Software and Calibration Trouble

[mneumann1]

Hi all,

Looking for some guidance on getting my M4 up and running. I was previously running firmware 1.07 and running into trouble with getting the belts to extend the correct distance. I was hopeful that updating to the latest version 1.12 would solve these issues. Unfortunately, no such luck. I am now unable to even extend the belts. As soon as I click extend, it says that they are fully extended. This is not changed by the value I put into the configure screen for extension distance. I am also getting Error 3 repeated a lot. I updated the .yaml file and index file as well as the firmware.

Code copied below:

Serial Messages
Index.html Version: 1.12
[MSG:INFO: Channel auto report interval set to 50 ms]
[MSG:INFO: FluidNC v0.87 (Maslow-Main-ec171155-dirty)]
[MSG:INFO: Compiled with ESP32 SDK:v4.4.7-dirty]
[MSG:INFO: Local filesystem type is littlefs]
[MSG:INFO: Configuration file:maslow.yaml]
[MSG:INFO: Machine Maslow S3 Board]
[MSG:INFO: Board Maslow]
[MSG:INFO: UART1 Tx:gpio.1 Rx:gpio.2 RTS:NO_PIN Baud:115200]
[MSG:INFO: SPI SCK:gpio.12 MOSI:gpio.11 MISO:gpio.13]
[MSG:INFO: SD Card cs_pin:gpio.10 detect:NO_PIN freq:8000000]
[MSG:INFO: Stepping:Timed Pulse:4us Dsbl Delay:0us Dir Delay:0us Idle Delay:240ms]
[MSG:INFO: Axis count 6]
[MSG:INFO: Axis X (-1000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis Y (-1000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis Z (-100.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: tmc_2209 UART1 Addr:0 Step:gpio.15 Dir:gpio.16 Disable:NO_PIN R:0.110]
[MSG:INFO: Motor1]
[MSG:INFO: tmc_2209 UART1 Addr:1 Step:gpio.46 Dir:gpio.38 Disable:NO_PIN R:0.110]
[MSG:INFO: Axis A (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis B (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis C (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Z Axis driver test passed]
[MSG:INFO: Z2 Axis driver test passed]
[MSG:INFO: Kinematic system: Cartesian]
[MSG:INFO: Using spindle NoSpindle]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting to STA SSID:MN wifi]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting.]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting..]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting…]
[MSG:INFO: Connected - IP is 192.168.4.84]
[MSG:INFO: WiFi on]
[MSG:INFO: Start mDNS with hostname:http://maslow.local/\]
[MSG:INFO: SSDP Started]
[MSG:INFO: HTTP started on port 80]
[MSG:INFO: Telnet started on port 23]
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
error:3
[MSG:INFO: Channel auto report interval set to 50 ms]

[dlang]

Looking for some guidance on getting my M4 up and running. I was previously running firmware 1.07 and running into trouble with getting the belts to extend the correct distance. I was hopeful that updating to the latest version 1.12 would solve these issues. Unfortunately, no such luck. I am now unable to even extend the belts. As soon as I click extend, it says that they are fully extended. This is not changed by the value I put into the configure screen for extension distance. I am also getting Error 3 repeated a lot. I updated the .yaml file and index file as well as the firmware.

in my experience, when you get error3 a lot like that, you have a maslow.yaml
that doesn’t match the firmware

Code copied below:

Serial Messages
Index.html Version: 1.12

this is the current index.html.gz

[MSG:INFO: Channel auto report interval set to 50 ms]
[MSG:INFO: FluidNC v0.87 (Maslow-Main-ec171155-dirty)]

but this is saying that you have a very old firmware, you need to use the USB
based upgrade method to get up to a 1.x+ firmware version.

David Lang

[mneumann1]

Thanks a lot. I thought that had already been done and that I was above a 1.0… but that did the trick! I was able to successfully run a calibration!

