Anet start up problem

Ah. Well, I guess that’s just a fact of life for open source; not everything is in sync. At least I found it.

Just a small drop in (ok, I already know it is getting longer as usual :smiley: )

You can set the z offset by using a gcode command in your start code, of the option is not available in your setup or the screen is broken:

M851 Z-0.2

Will change the position. Just add the command to the start of the start gcode in cura.

If you have pronterface or octoprint you can use the console to enter the command and store the setting with M500. Just typing M851 gives you the current setting.

If possible search for z endstop adjustment enhancements for your printer. I updated all my printers to have the endstop being adjusted just like the heat bed is. A big wheel, where you can adjust the endstop up and down by hand. This saves time, as you basically twist the wheel and restart the print until it sticks. Since it is hardware locked you will not run into issues when the firmware gets updated, your slicer start code gets reset or the eeprom gets reset due to an checksum error. No head crash possible.

Like this:

[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: GeitPrinter_ZAdjust_1.jpg Views: 0 Size: 85.3 KB ID: 2445”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“2445”,“data-size”:“full”,“title”:“GeitPrinter_ZAdjust_1.jpg”}[/ATTACH]

You simply turn the white wheel and the endstop travels up or down. No need to dealing with software or the firmware in general. We have nice big wheels for adjusting the heat bed, why not for the z-endstop :smiley: And a faulty software setup will never cause a head crash.

Speaking of bed adhesion this can be tricky, especially when you are a beginner. If an object does not stick to the bed, this does not mean the nozzle offset is to big. It can also mean the nozzle is to close. In that case only a minor film gets applied to the build surface and the second layer is basically floating.

Best is to raise the nozzle and do a test print. I have a big 150x150mm square block object with a fat brim I use for this, too Basically I start a print and look what happens. If a round filament line is dragged behind the printhead, the nozzle needs to be lowered. If e.g. the brim line do not connect sideways, you are still to high or the extrusion is to low. If the previous brim lines look molten, burned or curly on second or third loop you are to close to the bed as you more or less push filament to the sides or scrape it off.

This file also comes handy when the bed is not level, as the filament lines usually get more transparent when the nozzle gets closer to the bed.

I never finish print this useless object of course, but more often restart it to get an overview of what the current state of leveling is when the 10mm lines of brim get printed.

GeitPrinter_ZAdjust_1.jpg

Very interesting @Geit. I’ve never even thought of manually changing the Z height to suit different bed surfaces. I can already think of an upgrade to this idea: a way to add marks to the system so that I could go back & forth as I change beds.

However, I’m rapidly coming to realize that Z Offset by itself is not the end all & be all. It seems that ABL is really 1 of the best upgrades anyone can do to their 3D printer. I didn’t realize that a good ABL actually creates a virtual topographic map of the bed surface, so the hotend’s height can be adjusted dynamically during a print job, always keeping the hotend at the ideal height.

I’m no longer really having an issue getting prints to stick; the issue is having them stick too well. If a see the 1st layer of a print isn’t sticking I simply abort and add fresh UHU (PVA) to the bed, or I simply spray a little water on the bed and use a paint brush to redissolve the UHU that’s already on the bed and spread it around in a nice even layer again. Works almost every time. That said, I’m going to try Magigoo, because DrVAX says he uses it in large part because it’s so easy to remove prints after they’re done.

I’m also realizing that dual extruders is a really good upgrade in that it makes it possible to use dissolvable filament for supports. That seems to me that it really removes a lot restrictions that I run into with only 1 extruder. I gather, though, that adding an extruder is not for the faint of heart.

Yeah, having a touch sensor is quite handy, but it has side effects. It needs to be mounted to the tool head and is carried around during any print.

Also when using such a sensor you still need to find the proper z offset as the sensor only keeps it constant, but does not define it. In the end you need software adjustments again. You could of course adapt a mechanism like I showed above for the touch sensor, but that would be overkill. I have two printers leveling using a levered switch and one (the one on the picture) using an optical sensor. I never had an issue where the homing was not accurate enough.

