Pronterface and / or Slic3r settings

[lycan]

Gday All,



I have got it running in as much as bed levelled, extrudes filament etc etc yet have absolutely no idea what settings I have to change when I import a file into Pronterface, mainly where do I set speeds etc etc for using ABS.

Any detailed help would be excellent as not far off booking ticket to China for some one on one communication clarification if this continues

Thanks for any help

Lycan

[Geoff]

Gday All,



I have got it running in as much as bed levelled, extrudes filament etc etc yet have absolutely no idea what settings I have to change when I import a file into Pronterface, mainly where do I set speeds etc etc for using ABS.

Any detailed help would be excellent as not far off booking ticket to China for some one on one communication clarification if this continues

Thanks for any help

Lycan

sorry can't help you on that one mate, I have never used either.

I get everything done from Replicator G or Makerware, there is little difference between the two besides interface, they both do effectively a similar job at slicing and printing all within the same package, they use skienforge underneath the hood, but its all done automatically for you.


My best advice is to download Blender, its free and can import and export STL files natively, but you can also load .OBJ files to print

[basfud]

You need to convert the Gcode to x3g with this little tool:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:81425
This little program called GPX will do the trick, but it's a command line tool. It kind of works with defaults, I'm still tweaking with it though.
If the link is broken sometime in the future, this thing can be found on Github. I'll post more on that later probably, kind of hasty today.

The good thing is you can use it to print larger prints than the bed allows, but one head only Will have to refit the alu plate to allow this when I get the settings right.

edit:
You can refit the whole mobo with a Rambo or a Pololu or Rumba or something else from the Reprap project, they're like $200. Some calibration and tweaking and you can use Pronterface and Slic3r by default. May consider this mod in the future.

[curious aardvark]

tried gpx - doesn't work with any gcode file I've tried to date. Well, converts - but the files just doesn't print like it should.
example: simple cone gcode from cura. changes to x3g with gpx - had the printer just printing flat, increasingly large concentric circles.

I think that was my best result. Other's include the printhead trying to bettaer it's way out of the box and various other weirdness.

Haven't tried slic3r gcode yet. But I so want to use cura. I was being optimistic lol

***

Tried slicer yesterday - nope, gpx just doesn't work.

Has anyone ever got a 3dx file from gpx to print on a flashforge ?
If so please tell me how :-)

I'm getting to the point with the makerware software, where i'm prepared to try just about anything else.
Even paying for simplify3d is starting to look like an option. despite the lack of try before-you-buy

[basfud]

Tried slicer yesterday - nope, gpx just doesn't work.

Has anyone ever got a 3dx file from gpx to print on a flashforge ?
If so please tell me how :-)

Yeah, I did get a correct x3g via gpx from Slic3r. It did get printed off-center (off-bed actually, I stuck a piece of cardboard under it when I saw what's happening). Was using recent Slic3r for that. Still working on honing it up to get a seamless workflow.

Did you get all the command line parameters OK, setting the correct printer and all?

[Default]

I use Slic3r and GPX to get the .x3g file to print via SD card on my FF Creator X. Note that I updated the firmware to Sailfish, so this likely won't work if you haven't done that yet (I highly recommend it) The process I use is as follows:

GPX Settings:

- Edit the existing gpx.ini file so that it is setup for your printer. I use:
machine_type=r1d
gcode_flavor=makerbot
(and leave the rest as deault)


Slic3r Settigns:

- Make sure you're in "Expert Mode", Go to "Print Settings > Output Options > Post-Processing Scripts" and add the absolute path to GPX, something like "D:\3D Printing\Software\GPX\gpx.exe"

- I added custom G-Code (under "Printer Settings > Custom G-Code") by following this: http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/01/05...forge-creator/

- "Add" the .stl file to Slic3r and "Export G-Code". GPX will run afterwards automatically, and you'll end up with a .gcode and .x3g file. I like to use www.gcode.ws to check the pathing (of the gcode file) prior to printing. Copy the .x3g file to your SD card and run it directly from the printer.


I hope this helps. Good luck.

[curious aardvark]

that will certainly help
Slic3r gives you layer control - so I won't have to print everything on rafts. I have managed to get one small thing to print raftless and the finish is so much better. Plus it uses a lot less plastic.

I just set up a little batch file to run gpx with a set name stl file. If it'll run straight from slicer though - that'd be champion :-)

I did try and update the firmware the other day - I assume the little button next to the usb port is the reset button. Followed the instructions and it just kept saying 'printer not ready' or something similiar.
Might try it from repg.
But I suspect that will definitely help.
Cheers :-)

@basfud - to get it to print in the centre of the bed you need to set home to 0,0 - there's usually a tick box. Otherwise it starts printing from the ff home which is the top right hand corner of the box.

[Mjolinor]

I set up GPX on a Raspi so that I could print over ethernet but the Raspi seems to really struggle keeping up, the printer keet pausing and that makes not so good prints. I also struggled to get print quality and speed up to the same standard as Replicatorg so I have just given up for now, I may go back and look again in the future.

[Geoff]

I set up GPX on a Raspi so that I could print over ethernet but the Raspi seems to really struggle keeping up, the printer keet pausing and that makes not so good prints. I also struggled to get print quality and speed up to the same standard as Replicatorg so I have just given up for now, I may go back and look again in the future.

I am going through this guys setup with the Pi, it seems to be able to keep up just fine, my touch screen isn't that great so don't know how well it will go, but hey worth the try

http://www.wired.com/2013/02/raspberry-pi-3-d-printer/

[Mjolinor]

I think the problem is GPX. I had to change some things in the C code then recompile to make it work at all and I am really crap at C programming.

GPX also seems to make some changes to the Gcode or reference that seem to be related to offsets. If I make Gcode with Slicr then print with ReplicatorG then it prints in one position if I use the same file to print with GPX then it hammers against the end stops and prints in another position.