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Solved New Mega+Firmware = No motor control

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by LabMinion, Jun 27, 2019.

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  1. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Yes!
     
    #21 mark tomlinson, Aug 10, 2019
  2. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    Well, finally got the RAMPS reinstalled (had to return the first one due to bad soldering on pins). I can communicate with the arduino, but still no motor control. I'm stuck again. I'm getting 12V from supply, but no motor control. Is it possible all the drivers are dead? Bad board (again)?
     
    #22 LabMinion, Aug 13, 2019
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    OK, there are 3 possibilities here (and this is based on NO motors working at all):

    1) Jumpers not installed under the stepper drivers
    2) Bad RAMPS
    3) Bad Arduino

    I would hesitate to say all of the stepper drivers are bad because that would really boggle the mind. The RAMPS is the big suspect here given my past experience with bad, new ones* but you can't 100% rule out the Arduino. I have seen that a couple of times in 7 years ;) If you get the whole kit of spares (the all-in-one box) you will have enough parts to cover it regardless of which/all are bad. Otherwise tackle it in that order...


    *bought 4 to get one that worked last time...
     
    #23 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  4. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    Yes, no motors work at all. Jumpers are installed under stepper drivers. I swapped out a driver and still didn't work, so I suppose it's the RAMPS. I bought a stock Arduino, tested with blink and installed firmware so I suspect that isn't it. I guess I'll but another RAMPs and try again. Thanks Mark.
     
    #24 LabMinion, Aug 13, 2019
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  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    and of course, I assumed, you did reload the firmware :)
     
    #25 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  6. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Good luck. Seriously. I was mighty frustrated when I did this ... I am not doing it again, I'll start with the kits if need be -- (although I did find one more that worked and have it tucked away and labeled) :)
     
    #26 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  7. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    OK, I have a heartbeat! For the heck of it, I replaced all the R3D drivers with the RAMPS drivers. Here's what happens:
    • I can Jog in the +Y, +X
    • I cannot jog in the -Y, -X
    • +/-Z jog activates but makes a "jammed" noise and does not advance even though it tries (current issue?)
    Odd. I suspect I need to adjust the current on the driver for Z, but the -X/Y not working is odd. Thoughts?
     
    #27 LabMinion, Aug 13, 2019
  8. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    if it only steps one direction that is... likely an endstop screwing with you.
    You can show the actual states with the command "M119" ...
    If Y and X are both stuck at "home" then they will never be allowed to step "-" -- only "+"

    Z is yes -- most likely a current or driver issue (can't rule out a bad stepper tho' or even a bad connector/wire -- swap the wire for a known good one and test to rule that out, yes it is less likely, yes I have seen it happen)
     
    #28 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  9. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    OK, turns out I made 2 mistakes:
    1. I mixed up all the endstops during the shuffle to the new RAMPS. M119 was a lifesaver to determine this! Thank you!
    2. I needed to home all to sync Simplify3D to the physical positions (forgot is has build in safeties as well)
    More about Z...

    When I home Z, it raises Z a bit and then lowers it until it hits the endstop. Smooth action, no issues. Then when I use the manual Jog control to raise it by 10mm it makes this awful noise like it is jamming (like a loud buzzing noise). It does raise up/down though. My thought is that it's not wires or mechanical. It's almost like the frequency/steps of the motor is off or something. Odd.
     
    #29 LabMinion, Aug 13, 2019
  10. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    It is likely that there is borderline enough current for the jog and home works because it is minimal settings, but when you add any acceleration or jerk (like a real MOVE operation would have) it is too weak to cut it.
     
    #30 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  11. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You could try an actual MOVE command like
    G1 Z100;

    That will try to move the Z up 100mm

    note: just be sure you are greater than 100mm from the top limit :)
     
    #31 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  12. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    Sigh, it was Simplify3D. Dropped the jog speed setting to 500 and all is well. For some reason it was overdriving it (was at 1200). Never messed with it so didn't catch it early. Firmware seems to drive it nicely. I have the current on the Z motors cranked to max as well.

    I think I'm out of the woods thanks to you Mark! Time for a test print I suppose.

    Quick question, I've never printed with PLA and was thinking of setting this one up as a PLA printer (I have another R3D that is setup for ABS). I am aware of the oiler/seasoning/spices thing and will set that up. How do I purge/transfer the ABS in the hotend with PLA? Do I just heat it up to 220 as usually and push the PLA in there and extrude until all PLA comes out? The concern is that 220 is very hot for PLA and was thinking it might burn it causing clogs.
     
    #32 LabMinion, Aug 13, 2019
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  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    #33 mark tomlinson, Aug 13, 2019
  14. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    Thank you!

    I attempted my first print with a calibration angle model. It homed and printed, but it didn't run the auto-level sequence (G29). I tried with the Simplify3D default script and my script I used some time ago before the R1+ died, same issue. I tried just sending a G29 command in the communication panel, nothing happens. Here's my modified script that use to work.

    G28 ; home all axes
    G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift Z by 5mm
    M565 Z-1 ; set the offset for auto-leveling mechanism
    G29 ; run auto-level

    My thought is either the firmware I uploaded removed this feature or has issues (I'm using the Robo3dR1-119bugfix provided by this community). Or somehow Simplify3D 4.1.1 has a bug. Are there any other possibilities? It homes so I don't think it's hardware.
     
    #34 LabMinion, Aug 14, 2019
  15. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Yea, I am on stock firmware (latest stock version for each type we use)
    I can't speak for the community versions, they may have something else going on (UBl for example rather than ABL).
    Your startup script is totally correct for a stock version. Post in that thread and someone using it can speak up. @WheresWaldo is pretty cutting edge on firmware versions IIRC
     
    #35 mark tomlinson, Aug 15, 2019
  16. LabMinion

    LabMinion Member

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    OK, installed stock firmware for R1+ and now G29 works!

    One (hopefully last) issue. During an auto-level sequence, the first probe on the left corner (home area) is fine. After that, the probe tends to move in the wrong direction for all the points except the 3 on the left side. I did level the X carriage, and make sure Z nuts are seated.

    Upon careful inspection while the auto-level is running, I noticed that after the left Z switch is tripped on the first probe, the X carriage is not dropping down to re-press the switch. That is, the carriage is getting stuck on the Z rod. A gentle tap makes it drop.

    I did add some lightning grease to the rods after I installed the ramps, so the "should" be slippery enough. Do I need to disassemble and clean everything? (The machine did sit for 10 months.) Or are there other suggestions to directly deal with this issue?
     
    #36 LabMinion, Aug 15, 2019
  17. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I would do a partial disassembly and lubrication, but you may be able to get by with less.
    As for lubrication, lithium grease is ideal for the threaded rods/leadscrews and any fine machine oil is good for the smooth rods (vertical and horizontal). Less is more (if you get my drift) in both cases.
     
    #37 mark tomlinson, Aug 15, 2019
  18. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The LM8UU bearings are pre-lubricated and (in theory) should never need much lubrication (that is... a laugh). They do not need much, but a few times a year (or more depending on usage) is important...
     
    #38 mark tomlinson, Aug 15, 2019
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