I need some serious help

[Alibert]

Do you have the delta settings in Configuration.h for us (don't post the whole file please, just the relevant settings), and do they match with reasonbly well with the basic dimensions you can measure (rod arm length from pivot to pivot point, effector diameter pivot point from centre, carriage offset from tower glider to pivot point of rod)?

If you provide me with a set of 7 tower positions that I can plug into this structure:

DeltaParams p = { // probe values from original maxima worksheet
0, 0, // calibError and status
123.983, // delta radius
250.590, 250.590, 250.590, // diagonal rod length
-107.178, // xa
62.015, // ya
-41.687, // xc
-9.49, -9.49, -9.49, // home offset a, b, c
7,
{ // probed points on bed Z = 0 in column coordinates
{227.34, 227.34, 227.21},
{258.65, 170.95, 171.55},
{233.28, 233.28, 127.56},
{170.94, 258.64, 169.76},
{127.96, 233.20, 232.52},
{170.82, 170.82, 258.62},
{233.19, 127.95, 233.80}
},
0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
};

Then I can run a numerical optimization for you. Probe the bed at center, x-tower, y-tower, z-tower, and opposite the three towers (in between the opposite two towers) and note the tower positions reported by the firmware. I only need the tower positions and the delta settings from your Configuration.h source.

I have debuggerd and got the source code from here actually working: https://github.com/DejayRezme/DeltaA...utoCalibration and am using it to fine-tune my own delta printer.

[Nickschaos81]

I can get both of those tonight. First off my normal height from bed was 279.78 , I had changed it so that it was 290 so that I could have something to measure to the bed. I do this for my 3 tower positions so that i can adjust the end point screws to match up. Then Im "SUPPOSED" to be able to do the same thing for the center and the two should match. (this is the broken step for me) After that I am supposed to either adjust the smooth rod offset (if they dont match , till they do) or put my manual z back to its originally set height and all should be good.

With all that , if i set it to your cords of g1 z0 then it should put tension on the paper .... ill do the test anyway just to be sure (<saying i put my manual z back to the correct value)
I can make a video of it if that will help. I can also link a copy of the software stuff i got with this thing. would that help too ? Ill do just about anything lol

[Roxy]

OK... I'm at the same point as you basically... mostly because I keep going down rabbit holes. I've been messing with the firmware and reprinting different pieces for my printer to make them better. But really... There shouldn't be any need to fully calibrate a Delta printer. The Auto Bed Leveling should just fix those problems.

[Nickschaos81]

yes i use repetir host 1.0.6 atm . i tried what you said and it didnt change at all.

I did do an auto level , not sure it did anything either.

Thought i had missed something in your instructions , went back to beginning , had to readjust my z as to not hit the bed, re did everything the same and still no changes.

thought i would try to do a test print to see if i just wasnt seeing something , and my extruder keeps binding inside the head. no matter what temp. im really thinking this thing is a piece of junk at this point. havent given up .... but starting to lose hope

[Nickschaos81]

okay so just some fyi

Got this thing off aliexpress. says it came with marlin software , loaded thru arduino... software it came with was prontoface and repitier host. prontoface didnt seem that great , and i had problems with it , so .... i have used repitier so i swapped.
I actually had this thing printing at one point, just printing badly. extruder has given me problems all along. only thing i got to print was a test cube , and one leg that was to small for a filement stand. lol and 3 failed rings.

[Alibert]

You will need to run the autocalibration before your print job and without resetting your printer as the calibration values will be erased after reset if I am correct.

It is always best ot have the printer running optimal without autocalibration, as the adjustments will propagate up into your object. Let us say that one corner of your object has a zposition of -0.5 mm and you autocalibratte for this. Then the top part of your object will also be 0.5mm lower if the firmware does not even out things in the first couple of mm of printing.

The kinematics of a delta printer depend very strongly on the dimensions of the rods (0.1 mm difference unaccounted for in the firmware calculations makes a LOT of error in positioning), the relative positions of the three towers, and the degree in which the three towers are parallel (not skewed/leaning).

You can find a very good read up (including the effect of very small errors on the positioning) here: http://www.reprap.org/wiki/File:Rost...nematics_3.pdf

If you want to get a minimal error of say 0.1 mm over the full build plate, you will most likely need to make adjustments in the firmware as to individual rod lengths and tower positioning. A writeup of what you need to do and where you can change the Marlin firmware to accomodate differing rod lengths and tower positions are here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:745523 You will need to change the Marlin firmware source code, compile it and upload it to your printer.

