And Back to getting my Two Trees Sapphire Plus working

[Martin_au]

How interesting that he was using a version of Visual Studio to make his changes.

I think I understand a little more, but there are still some holes for me. He made his changes in Visual Studio. Okay. Then he talked about "compiling" the code, which makes sense (I'm an old software developer), but I need to find more info on what compiler to use. And then, as I hear him, you just put the bin file on a flash drive, plug that into the printer, and powers up the printer. It seems that the printer knows to look for files on a flash drive is one is plugged in.

Is some of that unique to the use of Visual Studio? The way I understand something like Pronterface is that it connects to the printer in real time. Does that apply to firmware updates as well, or is that dependent on the printer?

Starting to look at the files as well. It looks like the file robin_nano35_cfg.txt is the text version of the configuration file. robin_nano35.bin is the compiled version?

Thanks.

Ron

Visual Studio is the IDE/compiler. it's used for all sorts of things, but one thing it's well set up for it compiling Marlin.

If you haven't compiled Marlin before I wouldn't start with this modification. I'd start with just poking around the code and getting a feel for it. Usually with marlin (default version), is that there's a configuration.h and configuration_adv.h file with most of the important editable parameters.

This was more an example that dual leadscrews don't have to be a pain. They can be a benefit.

[Gambo]

In any case don't abandon the Sapphire Plus for a Sapphire plus it's almost the same machine and if the one I have just as bad to get going. Mine now works almost ! It gives very good prints with lots of materials I could not use on my earlier machine but it is not really reliable it's PID based temperature control is clearly faulty with temperatures all over the place and produces err7 err5 several times a week.

I use the machine in a semi commercial development environment with it running almost all day every day the unreliability means it has to be monitored all the time in case it stops with an error - all in all a pin in the neck but lovely when it works.

[curious aardvark]

the 32 bit board will look for firmware files on power up and automatically install them.

I usually use an sd card - but if you have a usb input - guess you could use that.

Compiling marlin is usually done throuh IDE - which is an horrendous piece of software that I hate more than I hate The inland revenue (okay maybe not quite that much, more than I hate facebooks software then). if there is another way to compile marlin I'd love to try it.

Not sure why you're talking about giving up on your printer. You've barely started.
have you even printed anything yet ?

Not as bad as the chap who was going to send one back - that he'd had at discount and was clearly pre-owned - because it was scratched.
And again without trying to use it.

Not sure what you've got going on with the z-axis, but the other axis are behaving correctly. Y = front to back and x = left to right.

[rongee]

Visual Studio is the IDE/compiler. it's used for all sorts of things, but one thing it's well set up for it compiling Marlin.

If you haven't compiled Marlin before I wouldn't start with this modification. I'd start with just poking around the code and getting a feel for it. Usually with marlin (default version), is that there's a configuration.h and configuration_adv.h file with most of the important editable parameters.

This was more an example that dual leadscrews don't have to be a pain. They can be a benefit.

Thanks, and I agree, for now, I just want to see if I can get it working as is before starting to make dramatic changes like going ot Marlin.

Right now, it's more a matter that I have a pretty good idea what needs to be changed to enable the 3D Touch (I looked in the config file and all of the parameters that need to be set for autoleveling are turned off), so I just need to figure out how to do that. I think the steps are (1) edit the config file, (2) compile it, and (3) copy the bin file to an SD card, stick it in the printer, and turn it on.

So, I need to figure out the best way to get (1) and (2) done. It seems like among the choices are (maybe) (1) Visual Studio, (2) Pronterface, and (3) something called RepetierHost which is some software that came on the SD card that came with the printer. I've been looking around for more Youtube videos that might explain how to edit and compile the Robin Nano firmware. The Youtube video from Aurora Tech goes through those steps, I think, so I'm going to review that first. There are plenty of Marlin videos around, it seems, but not too much on this one.

Thanks.

Ron

[rongee]

In any case don't abandon the Sapphire Plus for a Sapphire plus it's almost the same machine and if the one I have just as bad to get going. Mine now works almost ! It gives very good prints with lots of materials I could not use on my earlier machine but it is not really reliable it's PID based temperature control is clearly faulty with temperatures all over the place and produces err7 err5 several times a week.

I use the machine in a semi commercial development environment with it running almost all day every day the unreliability means it has to be monitored all the time in case it stops with an error - all in all a pin in the neck but lovely when it works.

Sorry, I just brought up the other printer, the Pro, as a point of conversation. Like I said, I'm deep into "YOU WON'T BEAT ME!!" with this printer :-), so I'm going to stick with it.

There's a text file that came on the SD card with my printer that talked about those err7 and err5 occurrences and what to do about them. Sounds like you've already worked through that, but if you'd like to see that text file, I'd be happy to get it to you.

Thanks. Ron

[rongee]

the 32 bit board will look for firmware files on power up and automatically install them.

I usually use an sd card - but if you have a usb input - guess you could use that.

Compiling marlin is usually done throuh IDE - which is an horrendous piece of software that I hate more than I hate The inland revenue (okay maybe not quite that much, more than I hate facebooks software then). if there is another way to compile marlin I'd love to try it.

Not sure why you're talking about giving up on your printer. You've barely started.
have you even printed anything yet ?

Not as bad as the chap who was going to send one back - that he'd had at discount and was clearly pre-owned - because it was scratched.
And again without trying to use it.

