Endstops

[mtwallet (Mike)]

@jeffeb3

You can easily test if it’s repetier or the firmware by homing, moving to the middle G92 zeroing it, then G01 X-10. If it moves into the negative, then it’s repetier filtering things, if it’s the firmware, it won’t move, and nothing in repetier will help.

So, Home X & Y in repetier, jog to somewhere in the work area, G92 X0 Y0 Z0 and then a G1 X-10 works. (Also G1 Y-10)

@vicious1

With endstops enabled there is no negative XY movements, you can change that in the firmware. You should be using work offsets not really changing your Zero. So you home to XYmins, and tell it where to start the project, this is one of the reasons I do not ship or recommend end stops until you absolutely need them. It is an extra step.

After playing with it a bit more, Home X & Y, M84 (release steppers) and manual move, or no home at all, just power up and connect repetier, G92 X0 Y0 Z0, it will not move X or Y in negative directions.

To make it work, Home X & Y, then jog +X & +Y with repetier, G92 X0 Y0 Z0, and then run gcode. This allows it to go to negative coordinates in the gcode. So an extra step with jog and G92 if I want to just one-off something out in the middle of the board, a small price to pay for the ability to perfectly square the axes and use work offsets. That is how I did my sign, same 0,0 point for both the laser and router, just had to change tool mounts and adjust Z.

@vicious1

Try moving the object in the CAM, not manually setting a Zero see if that fixes everything.

This is essentially what I did in Fusion to make it work the other day, but instead of changing the part location, I just selected a different stock origin point in CAM.

(Oh, and I did verify the endstop switches are wire NC.)

[vicious1 (Ryan)]

Sounds like an LCD and work offsets (changing stock origin points) will simplify your workflow considerably.

[jeffeb3]

@mtwallet

After playing with it a bit more, Home X & Y, M84 (release steppers) and manual move, or no home at all, just power up and connect repetier, G92 X0 Y0 Z0, it will not move X or Y in negative directions.

Ah, this makes perfect sense now. It must have a concept of machine and work coordinates. When you disable the steppers, it’s going to set the machine coordinates to 0,0,0. And not let you move negative. I always jog my machine, so I forget that you can just push it around.

There are two possible workarounds. One is I thought there was a setting in the night related to the soft stops before homing. That might do what you want. I don’t know, it could have been in a marlin from a long long time ago.

The other is to disable software endstops when you don’t want to mess with homing:

Software Endstops

Might be good to make a little script that enables the motors, G92 and M211, so you don’t do it when you don’t want to.

[jasona]

Is there a place in the latest FW to disable the endstops or remove them? I flashed last night (from my new stock 2.0 dual end stops Rambo) down to the v1.8?? Because I thought endstops were not in there but it seems that N119 still does and limits me. Plus dual stepper doesn’t work in this FW either.

Now I find out that v.2 (https://github.com/Allted/Marlin/tree/MPCNC_Rambo_T8_16T_LCD_DualEndstop) won’t flash unless you have the Linux ver of Arduino because of a long file name with Windows? I’m pulling out my Rambo and bringing it in the house later to hook up to my Ubuntu machine.

Anyways, I just want to get back on 2.0 because everything was starting get working except the endstops. I’d just like to know where in the code to disable the switches if possible?

Thanks!

P.S. Do you have a ver of the 2.0 FW without endstops but dual steppers?

[vicious1 (Ryan)]

@jasona

Is there a place in the latest FW to disable the endstops or remove them? I flashed last night (from my new stock 2.0 dual end stops Rambo) down to the v1.8?? Because I thought endstops were not in there but it seems that N119 still does and limits me. Plus dual stepper doesn’t work in this FW either.

1.8 has the endstops Normally open, you simply have to disconect them for it to work.

I’m not sure what exactly you want.

@jasona

Anyways, I just want to get back on 2.0 because everything was starting get working except the endstops. I’d just like to know where in the code to disable the switches if possible?

Config.h, and config.adv, but there should be noticeable difference in the two without the dual.

 

@jasona

won’t flash unless you have the Linux ver of Arduino because of a long file name with Windows?

