Thanks, thats helpful.
Any guidance on squaring and setting the bed size?
What do you mean by “setting the bed size”? Where do you want to set it? In Estlcam? In the firmware? I don’t actually know the exact dimensions of my work area.
What are you having trouble with on the squaring? You should try to adjust it as best you can while assembling it (is this the primo, the primo instructions include a bunch of squaring steps?). Then you can adjust it that last bit with your dual endstops. There are detailed instructions in the docs, but the idea is that you draw the corners of a large box, as large as you can with the tip of the bit or a pen. Then you measure the distance between opposite corners and try to adjust one side until they are equal. If you had a 150mmx200mm box, and the diagonals were 252mm and 248mm, then you would want to move one of the endstops so that the long corner is shorter. A good rule of thumb would be about 1.5-2x as far, so move that endstop 3-4mm. You can also do this in CAM, but you can get really accurate by just moving the endstops and it’s less fidgety, IMO.
Errrrrr? 2540%, maybe?
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Figured I need to set the bed size so that if I get dimensions wrong it won’t crash in the rails.
I find if I “home X & Y” in the v1 menu on the LCD it will stop on the endstops.
If I do it in the standard menu or in manual control in Repetier it doesn’t stop on the endstops.
When I draw a large box do I just do it with the manual x, y controls or should I create a box in Estlcam and draw that?
My God Ulli, he’s a physicist, not a mathematician! Wait…
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Marlin fimware allows you to tell the configuration file how far your endstops are from your usable work area. You can also set soft limits that are larger than your desired print area, which allows for fixtures like purge buckets or wipe locations that the machine can get to but which don’t take away from your build space (assuming the fixtures are outside of your heated bed). As I recall, all these settings are (or at least were, the last time I had to make adjustments) in the same general area as homing in the firmware configuration.h file.
I’ve got a home-built Prusa i3 clone, but I’m using an older hot bed on it that’s only 200x200mm and I’m using RAMPS rather than the control board Prusa includes, so there’s just enough different on my machine that I can’t just grab the Prusa firmware, I’ve had to set it up myself.
I’ve set the X min endstop position to -8 mm so that when it hits the home switch it knows it’s 8 mm outside the usable bed area. Similar, but larger due to the shape of the machine, offset for Y. The IR probe I use for Z triggers at ~3.5 mm above the build plate, so I’ve got a negative -3.5 Z probe offset. This gets fined tuned with baby stepping and then saved to EEPROM, but the value in the compiled firmware is close.
Skip the job title, just Ulli … 
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Whups! Misplaced a comma there… Should have been “My God, Ulli…” Although that could also be willfully misconstrued… 
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The endstops are ignored, except when homing. After that, there are limits to keep you from clobbering the endstops, but not at the other end. They aren’t really needed, and to change the bed size and enable soft stop, you need to reflash the firmware.
If you do crash, your job is ruined, it will skip steps. But it won’t destroy the machine and the crunchy noise isn’t gears slipping or anything, it is just electrical.
Ok, don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
Seems to be z axis issues.
If I use manual control to go down 10mm it only goes down 2mm.
I load my gcode logo to repetier. Then lower the axis so the cutter just touches the work surface. Hit print/start and it picks up 20mm or so and does it in mid air or else it plunges and I have to emergency stop it.
What am I doing wrong?
Are you using a v-bit or an endmill?
Thats a v bit,
Is your Z axis loose? Grab your router and twist around a bit and see if you have any play.
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Grub screws tight. No really check them. How big are the letters and what program made the drawing and did the crown work well and did anything change. maybe to fast of cut 600mm/m or less to start
What are you using for the z axsis did it come from Ryan?it seems you are almost there does it still plunge or aircut ?
It sounds like you have a 1 start leadscrew. It would move 2.5mm when you commanded 10mm. If you look at the end, you can see just one start instead of 4. Or you can see that it moves 2mm for one rotation (send it 8mm, does it only rotate once, and does it only move 2mm?).
You can increase the steps/mm by 4x, but you need to also reduce the top speed by 3-4x. Steppers aren’t as strong at higher speeds, and you will be spinning much faster for the same distance per sec.
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Thanks, yes I have a single start. Using a tape measure and turning it by hand it moves 2mm for 1 rotation.
I will order a 4 start.
In the meantime how do I change the settings?
There is a setting in the screen. Or repetier host can change it, or gcode. The gcode is M92 Z1600 and if that works save with M500. To change the top speed it is M203 Z4. And then again M500 if that works.
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Thanks, it now moves 10mm when I tell it to.
However it still has issues with the z start height or home. I set the point of the cutter just touching the work surface but when I hit start it plunges. I had to lift it to 24mm or so off the surface to get it to carve.
My curves still aren’t smooth. Seems to be cutting like that. Could it be the wrong settings in Estlcam?