A magnetic sensor is nice, but fails when using a decent layer of glass. An active sensor using a pin to probe the bed is an alternative, but these things are kind of fragile. Some time the probing pin gets deployed or drops to some issue and there is a broken sensor again.

I don´t like ABL at all. It takes time and causes unexpected issues. If you get a proper build surface this is obsolete. Just level your bed and you never need to think about it. At least not for several month. Most people use ABL to excuse laziness. Why level the bed? ABL takes care about that. Yeah, but your printer needs to to a lot more work as the z axis is under constant stress as it adjusts the z levels hundreds and more times during one layer.

The sensor and its wires are carried around all the time and when something is wrong you are still fiddling with the proper z offset by software. Or the ABL is wrong? Did it save values? Did it not save values? Is there a broken wire causing homing to fail? Is noise of the motors causing the sensor signals to shake? Did the sensor deploy properly every time or is it a little bend and drops only half?

Is I said I don´t like ABL. When it works it is nice, but it gets complicated, when you have a problem. It could be hardware, software a false configuration or what not. With a proper bed and one simple setup by hand you are done. No moving parts, no potential broken wires or connections.

My suggestion is to get a proper glass bed, do a calibration and update to a hand adjustable z sensor.

During my three years of 3d printing experience this saved the most time and I would never go back to any ABL/sensor on tool head system.

Guess why own printer design is not using it? :smiley:

Interesting perspective. I have wondered why people don’t implement ABL with a simple micro-switch. After all, it’s good enough for homing, so why not for adjusting nozzle height? I watched 1 video where that’s exactly what the guy has, and her swears by it. It certainly eliminates any worries about inductive or magnetic interference, and it’s much less likely to break if it’s rammed into part of the print. And anyway, if it is damaged, it’s just a micro-switch: easy & cheap to replace. In fact, I think it would be great to come up with a modular mount for the micro-switch so, if it is damaged, it can be replaced very quickly.

I’m not so worried about wear on Z-axis stepper. That’s what it’s there for. And, on the Ender 5, the Z axis doesn’t move that much. Plus, it’s less than $20 to replace the motor. That’s a small price to pay to ensure you don’t waste $30 or $40 worth of filament.

I’m also not too worried about the extra weight at the hotend. So far, I’ve converted to direct drive and it doesn’t appear to have caused any issues with quality. Perhaps I’ve had to slow down printing a little; I’m not sure, but it’s not really an issue. I’m not printing for profit, so time isn’t a big factor.

Right now I’m using an Anycubic Ultrabase. Unfortunately, I bought the one that’s actually too small for my 235x235 bed. I’m thinking of getting the larger one. I’m waiting to see how durable the current one is. With UHU PVA glue it’s working really well. However, if Magigoo works as well as Irv says, I may be able to switch to a plane piece of borosilicate glass and forget the Ultrabase.

Yeah, when using an optical endstop there isn´t even anything to wear over time. The LED maybe. Haven´t had a defect endstop yet. My TronXY X5 had a stupid Y Endstop mounting design, which frequently broke and needed a replacment. Since I redesigned the mount it never failed again. They joy of 3D printing.

Uh? How does a failed print to that. My PLA filament used to be 12 Euro/1000g. ABS even cheaper. Since the pandemic the prices shifted a little. Now they are about 16 Euro per kilo.

To waste that amount of filament the printer must junk out uncontrolled for a week or so. Well, unless you use a morestruder with a 1mm nozzle.

It is not just the motor. Spindles, bearings and belts are also under stress when ABL is in place.

Yeah, it depends on the basic construction and the firmware setup. You quite easy see ringing on most prints. On bowden type printers these are less present, but usually the printers are used at higher speeds, so the result kind of looks the same at the end.

I mostly use pure borosilicate glass and a 10mm brim (also under support touching the bed). From time to time I use a sheet of kitchen roll to wipe of residue from my fingers. That is all for printing PLA. When I need 100% bed adhesion and cannot use a brim, because it is for example a “Print in Place” model, I use a simple UHU paper glue stick. It turned out to stick very well to the glass and even survives multiple prints. I could use it for everything, but I don´t see a reason. As long as the bed temperature stays above 50°C it sticks rock solid. I usuall use 65°C for printing PLA.