Not sure what you've got going on with the z-axis, but the other axis are behaving correctly. Y = front to back and x = left to right.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like I was ready to throw in the towel. Far from it. Nope, I will beat it into submission some way. :-) I haven't printed anything yet. I'm thinking maybe I'm not that far away from that, tho. Of course, for right now, my definition of printing is likely to be "something coming out of the extruder". I saw your conversation with the fella that had the scratched up unit. Interesting, but heck, I'd have been happy just to have all the parts there with some instructions. All relative, I guess. :-)

I share your disdain for Facebook's software. I was a software guy for quite awhile back in the day (in the day of assembly language, Fortran, and COBOL, that is :-)), and I still dabble a little bit just for fun. I'd be embarrassed to put my name on what Facebook does.

Regards the Z axis. The folks from TwoTrees asked me to send them a video to demonstrate what it's doing, and I'm going to send them that today. My first thought, tho, is to disconnect the lead screws and see if it still behaves that way. I would think if it was binding it would be doing it in both directions, but it's something to check on.

Thanks. Ron

[Martin_au]

Thanks, and I agree, for now, I just want to see if I can get it working as is before starting to make dramatic changes like going ot Marlin.

Right now, it's more a matter that I have a pretty good idea what needs to be changed to enable the 3D Touch (I looked in the config file and all of the parameters that need to be set for autoleveling are turned off), so I just need to figure out how to do that. I think the steps are (1) edit the config file, (2) compile it, and (3) copy the bin file to an SD card, stick it in the printer, and turn it on.

So, I need to figure out the best way to get (1) and (2) done. It seems like among the choices are (maybe) (1) Visual Studio, (2) Pronterface, and (3) something called RepetierHost which is some software that came on the SD card that came with the printer. I've been looking around for more Youtube videos that might explain how to edit and compile the Robin Nano firmware. The Youtube video from Aurora Tech goes through those steps, I think, so I'm going to review that first. There are plenty of Marlin videos around, it seems, but not too much on this one.

Thanks.

Ron

Visual Studio for editing/prepping Marlin. Pronterface is just a serial connection tool to talk to your printer. Repetier host is combined interface/server/etc software for running printers.
The "Robin Nano" refers to your board. That should be a setting in the configuration file. If you want to compile Marlin for your board, it would be worth also getting hold of a pinout and schematic for that board.

When you start messing with Visual studio, grab the Marlin Auto Build plugin as well. Makes it very easy to compile the firmware.

[rongee]

the 32 bit board will look for firmware files on power up and automatically install them.

I usually use an sd card - but if you have a usb input - guess you could use that.

Compiling marlin is usually done throuh IDE - which is an horrendous piece of software that I hate more than I hate The inland revenue (okay maybe not quite that much, more than I hate facebooks software then). if there is another way to compile marlin I'd love to try it.

Not sure why you're talking about giving up on your printer. You've barely started.
have you even printed anything yet ?

Not as bad as the chap who was going to send one back - that he'd had at discount and was clearly pre-owned - because it was scratched.
And again without trying to use it.

Not sure what you've got going on with the z-axis, but the other axis are behaving correctly. Y = front to back and x = left to right.

I got a response back from the tech folks at TwoTrees about the Z axis. Apparently, when you turn on the printer, wherever the platform and the extruder head are sitting is what the printer thinks is their origins. In the case of the Z-axis then, as I understand it now, the origin is the top position of the platform. So, on startup, wherever the platform is, it won't go any higher because it thinks it's at the top already. Now, in their email, they also said "You can click the printer to return to zero". I've asked them to explain that further, but I'm thinking it could be there's a "move" function that just returns the platform to the origin position without having to jog it there. Or it could be a way to override the origin to allow you to move the platform to where the origin actually should be and then reset it. Otherwise, it seems like you'd have to have the power off and manually move the printer to the highest position it will physically move to, and then turn on the printer so that it recognizes that as the origin. Just seems that there'd be a better way than doing that.

[Martin_au]

Yeah, there is.
There should be an option in the menus, usually under "motion" or something similar, which homes all axes.
The Gcode for that is G28.

Be careful when you run that command. Make sure your Z-axis sensor/limit switches are working or it won't know when to stop.

[rongee]

the 32 bit board will look for firmware files on power up and automatically install them.

I usually use an sd card - but if you have a usb input - guess you could use that.

Compiling marlin is usually done throuh IDE - which is an horrendous piece of software that I hate more than I hate The inland revenue (okay maybe not quite that much, more than I hate facebooks software then). if there is another way to compile marlin I'd love to try it.

Not sure why you're talking about giving up on your printer. You've barely started.
have you even printed anything yet ?

Not as bad as the chap who was going to send one back - that he'd had at discount and was clearly pre-owned - because it was scratched.
And again without trying to use it.

Not sure what you've got going on with the z-axis, but the other axis are behaving correctly. Y = front to back and x = left to right.

I came across a thread that you started in August of 2020 in the "Tips" section where you were working with the same file(s) that I'm working with for my printer, namely the Robin-nano-config35.txt, and an associated bin file. Could you take a moment to describe what you learned about that? I can edit that txt file, but I'm not sure what to do with it after that. Do you just put it on an SD drive and start up the printer? Does the bin file need to go along? Or does the txt file need to be "compiled" somehow? I'm kind of confused about what those files are and which ones are needed for what. Would you happen to know of a source that kind of connects the dots?