I just finished building up my MPCNC and it was much fun until now. The only issue is that it is not moving!
The Mini-Rambo version 1.3a I purchased from china came without the firmware. So I flashed the Marlin Version 1.1 with the Arduino IDE (1.8.8) as described in the instructions after installing the driver from the ultimachine website. At the first try I connected my PC to the board via Repetier-host 1.5.4 (has been used before with my Vellman K8200 3D-printer; I changed the settings according to the instructions, of course). LED 7 of the mini-Rambo is shining green and LED 2 is shining red. While connecting, the TX and RX LEDs are blinking yellow several times and later regularly every few seconds.
All worked fine until now. When I try to move the motors via the manual control, the TX and RX LEDs are blinking for every time I klick the arrow buttons but that is everything that happens, no movement of the motors, no sound of the motors, nothing. I updated the Repetier-Host to Version 2.1.3 but the result is the same.
The x- and y- axis motors are connected in series and the z-axis motor cable was just extended. I checked the fuses on the mini-Rambo and they are still alright. I also tested the motors with another Arduino board and they work.
My first suspicion was that the motors, 83.6oz. in / 59Ncm (the closest I could get to the adviced 76OZ/in), are maybe a little too big for the mini-Rambo but I also tested a much smaller NEMA 17 (25 Ncm) motor with the mini-Rambo and it didn’t move as well.
Another thing is that the LCD of the mini-Rambo is bright but doesn’t show any characters. So maybe it is the board?
Does anybody have an idea what can be wrong or do you need further information?
Try my flashing instructions and my firmware, what you are describing is not correct. I also can not be certain about import boards as they are not from Ultimachine and I have no idea if they are correctly built.
I flashed the firmware the third time, now, and followed your instructions exactly and double checked all settings. The only thing I had to do different is installing the driver from the Ultimachine website, which I found no reference for in your instructions. But otherwise the Arduino IDE didn’t recognize the mini-Rambo at my serial port and the option “Tools- Port” is grayed out/deactivated.
The results are the same as before unfortunately.
I bought the mini-Rambo via the German eBay and Chinese providers are the only ones who offer it there. The price was quite similar to what it costs in your shop and at least it looks exactly the same as on the pictures here…
Could you maybe tell me at which point I didn’t follow the instructions correctly or if there is a possibility to find out if the board ist okay?
If you want help show some screenshots of you successful flash (so I can verify), and the error messages when you try to connect (so I can see what is actually happening). Unfortunately “it doesn’t work” does not tell me enough information to even begin to help.
Please find the screenshots from the firmware uploading and the Repetierhost-settings attached. I hope my translations are sufficient. “Unfortunately” there are no error messages. Before I installed this Ultimachine drivers (link in the text: https://ultimachine.com/products/mini-rambo-1-3), I just couldn’t select a port in the arduino IDE, as if there was no board plugged in at all. The pic of the board was taken at the very moment I klicked an arrow button in Rep-Host and the TX and RX LEDs were blinking.
If there are more options to find the error (measuring the board with a multimeter etc), please let me know.
In repetier-host, change the port to the port the rambo is connected to. I’ve had issues using “auto” where it never works, but if I select the port manually, and it should show up when you click on the drop down arrow, it works fine.
Thanks, I tried it. It showed COM3, which I selected but the result stayed the same unfortunately.
I guess you meant 1.1.9, right? That is the highest number I could find below 2.0. I flashed it and that doesn’t bring a difference as well, unfortunately.
These new screnshots show the log of Repetier-host. I unselected all but the error messages. That is what comes up after just connecting to the board. I than klicked an arrow button one time but that didn’t produce a new message.
Looks like you may be using an old version of Marlin, most of us are using a variant of bugfix-2.0. More information on the firmware is available on Ryan’s firmware page and his github on how to figure out the right software version and flash the mini-Rambo. I think @vicious1 was referring to the Arduino IDE version 1.9
Again no success with that, unfortunately. After installing the Arduino IDE 1.9 (Beta) and flashing Marlin bugfix-2.0 the result remains the same. The only change in the message log of Repetier-Host it that it recognizes Marlin bugfix-2.0.x but the rest of the messages are the same as in my screenshots from yesterday…
If this problem hasn’t occured before, it maybe might be a defect on the board, doesn’t it? In my eyes it shows reaction to every command I give to it via the manual control of Rep-Host by blinking but it doesn’t give out a signal to the motors.
I’am thinking about purchasing a new board from you, if it is certain, that the one I have doesn’t work…
I will give it a try. I have been checking all steps of the instructions and all settings of my system several times now and run out of ideas about what can be the error. So I blame it on the board.
After browsing the web for Rambo-boards, I recocnized that on all pictures of original boards from Ultimachine they have bar codes on them. All of the boards of questionable suppliers don’t. There is just that blank white area at some place, just as on my board. I have no idea about the license policies of Ultimachine but maybe there is manufacturer in the far east who doesn’t have very strict quality standards and is selling them on its own…
If I’ll make the other board work at some time, I will build another machine
Exactly. Ulitmachine also made and open sourced the Ramps boards…then the imitations keep getting components substituted for inferior/cheaper ones. So inferior most hardly work anymore. There is no licensing involved, so they are saving money as compared to standard practices, then they shoot themselves in the foot but skimping on a few very inexpensive components and making poor imitations.