For ABS I simply drip ACETONE onto the heat bed and use a block of ABS to rub it in. When the bed gets sticky I am done. Works all the time. Best way to avoid curling is to lift the object 3mm off the build plate and let the slicer put zig zak support under the model. Never had a single curling/lifting surface using this technique. ABS prints like a charm with it. Bed here is 80°C.

I wish I could get filament that cheap. The cheapest PLA I can find is between $25 & $30 per kilo. PETG is around $5 more per kilo.

Since most of my prints are now for practical stuff, a little ringing wouldn’t worry me. Does the part work? Is is reasonably nice looking? Good enough for gov’t work… move on :slight_smile:

This guy prints with ABS all the time. Not sure if you’ve seen this video he put up on YT: [U]3D Printing with ABS - Tips for Success - YouTube, but he has some tips you may, or may not, find useful.

Gentlemen. After doing some research, I have decided to try to re-install the firmware on my ET4. I am now getting the impression that the previous owner tried to update the firmware and failed, therefore resulting in a stuck LCD screen. If I have too much trouble installing new firmware, I am prepared to just buy a new board. I am confused about a couple of things concerning the programmer I should use. I want to keep the re-install as simple as possible. I have looked at so many web sites and seen so much information on updating, I have forgot where I found things.

Should I use a Jlink or a ST-Link device to re-install firmware?

Where do I find the latest firmware to install. (If I am going to do this, then I may as well install the latest firmware.)Oops, I just remembered that I have download 2 different firmware files. They are the text and bin files from Anet and a file I download from Karl Johnson’s referenced article at (https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/02/04/how-to-recover-from-a-bad-firmware-upgrade-on-anet-et4-3d-printer/. Or maybe the bin file is to be used with the Jlink and the Karl Johnson referenced file is for the ST-Link. The only problem is, the Karl Johnson article had to do with re-installing the stock firmware file. I just don’t know.

My guess is; to use the firmware from Anet and the J-link

Thanks

One more last thing…Is it possible to re-flash the ET4 by conneting the ET4 and my computer using the Pronterface software?

e

I’m not sure either. I checked both .zip files. The one from Anet3d.com has a more recent firmware than the other one: 1.1.5. The Anet file contains a 1.1.3.hex file, and a 1.1.5 folder with a 1.1.5.hex file.

Regarding .bin vs .hex, the Anet article mentioned that the J-Link software can use either. I looked really closely at the 1st J-Link SW image posted in the Anet article. The version of J-Link I read is 4.86b. The problem is that The Seggers’ download page only lists SW versions as far back as v5. There is a huge list of versions on the site, making me suspect that specific versions are required for specific J-Link HW. Since Anet doesn’t include the SW with the firmware, that could be a problem.

I checked the pricing for genuine Segger J-Link hardware… yikes, you don’t want to go there. I think I would get a cheap clone from Amazon, so I could return it if it doesn’t work.

I really doubt it, but I’m not sure. I think you have to have a JTAG programmer connected directly to the mobo once it’s in the condition yours is in. The Anet article pretty much says that.

I have been doing quite abit of research, today, on re-flashing the firmware on my ET4. All I can say is that I am very confused at this point. The only thing that I have been able to decide is where to get the new firmware. (Anet ET4 Firmware Update ET4 V1.1.2 — Anet 3D Printer) It seems firmware that comes directly from Anet would have the best chance of install successfully.

Here are some questions that I still have:

Are these programmers the ones I am supposed to use.