Use the new arduino beta, works fine.

[vicious1 (Ryan)]

The dual firmware without issuing a g28 command should have zero difference from the non-dual firmware. What exactly is the issue you are having?

[jasona]

All I was wondering is that is there a way to disable endstops all together? Since my unit I just built is 24"x 24" i have more then enough room right in case of error. What I didn’t get is why only 3 switches are sent (I got 2) when 4 are shown in the firmware when N119 is polled?

Anyways, thanks on the Arduino beta tip, I just tried it here on my work machine and it compiled with no errors so I’ll reflash when I get home in an hr.

Thanks!

[jeffeb3]

There’s a flag in the configuration.h for disabling “software endstops”. That won’t change M119, but it will let you go negative whenever you want.

Since (from the perspective of the firmware) endstops are just inputs, the firmware has no idea how many endstop switches you actually have connected. It’s just how many pins are configured.

You can also enable dual motors without dual endstops. There are separate flags for dual motors and endstops. It’s in configuration_adv.h, IIRC. There’s not much functionally different, so I don’t see the point.

There is also a gcode for disabling endstops. It’s really helpful if, for example, you have a noisy endstop switch when your spindle is on. You can disable the endstops after setup but before cutting. It’s something near M211. I don’t know if it will even fix your “software endstops” limit though.

So, flip the flag for software endstops, or just add M211 to your starting gcode script. Those are my suggestions.

[jasona]

Thanks! Got the board back up to the FW and everything is working again (I’m printing out the switch mounts right now) but for now whenever I turn on the machine I just pull it to the far lower left corner. This is really only my 2nd day getting it up and running but it seems the site is 404’ing and I can’t read right now how to setup ESTLCAM and run the “crown” test.

Maybe later tonight hopefully but I did a few quick (manual) drawings on the base. So far so good!

[vicious1 (Ryan)]

Sorry fixed. There were 2 major security updates. Had to reset the HTTPS.

 

[jasona]

Success so far! Both a crown and a cat test(for the wife!) The crown was passed over 3 times, didn’t miss a beat.

I made a video that I uploaded but I’ll post that in the new builds section.

Thanks again!

[mtwallet (Mike)]

@vicious1

Sounds like an LCD and work offsets (changing stock origin points) will simplify your workflow considerably.

Yes, I have the LCD and have run a couple programs that way, smooth as silk. Just trying different things to learn more about gcode and CAM settings.

[mtwallet (Mike)]

@jeffeb3

Ah, this makes perfect sense now. It must have a concept of machine and work coordinates. When you disable the steppers, it’s going to set the machine coordinates to 0,0,0. And not let you move negative. I always jog my machine, so I forget that you can just push it around.

I envision my ultimate workflow to use the LCD and sdcard with homing to square up the axis and then have work offsets in the CAM, so there won’t generally be any manual pushing it around. I was just messing with it for some laser tests and learned something new, even more than the laser tests. Always a good thing! Thanks for the tip on M211 though, that may come in useful at some point.

[vicious1 (Ryan)]

@mtwallet

I envision my ultimate workflow to use the LCD and sdcard with homing to square up the axis and then have work offsets in the CAM

Perfect!

The dual thing is still very new, amazing feature if you ask me but does require a bit more planning. Awesome that you are up and running and we all learned a few things.

[rwallace (Ryan)]

Hi guys,

 

I have been having issues with Z min triggering for no apparent reason.

I ran the m119 command. I used Pronterface. The response was:

SENDING:M119
echo:SD init fail
Reporting endstop status
x_min: open
y_min: open
z_min: TRIGGERED

So Z min is triggered. I then unplugged the ramps board from the arduino and ran the same command. It still comes back Z min triggered. Whatever is wrong is in the arduino itself. Could I have the firmware setup incorrectly, or do you thing there might be something wrong with the arduino pin that is being used to detect Z min?

Repetier never works for some reason for sending commands. It will connect to the arduino, but the commands always just buffer up and don’t get sent.

[rwallace (Ryan)]

I inverted the Z min pin and its showing open now. That seems to have solved the issue.