Any Setup Required to Use Pronterface?

[Gwhite]

I want to start using Pronterface to control my printer for things like filaments changes. I've given up on Simplify3D being a viable option in the long run.

Are there are printer specific configuration settings I need to be aware of to use Pronterface with my M2E? I thing MakerGear supplied Pronterface with the machine, but I don't know if they provided it with any configuration settings. I suppose I could check the SD card that came with my machine, but it's 5 years old and I'd like to work with the latest version.

Thanks!

[Gwhite]

I now have Pronterface up & running, and talking to my printer. I've set the build volume to match the M2E, and I've tweaked the feed rates to the ones I use in S3D. I've verified that all the XY&Z commands move in the right direction.

That's about all I need for my immediate purposes. However, I'd like to make sure I have it fully configured so I can do more advanced things in the future. Under Settings - Options - Settings, the entries I'm not sure about are the home positions, and the Z offset.

I'm pretty sure the X&Y home positions are at zero, which is the default. On the M2E, the Z-axis limit switch is with the bed at the bottom, which would be Z = +200 mm (I think). Is that what I need to enter in the "Z Home Pos." box?

The Z offset box is the last mystery. I know there is an offset set in the firmware so that a Z=0 command gets to the correct height. I assume that if Pronterface tells the bed to go to Z=0, the firmware offset is applied automatically, and it all works. Should I leave the offset = 0, or do I need to query the firmware and put the Z offset into Pronterface?

Thanks!

[ketil]

My .pronsolerc file looks like this.

Code: Select all

set port /dev/ttyACM0
button 0 "Stop sysfan" M42 I1 P6 S0
button 1 "Stop cool" M106 S0
button 2 "Start sysfan" M42 I1 P6 S155
button 3 "Start cool" M106 S150
button 4 "Center" G1 X100 Y125 F10800
button 5 "Cal Y-" G1 X100 Y75 F10800
button 6 "Cal Y+" G1 X100 Y175 F10800
button 7 "Cal X+" G1 X150 Y125 F10800
button 8 "Cal X-" G1 X50 Y125 F10800
button 9 "No timeout" M84 S0
button 10 "Timeout" M84 S300
button 11 "cur pos" M114
button 12 "Set PID" M301 P10 I0.9 D250
button 13 "Cold extrude" M302 P1
button 14 "Endstop status" M119
set build_dimensions 200.00x250.00x200.00+0.00+0.00+0.00+0.00+0.00+0.00
set last_temperature 190.0
set last_bed_temperature 60.0
set xy_feedrate 3000
set z_feedrate 600
set e_feedrate 200

That's quite a lot of buttons, and they clutter the interface a bit. I can't remove any of these however, I find them all too useful to remove.

So in order, this is what each button does:

1. stops the system fan on the electronics and the extruder
2. stops the hotend fan
3. starts the system fan
4. starts the hotend fan
5. move to the center of the build plate
6. move along X and Y so the hotend is right over the front Y screw on my old printer, for manual bed leveling
7. move along X and Y so the hotend is right over the rear Y screw on my old printer, for manual bed leveling
8. move along X and Y so the hotend is right over the right side X screw on my old printer, for manual bed leveling
9. move along X and Y so the hotend is to the opposite of the X screw on my old printer, to verify manual bed leveling
10. hold motors indefinitely, so the Z axis doesn't fall after a while
11. set motors hold timeout back to 5 minutes
12. report the current X/Y/Z/E position on the console
13. set PID parameters to your calibrated values (don't use these exact values)
14. allow cold extrude (for cold pull / cleaning of hotend)
15. show endstop status (useful if you've misconfigured your endstops, or have a broken cable somewhere. Tap the endstops manually and click this)

[Gwhite]

Thanks! I'll have to add this to my notes. I got it working a while back, and someday I will want to add some macros to help do things like change filaments.

For now, I'm too used to the old Simplify 3D control interface, and I just use that. For a long time it wasn't clear if S3D was going to survive as company, and if their license servers ever went dark, I wanted Pronterface ready as a backup