Printer Control Question

[Tachout]

Hi all, I am sure that this is a real easy question for some of you to answer so here goes.

I know on the controls I can move the X and the Y with the nob on the control panel. Just wondering is there a way to move the Z from there without having a program to do it? I am talking about in the control without having my laptop connected to it.


Next, I have not gotten into controlling my printer from the laptop yet, but that is what I am going to do this weekend. I am hooking up my updated Z end stop, and then once I see that work I am going to take the next step and work to get the Auto Bed Leveling working. I plan on working to get the bed as level as I can to start, then I want to be able to manually move the Z up and install the servo, and the swing arm and switch. From there I want to be able to take a couple of measurements in a couple of different ways. I want to measure switch down, and switch up, hot end down to Z0. I want to know the distance (Difference between those numbers) measured manually (With calipers) and want to be able to have the machine tell me what it is thinking that distance is. I want to be able to compare it. Is this possible?

[printbus]

For some reason you can only move Z when you've selected something less than 10mm travel increments. Go select say "move 1mm" and then Z will show up on the menu.

I've been tempted to look into that limitation and eliminate it... I'm sure it's there to keep the extruder from ramming into the heat bed, but the default MakerFarm firmware stops moving the motor once the endstop is hit.

FOLLOWUP COMMENT: It could be that the issue that drove the limitation was also with a type of printer faster in Z-movement than the M5 metric threaded rods on the MakerFarm printers.

[dacb]

Printbus is correct. Here is the code from the current Marlin:

static void lcd_move_menu_axis()
{
    START_MENU();
    MENU_ITEM(back, MSG_MOVE_AXIS, lcd_move_menu);
    MENU_ITEM(submenu, MSG_MOVE_X, lcd_move_x);
    MENU_ITEM(submenu, MSG_MOVE_Y, lcd_move_y);
    if (move_menu_scale < 10.0)
    {
        MENU_ITEM(submenu, MSG_MOVE_Z, lcd_move_z);
        MENU_ITEM(submenu, MSG_MOVE_E, lcd_move_e);
    }
    END_MENU();
}

Note that there is a software limit that prevents Marlin from making 'bad' moves, if you have your endstop properly configured. Here is the place in the Configuration.h where it can be enabled / disabled:

#define min_software_endstops true // If true, axis won't move to coordinates less than HOME_POS.
#define max_software_endstops true  // If true, axis won't move to coordinates greater than the defined lengths below.

If you are using auto bed leveling (ABL) then you have probably disabled the min_software_endstops to allow the head to travel down to the bed, passed the location where the ABL probe triggers. I'm testing a patch that allows one to keep the min_software_endstops in place, at least for the X & Y axes when you are doing ABL.