Cancelling a print and other typical beginner questions

[ihadavision]

Hi,

I'm a beginner in both 3D printing and using my MakerGear, with the following questions.

Now that I printed some of the Getting started samples (the twisler and the bracelet) successfully, I wanna move on to printing models taken from thingiverse. I tried a simple car bag hook:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:129335/#files

and sliced it with slic3r (configured with the config.ini file from the sd card), exporting it to a .g and saving it to my MicroSD card demo folder.

Now, my questions:
Q: Is the getting started software THE only software to print everything i wanna print? or is there another software I should use to control my machine, that i don t know of?

Q: Why does the "cancel print" button gray out so often? how do I cancel a print if I really have to? switch the machine off?

Q: I can print the provided samples, but whenever i try any external object, when I click print now, all it does is it lowers the bed, nothing else and eventually "Connection failed - Timeout". I assume there is another software I should use, but can't find it.

Q: Also, will I always have to put things on the SD card or can it be sent through the USB cable?

Q: Most videos I found are about initial setup, is there a video that shows how to print a third-party sample from A to Z?

[Jules]

Most folks use Simplify3D, but it ain't free. (I'm sure one of the resident user experts for Slic3r will chime in when they see your post.)

In the meantime, the Slic3r manual probably has some information:

http://manual.slic3r.org/

[Hugs]

Q: Is the getting started software THE only software to print everything i wanna print? or is there another software I should use to control my machine, that i don t know of?

(I'm sure one of the resident user experts for Slic3r will chime in when they see your post.)

I'm certainly not an expert but coming up to speed

The Quick Start App is not the only software you'll need. But it is essential for leveling your bed and setting the bed starting height. I use repetier-host for my prints. It comes with Cura and Slic3r as bundled slicers and the config.ini on your SD card will be used with slic3r. You will have to set a few things before you can print.

After installing reptier-host (don't worry about repetier-server), first set up your basic settings in Config->Printer Settings (important stuff circled in red):

Communication settings:

Default temps for PLA (assuming you're using the spool of PLA included with your printer):

Print area dimensions:

Copy the config.ini from the SD card to your computer Then import your slic3r settings (this is where the tweaking magic happens):

Make sure slic3r is selected in the drop-down box, then click the "configuration" button.

When the slic3r window appears, select File->Load Configuration Bundle. From there, choose the config.ini you copied from your SD card

This is my basic Repetier workflow (you will develop your own as you go):

Place an object on the bed:
Object Placement tab
Click the plus icon to add a model to the bed
Position it (right-click and drag to move)
Rotate, scale if needed.

Slice it:
Slicer tab
If you imported your settings correctly, you should see 3 drop-down boxes (Print Settings, Printer Settings, Extruder 1) all with "M2E" selected
Click "Slice with Slic3r"
After a bit, the tab will switch to "Print Preview" where you can visualize the gcode and see the estimated time



If I'm happy with how it's going to print, click the "Connect" button on the top left
Manual Control tab
Start heating up the bed (click the icon next to "Bed Temperature" so there isn't a line through it.
Wait until the bed gets up to 60C then start heating up the extruder (click the icon next to "Extruder 1" so there isn't a line through it).
When both temps are up, click the "Print" or "Start Print" button.

Q: Why does the "cancel print" button gray out so often? how do I cancel a print if I really have to? switch the machine off?

Q: I can print the provided samples, but whenever i try any external object, when I click print now, all it does is it lowers the bed, nothing else and eventually "Connection failed - Timeout". I assume there is another software I should use, but can't find it.

Can you describe how the printer is connected to your computer? USB hub? Directly connected to a USB port?

Q: Also, will I always have to put things on the SD card or can it be sent through the USB cable?

No, you don't have to always print from the SD card. You can print directly from repetier-host as long as your PC is on during the print.

[ihadavision]

Thanks so much Hubs for so much information. Just read this, can't wait to try it. I'm connected with USB.

After asking my question yesterday, I realized that I had not understood that the slicer was not the last external software I needed in the process So far, I only managed to see the printer go down and move there before it stops, even with repetier, but with your complete info, I hope today could be the breakthrough day where I'll manage to do something better with my machine.

[ihadavision]

I'm certainly not an expert but coming up to speed

Well, I think you are, or very close to being an expert, because your instructions were crystal clear, and certainly clearer than any of the videos I watched so far, and they worked... and I'm printing the hook as we speak and it works and I have a big smile on my face

Can you describe how the printer is connected to your computer? USB hub? Directly connected to a USB port?

The behavior was before your instructions. I followed them precisely as is and had no trouble whatsoever (connecting through USB).

The document you produced is of excellent caliber and clarity and should deserve to be promoted to a step by step for absolute beginners like me, or pinned down to this category maybe? At least, it shouldn't be lost, I hope it won't. That's exactly what I needed. Thank you so much!

[Hugs]

I'm printing the hook as we speak and it works and I have a big smile on my face

Fantastic! I'm so glad it's working for you!

If you haven't already, I strongly recommend reading through Jules' post on getting started:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2778

With the latest revisions of the printer (Rev. E), steps 1 and 2 are really covered with the new Quick Start App but steps 3 and 4 are crucial if dimensional accuracy is important to you.

That said, I'd suggest only reading through it at this point until you start getting comfortable with how everything works.

If you have any questions along the way, don't hesitate to PM me.

Good luck!