194 lines
9.6 KiB
Markdown
194 lines
9.6 KiB
Markdown
Frequently asked questions
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==========================
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1. [How do I calculate the step_distance parameter in the printer config file?](#how-do-i-calculate-the-step_distance-parameter-in-the-printer-config-file)
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2. [Where's my serial port?](#wheres-my-serial-port)
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3. [The "make flash" command doesn't work](#the-make-flash-command-doesnt-work)
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4. [How do I change the serial baud rate?](#how-do-i-change-the-serial-baud-rate)
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5. [Can I run Klipper on something other than a Raspberry Pi 3?](#can-i-run-klipper-on-something-other-than-a-raspberry-pi-3)
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6. [Why can't I move the stepper before homing the printer?](#why-cant-i-move-the-stepper-before-homing-the-printer)
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7. [Why is the Z position_endstop set to 0.5 in the default configs?](#why-is-the-z-position_endstop-set-to-05-in-the-default-configs)
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8. [I converted my config from Marlin and the X/Y axes work fine, but I just get a screeching noise when homing the Z axis](#i-converted-my-config-from-marlin-and-the-xy-axes-work-fine-but-i-just-get-a-screeching-noise-when-homing-the-z-axis)
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9. [When I set "restart_method=command" my AVR device just hangs on a restart](#when-i-set-restart_methodcommand-my-avr-device-just-hangs-on-a-restart)
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### How do I calculate the step_distance parameter in the printer config file?
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If you know the steps per millimeter for the axis then use a
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calculator to divide 1.0 by steps_per_mm. Then round this number to
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six decimal places and place it in the config (six decimal places is
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nano-meter precision).
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The step_distance defines the distance that the axis will travel on
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each motor driver pulse. It can also be calculated from the axis
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pitch, motor step angle, and driver microstepping. If unsure, do a web
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search for "calculate steps per mm" to find an online calculator.
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### Where's my serial port?
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The general way to find a USB serial port is to run `ls -l
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/dev/serial/by-id/` from an ssh terminal on the host machine. It will
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likely produce output similar to the following:
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```
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lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Jan 3 22:15 usb-UltiMachine__ultimachine.com__RAMBo_12345678912345678912-if00 -> ../../ttyACM0
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```
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The name found in the above command is stable and it is possible to
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use it in the config file and while flashing the micro-controller
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code. For example, a flash command might look similar to:
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```
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sudo service klipper stop
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make flash FLASH_DEVICE=/dev/serial/by-id/usb-UltiMachine__ultimachine.com__RAMBo_12345678912345678912-if00
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sudo service klipper start
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```
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and the updated config might look like:
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```
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[mcu]
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serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-UltiMachine__ultimachine.com__RAMBo_12345678912345678912-if00
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```
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Be sure to copy-and-paste the name from the "ls" command that you ran
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above as the name will be different for each printer.
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### The "make flash" command doesn't work
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The code attempts to flash the device using the most common method for
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each platform. Unfortunately, there is a lot of variance in flashing
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methods, so the "make flash" command may not work on all boards.
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If you're having an intermittent failure or you do have a standard
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setup, then double check that Klipper isn't running when flashing
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(sudo service klipper stop), make sure OctoPrint isn't trying to
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connect directly to the device (open the Connection tab in the web
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page and click Disconnect if the Serial Port is set to the device),
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and make sure FLASH_DEVICE is set correctly for your board (see the
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[question above](#wheres-my-serial-port)).
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However, if "make flash" just doesn't work for your board, then you
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will need to manually flash. See if there is a config file in the
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[config directory](../config) with specific instructions for flashing
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the device. Also, check the board manufacturer's documentation to see
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if it describes how to flash the device. Finally, on AVR devices, it
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may be possible to manually flash the device using
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[avrdude](http://www.nongnu.org/avrdude/) with custom command-line
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parameters - see the avrdude documentation for further information.
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### How do I change the serial baud rate?
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The default baud rate is 250000 in both the Klipper micro-controller
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configuration and in the Klipper host software. This works on almost
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all micro-controllers and it is the recommended setting. (Most online
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guides that refer to a baud rate of 115200 are outdated.)
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If you need to change the baud rate, then the new rate will need to be
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configured in the micro-controller (during **make menuconfig**) and
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that updated code will need to be flashed to the micro-controller. The
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Klipper printer.cfg file will also need to be updated to match that
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baud rate (see the example.cfg file for details). For example:
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```
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[mcu]
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baud: 250000
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```
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The baud rate shown on the OctoPrint web page has no impact on the
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internal Klipper micro-controller baud rate. Always set the OctoPrint
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baud rate to 250000 when using Klipper.
