1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. DIYElectronics Manuals
  4. 3D Printers
  5. PRUSA I3
  6. Electronics and software manual

DIYElectronics PRUSA I3 Electronics And Software Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for PRUSA I3:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
PRUSA I3 ELECTRONICS
AND SOFTWARE GUIDE
June 2016 | Rev1.0 | DIYElectronics.co.za

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the PRUSA I3 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for DIYElectronics PRUSA I3

Summary of Contents for DIYElectronics PRUSA I3

  • Page 1 PRUSA I3 ELECTRONICS AND SOFTWARE GUIDE June 2016 | Rev1.0 | DIYElectronics.co.za...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents Introduction ....................2 Helpful Symbols ................... 2 Electronics and Wiring ..................3 Electronics Wiring Reference Diagram ............4 RAMPS Assembly: ..................5 2.2.1 Installing the RAMPS Shield ..............6 2.2.2 Connecting Heaters ................8 2.2.3 Connecting Thermistors ................9 2.2.4 Connecting the Endstops ...............

  • Page 3: Introduction

    1 Introduction Welcome to part 2 of your DIYElectronics Prusa i3 kit assembly guide! In this section we will discuss how to connect your electronics, setup your software and test your printer. Please follow this guide carefully, especially with the electronics since they...

  • Page 4: Electronics And Wiring

    Electronics and Wiring This chapter deals with the installation and setup of your 3D printer electronics. Warning: Be careful when assembling the electronics, they are delicate! • Make sure you note wiring and connector orientations correctly and make sure you have no short circuits. •...

  • Page 5: Electronics Wiring Reference Diagram

    2.1 Electronics Wiring Reference Diagram Figure 1 - Electronics Wiring Reference P a g e...

  • Page 6: Ramps Assembly

    2.2 RAMPS Assembly: Note: After the mechanical assembly of the printer in the previous chapter, the Arduino Mega and Power Supply should be installed on the printer frame. P a g e...

  • Page 7: Installing The Ramps Shield

    2.2.1 Installing the RAMPS Shield Carefully connect the Ramps board to the Arduino board. If any of the pins are bent, gently bend them back into place with a screwdriver or needle nose pliers. Line up the pins and press down. Once you are happy that all of the pins are in place, press down on all edges of the Ramps board...
  • Page 8 P a g e...

  • Page 9: Connecting Heaters

    2.2.2 Connecting Heaters Connect the heated bed wires to the D8 port and make sure they are secure. The heated bed has no polarity; the order of the wires does not matter. Insert the HotEnd heater cables into terminal D10. Tighten and ensure a good connection.Once again the heater has no polarity.

  • Page 10: Connecting Thermistors

    2.2.3 Connecting Thermistors Place the two pin connector for the Hotend thermistor into the T0 position on the RAMPS board as shown. Do the same for the Heat Bed thermistor into T1 position P a g e...

  • Page 11: Connecting The Endstops

    2.2.4 Connecting the Endstops NOTE: If you have purchased the auto-level sensor upgrade, please skip to the next section for endstop wiring with the auto-level board. Connect the endstop connectors to the RAMPS board. Use the two LEFT MOST pins (Just like the images).

  • Page 12: Connecting The Auto-Level Sensor Endstop Module(Optional)

    2.2.5 (Optional) Connecting the Auto-Level Sensor Endstop Module NOTE: This section only applies to you if you have the auto-level upgrade. The inductive auto-level upgrade probe will come pre-wired with a small circuit board module. Connect the auto-level adaptor module to the RAMPS board as shown.
  • Page 13 Connect the 12V lead from the auto-level module to the 12V Aux connector on the RAMPS board. 12 | P a g e...

  • Page 14: Connecting Motors

    2.2.6 Connecting Motors Place the four pin stepper motor connectors into the Ramps board as shown. Note: Try to orientate with the black wire side at the bottom of the connector. Handy tip: When you get the printer running and IF one of the stepper motors operates in the incorrect direction, all you need to do is flip the stepper motors connector 180 degrees.

  • Page 15: Connecting The Lcd (Optional)

    2.2.1 Connecting the LCD (Optional) If you have the LCD panel upgrade use the following instructions to install it: NOTE: Ensure that you connect EXP1 port on the LCD to the EXP1 port on the adaptor and the EXP2 port to the EXP2 port. These ports are shown in the images below.

