this project a success...........Thanks to @danzca6 @jbigler1986 @Mike Kelly @Mike Glass @Puff for installing & beta testing this mini IR clone.

    I have sent ten mini IRs to @Printed Solid for distribution, months ago, but asked him to hold until I received the blessing of the software developer, David, which he courteously declined. Dave had negative issues with others in the recent past..........don't blame him for becoming a little apprehensive. I have now received Daves' approval and hopefully Matt will still be interested in distributing the sensors in the near future. I'm shooting for August 1st.

    Due to this thread, Robo became very interested in the non-contact IR for its potential implementation in the R2. I have had telephone conversations with the Robos Engineering Manager, Allen McAfee. Nice fellow, I may add........and can assure you guys they are actively working on the new Robo R2 release. There will be a few niceties in the R2. Concerning the mini IR..........Robo has assembled their own clone.........mounted it behind the hot end,......allows better visibility of 'what you are printing', as forum members have suggested earlier on this thread. In addition, as some members, as well as I, have experienced, the large white areas silk-screened on the glass plays havoc with the IR. I have revised my firmware to miss those areas during autolevel probing. The R2 will now have an all black bed, should be no secret there...........If you guys replace your bed heater, go ahead and paint that logo out......flat black.

    I was hoping to supply Robo with the clones, I was told an annual projection, but that's not my place here...........in short, what Robo requires is a number I can manufacture & achieve, but not at a cost if manufactured overseas. Unfortunately, that is the nature of today's electronic assemblies and is understandable. Dave & Robo are working together in a move to make the mini IR available with the R2. Good luck fellows.........

    Jimmy
     
    #203 jim3Dbot, Jul 21, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2016
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  4. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    @jim3Dbot, your work here was (and continues to be) incredible. I was honored to be part of testing this technology out. Thank you! I have to say it is still my favorite upgrade. Even though Mesh Leveling is going to be the next best thing to replace ABL once the next Marlin release is official, there is still no substitute to having the IR for Z homing instead of allowing the nozzle to touch the bed. It allows a greater variety of build plates to be used without risk of damaging the plate from the hot nozzle pushing on it. The z stops are a pain in the rump to have reliable accurate triggering compared to the IR.

    It's great to hear that robo is actively working on the R2. I haven't heard them putting their foot in their mouth about a release date for some time now and that is a good thing. I like your comment about "allows better visibility of 'what you are printing'" since I know they have come in the shoutbox and asked about a way to monitor a print for failure. So...maybe they are using the IR for a way to check? These are nice features, but wish they would just release the R2 and have some of this as additions in the future. They can call it the R2D2 upgrade or something. ;) What am I saying, they would just call it the R2+. Haha!

    Hearing @Printed Solid might finally be selling this is great news. I always like having reasons to direct users to Matt.

    I know Dave Crocker (Escher3d) is very talented and is currently working together with Think3dPrint3d to release a new control board called the Duet Wifi that I have my eye one...and my wallet open. So it was understandable for him to be hesitant about seeing another IR that clones his on the market. Speaks volumes that you had the conversation with him. That was the right thing to do for sure. I wonder if it was your conversation that caused him to lower his price and to provide options for having a cable included. Either way it is crazy cool seeing the advancements being made with 3d printing electronics and your ability to understand and produce such a nice product is amazing. Keep up the great work Jim.
     
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  5. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    @jim3Dbot you are a great asset to the Robo community. Your work here has definitely made the Robo a better printer and solves a lot of problems people frequently have with the lopsided right-side heavy X axis combined with bed flex and auto-leveling. A great solution for those that like auto-level and not wanting to mess with the complexities of MESH leveling in the newest version of Marlin firmware.
     
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  6. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Thanks @danzca6 & @WheresWaldo for the kind words......Yes, I have had more than a few emails with Mr. Crocker....Brilliant as they say in Great Britain..........Not lookin' to get rich from these.........hopefully Dave will...........splitting profits among all & would like to sell the IR clone for less.......Dave has offered to keep me up to date with firmware & PC revisions...there are a few already......Mr. Crocker will soon be back from vacation & hope to hook-up soon.....Take Care.............

