Pronterface now working!!! How do I get it to home all axes?

[Kyle Adams]

Hello!

I got pronterface to work last night and everything moves like it should.  My next step is getting the endstops installed (I need 3, right?) and the axes homed.  How would i go about this?

Thanks!

[Larry Knopp]

From above :
X-endstop on left x-end
Y-endstop to the rear
Z-endstop "down"

This sets "Home" (X=0, Y=0, Z=0) at the front left corner of your print surface, hotend tip at bed surface

As far as configuration, check the RAMPS wiki.  (or search this Groups archive...  we've covered it at least a few times previously)
Easy-peasy

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MendelMax Support" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mendelmax+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

[Kyle Adams]

Thank you again Larry,

Your help last night propelled me to get all the software working nicely.  Now I just need to get the endstops installed.  I have a feeling it will be simple as you say.  

I will search the group boards for endstop and calibration topics.  

:)

--
This message was sent using 100% recycled electrons.

[Larry Knopp]

No prob at all...
Glad to help.

[Sean Mitchell]

I used to have endstops and Triffid suggested going without them.... man do I ever not miss them!

The endstops are there to tell your printer where 0,0,0 is (which is the front,left corner of your bed, see my video I posted about orientation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV4xHfVTsXk )

If you want to use endstops, you will need 3 of them (for X, Y and Z).  Their positions should be as follows:

X carriage should hit the end stop when it is all the way left

Y table should hit the end stop when it is all the way at the back of the printer (counterintuitve, but think that the nozzle is all the way at the front of the printer)

Z should be at the bottom, such that the nozzle is just a hair off your print surface.  This I found really difficult to exactly set.

To home your axes, just hit the "home" button, and that axis will drive until it hits the endstop.  If it drives the wrong direction, check your firmware to either change the direction of the axis (INVERT_X_DIR et al) or change the direction which it drives home (which should be "-1" for all)

The other alternative, what I use, is I manually move the parts to left, front and bottom, then issue "G92 X0 Y0 Z0"

This essentially defines where home is, until I hit the home button (which I never do -- home will drive to my nonexistant endstop), or issue another G92 command.  This is very useful for finding the perfect z height -- set your home, try a print, too high?  move down 0.01, set home, try again.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MendelMax Support" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mendelmax+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

--
========
Sean Mitchell
50668 Köln
Germany

echo "zvgp...@tznvy.pbz" | tr '[a-m][n-z][A-M][N-Z]' '[n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]'

[Ross Shannon]

A request for google groups development team - as one types - the search engine should recognize simple two + word groupings which link to other posts in the group - this way information would be quickly accessed and redundancies in questions could be reduced

Larry - this must be a rubber stamp reply by now - maybe you should add it to the wiki with a graphic

[Kyle Adams]

Perfectly described answer, Sean.  I will definitely try your suggestion.  Mike Payson did mention before to me that the endstops were just an alternative to manual homing. In reality, I think if I was to do without endstops, I would at least keep the Z Axis endstop since I don't want to manual twist that all the way down.  I suppose though, you could keep giving manual move commands until you reach the bottom.

[Larry Knopp]

@Ross - agreed!
And include Sean's great reply and vid link as well!

[Sean Mitchell]

You don't need to manually twist down ... 

To define zero, just drive down slowly until it touches the table, then move up 0.01 or so (you might have to enable: 

define min_software_endstops false //If true, axis won't move to coordinates less than HOME_POS.

so it can drive below where it thinks zero is)  If I were starting from scratch and my Z axis was in the middle, I would go down 10cm, down 10cm then down 1, down 1, down 1, down 0.1, 0.1, 0.1 *touch* and then up 0.1 or 0.2.

At this point I would issue the G92 Z0 to set this as the new zero position for Z.  From now on, I don't need to change this unless I power the machine down -- when the machine starts all the axes assume they are at zero.

Because of this, I added the command

G1 Z0 F200

at the end of my print so when it finishes it drives the Z back down to zero...if I unplug my printer between prints, it starts up at zero and my nicely tuned "home" for z is preserved.

One note of leveling, you may have to twist _one_ of your z screws to get the bed "level".  This is never too far though, maybe a rotation or two depending on how far out of level it is across the bed.