trident Chris' 250 Trident Journey

[Simon2.4]

59 minutes ago, claudermilk said:

I struggled to get the prints to stick

yah I sanded my bed with 600 grit wet/dry paper stuck on a glass plate to add micro texture and bring down the high spots of the textured plate; this helped alot but I still put glue on my bed. It barely changed the appearance of the surface, made it a bit more matte. Best improvement was when I lowered my first layer thickness to 0.20 from my original 0.30 and added a 5% of extra squirt on the first layer. but I cant say I like this print surface for PLA up to now. Creality glass bed had epic adhesion compared to this. Put it in the freezer kind of adhesion. I miss that

[claudermilk]

I spoke too soon.  Very next print of a benchy failed about 30-ish minutes in, so I'm still chasing this. It's close, but I have something mis-configured. I cannot imagine it's heatcreep; it's a Revo Micro and printing PLA in the open. I'll first take the toolhead apart and chamfer the PTFE tube that I neglected to do, then examine the voltage setting in the printer.cfg, and probably redo the rotation_distance calibration.

For the flex plate, I'm willing to grab a different one that is known to work well; I'll have to do a bit of research on that.

[claudermilk]

Success!  It seems I set the extruder motor to too low a voltage at 0.4 for run_current.

I tried a benchy which started well, but got funky when the main hull finished and it started with the small wheelhouse uprights. It even bumped a rear one and forced it out of the way. I monitored the print and allowed it to finish, and once it got to the roof everything went back to normal. So that told me for sure there was no heat creep issue--which I doubted anyway. There was also no jamming, again I was sure that wasn't it since after cancelled prints I could just extrude fine.

So, somehow the multiple small features tripped up the stepper. I bumped run_current to 0.6 and tried again. I got a darn good benchy without the weird under extrusion.

For this testing, I swapped out to the second flex plate I bought and threw some glue stick down. That worked, the boats stuck really well. I still want to find a better plate that won't require glue stick.

For reference, here's what it does with too low a run_current.

and here's with the increased current. Yes, I know stringing. Also a bit of overextrusion--I redid the rotation distance calibration after this.

Once that was done, I got on to start running through the Ellis tuning guide (found here). I have a few last items to clean up, then cereal time for real.

[claudermilk]

Oh, and since I didn't add specific information on the Raspberry Pi to Octopus connection I'll add it here. I've seen the question come up several times in the last few days at the various Voron communities.

So, to run the RPi via GPIO and skip the 5V power supply, you just need a 4 wire jumper. Here's the helper bit I put together on my Google Sheets notes workbook:

And an image I stole from a Reddit post (I don't recall who posted it), which I built my table above from:

One of the keys here is to make sure Tx on one board goes to Rx on the other, and vice versa.

Finally, my working wiring hookup:

I am using some cut offs from one of the stepper motors, which is 22 or 24 AWG.

[Jaxt]

Nice build!! That rig looks amazing!!!!! Well done sir!

[claudermilk]

Thanks, I'm pleased with how it's turned out. This is just the beginning, I've got lots of plans for it. Today I think it's time to record a serial video--it's at baseline less a couple of noncritical bits and is starting to print itself more parts.

[claudermilk]

I got a serial video concept that amuses me, so I had to go with it. Serial request now submitted. For your enjoyment (watch to the end).

 

[Simon2.4]

 

[3dKaosMonkey]

Love serial requests like those.....

[Demosth]

It's aliiiiive! - Nice job @claudermilk!

[claudermilk]

Let the modding begin! OK, so I started with a couple of minor quality of life mods (XY endstop PCB, Sexbolt Z endstop) but now to start adding things.

First up, a chamber thermistor. I found the mount STL in VoronUsers I think. It's perfect for what I wanted to do for mounting. The generic thermistor came with cabling set up how I would wand, so it was simply mount it, run the wire, trim to size, and add to printer.cfg. Easy Peasy.

Next is purge bucket & nozzle scraper. Getting it printed was a bit more challenge than it should have been. I'm struggling with bed adhesion for larger ABS parts, and the arm started warping about 2/3 through. Since I had a brim to try and address this, I also had a handle to tape the sucker down. It actually worked, and the print completed. The screw holes are good, one only slightly oval and this is probably why the bucket is slightly crooked. It's good enough for now. I need to get the config done, but it will be nice to deal with the nozzle drool.

