MakerGear M2 24V V4 Hotend Randomly Stops/Pauses Mid-Print

[ednisley]

worked immediately with FAT MS-DOS

Fix one thing at a time, then move on to the next problem!

Let me know if the file isn't attached.

It's lost somewhere in The Matrix...

[w22]

I've narrowed it down to that first layer error at this point.

• MakerGear M2 24 V4 Hotend turns on with 0 errors and all fans work.
• Simplify3D has no program errors throughout the process.
• SD Card works flawlessly with no read problems and detects .gcode files when retrieving list and is formatted as FAT MS-DOS.
• Both extruder and bed move as they should during print and return to where the should after I force-jog controls once the print has stalled.
• Filament extrudes beautifully with zero issues.
• No odd or new sounds ever occur nor any warning lights.
• Tested printer and software on additional computer, identical problem AKA first ayer prints perfectly and then halts.
• Bed is "perfectly" leveled.
• Nothing is near the printer physically.
• Printer has not been physically moved recently and is on a completely flat leveled surface.

After all of this, every single print immediately stops/pauses/freezes after completing the first layer of any print. I now have a ton of frisbees.

Two thoughts comes to mind. I thought I recalled seeing a RED light flashing by the USB port on the printer, NOT a yellow one as it is now yellow.

Also, should I do a firmware upgrade? I've never done one and I purchased my printer this February which was the latest model at the time.

Other than that, I have no idea.

[Jules]

There are both red lights and yellow lights inside the electronics box, but generally the red one is the one you notice.

I'm not the electronics expert here, but did you check the fuses? (There are fuses in there somewhere.)

If that isn't it, I'd just start a support ticket.

[w22]

Thanks for the tip, am already filling out the Support form.

In the meantime, I attempted to print from SD Card with .gcode file using the original M2 default software and immediately unplugged USB and first main layer printed and then halted about an hour into the print leaving me a frisbee again.

What's that really tiny black reset looking button by the USB port of the MakerGear 2?

[Jules]

Thanks for the tip, am already filling out the Support form.

In the meantime, I attempted to print from SD Card with .gcode file using the original M2 default software and immediately unplugged USB and first main layer printed and then halted about an hour into the print leaving me a frisbee again.

What's that really tiny black reset looking button by the USB port of the MakerGear 2?

That is the reset button, but I'm not sure when to tell you to press it.

(It might be that's all you need, but Support will be able to tell you that better than me.)

[w22]

Thank you Jules for all your help! You are awesome.

[Jules]

Chuckle! Thanks, but i didn't actually do anything here! The guys are the electronics experts.

[Tim]

After all of this, every single print immediately stops/pauses/freezes after completing the first layer of any print. I now have a ton of frisbees.
Two thoughts comes to mind. I thought I recalled seeing a RED light flashing by the USB port on the printer, NOT a yellow one as it is now yellow.
Also, should I do a firmware upgrade? I've never done one and I purchased my printer this February which was the latest model at the time.
Other than that, I have no idea.

A problem like this is highly prone to red herrings.

I have been trying to track down this problem for some time, and the only common thread I have found is that it seems to have cropped up with Simplify3D 3.0.something. But it is very frustrating that it does not show up in the G-code, which is perfectly fine. It does not appear to be firmware-dependent. It doesn't even seem to be OS-dependent, although there have been suggestions that it was related to the Windows-10 driver (which could be either a red herring or a real but independent problem that confoundingly showed up around the same time).

Here is what I believe about it from the evidence I have so far (and take this with a grain of salt. . . it's just a theory, could be considered wild speculation): I think that Simplify3D implemented some kind of halt function based on temperature read-back. It may have been meant to prevent temperature runaway, or maybe thinks it's dropping back into the state where it is supposed to wait for the temperature to come up to the nominal value. It's true that whether or not you run from the SD card, if you started the print from inside Simplify3D, then there's constant communication going on between Simplify3D and the printer, which gets merged into the stream of commands for the print coming from the SD card. It continuously (at a slow rate) sends codes to query the temperature of the extruder(s) and bed, and receives the values back from the printer. At all times, Simplify3D has the capability to halt the print. The trigger may be wide temperature swings on the thermistor output, noise or glitches on the thermistor output, or even just a bad thermistor. But what I've found is true is that the problem manifests itself exactly like having hit the "emergency stop" (software) button. I have several times "waited out" the pause, and the printer has sarted up again after half a minute to a minute (of course my print was pretty well melted by then!. . .). I have had this happen sometimes on the first layer, but other times halfway up the print. Although I'm not certain of the timeline, the problem showed up within a few weeks of updating Simplify3D, which fact alone makes it the prime suspect in my mind.

