Auto Squaring, My axis is hella square...

You got it. E0 is X E1 is Y in both the Repetier and Marlin versions.

 

Downloaded and tested as working, great job. Interestingly though, if you hit one endstop and then release it, it starts moving as if the endstop wasn’t hit. This doesn’t happen in a normal homing operation, but still. Also, it seems homing bump isn’t implimented yet, but at low speeds isn’t absolutely necessary.

 

Yeah, so far, no bounce, so if your machine is really out of whack homing twice might be a good option and I want to turn the homing speeds down a little further. The bounce might be tough as both end stops should be hit first then both should bounce at the same time.

The invert axis I don’t think works correctly at least it doesn’t work on the X axis I need to test the Y. No big deal just flip the stepper plug until I can figure out that code section. I have made a note to where I think the issue is.

I haven’t tested the offset function yet, but it could really come in handy for some serious fine tuning. It did work on the Y but I need to retest on both axis.

I think I have all the LCD code in but I will test that as well.

The delta and corexy stuff was not updated for this.

I’ll give it a shot on my machine. What should I be printing to mount the endstops? This gives an excuse to redo my wiring with pretty more in mind. :slight_smile:

Hey Ryan,

Its really looking good,

I’m going to up need to really up my game now with my machinekit project. :wink:

Can you provide the link for end stops your using? (will they install without removing the pipes?)

I still need to put them on my MPCNC/machinekit setup still and and change the the gantrykin kinematic module. At some point, I like to have a fine mechanical adjustment on one of the pairs. I was thinking about something like this Fine adjustment end stop Z axis by ArcherEG - Thingiverse

One of the things we(workshop88) implemented on our Sieg mill, is to home the Z-axis first at the Max Z position about the table before homing the X and Y. We did that so that we wouldn’t crash into figuring when you do auto-homing. (Dang, I wish we shot a video of it, it’s pretty cool)

Tom

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1023985

They snap on without removing the rails, I typically use zip-ties to keep them on screws are overkill.

With this firmware you just need to get the endstops close and you can fine adjust an offset to get it really precise.

This also picks up the Z axis before homing, I have it set to 10mm right now I think but usually that is plenty. A bunch of it is adjustable, which axis homes first, all at the same time, whatever.

I need to get a better video of it but, I kinda got stuck on another project at the moment.

 

This is insane, Ryan! Thanks refusing to not make this happen. This will be very, very nice. Buying more end stops and drivers now…

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Is there going to be a parts bundle add on for this upgrade? like the drivers and switches and holders and wire harness ?

Not an upgrade…an advanced modification.

I try to be clear about this because then new comers will want the “Upgrade” and to start with this sort of thing and it really really is not recommended unless you truly understand what this is doing and how to use work offsets. A modification makes a specific thing better usually at the cost of something else.

Sorry Not trying to be a punk just trying to save myself a ton of work down the road. I know it is coming because I am almost sold completely out of ramps boards in the last two days…

To answer your question, If you have a ramps you need 2 drivers, 4 end stops and some wire, the mini rambo just 2 end stops and some wire. The cost of custom endstop wires would actually be pretty high I don’t think it would be worth it if it wasn’t for the little connectors I would say no way but I will get a quote. I already have some single steppers extenders That I guess could be used and converted. Let me look into a price.

 

I understand it isn’t a requirement or even needed by most of us but as a kit to add when we get there may be way cool

Yeah. The firmware changes are advanced, for sure. No one else will have to modify it, but I don’t think it will be easy to get merged into mainstream, and it will be work with each Marlin upgrade to bring this change with it. I think Ryan is right to call this an advanced mod. It would be great if only advanced or aspiring advanced operators tried it. Even if the firmware and wiring was done for you, there’s a lot about the machine and CAM to know too. Luckily, there are more and more advanced users here all the time.

I haven’t actually reviewed it yet, I just barely have had time to set up the before/after git snapshots. I’m comparing it to 1.1.4, is that right?

I’ve been working on painting a room in our house, and that seems to take me days. I really want to check this out soon though.

I can’t figure out if it is 1.1.4 or 1.1.5.

That is the bummer about it. I am sure a Marlin dev could have worked this in no problem, but most printers have no use for it so why bother. Took me days, I am sure someone more familiar with marlin could have done it in a half a day for sure. I do hope it does get worked in at some point.

