Tinker Firmware and S3D - UM2+

[jockspice 6]

I updated my UM2+ with the latest Tinker firmware back in April and it has improved the machine no end. I've also been using Cura since then, getting to grips with new settings etc. However, I tried today to use S3D with my standard UM2 profile and I get an error saying the printer is trying to print outside the print area. I tried again on a more basic setting, get the same warning.

I was going back to S3D to have some more control for hot end temperatures, so I tried in Cura by changing the firmware flavour from Ultimaker 2 to Marlin, sliced in Cura and then tried to print. Same error, printing outside the print area.

Incidentally. I got the usual warning from the S3D sliced object that I was using the slicer to override the machine settings, but also got that for the Marlin slice in Cura.

Is there something really obvious I have missed?

[jockspice 6]

Really? No-one with this snag? 

[CarloK 204]

Check for dirt in your SD card reader slot. Reading invalid data from the SD card is one possible reason for this type of errors.

Also read:

 

[jockspice 6]

9 hours ago, CarloK said:

Check for dirt in your SD card reader slot. Reading invalid data from the SD card is one possible reason for this type of errors.

Also read:

 

I'm having no problem with Cura, so it's very unlikely to be a hardware problem. 

[CarloK 204]

I don't understand; in your original post you said you changed the Cura settings to use Marlin flavour and then the same error occurred. And now you say you have no problem with Cura?

 

Be aware that Cura 3.3 contained a bug in the UM2 machine settings for using the build plate center as origin, depending on the object location, this creates the print outside valid area error. This bug was fixed in Cura 3.4, released just a few days ago.

[jockspice 6]

I tried the change of gcode in Cura to see if gcode type was the problem, but as I stated it didn't work anyway. The problem I have is with S3D working with the tinker firmware.

[jockspice 6]

I'm still having no luck getting this to work with S3D - gutted that I have a very powerful slicer that my UM2+ hates :-( 

[tinkergnome 927]

Usually they work properly together, the reason must be something weird on your side... ?

Do you get the error right in the beginning of a print or more randomly?
Candidates for differences are the machine definition and the start script, but it's hard to guess without more information...

Edited July 26, 2018 by tinkergnome

[jockspice 6]

It happens right at the start. When I select the print, I get the standard "This file will override machine settings with setting from the slicer", which is nothing new, always had that with S3D sliced prints. The machine then heats up and just as it starts to move for printing, (head moves slightly out of home and back and the bed does the same) it stops and I get "ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area".

There is no pre-movement of the head before the machine heats up, like it does using Cura, it just heats up.

My starting script is as follows, never had a problem with Ultimaker firmware. I'm a Gcode biff so any advice gratefully received! 

 

G28 ; home all axes

G1 X20 Y10 F3000 ; bring extruder to front

G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length

G1 Z10 ; lower

G1 E19 F200 ; purge nozzle quickly

G1 E26 F60 ; purge nozzle slowly

G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length again

G1 E-5.5 F400 ; retract

G1 X190 Z0 F9000 ; pull away filament

G1 X210 F9000 ; wipe

G1 Y20 F9000 ; wipe

G1 E0 ; feed filament back

[tinkergnome 927]

The start script doesn't look too bad, you can add the following two lines wherever you like, if you want to control the order of movements and heatup:

M190 S[bed0_temperature]
M109 S[extruder0_temperature] T0

If S3D doesn't detect those commands in the start script, it inserts its own right in the beginning of the file. It's well explained here:

https://forum.simplify3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=1959

 

 

My first guess was: have you checked the "Print area" setting on the printer (Advanced -> Preferences)? But gcode files from Cura would trigger the same error, so that's probably not the issue here.

 

Next try: please show a screenshot of your machine definition (from S3D), or double check, that the coordinate system is correct defined

(Tools -> Options -> Machine)

 

And/or prepare a short sample file and upload the complete gcode file here for inspection / test printing...

 

[jockspice 6]

Checked the print area and it was the same as the one within S3D. Machine settings are as follows:

 

 

As I said before, I havent had a snag with anything before changing firmware.

Have also attached a small gcode file

 

TIA,

Dave

Marvin_KeyChain.gcode

[tinkergnome 927]

On 7/29/2018 at 5:40 PM, jockspice said:

Have also attached a small gcode file

 

I tried your file and found the reason. The cause of the error message is this line in the start script:

...
G1 X190 Z0 F9000 ; pull away filament
...

The tinker firmware doesn't like the Z=0 for some reason (perhaps because of rounding errors or something like that).

I think it's the standard from S3D (more or less), but the idea is not so good anyway, because the nozzle can scratch the build surface if you're unlucky. You can change it to Z0.1 (or even Z0.01) and it works.

 

In addition: you should disable the option "Blip fan to full power..." (on the cooling page). Ultimaker printers don't need this and the short pause above the printed object (with a hot nozzle) can affect the print quality.

