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Solved Extruder not moving

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by cbnlnk121, Sep 1, 2016.

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  1. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Hi all!
    I just picked up a Kickstarter version on the this Robo 3D. It has the LCD upgrade as well as some others.

    I have been going over it with a a "fine tooth comb" and found a few issues. All which I was able to resolve except one. Let me start by saying it still has the drawer rails and looking to upgrade those. Took me way to long to get it near perfect and level using washers and the rubber o-ring method. Suggestions on rails would be appreciated.

    Now the issue I have is that the extruder doesn't respond. When I move it to any other axis, it does work so I know the motor is still good. I've also tried the e0 & e1 ports (think that;s the naming) and I get no response from it (using the LCD). The home function works great so I'm at a loss.

    Is it best to just get a whole new control board (arduino), or can I possibly update the firmware? Suggestions are welcome.

    Thanks,
    Jim
     
  2. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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  3. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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  4. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Maybe I'm a noob, but which one is the driver for the extruder? Wouldn't it be easier to just swap one from another axis and test to see if it works?

    Thanks for the thingverse link, but where would the best place to get the 8mm rods? Once I can print the rest seems easy enough to do.
     
  5. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    E0 should be the driver for the extruder. You can swap one from x or y but not z. Z is special and is set a lot higher than x and y since it is driving two motors. I thought you said you already switched the extruder motor with one of the other axis and it worked. Was that just switching the wires? Make sure usb and power cords are removed before unplugging a driver and make sure to plug it in with the correct orientation.

    8mm rods can be bought off of Amazon for example.
     
  6. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    I only swapped the cable. It was easier to swap plugs to test if it was the motor or something else. If it's bad, any recommend ones I should get? I assume some are of better quality than others.
     
  7. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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  8. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Great, so I swapped the stepper driver with the one from the "x" and extruder and the extruder still didn't respond. The "x" now didn't step correctly ans shudders back an forth. So it appears that I might have a bad driver and board. :(
    I also tried the good "x" on the other e0 port with the same results.

    Is my only option a new board and steppers?
     
  9. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    You can replace everything for pretty cheap if you want. But I would rule out the wiring between the board and the motor and check the driver current. Adjusting the current might do it but I would want to know the reading of where it is at now.

    Had this ever printed since you picked it up? What other upgrades besides the LCD did they add?

    Might try uploading the beta firmware again. I would use a terminal window and send an M503 command and save the results. That will at least tell you all of the current settings that are important.

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016D6DSBW

    http://guide.robo3d.com/Wiki/ROBO_3D_Firmware_Release_Notes
     
    #9 danzca6, Sep 2, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2016
  10. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    When some of the other folks get in today they may have some other troubleshooting ideas as well.

    Are you able to move the large extruder gear by hand? Just making sure something isn't stuck.
     
  11. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Are you at temperature when trying to make the extruder motor turn?
    It will not move if you are too cold.
     
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  12. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Thanks for the links but, let me circle back for a second for a summary.

    Wiring is ok because if I plug in the extruder to the X, it moves.
    If I swap the stepper drivers from X and the extruder, it moves, just twitchy. Going to assume this is due to needing adjust the driver slightly. Also rules out possible bad stepper driver.
    If I move either the X or extruder driver to the e0 or e1 spots, zero movement from the pinouts.

    So I just want to confirm that I should buy a new controller board or if there is anything else simple I can test. I have a multi meter but I don't have any wiring diagram of the board to test all the outputs to be sure that it the problem.

    Side note : I'll definitely do that backup command before I replace anything.


    Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
     
  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Again, the firmware will not let the extruder motor spin if the indicated extruder temperature is too cold.
    You did do this at temp?

    That is pretty simple to confirm and test :)

    If you are monitoring the GCode terminal you will see
    "cold extrusion prevented"
     
    #13 mark tomlinson, Sep 2, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2016
  14. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Why do I keep forgetting to mention that :oops:
     
  15. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    I've never done this, but I think there is a firmware change needed to tell it to use E1 instead of E0. If so, I wonder if changing the firmware to use E1 instead would work. If it's not a cold extrusion issue and your extruder isn't stuck then yes from what you have done it might just be a bad E0 port on the RAMPS. If you have to replace the RAMPS you won't have to do another firmware upload, but we would if you replace the Arduino as well. So saving off current settings will help you when that time comes. I'm hoping you are doing a cold extrusion or something that simple.
     
  16. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Because by now it is second nature :)
     
  17. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Yep, so I'm going to have to check the cold extruder setting. Didn't think about it honestly, because I hadn't loaded any material in yet.
    Which means this might just be me being dumb. So tonight will be 2 years, full temp and try extrude and check cold setting.
    Thanks all, I'll keep you posted.

    Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
     
  18. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    For testing you can drop the min temp for the extruder (in the firmware) to as low as you want, but once done you should bring it back up.

    I had to lower mine some on the one machine that uses the volcano since it can easily extrude as low as 165. Just keep it set to a reasonable low number for your machine. The defaults they had in some firmware versions were as high as 190 which is too high.
     
  19. cbnlnk121

    cbnlnk121 New Member

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    Just wanted to say I'm dumb. Turns out that I wasn't letting the temp get up high enough. Everything is working good but needs some more tuning.

    Thanks for all the help all. Here are my first 2 pieces for visual proof. P_20160902_192211.jpg P_20160902_172211.jpg

    Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
     
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  20. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Your not dumb at all. Easy mistake and a lesson not forgotten. Those prints look great. I'm really glad to sere you are up and printing. Now enjoy the weekend.
     
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