The problem is that your printer needs to be reasonably printing to get your calibration object done in the first place. That is where the software optimization program I mentioned before comes in handy. If you can accurately measure the tower positions at those 7 points, the software will tell you which combination of rod length and tower positions gives you the most flat printing plane. With that as starting point, you can then print the calibration object and work onwards from there.

Again, if you provide me with the numbers I can run them through the software for you.

[Nickschaos81]

i will get that calibration tool printed as soon as i can. I still need to order a hotend im thinking. going to take mine back apart tonight to see if i can find why its jamming up. I can give you numbers , but dont know how to get them exactly. Im really new to this, and like you said earlier , i jumped into the deep end.

i may order a new hotend tonight if i can not get mine working correctly. it starts extruding fine , then the filament folds on itself inside the head and jams up. i was looking at some actuall e3d head last night and it seems like the plastic tube in mine goes deeper then it should in the throat. ill have to check but i think it might even have been drilled backwards too. meaning , in the actuall e3d version the filament seems very well supported all the way to the nozzle. on mine there seems to be a nice sized gap from where the filament feed tube connects to the head and where it actually enters the throat. which if thats the case then that is where im getting the bind up. any way ill check that tonight and let you know , maybe take some pics.

I feel if i could print somthing , anything that would drastically help wtih calibration. like the tool

[LuckyImperial]

People talk about Delta calibration like it's some sort of impossible VooDoo. It's not. There's only two damn settings that really effect your major calibration.

Diagonal Rod Length and Centered Rod Offset. Those two settings may be called something different in different firmware, but they're always there and they always do the same thing. Diagnonal Rod Length will affect the dimensional accuracy of your printer and Centered Rod Offset (smooth rod offest, rod radius, horizontal rod offset, etc) affects the "dishing" of your printer. If Diagonal Rod Length is wrong then your printer will print things either too big or too small. If Centered Rod Offset is wrong then things don't get printed on a level plane.

The next thing in calibration is leveling. Which is dead simple. You level the effector plane with repsect to the bed by adjusting endstop offsets, or trimming them using screws that are sometimes mounted to the carriages (for some printers). 3 points define a plane. Your job is to make it match the bed. Takes 10 minutes if you have trimming screws.

I still think there's something fishy going on with your Repetier-Host and firmware. I can help you get them both to latest, which is ultimately the best solution.

[LuckyImperial]

Okay first of all, I don't agree with all of these people telling you "autcalibrate autocalibrate autolevel auto auto auto". A good calibration can be and should be done manually. I know because I did both, and autocal never got my settings close to where they should be. It's just ballpark. Oh and guess what my first issue was after I got it all calibrated? A clogged hot end, which jammed because I left it on without feeding filament for too long. You can't let them sit idle when they're hot. Also my Extruder steps/mm were way off and it was trying to overextrude which caused all sorts of headaches. Yeah...you jumped into the deep end for sure. After the 50th hour of staring at my printer my gf was pretty pissed.

Alright, something is fishy. You cite "#delta_smooth_rod_offset" is what you're changing, but that's a Marlin eeprom setting. In the latest version of Repetier firmware (0.92.5) the Coniguration.h folder the setting is called #define ROD_RADIUS. I think something is going on with your eeprom changes. They're not sticking. My first initial guess is because of outdated firmware and Repetier-Host. Repetier-Host is at version 1.5.6 now.

What I would like you to do next is verify what version of firmware you are using and let me know. There's a couple of ways to check. If you have an LCD, it' usually shows your firmware type/version when you first power on your printer. You can also connect via Repetier-Host and check using "Printer Information".

How do you normally make changes in EEPROM? It sounds like you can successfully change the Z-Height, since you can get your printer to the right height at Z0 X0 Y0, so what did you change to get to that point and where?

If you're on old versions of Repetier my next advice is going to be....to update them. I can walk you through the Repetier Firmware Configuration here: http://www.repetier.com/firmware/v092/

[Roxy]

Okay first of all, I don't agree with all of these people telling you "autcalibrate autocalibrate autolevel auto auto auto". A good calibration can be and should be done manually. I know because I did both, and autocal never got my settings close to where they should be. It's just ballpark.

Agreed! But it sure seems to me like the Auto Calibration and Auto Bed Leveling should take care of everything for the user. Alas... We are not there yet.