1 Topic by DigitalWhitewater (edited by DigitalWhitewater 2013-10-12 23:02:18)

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Topic: Ramps help

Hi so I've tried to upgrade to ramps but I am having issues. I just want to print again!

I've downloaded the arduino 1.0.5 preprepared PC firmware. Set my board to 33, left the psu as atx, everything else is stock SD parts. Compiled and uploaded it. And I can connect in RH.

I followed Adrain's awesome how to, http://www.soliforum.com/topic/2816/how … ontroller/. And have tried to go through and quadruple check that I wired things up the same. It is a great how to.

1)
I just don't understand the vref and how/where to check/set it. I'm not understanding how to read adrains vref table. I have ceramic screwdrivers and a multimeter. I'm using stepstick a4988 which are .2ohm. If I follow the table in his how to, am I looking for the desired xaxis current to be 1.11, etc...? So what then is the formula so I can do the math and figure out what I should be reading on my multimeter? And if I understand correctly I'd be checking for the value by placing my multimeter's probes as in the attached picture?

2)
My x and y axis only want to move in one direction. My z doesn't move at all. I've tried inverting the endstops in firmware, but then they didn't move at all. Could it be related to not having set the vref on the a4988s? Did I possible burn them out something? I haven't smelt smoke. What am I missing?

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SD2 w/ mods: Rumba controller, ATX PSU, SD pro case, glass bed, with more to come...

2 Reply by 3d-oodler (edited by 3d-oodler 2013-10-13 00:00:51)

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Re: Ramps help

I had the same problem with the one direction.  Check all of your connections, that they are faced the right direction, namely the steppers and end stops.

As for the vref, I don't believe you have to change them from the stock values (see solidoodle troubleshooting page).

In RH, home your axises, then move with manual controls.

Also your test points are off, but I can't guide you to the proper ones at the moment.

3 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Ramps help

For Vref you are reading voltage, you want 1.11v rather than amps.  The movement still sounds like endstop trouble.   In addition to C (common) check whether you should be wired to the NO (normally open) or NC (normally closed) pins on the switch itself.

4 Reply by Hazer

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Re: Ramps help

I second Ians suggestions. The steppers will only move in one direction of the firmware believes the endstops are hit. Check your firmware complilation. Make sure endstops are set for MAX on X and Y, and that they are inverted. Also, RAMPS needs to be wired for X-MAX and Y-MAX on the headers.

And Ian already covered the Vref.

Chuck Bittner is a quadriplegic gamer who is petitioning the major console developers to include internal button remapping in all console games. You can help.
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5 Reply by DigitalWhitewater

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Re: Ramps help

So after getting the idea of shorting the spare endstop pins from another RAMPs related posting I made progress and my motors are moving. YEAH!!!

Question 1: I've tuned my trimpots by eye & ear and they seem to be running [moreless] smoothly. However I'd still like to adjust them to the actual value that they need. Can someone show me where exactly the stepstick test points are located?

Question 2: My steppers came with heat syncs, but nothing to attach them with. What are folks using to make the tiny heat syncs stick?

SD2 w/ mods: Rumba controller, ATX PSU, SD pro case, glass bed, with more to come...

6 Reply by 3d-oodler (edited by 3d-oodler 2013-10-24 22:25:34)

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Re: Ramps help

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iufqADzDPIk/UYFOV7EE29I/AAAAAAAABUQ/YFEqYFiUeis/s1600/StepStick_Adjustment_01.jpg
Came from this post (http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.com/2013/ … endel.html), which is for the 4988...checking on 8825...

Looks like it should be relatively the same (it's been too long since I did it, which by the way, I threw out the window and went with what worked best, which was slightly higher then the extruder not moving at all)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uzVH7BqJO1c/Uac3mGVTF9I/AAAAAAAAAgw/sB8kiBGgkOc/s1600/Stepper+drivers.png

Mine came with some adhesive on the heat syncs, peel and stick.

7 Reply by adrian

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Re: Ramps help

you sure you didn't get a little tiny piece of brown paper in the box with the stepper drivers ? I've almost always received a small square of 3M thermal adhesive pads that look like silver foil with a thick chunk of tape on them... easy to miss, as it just looks like packing material?

I tend to use those - and where I've made up my own from cut down heatsinks I've just used silicon compound designed for use on TO-220 transistors etc, which 'sets up hard' and essentially glues the heatsinks on.

As for fine tuning the VREF - I do it by hand/eye myself, but if you do want to test the voltages are right, you can use simply the trimpot and the ground pin as the targets...

If you want the voltages for stock SD motors, look here: http://www.soliforum.com/topic/2817/ste … ref-chart/

Pic the right sense resistor value, and away you go....

8 Reply by DigitalWhitewater (edited by DigitalWhitewater 2013-10-25 05:12:48)

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Re: Ramps help

Thank you 3d-oodler & Adrian.

Nice stepper reference pics!

Its very possible that i thought the adhesive was packing materials. I had bought two sets from two different vendors and neither had anything that blatantly looked like it was adhesive. So i probably threw it away [twice like an idoit lol] with the packaging. That'd be my luck.

SD2 w/ mods: Rumba controller, ATX PSU, SD pro case, glass bed, with more to come...

9 Reply by adrian (edited by adrian 2013-10-25 05:15:53)

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Re: Ramps help

check out ebay for "Thermal Adhesive Tape 3M Heatsink"  (i'd link for you, but I can't ebay where I am atm) - you'll find big squares (by big I mean 100x100mm) that you can just cut down.

Best stuff ever for small heatsinks. Its this that is usually cut down for inclusion by most vendors in the 4x and 5x packs...

Or use the silicon thermal compound from RS for use on TO-220 heatsinks... (small white tube usually iwth a red cap).

10 Reply by DigitalWhitewater

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Re: Ramps help

Adrian... You are the man!!! Thanks for the info, looks like I'll be grabbing some of that!

SD2 w/ mods: Rumba controller, ATX PSU, SD pro case, glass bed, with more to come...

11 Reply by lawsy

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Re: Ramps help

I find with RAMPS that it likes an axis to be homed after powering up the printer before it will allow full manual movement.

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12 Reply by Hazer

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Re: Ramps help

Another personal viewpoint:

I found that undefining the stops not being used helped tremendously.

And dont forget to make sure the profile in RH matches the profile in your firmware.

Chuck Bittner is a quadriplegic gamer who is petitioning the major console developers to include internal button remapping in all console games. You can help.
Sign Chuck Bittners petition