Printer no longer reading cura generated gcode

[Almatron 1]

Hi,

 

This is a software question. I've been using Cura for my Anycubic I3 mega for about 2 weeks, and it had been working fine. Today, I was trying to print a new file that I generated from Cura, and it just wouldn't print. So, I re-rote the gcode, and tried it again. nothing. It doesn't even start warming the bed or the nozzle. I tested some old gcode and it printed just fine. So, I tried testing out a different model. I downloaded a Benchy from Thingiverse, put it in Cura, exported it into gcode. still nothing. I then uninstalled Cura, and installed an updated version. I put in new printer settings. Exported Benchy again, and still nothing. I tried a different SD card even, and that didn't work. I've also restarted my computer several times out of desperation. I'm at a loss at this point. Any suggestions? I've attached a screen capture of my setting for reference. 

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by Almatron

[Nicolinux 288]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

 

Did you compare the old (and working) .gcode files and the newly generated one? Do the headers look different or are there any missing commands for heating up the nozzle?

When you say "nothing happens" - does the printer not react at all when you start the print or does it skip right to the end of print routine and possibly homes the head? Admitedly I know nothing about your printer hardware but since you are familiar with it, you can judge if the printer can't read the .gcode file or if something simmilar happens.

 

Have you tried to create an empty .gcode file and start to print it? Does the printer behave the same as with the newly generated (and not working) .gcode files?

There are several gcode readers available. You could load the non working .gcode files and see if the print preview works. Personally I am using the IdeaMaker software as my default gcode viewer on the Mac (because it starts faster than Cura and doesn't mess with the Cura settings if I am currently working with it).

https://www.raise3d.eu/pages/download

[Almatron 1]

Hi Nicolinux, thanks for the response. I just put the .gcode into a reader, and can't see a difference. I attached an image incase someone who know more about it than me can spot a problem. The code on the left doesn't work, and the one on the right works fine. 

 

By "nothing happens" basically, I press print, and the printing screen comes on, however, nothing changes. It doesn't home or heat up. It just sits there. Then when I hit stop on the machine, it says stop command has failed. I have to manually turn of the printer in order to do anything. 

 

I'm not sure how to generate an empty .gcode but I'm happy to try if I can figure out how to write one.

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by Almatron

[Almatron 1]

Okay, so I don't think it's the gcode. I'm pretty convinced it's the SD card. Still not sure how to fix it though. I can't get any new files I put on the card to be read properly by the printer. It won't even read the original gcode test "owl pair.gcode" that came with the printer. The issue now is I can't get a new SD card to read either. I'm not sure if there is a formatting process for the card or what. Anyone have advice on this? Thanks!

[agois 0]

I'm having the exact same problem, have you been able to figure it out?

[Almatron 1]

My issue turned out to be the formatting on the SD card. The first card was corrupted and the second one wasn't formatted correctly. Reformatting solved it, but it took a lot of trouble shooting to get there. Hope that helps!

[nkaperify 0]

Same here. Files were shown, but once selected and started nothing happened. Bed temperature stayed at 0. Old gcode files worked fine. I backed up files form the SD card and formatted it using FAT with Mac Disk Utility, ran Cura again, saved to the newly formatted SD card and now it works again. Thanks for sharing. Saved a lot of time.

[trinadin 0]

This was my issue. I spent weeks trying to figure this out. I thought it had something to do with the latest version of Cura, since all the old files on the SD card were working. Nope. Just had to back it all up, and format the card. Thank you!!

[Almatron 1]

So glad @trinadin! I know the frustration.

[rhaseley 0]

Ok so here's the deal. I don't think it's the SD card or the Printer. I was using Cura with Anycubic I3 Mega, it worked beautifully for nearly 6 months, then I upgraded my Cura software and bam! Every print I tried vis SDCard or USB Connection, the printer freezes every sing time the print starts. So for months I tried reverting to an older version of Cura, Nothing, replacing SD Card and the reader, I even swapped the mainboard. None of it worked. Then last week I tried installing Meshlab and low and behold with a USB cable the anycubic began printing again. Only problem being is that I had to install the anycubic manually so the bed doesn't line up with the program so the prints run off the bed. 

 

The point? It's a problem with Cura not the Printer. I don't know how to fix my bed alignment issue yet but I thought I'd share what I've learned so far. If anyone has the answer for me I'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks.

[rnr1951 0]

Having the same problem but my machine shows nothing on the SD card got an error message in cura that said gcode may not be compatible with printer...at a loss.....prints the test pieces perfectly

[ali4656 0]

Hi to all.

I had the problem where the printer was not showing any files at all. I fixed it by using the program called " SD CARD FORMATER " from sd associations (free download from the internet).

Just to mention that windows formatter did not fix the problem.

I hope these informations would be usefull.

