New 12" user and I am LOST!

[tsteever]

Oops, meant ABL.

[tsteever]

So while I learn about all this. The question I have about other slicers is, do I need to enter all the steps/mm and other movement data or does the firmware handle all that. The slicer just says move so many mm and the firmware handles the conversion?

foe example, I watched a video on Kisslicer and the prints looks great. Wanted to give that a try. Then there's cura too.

[printbus]

...I adjusted those settings in the EEPROM. Now, those setting will remain changed every time I turn on the unit. Should I reset the firmware it will revery to the settings Colin provided. I should most likely save a modified version of the firmware.

Your correction really wasn't that significant. I'm almost surprised. When you get to the point you upload firmware with EEPROM settings enabled, there's an additional detail to be aware of. EEPROM settings take priority over firmware settings. So, if you have tweaked settings and saved them in EEPROM, those will continue to be used even after the new firmware build is uploaded to the printer. There's an additional couple of steps to force updating of the EEPROM contents after a firmware build; than can be addressed another day.

I think I have the extrusion calibrated, should I also do the same for the X,y, and Z? The cube I printed earlier was large. I am guessing that the extrusion calibration would help that.

You could, and some people do. But those factors are basically driven by the mechanical design and shouldn't require adjusting. The extruder one can since there are variables in how the hobbed bolt is actually grabbing the filament.

I have some parts I want to print for my tricopter but the one I printed yesterday is too tight and not even close to fitting. That's why i want to get this thing tuned, I am itching to fly!

I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but this almost always a problem with FDM printing. In addition to perhaps the printer mechanics being off, not all designs properly factor for extrusion width, and some slicers can be better than others with dimensioning results. As sniffle suggested, printing the outer perimeter first sort of lets that perimeter take charge in holding back the inner ones. If you print the outer perimeter last, it gets pushed up against the perimeter already there and has no where to go but outwards.

So while I learn about all this. The question I have about other slicers is, do I need to enter all the steps/mm and other movement data or does the firmware handle all that. The slicer just says move so many mm and the firmware handles the conversion?

Yes, that's pretty much it. The gcode commands tell the printer to move an axis some distance, and the rate at which it should move. In that regard, the extruder is just considered another axis. The printer takes care of all the details on how to accomplish those moves.

foe example, I watched a video on Kisslicer and the prints looks great. Wanted to give that a try. Then there's cura too.

Slic3r has about a million updates out there beyond the v0.9.9 version you're using, so that is also an option. Just about any slicer can eventually give you credible prints as you figure them out.

[printbus]

You can also usually scale objects in the slicer - that may be an option to getting parts to fit.

Thinking some more, I would not adjust the XYZ mechanics based on the single results you have. Print something larger for another comparison. For example, here's a large square - http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38096. That may not be a perfect model (I can't speak to the dimensional accuracy). If both the small cube and the larger print are off by the same PERCENTAGE, yes adjusting the mechanics may be an option. If they're both off by about the same AMOUNT, no, don't change the axis steps per mm. If you do in that case, the prints will be off for anything sized smaller/larger than your calibration print.

[tsteever]

Thanks. So I guess I am confused on the eeprom thing. Are there two places where the settings are stored? I thought a firmware update would wipe the memory and sort of reset it.

What is the procedure for restoring the firmware to a "Colin" state?

Is that the load failsafe and restore memory functions?

[sniffle]

eeprom is a major headache and a lot of us disable it especially because with ABL you will find that if you update your settings for offsets etc, and if old offsets are saved to eeprom the eeprom will override your new settigns and just make life difficult, not to mention it can be confusing...

basically if you plan to run and tune your printer from the display eeprom is great because you can save settings to the eeprom and they will always come back... but if you are using firmware uploads to modify things and not using the display it gets in the way.

[tsteever]

So far I haven't changed the firmware and have only done things (for calibration) to the EEPROM. My fear after reading your comments is that when I add an ABL I will be starting all over again.

How can I migrate the changes I have made in the ERPROM to the firmware? That is to say, I know how to make changes to the firmware but how do I Erase the changes from the EEPROM?

[sniffle]

when you disable eeprom in the firmware it wont read and overwrite the firmware settings

[tsteever]

Thanks. Just wanting to stay on top of things. I was going to change the steps/mm in the firmware and I thought I new where is was, but I couldn't find it or I missed it. Are they defined in the config.h file?

[sniffle]

yes it is in the configuration.h file... gimme a sec to look it up and give you something to search with

edit:

here it is #defineDEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT that is where the units are placed, the brackets after it are in the format of {X,Y,Z,E} with E being your extruder steps