The way to test this theory is to run the print off of an SD card, but from something other than Simplify3D. . . either octoprint, or pronterface, or an LCD display, but not Simplify3D. My suspicion is that the problem won't happen if Simplify3D is taken out of the picture.

[Tim]

In the meantime, I attempted to print from SD Card with .gcode file using the original M2 default software and immediately unplugged USB and first main layer printed and then halted about an hour into the print leaving me a frisbee again.

I guess it's a bit hard to fault anything on the host computer's side after you've unplugged the USB. . .

Truly a bizarre error.

[w22]

Bingo! Found the error!

READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X186.368 Y113.504 E91.9730
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X183.904 Y111.040 E92.1295
READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X183.904 Y110.475 E92.1549
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X186.367 Y112.937 E92.3113
READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X186.366 Y112.371 E92.3367
READ: ok
SENT: G1 X183.904 Y109.909 E92.4930

I also printed from the M2 Default software and ran into the exact same problem unfortunately. Thank you for your detailed analysis though. This one is truly bizarre! I was able to print about 5 completely different prints and then my print stopped about 98% through with the error above. At least I'm getting somewhere......sort of.

UPDATE

Printer stopped about 1% (or less) into print and I found this regarding the exact error:

http://wiki.solidoodle.com/correcting-an-m999-error

Thoughts? I have no idea where this connector is.......

UPDATE

READ: start
Connected to machine!
READ: echo:Marlin1.0.2
Marlin1.0.2
SENT: T0
READ: echo: Last Updated: Feb 19 2016 08:53:22 | Author: (MG|Josh, M2E - (SnNRd) v100 02/18/2016)
Last Updated: Feb 19 2016 08:53:22 | Author: (MG|Josh, M2E - (SnNRd) v100 02/18/2016)
READ: Compiled: Feb 19 2016
READ: echo: Free Memory: 3259 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232
Free Memory: 3259 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232
READ: echo:Stored settings retrieved
Stored settings retrieved
READ: echo:Steps per unit:
Steps per unit:
READ: echo: M92 X88.88 Y88.88 Z1007.70 E471.50
M92 X88.88 Y88.88 Z1007.70 E471.50
READ: echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s):
Maximum feedrates (mm/s):
READ: echo: M203 X200.00 Y200.00 Z25.00 E25.00
M203 X200.00 Y200.00 Z25.00 E25.00
READ: echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2):
Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2):
READ: echo: M201 X900 Y1000 Z30 E2000
M201 X900 Y1000 Z30 E2000
READ: echo:Acceleration: S=acceleration, T=retract acceleration
Acceleration: S=acceleration, T=retract acceleration
READ: echo: M204 S2000.00 T3000.00
M204 S2000.00 T3000.00
READ: echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)
Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)
READ: echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X4.00 Z0.40 E1.00
M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X4.00 Z0.40 E1.00
READ: echo:Home offset (mm):
Home offset (mm):
READ: echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z11.98
M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z11.98
READ: echo:PID settings:
PID settings:
READ: echo: M301 P25.89 I1.94 D86.53
M301 P25.89 I1.94 D86.53
READ: Error:0
READ: : Extruder switched off. MINTEMP triggered !
READ: Error:Printer stopped due to errors. Fix the error and use M999 to restart. (Temperature is reset. Set it after restarting)
SENT: G28 X0 Y0 Z0
SENT: M105
READ: echo:SD init fail
SD init fail
READ: echo:Active Extruder: 0
Active Extruder: 0
READ: ok
SENT: M105

Perhaps a bad Thermistor wire or dead connection completely? Guess I need to take apart my extruder?

UPDATE

Been doing a lot of careful troubleshooting and 100% of my wires are connected correctly, no wire has stripped, nor any are bent in the wrong direction, nor punctured by the USB enclosure at the bottom. All fans work efficiently and I can manually turn on the extruder and heated bed to normal temps (200c and 65c for extruder and bed) just fine. Now at this point when the print begins, it immediately halts when extruding its first wipe before printing on the bed. I've noticed the bed moves down fine at the beginning but the extruder about 10% sliding from its initial start to the other side of the bed stutters or jerks for a split second and then continues to the end of the bed to start the short extruding wipe but now the printer goes into, "Shock Mode", in the error log and explodes with the repeated error above.

Whether this is detrimental news or not, I think I'm almost to the point of finding the actual problem.....