[claudermilk]

I got the purge bucket macros all set up, so now it works. I'm not 100% satisfied with the baseline functions, so I'll be tinkering with it. I did go to make an issue ticket for the last bucket position move--it still assumes left mounted V2; turns out a couple of other folks found the same issue and developed the exact same code change. 

[claudermilk]

Since last update I tweaked on the purge bucket settings and it's now working quite well.

On to the next major mod. I got Klicky Probe installed over the weekend since the Push Plastic shipment arrived two days early. The physical install is pretty easy, so once parts were printed that went quickly. Installing the probe and matching dock magnets were a bit of a PITA. The jigs are great, but some of them turned into a bigger pain than skipping them--too many pieces to keep in line while getting into the vise. You also want to be very careful to pin the connector correctly--I re-watched Steve's stream for his install on his Trident and his mistake served notice to watch out for that. I also had the same spacing issue as he did and stuck a couple of washers to push the dock 1mm closer to the bed.

The big problem I ran into was understanding the macros. They have changed since Steve's stream and are a bit more complex. I am sure it's all improvement, but it's a lot to wrap your head around. I didn't pay close enough attention to the code segment on the readme page with suggested starting move values and chased that for a while--so use their values to start and tweak from there. Once I got that set right, it all worked.

Right now I am still using the base safe_z_home. I have commented out the homing_override routine in klick-macros.cfg. It's huge and so far it's made the printer run that process very slow and hangs in homing more often than not. I'll eventually sift through it to understand what it's trying to accomplish.

Next step is to implement the protoloft/klipper z_calibration to automate the z offset process.

 

[claudermilk]

z_calibration implemented. That was actually pretty easy, just follow the instructions and carefully measure things. Now to do some tuning to really dial in the offset setting.

I also finished setting up the snap clips for my top & side panels. Now it till be easy to remove them for mods/maintenance and switch to PLA mode. For those, I used this mod:  https://github.com/VoronDesign/VoronUsers/tree/master/printer_mods/richardjm/snap-latch-2020 and printed up the 3.0mm clips for my 3mm plexi+1mm foam tape. No more messing with the hateful hammerhead nuts for those panels.

[3dKaosMonkey]

On 2/21/2022 at 9:02 AM, claudermilk said:

 

So, looking for more to do I mounted the skirts and screen since wiring is effectively done. I am using the Waveshare 4.3" touch screen connected to the Pi on a DSI cable and running KlipperScreen. Easy peasy install.

 

 

 

Klipperscreen question for you.  I want to get a touchscreen that connects with dsi.   My question is about the cable itself.  I am looking at one and it only comes with a very short cable and I am curious to know if that is what you use or you used a longer one and if so can you advise what cable it was and where did you source it?

[claudermilk]

The cables the screen comes with--and the standoffs--clearly indicate they expect you will be mounting direct to a Pi as a hat. Not good for our use case. I ordered this 12" one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I6LJ19G

[claudermilk]

Eventful weekend for the printer. I had more time than expected since I caught the kid's cold toward the end of the week so weekend get-together plans were binned. 

First of all, I got a nice notification from Reddit--I got my serial! So this is now officially VT.529! 

Then, I added case lights. I grabbed an inexpensive strip of 5V WS2812B LEDs from Amazon. The first hiccup was the eddie mounts turned out to be just a bit wider than my LED strip spacing; I should have measured before printing. So I spent a while filing each of 36 clips down so they fit evenly. After much prior research, I tried attaching to the EXP1 plug using the PE13 pin for signal. That was a fail--no response. So I went back and did some more quick searching. Plan B was the BLTouch plug, using the PB6 pin for signal. Success! It just works. I had previously installed the julianschill Klipper LED Effects library (Gitub), so Klipper was ready. I then spent a good chunk of the day playing with setup, learning how the led_effect and layers definitions work. 

Right now I have an effect for each of the Stealthburner status settings, so the case light will follow SB through various functions like homing, leveling, cleaning, etc with fun effects. When printing it goes to white. And, of course there's party mode as pictured just because. 