I have to see what sort of things Prusa did to calculate perpedicularity of his axis on the MK2. He has some crazy stuff in there, like the expansion board.

Hi Ryan

Allot of the awesome updates to Marlo. Was from 1.1.5. I would assume that these updates are in line with what you are doing.

This was done with 1.1.5 I believe but I am done chasing those updates for a while. They were supposed to have done a feature freeze while marlin was switched over to a new framework (2.0 HAL) of some sort but, there are now there are two very active branches of marlin. Every time we do an update some sort of weird issues arise. I haven’t seen any big updates worth the hassle. Have I missed something?

OMG !!!

I was just about to sit down and try to tackle this myself, but first decided to take a look at the website to see if there was a later update to Marlin before I started hacking. Wow, Ryan, fortunately for me, you beat me to it.

I will download the firmware immediately and try this out - AFTER Irma - I am in FL, and Irma has promised to cause us a lot of trouble here this weekend. Who knows how long we will be without power. Amazing how dependent we are on electricity in the modern world. When the power goes out we will have No AC - no water - No PC ! no 3D printer and No MPCNC !!! OMG OMG OMG - what in the world am i going to do? So, will test this out later.

I have been using XYZ limit switches since I built this - like 1 - 1/2 years ago. I know you kept saying it wasn’t needed, but, I couldn’t think straight without using them. To me it had to have a Home position. I had been, and still am, Homing Z to the max, so it moves entirely up off the work area when i send G28.

For squaring it, i had put blocks on the opposite sides of the limit switches, so i could skew the axis off by hand - do home and the side would hit the block first, grind the motor until the other side hit the limit sw. That has been working, BUT, I use 84 oz steppers, and ever since wiring them in series where they get the max power, I really don’t like the idea of the motors Ramming the block on the legs - it is bound to eventually throw things out of wack. But, it had been working. It will square when it homes - IF the axis are skewed in the direction that it will hit the block first. If the carriage skews the other way, and it hits the limit sw first, then it will be Out of Sq, which was a bugger that has been a pain for a while, as i would change bits and forget to skew it in the right direction first, and wind up losing a complex cut.

I am currently cutting 16 pieces both top and bottom making a Core master for a mold, so i need perfect alignment each time - and i have 2 bit changes on the top side (3 bits altogether, a rough cut, final ball nose, and then run another end mill to square up some of the rounded areas the ball nose leaves) And, i wasted 3 pieces because I forgot to align.

I was so fed up with my forgetfullness I decided to tackle the auto align with separate stepper control and switches, and Thank God, you already did it for me. Thank you Ryan.

But, i do mine just a bit differently. I have Z set to Home to Max, so it moves it all the way up off the table and hits the max end stop. Just last month I finally added the Zero Plate. The way I do this, is I use the Z Min as a Z Probe. I lay down the metal Zero plate, then by hand move the carriage over the piece, then send G30 to the CNC from Repetier Host. G30 does a 1-time Z-Probe and it reports the Z value on the Marlin LCD screen. So, I subtract the thickness of the Zero plate and put that number into the gcode that gets sent.

On the X and Y sides of my spoiler boards I have a small raised edges that are squared to the X Y axis, I have cut a board in the shape of an L that is 30mm wide on both the X and Y sides of the L and i place it in the corner so the outside edges are up against the outer raised edges on the spoiler, and then I place my work piece to square up with the inside of the L - and use my hold downs to hold the piece and remove the L alignment template. That way, the Zero location of my work piece is always at the X Y location of 40, 40 (mm).

Here is my gcode header:

G28 ; homes all axis to the limit sw’s

G0 X40 Y40 F6000

G0 Znnn F2000 ; where nnn is the number i read off the Marlin screen after doing a G30 - minus the Zero plate thickness

G92 X0 Y0 Z0 ; this now sets up the new Zero for all axis, the new 0 location is actually x40 y40 znnn (the top of my work piece)

With this set up I get very precise repeatable cuts, as long as i have square-aligned by X Y axis before i start -

And, at the end of the cut I send G28 and the Z axis moves to the Max height before the X and Y zoom -

Now, once i add the Auto Align, this will be a real working system.