Once I ran a calibration I tried to just move the machine in a simple 12”x12” square. As it went along the third side of the square it through an error about being out by 15mm. I could see it physically moving up and down in the y direction when it should have been going straight in the x. At that point it said I needed to restart in order to move the machine. In doing so, it seems to lose the calibration data. I tried this twice and it happened both times.

Sound familiar to anyone?

[mneumann1]

Following up here with some more details. I tried again and had the same thing happen. While watching, it seems like the bottom belts aren’t releasing enough tension and are pulling the machine off the course.

I am also puzzled on why when I upload my maslow.yaml file that I saved right after the calibration it does not store the calibration data.

Here are the codes:

Serial Messages
Index.html Version: 1.12
[MSG:INFO: Channel auto report interval set to 50 ms]
[MSG:INFO: FluidNC v3.0.x (noGit)]
[MSG:INFO: Compiled with ESP32 SDK:v4.4.7-dirty]
[MSG:INFO: Local filesystem type is littlefs]
[MSG:INFO: Configuration file:maslow.yaml]
[MSG:INFO: Machine Maslow S3 Board]
[MSG:INFO: Board Maslow]
[MSG:INFO: UART1 Tx:gpio.1 Rx:gpio.2 RTS:NO_PIN Baud:115200]
[MSG:INFO: SPI SCK:gpio.12 MOSI:gpio.11 MISO:gpio.13]
[MSG:INFO: SD Card cs_pin:gpio.10 detect:NO_PIN freq:8000000]
[MSG:INFO: Stepping:Timed Pulse:4us Dsbl Delay:0us Dir Delay:0us Idle Delay:240ms]
[MSG:INFO: Axis count 5]
[MSG:INFO: Axis A (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis B (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis C (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis D (-5000.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: Axis Z (-100.000,0.000)]
[MSG:INFO: Motor0]
[MSG:INFO: tmc_2209 UART1 Addr:0 Step:gpio.15 Dir:gpio.16 Disable:NO_PIN R:0.110]
[MSG:INFO: Motor1]
[MSG:INFO: tmc_2209 UART1 Addr:1 Step:gpio.46 Dir:gpio.38 Disable:NO_PIN R:0.110]
[MSG:INFO: Z Axis driver test passed]
[MSG:INFO: Z2 Axis driver test passed]
[MSG:INFO: Using spindle NoSpindle]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting to STA SSID:MN wifi]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting.]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting..]
[MSG:INFO: Connecting…]
[MSG:INFO: Connected - IP is 192.168.4.84]
[MSG:INFO: WiFi on]
[MSG:INFO: Start mDNS with hostname:http://maslow.local/\]
[MSG:INFO: SSDP Started]
[MSG:INFO: HTTP started on port 80]
[MSG:INFO: Telnet started on port 23]
[MSG:INFO: Channel auto report interval set to 50 ms]
JogTo: '$J=G91F2500Y100
’
JogTo: '$J=G91F2500X-100
’
JogTo: '$J=G91F2500Y-100
’
JogTo: '$J=G91F2500X100
’
JogTo: '$J=G91F2500X-0.14Y6.8
’
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.001mm Counter: 1]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.001mm]
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.013mm Counter: 2]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.013mm]
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.038mm Counter: 3]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.038mm]
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.063mm Counter: 4]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.063mm]
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.088mm Counter: 5]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.088mm]
[MSG:WARN: Position error on Bottom Right axis exceeded 15mm while running. Error is 15.090mm Counter: 6]
[MSG:WARN: Previous error was 15.090mm]
[MSG:ERR: Emergency stop! Stopping all motors]
[MSG:WARN: The machine will not respond until turned off and back on again]
[MSG:INFO: Reset during file job at line: 12]
[MSG:ERR: Position error > 15mm while running. E-Stop triggered.]

And the simple G Code I was running:

G0 G40 G90 G17
G20

G90 G17 G0 X0. Y0.
G0 Z1.4
G1 Z1. F39.4
G1 X11.9775
G1 Y11.9775
G1 X0.
G1 Y0.
G1 Z1.