So, for reference, I have an Octopus V1.1 with a Raspberry Pi 4B 2GB, a string of 3 NeoPixels for the SB tool head, and 36 Neopixels for the case all running off the Octopus 5V rail. No issues at all thus far.

[Demosth]

6 hours ago, claudermilk said:

First of all, I got a nice notification from Reddit--I got my serial! So this is now officially VT.529!

WOOOOOOOOoooo!

[claudermilk]

SInce getting my cereal, I have been continuing to add mods and tuning. I just can't leave this thing alone.

With the case lights installed, I've been getting the bowden tube banging into the holderson the left side, so I added a guide that Logan BC on Discord designed. It doesn't completely eliminate interference with the toolhead at far left and back, but it's much better now. The hinge screw come loose on occasion even using a lock nut, I have to work that out--probably a dab of Loctite.

I've added a filament runout sensor from the RefillPlease mod. It's clean, and elegant replacing the stock bowden tube holder.

 

For fun, I am trying out the UnKlicky probe, and amazingly it works. I'll play with it some more and see how different it is than the normal switch. It did take some time figuring out the spacing variables that needed to be changed. It's much taller as you can see.

I've also swapped out the webcam from the jury-rigged C270 taped to the front door to a Waveshare OV5640 in the PanzerObserver mount. The mount is great, but I meant to order the OV5648 auto focus camera. That one is now coming in. The 5640 struggles with focus on my blank plate, and racking the focus works the Pi; I've noted at "idle" the Pi is busy and the CPU is running 15-20 C higher than before. I also am getting a really slow frame rate in part because I have to run max resolution to get the full picture; for some reason dropping resolution also reduces view angle on this one. I forgot to take a picture of the mount. Once I have wiring sorted I'll add one.

For the LEDs, I have ended up ditching the entire example Stealthburner config and writing my own up using the LED effects library. It's cleaner now, and naturally integrates the toolhead and case light effects.

[claudermilk]

The OV5648 arrived and I got it swapped in this weekend. The camera is exactly the same form factor, but the updated chips make a huge difference. Now I'm getting the results Steve did. Full resolution, plenty of FPS. I can see nearly the entire build plate and it's a clear image. The auto focus works better, though still racks on a blank plate (once the DFH Voron logo one arrives that will be better). I also still see the Pi working more and the idle CPU temp creeps up to 60C instead of sitting at 38-40C. Still well within the safe specs, but I'd prefer it sit lower.

The issue I am still struggling with the USB cable. I want to route around the left side and down the rear frame, which passes right under the A motor mount. I'm pretty sure the solder splices are good and wiring order is good, but no signal. I just have the five 30AWG wires running loose in the T-slots and that may be an issue.

I also got a headstart on the Nevermore mod and printed the case up. I was very interested to see how it came out since it's a challenging print. Did my tuning work?

    

Still on the plate, and untouched grille sections. Yes, I think the tuning is dialed in pretty well. Some minor imperfections, but basically zero stringing and everything fits together nicely.

[claudermilk]

So follow up on the USB issue. I crashed @Simon2.4's build thread, and he and @SteveThatcher schooled me a bit on the cabling. Sounds like I need to do twisted pair on the TX/RX lines and get all of it in shielding. Especially since it runs right past my A motor and within the T slot down the frame with the motor wiring. I may need to give up on the idea of concealing the wire that much.  The USB pigtail included with the OV5648 is long enough to run to the front frame and down to the Pi. The catch there is no wire pass-through. So plan B might be to drill a hole in my deck panel to get the wire through.  I looked at the Z2 motor plate in the CAD, and there's just no spare room to put a hole through there for a cable pass through. As I recall Steve was able to do that on his V2.4 for his example install, but there's more space to play with because Z belts.

[claudermilk]

I spent much of last week doing family stuff taking a couple of days off for the holiday weekend. I did squeeze some printer project time in and wrapped up the current set of mods. Now I'm kind of out of mod projects for the printer.

I came up with an acceptable way of running the webcam wiring. It's not as clean as I preferred, but it functions and that is more important.