  • Page 16: Connecting The Ramps Fan

    2.2.2 Connecting the RAMPS Fan Connect the supplied fan 60mm fan to the printed RAMPS fan brackets. Use 4x M3x20 screws + nuts. Insert the two pin Ramps fan connector to the 12V pins on the ramps board as shown. Make sure that the black (ground) pin is on the right.
  • Page 17 Finally clip the fan mount onto the edges of the RAMPS board. Be careful not to disturb any of the wiring or components. 16 | P a g e...

  • Page 18: Connecting The Power Supply

    2.2.3 Connecting the Power Supply Plug the Green 12V power connector from your Power Supply into the RAMPS. Make sure it is seated Firmly. Also make sure none of the power cables are loose. 17 | P a g e...

  • Page 19: Connect The Hot-End Fan

    2.2.4 Connect the Hot-End Fan NOTE: We are currently working on a much better method of connecting the fans, we realise this is not ideal! Please contact us if you have any issues, we would be happy to assist you. Now you need to connect the Hot-End fan to the 12V power supply connector.
  • Page 20 You have now wired up your electronics! Please check the wiring diagram in section 2.1 at least twice and confirm your connections before turning on for the first time! The next sections will cover what to do before turning on for the first time. 19 | P a g e...

  • Page 21: Printer Firmware For Ramps Marlin

    We will have loaded the correct firmware for your configuration. If you have an issue with the firmware, you can follow the guide at the following link to flash one of our pre-compiled Marlin files to your printer: http://www.diyelectronics.co.za/firmware/RAMPS_XLoader_Guide_rev1.pdf 20 | P a g e...

  • Page 22: Software Setup

    3 Software Setup: 3.1 Install Repetier-Host Install the Repetier-Host printer control software Download link: https://www.repetier.com/download-now/ This is the desktop side software to control your printer. RH would have also included Slic3r, a package used to slice your 3D models into G-Code ready for printing (via RH ☺) How to manually control your printer: https://www.repetier.com/documentation/repetier-host/rhmanual-control/...

  • Page 23: Configuring Repetier-Host

    3.1.1 Configuring Repetier-Host: With Repetier-Host installed,Open the program and Click the Printer Settings icon or select it from menu Config > Printer Settings. In the top text box give your new printer a friendly name ☺ • Port: Auto, or select the port your printer is •...
  • Page 24 Click the Printer Tab, default settings are acceptable although you might want to change some settings to your personal preferences. Click Extruder tab, nothing serious to change here, however your nozzle diameter needs to be set to 0.4mm as this is the standard size on our printers.
  • Page 25 Click Printer Shape, set the bed size here. Print Area: • Standard kit: 200 x 200mm • Plus & Premium kit: 250 x 270mm • Finally click apply and then click Connect as indicated in the following screen. Your printer should now be connected! 24 | P a g e...

  • Page 26: A Note On Cad Software And Part Files

    3.1.2 A Note on CAD Software and Part Files: As for 3D modelling software to actually create your own models, there are many choices out there and many different ways to model. We usually use Solidworks or Autodesk Inventor which are expensive commercial CAD packages. For free CAD packages, we recommend Autodesk 123Design, Google Sketchup or OpenSCAD is also good if you are into programming.

  • Page 27: Printer Setup & Testing

    4 Printer Setup & Testing 4.1 Understanding the Power Supply The Arduino/RAMPS on your printer can be powered by two sources: • USB Cable: Only powers the Arduino however cannot run the printer. • DC Power Supply: Powers the entire printer and allows the printer to print. You can program and communicate with the electronics with only the USB cable connected but you cannot print without the power supply turned on.

  • Page 28: Check Wiring And Turn On Power Supply

    4.1.1 Check Wiring and Turn on Power Supply Double check your wiring to make sure no errors or shortsare present. • Turn on the power supply. • Any sign of trouble, burning smell etc. Turn off immediately and contact us. •...

  • Page 29: Connect The Printer To The Pc

    4.1.2 Connect the Printer to the PC • With the power supply off, connect the USB cable to the printer and the • Turn on the power supply. • Connect to the printer in Repetier-Host. The connect button should turn green after a few seconds indicating the printer is connected! If not, see troubleshooting section.