M5
M30

It has the issue on the G1 X0. line.

[bar]

Hmmm so it seems like the issue is that there is too much tension in the belts?

This sounds to me like the location of the anchor points still might not be quite right.

What size of grid are you using for finding the anchor points?

[mneumann1]

Thanks for the response. That was a 3x3 grid within the 400x400mm calibration size.

I did try a 5x5 grid but the fitness kept failing.

For reference - my frame size is roughly 12’ wide x 8’ tall.

Suggestions?

[bar]

There was a similar (but sort of the opposite…too slack) issue last week that makes me think that especially on larger frames, the 400x400mm grid just isn’t big enough

Can you give something that is more the same aspect ratio as the frame (like 1000x600mm) a try and see if that fixes it?

There’s the thread from last week that seems similar:

Losing belt position - w/ video - please help!

Yup, the larger (1400mm x 600mm 7x7) grid seems to have fixed it for me! It’s annoying that we ask you to pick your own grid size without really any guidance on what is a good size. I will work on making it so that the machine picks a reasonable size automatically so it’s not something we have to enter anymore. There is no reason for it not to do that automatically…I just need to do some testing to figure out what is a good size

[mneumann1]

@bar I am in the process of trying that. I had a successful calibration and then restarted the machine. When I did that, the calibration data was lost. Any suggestion on how to prevent that? I made sure to save the maslow.yaml file and tried reloading it. That didn’t restore any values.

[ian_ab]

Can you put a copy of your log file here?

[bar]

I haven’t seen that happen before, is it repeatable like does it happen every time?

[mneumann1]

Yes - it has not successfully saved calibration data once.

On a separate note, I had one successful calibration yesterday and now have not been able to get it to run. It seems to get stuck in a calculating fitness loop where it says the fitness level is too low. It is measuring around .04 and continues to re-try. I usually bag it around the 30min mark.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I feel like I am so close to being able to cut (fingers crossed)…

[dlang]

Matt wrote:

On a separate note, I had one successful calibration yesterday and now have
not been able to get it to run. It seems to get stuck in a calculating fitness
loop where it says the fitness level is too low. It is measuring around .04
and continues to re-try. I usually bag it around the 30min mark.

When you have a fitness score that bad, it’s not going to improve.

To get a score that bad, it means you have a serious problem with the data from
each point that it measured

it could be that your belts aren’t getting tight when it’s measuring at each
point

it could be that your arms are hitting the uprights (aka you are ‘outside the
green’ as shown https://lang.hm/maslow/maslow4_frame.html )

it could be that your frame is flexing and your anchor points are moving

it could be that your current limits are so high that the belts are stretching.

a fitness of <0.04 means that it thinks it can’t get closer than about an inch
when trying to figure out where the anchors are.

David Lang

[bar]

Can you post a copy of your log file? We can take a look and see if we can figure out what is going wrong.

[mneumann1]

See attached log file.

Maslow-serial (4).log (24.9 KB)

[dlang]

looking through these, when I put the first set of numbers into

Calibration Simulation (Local)

I get similar results. So this is saying that the first points that it’s
measuring are problems. do the belts pull tight for each of them? can you get a
video of it?

David Lang

[mneumann1]

I will take a video later on. Working from memory, it starts by pulling the bottom belts tight. Then they will loosen as it moves around. When it has been stopping to calculate, the left bottom belt has been staying slack which I found odd.

This picture would have been from when it stopped after measuring “waypoint 5.”

[bar]

That sounds to me like maybe the amount of force that the machine is using during the calibration process needs to be increased.

What do you have for these settings?

[mneumann1]

I have the retraction force at 1400 and the calibration force at 1000.

[bar]

The fact that one of the belts isn’t getting fully pulled tight is a good indication that the calibration force might need to be increased. Basically if the belts aren’t getting pulled all the way tight then it’s not taking accurate measurements

[mneumann1]

@bar do you have any suggested numbers I should increase to? Maybe 1500 for both?