 

Yes, I checked wiring underneath and I drilled from the bottom then cleaned up the hole; no sparky sparks. It's not perfect but it gets the job done. The Pi is right under that corner and the USB connectors are facing the front, so that worked out nicely.

I also finished up the Nevermore. After printing up a couple of spacers, I found that the 250 doesn't need one. The Micro Duo 5 with the V1.8/Trident pellet holder fits perfectly.

 

While I was in there, I also repositioned my chamber thermistor to move it up and more centered in the vertical. That required extending the wiring, which now is easy peasy. I also rerouted getting the wire under the deck. Again, not as completely concealed as I'd prefer, but it doesn't foul the back panel as bad now.

So for now the printer is complete as far as physical/mechanical/electrical mods goes. I still have plenty of macro & config tweaking to play with.

I toyed with the idea of adding a Sonoff or Shelly smart power relay, but after looking deeper I've decided to skip that. Since I power the Pi via GPIO off the Octopus 5V rail, there's really no point. I may just get a smart plug and add it to my SmartThings setup, then run a software routine for power down from the Pi. I also looked at the BTT UPS, but again it seems like looking for the hard way over just getting a plugin computer UPS and calling it done. Besides now seeing I really don't have space under the deck. The last major mod in my plans is ERCF, and that's going to be a bit down the road. It's big and complicated, and I need to wait for a CW2 mod for the necessary integrated filament sensor.

[claudermilk]

A "small" update. Revo Micro is out, Revo Voron is in. Almost a simple swap, except for a bit of an issue when first cramming the wiring under the SB hood. It's probably a good thing this happened now.

kbreezy talked me down and reminded me they are normal MicroFit 3.0 plugs. So a quick clip, strip, and crimp with some spares stock and it was back up and running. Stripping fiberglass insulation sucks.

Its first job was to print the new housing for the "old" Micro to mount to the Prusa Mini. Next projects will be swapping that in and trying to approximate the Ellis tune on it, at least as much as the Marlin software will allow.

[claudermilk]

Not really a mod update, more a troubleshooting struggles update.

The Revo Voron printed great. For about 20 hours of print time. Now it's intermittently behaving like a bad thermistor. I'm getting Klipper shutdowns with the error that the heater isn't heating at the expected rate. I also see spiky, weird temp graphs in Fluidd and can watch the power level spike strangely. But, when I meter it out, it looks good. Wehn I try to do a real print, it goes through the setup (home, z-tilt-adjust, auto-z), but insta-fails when it gets printing the actual object. Did a bunch of testing & fiddling and at this point I've swapped the old Revo Micro known good heater into the Voron Edition heat sink & mount in the Trident. It's now happily printing. 

I put the troublesome heater into the Micro heat sink in the Prusa Mini, and annoyingly it passed self-test. I did set a prehat and it go stuck at 172C on its way to 215C. I'm going to try a test print on the Mini to try and prove out a bad heater to E3D.

As far as I'm concerned, with the Trident happily printing away, I've pretty conclusively eliminated the wiring to the tool head and controller boards as an issue.

[mvdveer]

7 hours ago, claudermilk said:

Not really a mod update, more a troubleshooting struggles update.

The Revo Voron printed great. For about 20 hours of print time. Now it's intermittently behaving like a bad thermistor. I'm getting Klipper shutdowns with the error that the heater isn't heating at the expected rate. I also see spiky, weird temp graphs in Fluidd and can watch the power level spike strangely. But, when I meter it out, it looks good. Wehn I try to do a real print, it goes through the setup (home, z-tilt-adjust, auto-z), but insta-fails when it gets printing the actual object. Did a bunch of testing & fiddling and at this point I've swapped the old Revo Micro known good heater into the Voron Edition heat sink & mount in the Trident. It's now happily printing. 

I put the troublesome heater into the Micro heat sink in the Prusa Mini, and annoyingly it passed self-test. I did set a prehat and it go stuck at 172C on its way to 215C. I'm going to try a test print on the Mini to try and prove out a bad heater to E3D.

As far as I'm concerned, with the Trident happily printing away, I've pretty conclusively eliminated the wiring to the tool head and controller boards as an issue.

Had this happen with loose connectors on the thermistor wire after changing JST connector on Revo Voron.