[jdouglas2110 0]

I seam to behaving the same prolome or may be different. i have an anycubic mega pro and use cura, worked fine for weeks then i do not see any files to print on my sd card. what i see is  "....." g-code toolpath as type not just g-code. cura only see any anycubic  mega as a i3meg. am new to the hobby will hobby for me 

 

 

[joeld 0]

I am having a similar problem I just updated my ultimate software from a 3.1 to 4.8 and as soon as I did that my Anet A8 wont start printing. I have looked through the generated g code It look fine. I formatted my sd card and I tried costume settings and the default anet a8 settings but nothing. The funny thing is my other printers still run fine. Any ideas?

[SlicerManiac 0]

At the end, before my printer stopped displaying files on the control panel, I had to re-save files on to the SD card to make them appear on the  control panel.  The panel would show no files, I would re-save the file on my computer, then re-inset the SD card and the file would appear.  After several days, this didn't work and no files appeared on the control panel.  I changed cards, re-formatted the SD cards, changed slicers, turned off the machine, re-started but no files appear on the control panel.

 

Any suggestions on how to fix my problems?  By the way, this happened 10 days after the warranty expired - the 30 day warranty Amazon provides.

 

Thanks.

[GregValiant 1,251]

You can try blowing out the SD card slot in the printer.  I know the Ender's don't like high capacity memory cards.  I think 32gb is the limit.  I have problems every so often with the SD card, but so far re-formatting has fixed the problems.

[SlicerManiac 0]

At the end, before my printer stopped displaying files on the control panel, I had to re-save files on to the SD card to make them appear on the  control panel.  The panel would show no files, I would re-save the file on my computer, then re-inset the SD card and the file would appear.  After several days, this didn't work and no files appeared on the control panel.  I changed cards, re-formatted the SD cards, changed slicers, turned off the machine, re-started but no files appear on the control panel.

 

Any suggestions on how to fix my problems?  By the way, this happened 10 days after the warranty expired - the 30 day warranty Amazon provides.

 

Thanks.

[SlicerManiac 0]

Thanks GregValiant. I tried your suggestion but it has no effect.  Oddly, my original SD card no longer works because the computer keeps saying it's locked and can't be reformatted.  The new card with new gcodes doesn't show up on the Creality6.

[GregValiant 1,251]

In the print menu on your LCD do you have a command to "refresh" the card?  It's an internal M21 to initialize the SD card prior to the printer accessing it.  If you power on the printer with the card in the slot it should initialize on it's own.

 

A more radical approach would be to send M502 to the printer and reset the mainboard to factory defaults.  You would lose your steps/mm, PID and so forth but you could write them down ahead of time and re-enter them after the reset.

In the meantime you could print via the USB port.

[SlicerManiac 0]

Thanks GregValiant.  I posted my problem at the Creality Company website.  I'll get back when I see what they say.

[GregValiant 1,251]

I mentioned using M502 to reset the mainboard and today I found I had to use it.  I had answered a post here and had played with my start Gcode to come up with my response.  When I went to print the file from the SD card, I noticed that the first few lines of code were skipped.  I pulled the card and opened the file and found that the printer had over-written the first several lines of the file with this:

 

b   @  ÈA  pA   Á   A  pA         G0 Z10  Y20 Z0.3 F1500.0 E30   5361  0  Right Front 0 axes 2 6162 63707  Z10  Y20 Z0.3 F1500.0  G0 F1200 E5    }@«ª¦BÍÌB       M24  Present Print 7 E3.96232  5361  0  Right Front 0 axes 2 M82 1200 E-5    Á   A  pA     G0 F1200 E5    int 7 E3.96232  5361  0  Right Front 0 axes 2 G90  1/75 | ETA 44M .0  0.0   303  M21  Present PrinM21 E41.60235 5361  0  Right Front 0 axes 2 Ü  'ÿ/CAJITA~1.GCO                                                                                                                                bin             baw the first line

 

A lot of computerese gibberish.  I re-formatted and it did it again.  Tried some other things...it did it again.  So I pulled the info from the M503 response and reset to factory defaults with M502 and (so far) the printer is fine.  I have my fingers crossed.  I may tape them that way.

[GregValiant 1,251]

Maybe I had a power problem.  Once the magic smoke leaves a printer it doesn't work near as well.  Here is the Ender with the custom Lucas Electric connector.  Damn thing was just starting to work right and it up and broke.

Dad was right...you always get what you pay for.

 

[JHRAAF 0]

Be aware, I have chased my tail for 2 days trying to sort out a problem on my Mega X printer, changed settings, filaments, you name it I tried it, today out of frustration I purchased a new SD Card, loaded my model surprise surprise it worked.

 

So before tearing you hair out try a new SD code some how the GCode gets screwed up