  • Page 30: Printer Testing

    4.2 Printer Testing With your printer now turning on and connecting to the software host we are ready to start testing and calibrating all the components! Please follow each test carefully and make sure each test is successful before moving on to the next test. 29 | P a g e...

  • Page 31: Test 1 Thermistors

    4.2.1 Test 1 Thermistors: Click on the Manual Control tab in Repetier-Host and note the temperatures of the extruder and heated bed. Note: The printer will not function at all if the thermistors are not working properly therefore it is important that this test is run correctly. Both values should be similar to the current room temperature.

  • Page 32: Test 2 Heating

    4.2.2 Test 2 Heating: Click the Bed and Extruder buttons highlighted below, this should start heating up the components. Start out at 50ºC for both components and increase the temperatures 10ºC at a time until all is confirmed working. Use the following guide for temperatures: •...

  • Page 33: Test 3 End Stops

    4.2.3 Test 3 End Stops: To test the endstops, first make sure none of the X, Y or Z axis endstops are pressed. In the Repetier-Host G-Code command line run the M119 command as shown below. Note the result in the text log. Reporting endstop status x_min: open x_max: open...
  • Page 34 Next hold each endstop one at a time and run M119 again, the corresponding min endstop should read ‘TRIGGERED’. • Pressing X Endstop: x_min: TRIGGERED • Pressing Y Endstop: y_min: TRIGGERED • Pressing Z Endstop: z_min: TRIGGERED NOTE: If you have an autolevel upgrade, then you will need to hold a steel object such as a screwdriver under the inductive sensor to trigger the Z endstop.

  • Page 35: Test 4 Motors

    4.2.4 Test 4 Motors: In the Manual Control tab, use the motor control buttons to move the X, Y and Z axis. Start small by moving Positive 1mm on each axis. The corresponding axis should move a short distance away from the endstop. •...
  • Page 36 NOTE: When the printer has just been started/reset, the axis will only move in the positive direction until homed. Next try homing each axis by clicking each home button, i.e. the X in house button. . The corresponding axis should then move toward the endstop and then stop. •...

  • Page 37: Test 5 Extrusion

    4.2.5 Test 5 Extrusion: To test that the extruder motor is working correctly, first heat the extruder to 200ºC. NOTE: The extruder will not turn unless the hotend is hotter than 180ºC. This is a safety feature and prevents jamming of the drive gear. Click the ‘extrude 50mm’...
  • Page 38 NOTE : If you are using an all metal hotend for the first time, heat the hotend to 24 0ºC and tighten the nozzle with a No.8 spanne r before extruding any filament to prevent leaks. Not too tight or you will damage the fragile heat break! 37 | P a g e...

  • Page 39: Test 6 Load And Extrude Filament

    4.2.6 Test 6 Load and Extrude Filament: To feed in new filament, follow the steps below: • Heat the hotend to the correct temperature range for your plastic. • Turn the motors off by clicking the ‘motors off’ button in Repetier-Host.
  • Page 40 • Remove old filament (if present) by pulling upwards. • Feed the new filament end into the extruder body until it starts to extrude from the nozzle. • If you did not completely open the idler then you may need to turn the extruder gear to do this.
  • Page 41 • Close the idler cam gear to clamp the plastic into the hobbed bolt. • Tighten the spring screws until the springs are approximately half way compressed. • Manually turn the extruder gear until the filament is extruded from the nozzle.
  • Page 42 Return to the Manual Control and extrude 50mm of filament, if all is well your printer should be ready for calibration and printing! NOTE: Our preloaded firmware should be good enough to start printing with if you like. We recommend you refer to the calibration section either now or the near future to ensure that the hobbed bolt calibration is correct as each hobbed bolt varies slightly.

  • Page 43: Faq

    5 FAQ Maintenance: The following link should be adequate in helping you with maintenance of your 3D printer. http://www.nextdayreprap.co.uk/maintenance-of-your-reprap-prusa-mendel-3d- printer/ Important points are to keep the linear bearings and shafts oiled with a light lubricating oil and remember to check the belt tensions regularly. 6 Troubleshooting: •...

Table of Contents