ulticontroller print 'steps' on x axis

[maartendc 0]

i just installed an ulticontroller on my ultimaker and downloaded the newest cura. If i am printing via an usb cable the print comes out fine. If i copy the file to the SD card and print the same file via the ulticontroller - the print 'steps' on the x axis (every layer moves a few mm to the right, like one of the pulleys or belts is loose, but this isn't so). Some1 has any idea?

[robmiles 1]

I had a problem like this. Turned out that the stepper motors had come loose from the frame and the small belt that links them to the big drive rods was slipping. You could also check that the grub screws in the pulleys (particularly the motor ones) are tight.

I'm not sure how running from the Ulticontroller could affect this - unless the controller is feeding data a bit more quickly than the serial connection to the PC, causing the Ultimaker to try to move things faster to keep up, and causing something to slip.

[maartendc 0]

Thank you Rob, i checked al the hardware, everything is tightened and prints via a usb cable come out perfectly. The same object printed via the ulticontroller keeps 'stepping' on the x axis. Are there any settings i could change in the controller or so?

[Daid 306]

I'm going to be pretty blunt here and say. It has nothing to do with the Ulticontroller and you have a mechanical or electrical problem. The fact that it didn't happen on the print you did over USB is just luck, nothing else.

I would start by checking the pulleys, make sure they are screwed down tightly.

[billdempsey 0]

I've had that problem twice. In the first case, the pulley mounted on the motor shaft was the one that was loose. It was a pain to get to the screw, but it fixed the problem.

In the second case, my controller had glitched. In that case, turn off the printer. Unplug it from USB and power. Wait 10 seconds. Then plug in power and turn it on. Plug in the USB last. This fixed it for me.

Sadly, my controller has proceeded beyond glitching occasionally to display crashes and print stops. Once, it reset to home about 20 layers into a print and tried to start printing again with the item still on the platform. That was a mess of broken and melted PLA which had to be cleared once I heard the motors grinding. I wish I had saved the money I spent on that controller. I'm about ready to disconnect it and burn it in a bizarre cleansing ritual.

[robmiles 1]

While I agree with Daid, in that I'm sure the problem is a mechanical one, I have noticed tiny differences when I print with the controller. Highly detailed stuff (i.e. lots of small moves) seems to go a bit faster on the Ulticontroller, perhaps because the Ultimaker controller can pull data off the SD card faster than the PC can send commands down the serial port.

If you are still having the problem I'd suggest you to try using the Ulticontroller speed control to slow down the printing a bit, and see if that makes a difference.

Bill, I've seen reports of people having Ultimaker problems that have been traced back to noisy mains. One chap had a fridge that put enormous transients onto the power supply when it turned on and off. Although I'm pretty sure what you are experiencing sounds like a failed Ulticontroller board you might want to investigate that issue and try adding a surge suppressor if you haven't already got one.

[maartendc 0]

Thx all, the problem is solved. You were right, after checking all screws of the pulleys and motors, i found out that one off the belts wasn't tight enough causing slipping now and then. So i loosened the pulleys, tightened the belt tensioners and fastened the pulleys again. Now i make great prints via the ulticontroller as well. me happy man