I recognize that this may be another elusive mystery, but I’m hoping that it’s a known issue and someone knows how to correct.
Background: Using Estlcam feeding into Repetier Host. DXF files from Sketchup. SVG files from Inkscape. Everything was working. I drew the crown. Engraved the crown Carved a couple of signatures. Cut out some pieces. All successfully completed. Machine behaved as expected. Moved at a reasonable speed, as designated in the Estlcam tool list, etc. And, in both Estlcam and Repetier Host, the time estimates were similar and about right - - typically from 3 or 4 minutes to as much as 30 minutes.
But, something changed. In the meantime, I was checking out all the features of Estlcam, trying to import STL files, jpegs, etc. Changing the tool list. Watching the simulations in 3D machining mode etc. Just playing As far as I know, I didn’t do anything unusual, but did inspect all the various options etc, in Estlcam. (note that the firmware was never touched during any of this.)
The Problem: But when I went back to try to do a new project, I found something bizarre. Even for very simple things like cutting out a circle in 1/4 inch plywood, the projected times between Estlcam and Repetier no longer lined up. Not close. Estlcam might project 10 minutes and Repetier would project 4 hours. And, it was real I discovered this because I did a small engraving that should have taken a few minutes and it took over an hour. The tool was, in fact, barely moving. I was able to increase the speed manually using the RepRap Smart Controller, but clearly the file gcode was telling it to go extremely slowly.
Similar behavior was observed on several projects. However, older gcode files (like crown) still behaved in the same way as they had originally.
My naive interpretation was that some setting in Estlcam relating to the info that it sends to Repetier had been inadvertently changed, though I don’t know how it could have been.
After fruitlessly inspecting every setting, every tab, and everything I could think of in both packages, I finally cut my losses and deleted and reinstalled both programs.
Now, everything is behaving again.
However, it would sure be nice to have a clue what happened so it can be avoided in the future or at least recovered without a complete new start.
Does anyone know of anything that might have caused this behavior?