BTW, yes, those are my rapid move settings. Remember, my build uses 2 pipes screwed on top of one another for the X and Y gantry - so it is a lot more stable, and i use 84 oz steppers, so it has ok power. The Z uses an 8mm lead screw and I build a counter weight on it with a pulley, to counter the weight of the spindle, so the Z stepper can run faster, and the spindle doesn’t go crashing down into my work or table if the stepper power turns off. This added 5 lbs to my Z axis gantry, but, the X Y axis moves very well with the extra weight. I am contemplating putting on a larger Dewalt 611 (1.25 hsp) OR, when i can afford it, go with a 1.5k water cooled spindle. When I run a 3mm ball nose, currently i am running it at 2500 mm pm but, cutting red oak or cherry and have ran it even up to 35oo, but, I feel that is pushing it too much. I was cutting with the 3mm ballnose on cherry and poplar without doing a rough cut first, and it works, but, if i use a 3mm straight bit, they tend to break if the wood cut is too deep, and the tappered bits - i don’t want to ruin them, so i have gone back to rough cutting first.

BUT, as soon as i get to it, i will put a closed loop speed control on the DW660 - I have all the parts, the circuit, and already have an infrared RPM sensor mounted on the DW660 - I read on a different CNC site that someone put a closed loop speed control on their DW660 and they said they can now cut with 1/4 bits with ease, that it really makes the DW660 a lot more powerful at slower RPMs, so i will try that first.

I’m sure there are still some kinks but it seems to work well enough for now. I am trying to put more time into it in the next day or two but I have to figure out Git first.

Holy crap batten down the hatches. I hope it all goes okay for you down there, that thing looks nasty. Have the cnc start carving you some helmets just in case.

That is how the mini-rambo guys will need to do it (for now) with one axis and the other should square up nicely.

Too much to remember, just z home min,and set the probe thickness as your z offset.

You can rapid up to 120mm/s before you get board issues. But you run the risk of skipping steps.

Adding all that would be better used slower with larger bits. A large heavy machine is for hogging stuff out, being light and nimble is for the smaller bits. I get amazing results at 8-15mm/s If it was more rigid I would generally just go deeper per pass or a large roughing bit.

 

Intelligent speed control would be nice. A few have attempted some cheaper ones but I am guessing nothing has worked out yet. I have done some serious research a few times but there are too many unknowns for me that I’m sure an electrical engineer would know the proper way not to burn down a house. There are a tone of lower amperage ones super cheap zero point crossing opto’s and everything but just not enough amps for a router. I have just wanted to try modifying one of those. Pretty sure there are a bunch on tindie.

 

 

 

 

Jeffeb3 has put in some serious time helping me to get this thing perfected. As best as I can test all functions work. My most sincere thanks Heffe!!! Jeffeb3 has gotten it so polished it has been submitted to Marlin to hopefully get integrated into the firmware, fingers crossed.

DualDual_1_1_5 I have dropped the new fully functional firmware on the site for now, but the GitHub might be the place to get them from now on.

Look forward to testing this out once I dig out some more endstops.

I wouldn’t hold my breath on it merging anytime too soon though - I’ve been following Marlin development for a few months (since just before the V1 release) and it’s and bit disorganized. They’re really bad about freezing things and then adding new features into release candidates which makes it really hard to get a release out the door. Right now with the 2.0 restructure things are even messier than normal.

Even without the 2.0 restructure it can be hard to tell which branch is the current development branch because they seem to change it arbitrarily without really communicating it well. I saw they asked this be rebased onto bugfix-1.1.x but that branch is missing commits from 1.1.5…so they’ve “released” 1.1.5 but it has things that aren’t in the current bugfix development branch - which…that just seems crazy to me.

It’s nice that they’re getting releases out finally…but…man do I get a headache trying to follow the logic behind their branching and release process!

 

Yeah, kinda of a bummer. We have the 1.1.5, the 1.1.X bugfix and also a 2.0 version ready to go. I modeled the 2.0 version on the one thinkyhead was working on a few days ago but it is missing things from before 1.1.4…

Either way, Jeffeb3 very patiently taught me all kinds of stuff over the last week or so. I understand git a bit more and finally understand merge conflict resolution, my previous biggest hurdle. Even if they never want it, we have it and it works, I will do my best to try and keep it up to date.

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I think it will make it eventually. It might be one of those “squeaky wheel gets oil” things. 2.0 doesn’t have all the features 1.1.5 has either, so it’s just bad timing. The changes are good, easy to understand, and detailed.