My Atom2 is brand new and it fails the AutoHome function. When I try that all three carriers move to the top of their columns and then the whole machine start vibrating pretty badly. So I just switched it off. The LCD says "endstops hit: Y" so I know at least my Y end-stop is working OK.
But how can I find out what the real problem is? I tried using the LCD Move Axis commands and they do work OK - the machine moves the extrude OK i n X, Y, and Z directions.
After this I tried Auto Level and the machine started moving the extruder around to different points in the middle of the build area. I shut it off when the extruder crashed into the X column and knocked the 2 X magnetic rods off their sockets.
I guess the Move Axis commands messed up where the printer thinks it's home position is.
Is there a way to safely test movement commands and the functionality of the 4 limit switches?
Bato Wang
2015-04-10 10:00:57
Hi Birk, please do a factory reset after you upgrade your firmware. prepare->restore failsafe->store memory. And if you want to check endstop value, you can use "M119", it will return the endstop value.
Peter Wu
2015-04-10 10:07:35
Hi Birk. It seems that your microswitches didnt work well, First you have to do what Bato said, prepare ->restore failsafe -> store memory.
Shawn just sent you an attachment named "Mastering Atom 2", you can check how to use pronterface to check your machine's state, Its on page 10 and page11.
(y)
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:21:31
Thanks but - my Prepare menu options do not have a Restore Failsafe option. The last one listed is Move Axis.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:22:24
Perhaps the firmware I loaded was not the correct one. I'm checking on how to do the Pronterface checks now.
Bato Wang
2015-04-10 10:23:40
Hmm...if you don't have it in prepare, check it under "control"....if you want to do it in Pronterface, it is much easier....M502 -> M500 will do the job...
Clarence Lee
2015-04-10 10:25:28
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:32:13
You are correct - I found it there. But pushing the control knob on it does not bring up another set of menus. So I did Restore Failsafe followed by Store Memory, but that didn't seem to have any effect either.
I'll go get Pronterface and see what I can do with that.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:48:49
Well, Pronterface gets an error trying to connect to the printer. I set Pronterface for COM1 @ 250000 and hit Connect but it gave a bunch of error messages ending with "Cannot configure port, some setting is wrong."
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:50:25
this is not surprising because I do not see the printer in Device Manager. What I do see is UCB Serial Converter listed under Universal Serial Bus, but that's all.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 10:58:23
OK - turns out the printer is on COM3. So now I can connect to it.
I think I found the problem (or at least a proble). I clicked the Pronterface Home button and the X slider moved to the top and stopped, but when the Y slicer did that the machine started vibrating. So it's pretty clear there is something wring with the Y limit switch.
Bato Wang
2015-04-10 11:02:27
Try to Move your carriers to the middle, use M119 to print out endstop value, and manually press them one at a time and use M119 to see if they returned ok...you probably will see a axis always return open...and that should be the problem
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 11:03:38
Well, this is very interesting.
WIth it's power off I manually moved the extruder to the middle of the print space. THen by hand I closed each of the limit switches and ran an m113 from Pronterface. Each time I got the desired response - y_max triggered, z_max triggered, x_max triggered.
So the vertincal limit switches are working OK.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 11:18:14
I tried tripping the extruder's limit switch but the m119 command returned with all endstops open. So I may have a problem with the z_min switch in the extruder - but even if I do this should not bother the Home function, should it?
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 11:28:43
I used Pronterface to set extruder heat = 185C and it reached that temp quite quickly. I checked the temp in the Atom2 LCD and that also said 185C. SO it's good to know that part works OK.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 11:36:28
Pronterface moves the extruder as expected by clicking it's X, Y, and Z buttons. So I am still quite confused about what is wrong with the printer.
Peter Wu
2015-04-10 13:00:04
Peter Wu
2015-04-10 14:00:21
or you should recheck the position of limit switch on control board.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 15:44:34
Thanks. I will install new (ver. 3) firmware in the morning and check the connections of all 4 limit switches.
Lawrence Lee
2015-04-10 17:12:42
sometimes it could just be the endstop being in the wrong socket, when it homes it always look for X axis endstop first, that can explain one of the carrier hitting top of column violently. Because it's triggering the wrong endstop.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 22:40:45
I got the latest firmware uploaded OK. I checked the Extruder head micro-switch and it turns out I had the adjusting screw turned in too much. So I backed it off allowing the limit switch to open. Ialso checked the connections for each of the 4 limit
switches - they all look OK.
Now, when I run the m119 command I get x, y, and z max opened and z min triggered. If I manually close the z min limit switch I get z min opened.
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 22:41:11
This seems backwards - but is it?
Birk Binnard
2015-04-10 22:51:56
I am going to start a new message thread that begins with my current status.
Bato Wang
2015-04-10 23:26:29
Sounds good, Let us focus on your homing issue first..
:)