    PS: I've been using the IR only for Homing for the last few months.....commented out ABL.....shimmed bed @ magnets......mine is good, others may be not
     
  7. Corbin Major

    Corbin Major New Member

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    Will you guys be updating this thread when you get in contact with Printed Solid and start getting these things sold? I'm very interested in getting one, I just want to make sure I'm watching the right thread!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Thanks Mr. Major.........We are close....please hang in there for another two days..........I'll message you then...Printed Solid will set you up...Thanks Bro...............Take Care.....Jimmy
     
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  9. Corbin Major

    Corbin Major New Member

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    Sounds good! I'm very excited to check these out!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. Printed Solid

    Printed Solid Volunteer Admin
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  11. Printed Solid

    Printed Solid Volunteer Admin
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    OK. Slight false alarm. I am missing cables in my box from @jim3Dbot . I'll leave the product page live, but won't be shipping until the cables come in. If you want me to ship your order without the cables, just let me know in the comments on the order, but I expect Jim will be able to get them to me reasonably quickly.
     
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  12. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    I usually, coil the cable with the sensor & seal in an anti-static bag..........carefully cut open the bag to remove cable & sensor board, careful not to cut the cable. I will be sending Printed Solid some right angle connectors......at this point, I'm not sure if you guys want, no connector installed, (you need to solder the 3 pin connector of your choice, both supplied), a straight connector installed for you, or a right angle installed.
     
    #212 jim3Dbot, Aug 3, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2016
    danzca6 likes this.
  13. ariuskooo

    ariuskooo New Member

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    Hi, do you mind sharing your PCB?
    Thanks
     
  14. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    Hey @jim3Dbot would you mind looking at RC7 and seeing what needs to be changed from my modified configuration files to make your IR probe work? You only need to look at one set of files as they are all basically the same.

    If you were to do that for me, I can maintain a set of ABL and MESH files that include the changes needed for your probe.
     
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  15. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Thanks @WheresWaldo for the work you have done.........I sure can take a look, kinda tied up till Thursday...too much on the plate.....but I definitely will take a look...........Take Care
     
  16. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Hello Arius.........I usually design PCB's with OrCad Layout software & simple boards with an old dos version of Tango, very quick, non-demanding software..however, on this board, I tried a new free software that does a great job on copper pours...............it's one of those lay-out softwares that the PCB design file is uploaded to the board house, they in turn generate the gerbers & manufacture the bare boards. In addition, I am paying licensing fees to Dave to use his software on the IR's. The software began as open source, he has since decided to close the new rev's.........too many people building and selling.........his software is open source but carries a non-commercial copyright license...don't blame him at all...........if you need some help in the layout, no problem here, the board design is very simple indeed............Like to see your project when its complete.......lets see it posted
     
  17. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    News, @Printed Solid will be receiving 1 meter in length cables today & right angle connectors. The IR's were shipped with a straight 3 pin header, (connector) installed..........the straight header may be removed & the right angle header soldered in its place. The last option is to remove the straight header.........solder wick the three holes & directly solder wires to the thru hole pads.........depending on the header shipped, it may be a good idea to test fit first & trim the pins very slightly to achieve a close fit.............another tip, when installation is final, add a small amount of silicon adhesive, where the female connector attached to the 3 pin header........keeps things tight during printing.................Happy Printing
     
  18. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    I took a bit yesterday afternoon looking at RC7 with the IR and got the ABL and such to work, but running into an old issue that I had with the original firmware. With all the changes I need to trace through the code to see what the best option is to resolve. Wife and kids left for a trip up north for a few days. So I am sure I will spend time tonight getting this straightened out. Noticed some changes with feedback it gives during the ABL process. Doesn't spit out the data like before. I'll see if I can get that worked out as well.
     
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  19. Oisin

    Oisin Member

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    Hi guys. Hope it's still ok to ask questions about this here. I bought my Differential IR Height Sensor from Printed Solid and it just arrived! I've been trying to get it working but am hitting some walls.

    Here is what I have done thus far:

    Mounted the IR sensor 30mm from the nozzle at the back of the carriage.
    Unplugged the z-endstops from the board and plugged in the IR sensor to the same spot. Though if you'll notice in the image I provided, to the left of the section for the endstop connections you see a + and - sign. The other endstops do not match those, so I simply aligned the red and black wired with the other endstops. Is this wrong?

