1 Topic by GoolGaul

  • GoolGaul
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Topic: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

Hey all,

I decided to make the step to RH/Slicer.  Since then, I have been having problems left and right.  I know everyone seems to like RH, but it has been nothing but problems for me...  not printing, moving sloooooowly, and all sorts of other stuff.

So, I am back with Pronterface/SF.  Here is the current issue.

under manual control, the extruder will extrude and reverse filament just fine.
when I go to print, is seems the extruder motor is turning forwards/backwards rapidly, making a whole lot of racket in the process.  it does seem to be extruding, but it's not laying down nearly as much plastic as it normally should.

I tried adjust the Z home screw, so that there is a gap (1mm+) between the nozzle and the print surface, and it still makes the awful racket, and extrudes less plastic than it should.

When I watch the extruder wheel, I can see the set screw turning clockwise and counter-clockwise in rapid succession...

HELP!!!

2 Reply by lotw_1

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

Did you download RH from the solidoodle blog or from the makers of RH site?  If downloaded for. The RH site you need to configure the slic3r and maybe Skeinforge again.  They have on the blog everything that is needed to configure it correctly.

3 Reply by GoolGaul

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

bah.  it wasn't broken, I shouldn't have fixed it...

I uninstalled RH and re-installed from solidoodle's website.   no better.
RH backs out the filament or runs like a snail - never extrudes...

I uninstalled and re-installed Pronterface from SD's website.
under PF, it's still the same...   

now I'm just annoyed and frustrated with this.

4 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

Did you try to use SF under Repetier?  In RH it's Skeinforge 50, the Solidoodle version is 39.   If you made changes to the settings for SF 50 in RH, they will remain when you go back to Pronterface.   Skeinforge settings get saved in User/.skeinforge  in Windows.   If you delete the .skeinforge folder it should go back to defaults.

5 Reply by GoolGaul

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

OK, it gets weirder...

I un-installed everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and re-installed Pronterface and Skeinforge again.

Now previously sliced gcode exports seem to print OK.

Now I am wondering if it was soemething with the STLs...


shoot me now.

6 Reply by GoolGaul

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

OK, I am suffering from Cranial-Rectal Insertion.

I realized that I inadvertently changed something on the Speed tab in SF... Everything is back to normal and working just fine.

Now, to re-consider the upgrade to RH, even though the PF/SF combo DOES work for me, and I am pretty cozy with it.
I even learned about PF's "plating" functionality in the process.

Thanks Ian for pulling my head out of my butt.

7 Reply by lotw_1

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Re: extruder motor feeding/retracting rapidly...

GoolGaul wrote:

OK, I am suffering from Cranial-Rectal Insertion.

I realized that I inadvertently changed something on the Speed tab in SF... Everything is back to normal and working just fine.

Now, to re-consider the upgrade to RH, even though the PF/SF combo DOES work for me, and I am pretty cozy with it.
I even learned about PF's "plating" functionality in the process.

Thanks Ian for pulling my head out of my butt.

There are a lot of benefits to using RH over PF.  Mainly easily rotate parts and do multiple parts easily.  Can select quite a few STLs to load all at once, then select autofit and bam, on the bed spaced out for you.  Plus 3d view of the g-code.