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### Can I run Klipper on something other than a Raspberry Pi 3?
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The recommended hardware is a Raspberry Pi 2 or a Raspberry
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Pi 3. Klipper will run on a Raspberry Pi 1 and on the Raspberry Pi
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Zero, but these boards don't have enough processing power to run
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OctoPrint well. It's not uncommon for print stalls to occur on these
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slower machines (the printer may move faster than OctoPrint can send
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movement commands).
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For running on the Beaglebone, see the
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[Beaglebone specific installation instructions](beaglebone.md).
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Klipper has been run on other machines. The Klipper host software
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only requires Python running on a Linux (or similar)
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computer. However, if you wish to run it on a different machine you
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will need Linux admin knowledge to install the system prerequisites
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for that particular machine. See the
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[install-octopi.sh](../scripts/install-octopi.sh) script for further
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information on the necessary Linux admin steps.
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### Why can't I move the stepper before homing the printer?
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The code does this to reduce the chance of accidentally commanding the
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head into the bed or a wall. Once the printer is homed the software
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attempts to verify each move is within the position_min/max defined in
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the config file. If the motors are disabled (via an M84 or M18
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command) then the motors will need to be homed again prior to
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movement.
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If you want to move the head after canceling a print via OctoPrint,
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consider changing the OctoPrint cancel sequence to do that for
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you. It's configured in OctoPrint via a web browser under:
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Settings->GCODE Scripts
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If you want to move the head after a print finishes, consider adding
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the desired movement to the "custom g-code" section of your slicer.
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### Why is the Z position_endstop set to 0.5 in the default configs?
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For cartesian style printers the Z position_endstop specifies how far
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the nozzle is from the bed when the endstop triggers. If possible, it
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is recommended to use a Z-max endstop and home away from the bed (as
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this reduces the potential for bed collisions). However, if one must
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home towards the bed then it is recommended to position the endstop so
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it triggers when the nozzle is still a small distance away from the
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bed. This way, when homing the axis, it will stop before the nozzle
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touches the bed.
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Almost all mechanical switches can still move a small distance
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(eg, 0.5mm) after they are triggered. So, for example, if the
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position_endstop is set to 0.5mm then one may still command the
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printer to move to Z0.2. The position_min config setting (which
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defaults to 0) is used to specify the minimum Z position one may
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command the printer to move to.
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Note, the Z position_endstop specifies the distance from the nozzle to
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the bed when the nozzle and bed (if applicable) are hot. It is typical
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for thermal expansion to cause nozzle expansion of around .1mm, which
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is also the typical thickness of a sheet of printer paper. Thus, it is
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common to use the "paper test" to confirm calibration of the Z
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height - check that the bed and nozzle are at room temperature, check
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that there is no plastic on the head or bed, home the printer, place a
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piece of paper between the nozzle and bed, and repeatedly command the
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head to move closer to the bed checking each time if you feel a small
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amount of friction when sliding the paper between bed and nozzle - if
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all is calibrated well a small amount of friction would be felt when
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the height is at Z0.
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### I converted my config from Marlin and the X/Y axes work fine, but I just get a screeching noise when homing the Z axis
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Short answer: Try reducing the max_z_velocity setting in the printer
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config. Also, if the Z stepper is moving in the wrong direction, try
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inverting the dir_pin setting in the config (eg, "dir_pin: !xyz"
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instead of "dir_pin: xyz").
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Long answer: In practice Marlin can typically only step at a rate of
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around 10000 steps per second. If it is requested to move at a speed
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that would require a higher step rate then Marlin will generally just
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step as fast as it can. Klipper is able to achieve much higher step
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rates, but the stepper motor may not have sufficient torque to move at
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a higher speed. So, for a Z axis with a very precise step_distance the
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actual obtainable max_z_velocity may be smaller than what is
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configured in Marlin.
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### When I set "restart_method=command" my AVR device just hangs on a restart
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Some old versions of the AVR bootloader have a known bug in watchdog
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event handling. This typically manifests when the printer.cfg file has
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restart_method set to "command". When the bug occurs, the AVR device
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will be unresponsive until power is removed and reapplied to the
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device (the power or status LEDs may also blink repeatedly until the
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power is removed).
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The workaround is to use a restart_method other than "command" or to
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flash an updated bootloader to the AVR device. Flashing a new
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bootloader is a one time step that typically requires an external
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programmer - search the web to find the instructions for your
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particular device.
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