Nees help configuring RRD fan extender in my i3V8....

[huntleybill]

Changed over to dual extruders. I want to hook up my print fan. I am using the Geetech (red) fan extender. So far, I cannot get it to work. I have hooked up the extender and wiring as show on this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/Conf...xten/?ALLSTEPS I tried the Marlin configuration he suggested but I get an error that says I can't configure both extruders with the same pin. I didn't configure both. Finally, instead of using 4, I used 5 and Marlin accepted it. (Fans still don't work).

Also, I am using ABL and I have that plugged into D11 for the servo. I shifted the fan extender up one pin, then two pins as Clough42's website FAQ suggests, but I get no fans to work.

FAQ on Clough42's website: How do I plug in a fan extender and a servo at the same time? They use the same pins.

If you shift the fan board up one or two pins, leaving D11 uncovered, you can use both. If you have the RRD fan extender (usually white) just shift it up one pin to leave D11 uncovered. Only one of the two channels on the fan extender will work, and it will be D4. If you have the Geetech fan extender (usually red) shift it two pins. Both channels will work, and they will be on D4 and D5. Connect the print fan to the one on D4.

So...my question is, How do I get this to work. Don't I have to tell the firmware that there is a fan extender? If so, How (exactly)? Do I have the fan extender plugged in correctly?

I'm sure this has a simple solution but I have been playing with this for hours and trying google instructions for MY application but I am not having any luck.

Your detailed help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Bill

[printbus]

Elaborate on what you're trying to connect to what. Are you're wanting the print fan to be controlled by D4? That'll likely require a change for your motherboard definition in file pins.h. FAN_PIN needs to be defined as 4 for that to work.

Also check this thread; this may discuss another change you need to make to pins.h as well - http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...D9-not-working. You shouldn't need that change if you had the print fan working before on D9 and the same firmware baseline is being used, but it could be required if you're running a new firmware version now. IDK.

[huntleybill]

Thank you printbus. I would like to add a print fan but as I mentioned, supposedly, I need a fan extender. So, I plugged it in my RAMPS as shown in the "instructables". D9 now has the second extruder. As for your question about the fan being controlled by D4. I guess that would be "yes" as the instructions say to do it that way. If there is a better way to make this work, please tell me.

I will go through the link you suggested. Marlin 1.6.4 from Clough42 website is the firmware.
Thanks for getting back to me.

[printbus]

I don't have a fan extender, and don't even use Marlin and RAMPS anymore, but rather than let you hangin... Anyone else is welcome to jump in.

There's nothing you have to do to tell firmware you have an extender. The extender simply acts as a buffer - as long as the Marlin pin mapping is correct, wiring is correct and the board is functional, things should work.

To clarify, the servos header provides access to the D11, D6, D5, and D4 Arduino pins. The Geetech appears to "normally" buffer the D11 and D6 outputs. You've got the ABL servo on D11, so there's a conflict. Moving the fan extender up one pin on the header moves it so it is connected to the D6 and D5 outputs on the Servos header instead of D11 and D6, freeing up access to D11 for the ABL servo. If you move the fan extender that one pin, you'd have to have the print fan (FAN_PIN in pins.h) configured to use either D6 or D5, the next pins on the servo header. If you move the Geetech extender up two pins (which I think some people have done simply to leave D6 as another available pin), the fan extender will be buffering outputs D5 and D4 on the servos header, and FAN_PIN needs to be defined as one of those.

What can be confusing in pins.h is that for your motherboard type, any given function should only be defined once, and any given pin can only be used once. What motherboard type (33, 34, etc.) are you using and what was the pin number involved in the same pin number compiler error? That might provide some insight.

Have you double checked the 12V connection to the fan extender? The instructables link has some scary information about how the Geetech wiring diagrams has the polarity backwards...

FWIW

[huntleybill]

I copied the error below:
temperature.cpp:343: error: #error "You cannot set EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN equal to FAN_PIN"
#error "You cannot set EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN equal to FAN_PIN"
^
#error "You cannot set EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN equal to FAN_PIN"

I am only looking to use a print fan and the error seems to refer to an extruder fan under config_adv.h (per the instructable). So, I set it back to -1 and poof....the error went away.

The motherboard I am using is 34. I went to pins.h but I could not find a motherboard 34 with a pin configuration. I found all kinds of other motherboards tho. I went through it 3 times. I'm probably missing it as I am tired. Been at this for a few hours!

I think I have it wired correctly (nothing started on fire)! The only thing I have different is I have the extruder fan conneced to the power source the instuctables said to use. So, for the extender, I am using a power source from the power supply direcly. Other than that, and using the D11 for the servo, My wiring looks like the "instructable" wiring.

If I understand you correctly, all I have to do is find FAN_PIN in pins.h for a motherboard 34 and change what ever value is there to D4 or D5 and I should be good to go?

[printbus]

Yeah, the instructable is configuring firmware for fan control other than the print fan. Leave CONTROLLERFAN_PIN set to -1 as well, since you're not trying to add a smart fan control for the RAMPS stepper drivers.

I haven't validated it is still the same in newer versions of Marlin, but motherboard type 34 used to be in the Arduino Mega section of pins.h:

/****************************************************************************************
* Arduino Mega pin assignment
*
****************************************************************************************/
#if MOTHERBOARD == 3 || MOTHERBOARD == 33 || MOTHERBOARD == 34 || MOTHERBOARD == 35 || MOTHERBOARD == 77 || MOTHERBOARD == 67 || MOTHERBOARD == 68

If you have configuration.h already set to motherboard 34, pins.h should already have FAN_PIN defined for D4, through the "else" part of this...

  #if MOTHERBOARD == 33 || MOTHERBOARD == 35 || MOTHERBOARD == 67 || MOTHERBOARD == 68
    #define FAN_PIN            9 // (Sprinter config)
  #else
    #define FAN_PIN            4 // IO pin. Buffer needed
  #endif

That else branch is where you'd move the print fan between outputs D4 and D5 as desired for the geetech extender, assuming it is installed two pins up on the RAMPS servo header.

[huntleybill]

Thanks printbus. I got it. I moved the extender up 2 pins and plugged it in the RAMPS, applied power, got a green light (nothing exploded). I plugged the print fan in and got no movement until I realized I had reversed the wires. It works great now and you were correct, I did not have to do anyting to the firmware.

On to the next issue..........