Help-Custom Printer-need help on settings

[mdsagusta 0]

Hey All,

I built myself a custom 3dprinter, its pretty cool, functions, but i need to understand how to calibrate the x y z axis with cura.

The motherboard is the same as the 3drag so its running arduino and the marlin firmware. Since I made my x y z axis longer than the average printer( this is so i can use it as a cnc as well ), I had to put the end stops farther away than the actual ends of the hot plate.

How do I calibrate cura to understand where the center of the table is and where the ends are?

do i have to edit the arduino file or is it just a cura setting? any expert advice would be great thanks soo much!!

 

[gr5 2,167]

You are asking about marlin *and* cura. That's a lot to cover.

If you build a custom printer you need to create your own Marlin. You can set Marlin to use software endstops or hardware endstops. If you are lucky you can build marlin using this convenient web page:

http://marlinbuilder.robotfuzz.com/

If it doesn't have all the settings you need then at least use that page to build a starter configuraion.h. Either way I recommend you look at the configuration.h it generates and read all the comments to make sure it's "good enough" for your printer.

Cura

In Cura there are "machine settings". You can go in there and set the dimensions of your machine and cura will let you print bigger. Cura will by default place objects on the center - in other words if your build area is 300X300mm it will place it at 150mmX150mm but you can just drag the object around if you want. Or place multiple things.

The settings about "minx", gantry height only affect if you want to print multiple objects "one at a time". You can skip those machine settings for your first print.

 

[gr5 2,167]

For a fully custom Marlin...

BUILDING MARLIN

thermistor tables:

https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin/blob/Marlin_v1/Marlin/thermistortables.h

Ultimaker2 marlin source:

https://github.com/Ultimaker/SecretMarlin

First get the source code files here:

https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin

Then edit Configuration.h – this is by far the hardest step and it's not bad. I recommend you go here:

http://marlinbuilder.robotfuzz.com/

and use that website only to get the Configuration.h file. Then run winmerge or some other diff program to compare the latest ErikZalm version of Configuration.h to the one from robotfuzz which is usually a few months behind. Edit the ErikZalm version to match the robotfuzz generated version. Make any other edits as necessary. It sound complicated but it is extremely clear and well commented. Sometimes with paragraphs of explanation.

configuration.h file detailed explanation:

http://airtripper.com/1145/marlin-firmware-v1-basic-configuration-set-up-guide/

Then you need to build Marlin. There are instructions that come with the erik zalm download in the "README.md" text file.

Basically you download and install arduino ide:

http://arduino.cc/en/main/software

Then copy the sanguino software as explained in README file. Open Marlin.ino file in Arduino IDE by double clicking it (not pde file as stated in README - I think that's old). Select board as "Mega 2560" as explained in README file. Go to "file" "preferences" and select "verbose output" so you can find your hex file. Then build it by clicking the check box in the upper left corner. At the bottom you will see it compiling Marlin. At the end of this it says where the hex file is. If you are currently connected to your UM through USB you can just click "file" "upload" and you are done! But you should locate that hex file and save it somewhere along with the Configuration.h file used to create it so you can recreate the same version with maybe one change. Also you can upload the hex file using Cura in expert menu.

Alternatively you can build Marlin with somewhat more detailed step by step instructions the command line way (which I don't prefer):

http://www.extrudable.me/2013/05/03/building-marlin-from-scratch/

 

 

[mdsagusta 0]

Wow, Thats a lot of info!! Thanks ultimaker user!!!!. I didnt realize how far into the configuration file I actually had to go..

I thought there was just a simple setting in cura for custom built printers. I guess i was way off... oops.

I will have a look at those links and see what I can do...

Yeah the printer i built has a c frame and has a build size of at least 350mm x 350mm height 250. The endstops are set father than that though. All the stepper motors are nema 23 and its running the drag motherboard.

I figured(which i assume is way off) that i could take the default firmware from the 3drag board and use it by just modifying some simple settings in Cura. My fear was having to modify the configuration settings.

How come the configuration file has to be altered? is there no simple way of just dimension settings in cura?