UM2 helper needed - drooloop flowers

[peetersm 124]

Hi,

I hope someone can help me-sorry for the long post.

I have the great fortune to be asked to do a guest blog for the ultimaker site and part of what they want me to provide are gcode files for both UM1 and UM2. (due to the fact that my print benefits from manually turning off the fan at a certain height which I do with basic text editor)

I have lots of UM1 files (sets of files for different filament sizes) but I do not have access to an UM2 and have not been paying attention to any slicing and/or CURA setting differences between these two machines.

Also since the post has a Mother's Day theme I want to have all the UM2 gcode files ready by Thursday (5-1-14) so I am scrambling to come up to speed.

What I need help with is this list of questions:

1. can someone with a UM2 print this gcode file and see if it works? (see file below)

2. The idea is that some newer users can just download gcode and print, SO for the UM2 should I be using UltiGCode? - I am excited by the idea that filament size and temperature are not in the gcode file but entered at the machine (not like what I have to do on my UM1) BUT not sure if that is how most new users would be using it. For the UM1 gcode I have a bunch of files for different filament diameters, is this also what I should for for UM2 files (make them as RepRap gcode?)

3. Where do I want to deviate from the default settings??? For my UM1 I have a list of things I change away from the default settings in CURA. like speed=70mm/sec, retractions: enable comb=off, min travel=1.5, min extud=0, ETC and other settings that I know work well, but for the UM2 I have no idea what "basic settings" I can change away from default and which ones to leave alone. any advice there is great.

THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT MAKING A UM2 FILE is here:

https://www.youmagine.com/documents/4642/download

UM2-1.8.1-Medium Trumpet Stigma5-x4-fan.gcode

that can be compared to my UM1 file for the same flower:

https://www.youmagine.com/documents/4552/download

Um1 1.8.1 2.86mm Medium Trumpet Stigma5

so here's link to more explanation about why I am turning off the fans:

 

here's the design link

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/drooloop-flowers-customizable

thanks for any help you can offer,

Mark

 

[illuminarti 18]

Hi Mark! That's a really clever print :-)

I think the simplest thing would be to use ultigcode, and just let the filament definition in the printer control the execution of the print - that's exactly what it's intended for, and definitely how most people use it. That said, a regular UM1-style gcode file should work.

The printer-bases setting of the filament size and temp is the main difference between regular UM1 gcode and Ultigcode (the latter also has specific retraction codes, rather than specifically encoding a filament-only move).

Btw, have you considered using the TweakAtZ plugin for Cura to do the fan speed changes, rather than having to edit the code manually?

I'll try printing your UM2 file, and let you know how it goes.

 

[illuminarti 18]

They printed fine on the UM2, although the on the last one it looked like the fan didn't turn off. At least it didn't turn off at first (and the first few petals printed at an odd slow speed), but then it seems like it recovered later, so maybe it just turned off late and/or there was something wrong with the gcode where you tried to turn it off).

 

[peetersm 124]

Thanks illuminarti!

I'll double check my code for the last flower, and thanks for helping me understand the differeneces between the UM gcodes, I had no idea that the UM2 dynamically measures the filament and adjusts..i think that's what you mean, that's soo cool!

Do you have "non-default" settings you like, for example speed settings 50mm/s seems a little slow.

I did consider TweakATZ plugin but I did not see an opion for "turn off fan and leave it off" and since a lot of times the gcode files adjust the fan speed at the layer I had to keep turning off the fan at every layer, so I just manually commented out the lines to be sure the fan turned off and STAYed off.

 

[IRobertI 520]

No the UM2 doesn't measure the filament diameter. What it does is separate the diameter setting from the gcode so you can use a single piece of code for 2.7mm filament and 2.9mm for example by simply changing that setting on the printer.

 

[peetersm 124]

thanks for the clarification IRobertl.

I did double check teh gcode and I can not see any issues around the 4th flower. I did use CURA 14.03 maybe I should use an earlier version? my other UM1 files were made with "Cura_SteamEngine 13.12"

I will put some more files up there today.

 

[illuminarti 18]

I looked at the code, and don't see any issues, either. Weird. I'll try testing it again.

 

[chrisp 10]

Simply Brilliant!

That's thinking out of the box.