 (1)  (https://www.amazon.com/Aideepen-ST-Link-Programming-Emulator-Downloader/dp/B01J7N3RE6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=THHFI0LS6BIO&dchild=1&keywords=st-link+v2&qid=1597095657&sprefix=ST-Link%2Caps%2C287&sr=8-2)  or
 (2)  (https://www.amazon.com/Comimark-Debugger-Programmer-Downloader-Replace/dp/B07V2CKG19/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=1Pcs+J-Link+OB+ARM+Debugger+Programmer+Downloader+Replace+v8+SWD+M74&link_code=qs&qid=1597081263&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-2&tag=mozilla-20)

If so, which one is the easiest to use? Do these programmers require software (drivers) to be installed on the computer. If so, where do I get them? Are there any step by step instructions (You Tube or Google) that would help a newbie like myself install firmware using one of these devices? If so, where? I did find this: (https://forum.anet3d.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=71). Is this a complete guide to do what I want to do?

Oops…I just noticed that the firmware I mentioned in the 1st paragraph above is for version 1.1.2 I guess that I should really use this download. (https://shop.anet3d.com/blogs/download/et4s-newest-firmware-update-1-1-5-has-released) If so, do it include both the bin and text file on the firmware upgrade?

I mentioned the 1.1.5 firmware in a couple of earlier posts. I also mentioned that the file linked to by Karl has ST-Link software included.

AFAIK, the only file you need to carry out the flash is et4.bin.

Have you ordered a flasher, like the one they show in the guide?

Not yet. I was trying to figure out which one to get. The ST-Link or the J-Link. You are talking about getting the ST-Link, not the J-Link flasher, right? If so, that is the one I will order.

I’m not really trying to tell you which one to get. Two things do come to mind: [LIST=1]

  • I worry about compatibility between the J-Link SW and the HW. If Anet had included the version of SW that they used in their guide, so you could get the same HW and have everything match up, I would be a lot more comfortable. It actually may not matter that much, but we've never done it, so we don't know.
  • From Karl's guide I get the impression that the ST-Link SW is more versatile in that it works with a variety of HW... maybe. In any case, I found this web page: [U]https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en...tools-software.[/U] On it, I opened the link for STSW-LINK004: [U]https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en...w-link004.html[/U]. It looks very similar, at least to me, to the image in Karl's guide. So, for $10, you can have the HW & SW that seems to be compatible with it. The Amazon page for that programmer says it's compatible with ST-Link 2 and above, and that last page says the SW is v4.5.0. [/LIST]
  • OK. I just ordered the ST-Linlk from Amazon. I am going to have to put the ET4 project on hold because the ST-Link will not be here until the 18th of this month. In the meantime, I will study up on this firmware and see if I can figure out what I have to do when it gets here. I think I have all the information at hand that I need. It is just a matter of understanding it and being able to utilize it when the time comes to try to re-install the firmware when the ST-Link gets here.

    Ender5r, thank you for all the information you provided.

    I only hope it helps get the job done. It would be great to have you report a functioning ET4.

    Well, my ST-Link arrived yesterday and after some research I have come to the conclusion that I am simply going to replace the mainboard in my ET4. Nowhere, can I find a real explanation on how to use the ST-Link to restore the firmware in the ET4. The one place that I found, the placement of the wires from the ST-Link to the board were unclear. There was a photo, but the wire placement was not clear.

    Another issue is trying to figure out what software needs to be used and how to use it. Maybe that is something that you guys think is simple, but for a newbie, it is a scary world.

    I am simply going to replace the mainboard and hope that solves my problem. Unless there is some compelling reason, I am not even going to update the firmware on the new board for a while. I going to wait until I have some experience running the machine.

    I want to thank everyone who took the time to try to help me with this problem.

    Well, if you’re prepared to get a new board, why not go for broke and try up re-flash the existing board? What have you got to lose? It already doesn’t work. The worst that can happen is it still doesn’t work. Big deal… no loss.

    That said, if you point us to the articles/videos you’re looking at, and post pictures of your setup, we can probably figure out what wires go where. I’m going to look at Karl Johnson’s article again. I seem to remember he had a photo of the wire placement.

    UPDATE: OK, just looked at Karl’s article. The photo of the wire placement is quite clear, assuming the wires on your ST-Link are black, yellow, and blue, as they are in the photo. The ST-Link software, from Karl’s description, is very straight forward.