So something really bad happend...

Never a good thing to say.
I was going to instal a Reprap board, looks simple enough. Made all the parts, went to plug in the card and...
I went to move the set of cables above the plugs then- pop a connector comes off the board. I wasn't using much force I noticed the cable was under a lot of tension. Then another one came off, oh joy. After a lot of trial and error I got the printer back to a semi normal operation, but now it wants to lay down the plastic about a 1/4" above the bed after autoleveling.

Yea, things are still screwed up.
Help?

 

Huh? Pictures/video please.

 

Yes it is touching the nozzel to the bed on all three points. When it goes to print it then goes up 1/4" over the bed and operates normally.
Sorry can't do video, and pics would be no different than I described.

 

What you described doesn't really paint a clear picture of what's happening.

 

I think the control board is mis-wired. Since things popped out suddenly I have no clear idea where the connectors should go. I went through the message board last night to try to find a clear pic of where things should go. Mine seems to be a little different than what I saw. So here pics will be of help.


When trying to run it today, the y axis limit switches were not tripping. I hope you can show me where things are supposed to go.

 

Here's the wiring diagram for the ramps 1.4



Some of the color codes might not be accurate for the stepper drivers, and the D09 extruder is actually just a fan.

 

Yep I was wiring to that image. Right now the limit switches do not appear to be working. And when moving the x axis I'm getting movement in the Z axis. But not the inverse. This doesn't good, all my problems are with the stepper side of the board.

 

I've contacted customer support, so far they haven't been of much help. My guess is I need to replace the control board. What board is it?

 

What did you tell them? I'm guessing they're as confused as I am.

The robo3d runs a ramps 1.4 on arduino mega 2560

 

They only replied with a link to their wiring video. They didn't say anything else.
Your not as confused as I am, the wiring matches everything I've seen. The machine appears to have gone nuts.

This all started because I wanted to install a Reprap Smart LCD Controller XXL.

 

alright let's go back to square 1.

Start by unplugging the LCD and we're going to flash a new firmware on your printer.

Download Arduino IDE: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software#toc1

Then we're going to use the AutoLevel V3 firmware: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd6djpsdaaqiumw/Auto_Level_6_10.zip

Flash it by opening Auto_Level_6_10.ino with all the files in the folder. File > Upload in Arduino IDE. Be sure MatterControl is closed while you have Arduino IDE open. If you get an error try repeating the upload.

With that complete manually move your bed nozzle to the middle. Tell it to move one direction +10. If it moves the opposite direction go underneath and find the plug for that connector and flip it 180 degrees and plug it back in. Repeat this process until you get the expected result from each.

Make sure your nozzle is not on the bed for the next step.

Now we're going to disable the steppers and manually move the x carriage to the endstop switch so it's triggered. Go to the configuration tab in MC and click show terminal. With that open click the "Filter output" check box at the top. Then type in M119 and hit send. The x endstop should say "Triggered". If another axis says it instead swap the endstop plugs on the board. Repeat for all axis. For the Z axis you will need to make sure the carriage is Homed from MC.

Report back after you get all this done

 

OK, Mike I did everything.
All checks out, except one thing.
When I move the X axis either way. The Z axis moves moves with the X axis in unison.
But when the move the Z axis, it doesn't move the X axis.

Any ideas?

 

Unplug the x motor and try and move it

 

Z axis moves in X+.
When moving the Z axis it will not move in Z+.

 

You have the X motor plugged into the Z slot or maybe the other way around

 

Nope, everything is going where it's supposed to go. That was one of the first things I did, verify each axis.

 

I just need you to double check. I don't see any possible way an X command could be sent to the Z stepper driver unless a wire was plugged in wrong, or the ramps board had a short.

 

I verified it after your last post(you never know). But it all looks in order.
I had both boards apart and out of the machine last night, to see if there was any visible damage.
That was before following your instructions. Everything worked except for the x-z issue.

 

ok here's a couple more ideas to try before we request a replacement part. This is all on the assumption you flashed the firmware I requested so we know it's not a firmware issue.

1) the stepper drive might have been tuned down

You can control how many amps are running to your stepper drivers. they're set from the factory but yours might have gotten bumped or something:



Clockwise increases the voltage. What you want to do is tell the z axis to move like 100-150mm. While it's "moving" go underneath the printer and adjust screw with preferably a plastic screw driver, either flat head or phillips. You can use a metal one just be careful to only touch the trimpot. Slowly turn it up until you hear the motors move. If it never moves it might be something else.

2) it might be the stepper driver itself

Find an axis that works, say the Y axis. You want to carefully remove the stepper driver board off the ramps 1.4 board for the Y axis. This might be very challenging because it's such a snug fit, but it is possible.

Then take a stepper driver from an axis that isn't working and swap it with the Y, then try moving both axis respectively.

I'm assuming you followed the wiring from both Z motors to the ramps itself to be 100% certain it's wired correctly.