    For the firmware, I followed Danzca6's method exactly, replacing the code with that Danzca said on the previous page:

    Configuration.h
    Code:
    Code:
    // The pullups are needed if you directly connect a mechanical endswitch between the signal and ground pins.
    const bool X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    const bool Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    // IR: Need to change next setting from true to false so Z is triggered when IR probe turns on
    // instead of when one of the Z endstop turns off like stock autoleveling
    const bool Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    const bool X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    const bool Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    const bool Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = false; // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. //robo
    
    Code:
    Code:
    // set the rectangle in which to probe
    // For IR mounted on right or left of extruder (account for full offset of probe so you don't hit X endstop if possible)
    #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 30 // IR: Changed from default (15) to 30 to account for PROBE setting adjusted +25 mm
    #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 220 // IR: Changed to 220 to put the IR closer to the edge default (205)
    // For IR mounted in front or back of extruder (account for full offset of probe so you don't hit Y endstop if possible)
    #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 210
    #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 10
    
    Code:
    Code:
    // these are the offsets to the probe relative to the extruder tip (Hotend - Probe)
    // In relationship to the nozzle, if probe is right X is +, if probe is left X is -,
    // if probe is front Y is +, if probe is back Y is -.
    #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // IR: Distance Mini IR is from nozzle (original value 0)
    #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -30 // IR: Mini IR is pretty much on same setting as nozzle tip for Y
    #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0
    
    Marlin_main.cpp
    Code:
    Code:
    // put the bed at 0 so we don't go below it.
    // IR: Comment out this logic to leave the Z offset positive
    //if (zprobe_zoffset < 0)
    //{
    current_position[Z_AXIS] = zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    //else
    //{
    //current_position[Z_AXIS] = -zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    
    Code:
    Code:
    // put the bed at 0 so we don't go below it.
    // IR: Comment out this logic to leave the Z offset positive
    //if (zprobe_zoffset < 0)
    //{
    current_position[Z_AXIS] = zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    //else
    //{
    //current_position[Z_AXIS] = -zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    
    Code:
    Code:
    // IR: Comment out this logic to leave the Z offset positive
    //if (zprobe_zoffset < 0)
    //{
    current_position[Z_AXIS] += zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    //else
    //{
    //current_position[Z_AXIS] += -zprobe_zoffset; // in the lsq we reach here after raising the extruder due to the loop structure
    //}
    
    I did not modify the Z-safe homing.

    I uploaded this and then cleared the EEPROM with M502 followed by M500

    Next, what I did was I switched to Jim's method for calibration. I homed X and Y. Homing Z does nothing at this stage. I disabled the steppers and moved X and Y by hand so the nozzle was in the center of the bed. I got my paper and lowered the z-axis until the nozzle was somewhat tight on the paper. I then sent G92 Z0.

    This is where I run in to issues.

    In Jim's method of calibration, he says:
    "Send a G92 Z0, That sets the height you want to print. Your firmware now has that distance.
    Raise the Z up slowly, watch the mini IRs LED, it will eventually extinguish.
    Lower the Z, .1mm steps, the LED should illuminate pretty much right away.

    Send a M114, read the Z axis height.
    Wash, Rinse, Repeat.... if you want.
    Place that Z number as a negative in MC Z offset.
    Tweak, after watching 1st layer."

    I raise the Z up slowly, but the LED stays on.

    Any ideas as to what is causing this? I have repowered my printer a few times and tried again to see what would happen. Sometimes the LED goes out when it gets the G92 command and doesn't come back on. Sometimes it doesn't go out.

    Sorry if I'm doing something stupid. 'An idiots guide to installing the IR sensor' would be handy! lol.

    (On an aside, since reflashing the printer, it also seems to ignore my start gcode, as I tried a print with gcode that tells the printer to autolevel before heating the nozzle. But it went straight to heating the nozzle instead when I started the print.)
     

    Attached Files:

    #219 Oisin, Aug 17, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2016
  20. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    I'll take a closer look in a bit but the z offset should be positive now if you are using the Robo version of the Marlin 1.0.0 firmware.
     

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