Anyone Used the Delta Smart Effector?

[ARosch]

I just noticed that Duet makes a smart end effector to simplify wiring and assembly. Has anyone ever used one?

Link: https://www.filastruder.com/products/delta-smart-effector?_pos=1&_sid=f4eebce9b&_ss=r

Also, shout-out to Haydn. I see your arms are for sale on the filastruder site. That's awesome. I'm still using my arms and loving them.

[Haydn Huntley]

I haven't yet used them myself, though I'm planning to soon.

I have had quite a few customers who have used them and had nothing but good things to say about them.

They make accurate calibration even easier.

[ARosch]

I've recently decided to tear down my entire Kossel Clear and rebuild a lot of it to fix some issues. I'm considering getting the Smart Effector to make the head a lot cleaner and easier to wire.

@Haydn are you still using a RAMPS and would you use the Smart Effector with the RAMPS or would you upgrade to a duet?

[Haydn Huntley]

I think you'll be a lot happier upgrading to the 32-bit Duet.

The RAMPS is able to handle only 80-100 steps per mm, because it is an 8-bit CPU.

With the Duet, you'll be using much higher resolution stepper drivers, which are also quieter.

It also integrates very nicely with the Smart Effector.

[ARosch]

That's what I was thinking, switching to the Duet. Do you have any firmware recommendations? There seems to be a lot of documentation for using the RepRap Firmware with Deltas on a Duet.

[Haydn Huntley]

Yes, you should use the standard RepRap Firmware for it -- it is the best!

[ARosch]

Haydn, I'm having a weird issue when following the calibration steps on your website. I made some changes to my setup, so I decided to go through the calibration process again with the carbon fiber arms. I've done this before with no issue, so I'm not really sure what's going wrong. I do have a new RAMPS board, still version 1.4.

When I upload the Marlin RC Master to the Arduino, then try and home the machine, the motors move very slow and make a lot of noise. It seems quite jerky and like they maybe aren't actually moving, just oscillating back and forth. I tried uploading the code with Arduino 1.0.4 and 1.0.5r2. Same result. When I upload the regular Marlin from BEL, everything works as expected. It's only an issue when uploading the Marlin RC. I've tried uploading a few times and get the same result.

[Haydn Huntley]

It sounds like you're working with an Arduino Mega powered RAMPS 1.4 board.

Out of curiosity, what changes did you make in your Koosel Clear which caused you to decide to recalibrate it?

I haven't used a RAMPS 1.4 board in a delta printer in a few years, but I remember it was necessary to use Marlin for auto-calibration, and that it had to be compiled with the old 1.05 version of the Arduino IDE.  For some reason it wouldn't work with the newer versions (though it should have).  Then after getting the calibration parameters correct, I would re-flash the board with Marlin RC and enter the calibration results.  Marlin RC would produce smoother motion than the original BEL version of Marlin.

Here is a link to my instructions:  https://www.maui-3d.com/kcZeroBacklashInstallation.php

Nowadays almost everyone has switched to inexpensive 32-bit controllers.  I've used ones from AZSMZ, which are OK.  I'm currently using this one, which runs Smoothieware:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/AZSMZ-Mini-Ver2-1-AZSMZ-12864-LCD-5-x-DRV8825/264777349331

For $68, it will make your life a lot easier!

A better alternative is to use a Duet, but they cost more.

[ARosch]

Yes, Arduino Mega with RAMPS 1.4. I basically disassembled the whole thing so I could redo/clean up the wiring, retighten all the screws and belts, and install a new build surface.

So the version of Marlin from BEL works totally fine. The Marlin RC from your guide is what is giving me issues, which honestly doesn't make any sense. I'm trying to flash the Marlin RC so I can do the calibration process, then I"ll switch to using Repetier. I just can't get the Marlin RC to work, so I can't complete your calibration guide.

I do intend to switch to a duet, or equivalent, but I was hoping to get everything working again with the RAMPS first to verify the system before buying a new controller. Does anyone have firmware configured for a Kossel Clear for these other boards?

[Haydn Huntley]

One time when I was switching back and forth between RC Marlin and Repetier, I remember I had a problem which was caused by junk/invalid values left in the EEPROM.  I wrote a tiny program to clear the EEPROM to all zeros, reinstalled the firmware, and then it worked fine.

Also, one option which is inexpensive and probably better than an AZSMZ with Smoothieware is Big Tree Tech's SKR 1.4, which is a 32-bit controller that runs the current version of Marlin.