 

Good luck!

 

[jockspice 6]

Tinkergnome, you are a saviour.This did not even occur to me as 0 would be inside the print area, but there you go! Test print completed and blip fan command removed also.

Many thanks! ?

[TMicke 23]

On 7/30/2018 at 9:01 PM, tinkergnome said:

In addition: you should disable the option "Blip fan to full power..." (on the cooling page). Ultimaker printers don't need this and the short pause above the printed object (with a hot nozzle) can affect the print quality.

Omg! Can’t test right now, but I think you solved an headache for me.

[RetromanIE 41]

I've used the tinker firmware in the past and loved it. But after a few issues I stopped and stuck to the standard firmware for the last 9-12 months. I just updated to the latest firmware to test and it works great apart from one issue at the very end of some prints(not all prints for some reason).

What it does is at the very end of the print (once completed) it does a large retract. Its happend 3 or 4 times in the last day or two(since installing the firmware). The first retract was about 130-150mm, and the last one a few mins ago retracted all the way out of the bowden to the feeder. The head doesn't move away from the print while doing the retract and so far it hasnt actually had any impact on the printed objects.

I'm using the latest firmware (Tinker V19.03.1) on my Ultimaker 2+ Extended. Sliced in S3D and the gcode start and end scripts are below in case they help.

Start:

M201 X1200 Y1200

M205 X12

G28 ; home all axes

G1 X20 Y10 F3000 ; bring extruder to front

G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length

G1 Z18 ; lower

G1 E19 F200 ; purge nozzle quickly

G1 E26 F60 ; purge nozzle slowly

G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length again

G1 E-5.5 F400 ; retract

G1 X190 Z0 F9000 ; pull away filament

G1 X210 F9000 ; wipe

G1 Y20 F9000 ; wipe

G1 E0 ; feed filament back

 

End:

G28 X0 ; home the X-axis

M104 S0 ; turn off heaters

M140 S0 ; turn off bed

M84 ; disable motors

 

I did the factory reset once I'd installed the firmware and my retraction settings are the standard 4.5mm @ 25mm/s and 20mm as the end retract(all firmware defaults). Not that it matters, but this happens on PLA and PETG profiles in S3D.

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what i might test to stop this?

 

Many thanks

 

 

[TMicke 23]

On 4/8/2019 at 5:48 PM, RetromanIE said:

I've used the tinker firmware in the past and loved it. But after a few issues I stopped and stuck to the standard firmware for the last 9-12 months. I just updated to the latest firmware to test and it works great apart from one issue at the very end of some prints(not all prints for some reason).

What it does is at the very end of the print (once completed) it does a large retract. Its happend 3 or 4 times in the last day or two(since installing the firmware). The first retract was about 130-150mm, and the last one a few mins ago retracted all the way out of the bowden to the feeder. The head doesn't move away from the print while doing the retract and so far it hasnt actually had any impact on the printed objects.

 

Did you solve your problem?

 

I have the same problem every now and then (tinker V19.03.1);

A few days ago while I was printing the printing stopped and the filament was retracting. I turned off the printer and started over again, with a new gcode file. This time it also stopped mid print and started to retract, but this time I waited to see what happend next and after maybe 10 seconds it started feeding the filament back in and started printing again. These two incidents was from  gcode's made from Cura 4.0.0

 

Yesterday I printed a file from s3d and at the end, when finished, it retracted all the filament out of the bowden tube.

 

Worth mentioning is that I had same thing happening in the past with tinker 17.x.x and that I have made approximately 100 prints with no incidents (that I know of)

 

At the time I was mostly annoyed and destroyed the gcode files so I have nothing to share, but if someone knows whats going on I would appreciate som help.

 

 

[RetromanIE 41]

On 6/6/2019 at 5:39 AM, TMicke said:

 

Did you solve your problem?

 

I have the same problem every now and then (tinker V19.03.1);

A few days ago while I was printing the printing stopped and the filament was retracting. I turned off the printer and started over again, with a new gcode file. This time it also stopped mid print and started to retract, but this time I waited to see what happend next and after maybe 10 seconds it started feeding the filament back in and started printing again. These two incidents was from  gcode's made from Cura 4.0.0

 

Yesterday I printed a file from s3d and at the end, when finished, it retracted all the filament out of the bowden tube.

 

Worth mentioning is that I had same thing happening in the past with tinker 17.x.x and that I have made approximately 100 prints with no incidents (that I know of)

 

At the time I was mostly annoyed and destroyed the gcode files so I have nothing to share, but if someone knows whats going on I would appreciate som help.

 

 

 

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying.

No I never fixed the issue and I was able to replicate it on another 3 Ultimaker 2+ machines. So I'm just using the latest stock firmware on my Ultimakers now. The tinker firmware was great in the past, but just isn't reliable anymore so not worth using in my opinion(reliability is important to me). Pity :0(