* SOLVED * Huge problem with GT2560 board

[edautz]

The printer is upgraded to a bowden setup. Quality improves a lot.
Upgraded to Marlin 1.1.3 with a 3D Touch sensor, no more manual bed leveling anymore. Happy printing.

[07BF]

You missed to click the CONNECT tab besides the BAUD Rate setting.

No I did and this is what its doing...trying to connect I also enabled "debug communications" to see what its doing (sending this M-105)

I made mine work just now. Follow the ff steps, it might help you as well.

1) Use Arduino 1.0.4
2) Download the Marlin-PI3 Pro B
3) Connect the USB and open the Device Manager. Once the new COM port appeared and detects your board (remove all motor driver boards), delete the driver and update it with the updated one.
4) Open the Arduino and the Config.h file.
5) Select the TOOLS tab and select the AtMega 1280 (not the 5260). That's if the main processor in your board was the AtMega 1280. But if it is the original AtMega 5260, choose the 5260. For sure, its the 1280.
6) Choose COM3
7) Choose "Arduino as ISP" as PROGRAMMER
8) Verify the file
9) Open the SKETCH tab and choose the Verify and Compile
10) Select the UPLOAD button

Try those steps and let me know if it help you. Good Luck!

Like many others I have recently purchased the CTC Prusa I3 Pro B printer off ebay (So called updated 2017 version). However I notice on these threads the popularity of the AtMega1280 chip. Mine has the ATMega2560 on a 2560 Rev A board. I have followed the steps above kindly provided by hawth725 without success. Substituting the board type with the Arduino Mega 2560 (the only 2560 option available). I get avrdude timeout errors.
All I want to do is change the steps per mm and I'm annoyed a manufacturer of what is supposed to be an open source product goes to these lengths to lock out the firmware.
I haven't a clue about where to go from here and would appreciate some guidance please.
Thank you.

Edit 23 July 2017
I have solved my problem and would like to share the solution here in case it helps somebody else who has my combination of board/programmer.
I forgot to mention that for programming, all I have is an UNO. I know its an important bit to miss....sorry.
Firstly, the pin layout of the SD card and LCD as mentioned in this thread is located here https://www.geeetech.com/forum/viewtopi ... =MISO+MOSI.
Solution to the programming problem and to make alive again my bricked ATmega2560, I direct you to this wonderful youtube clip for the solution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5achE10rCI - watch carefully. There is no sound. I followed along in real time and was very happy to be error free for the bootloader. I then followed the steps of edautz and his recommended firmware which worked a treat including the X axis reversal! (I cant believe I didn't fix that first....he did warn us)
What I do not have is the original firmware as I was not able to make a copy per edautz instructions so if anyone has it, would like to share and wants to post the CTC Prusa I3 Pro B firmware so I can make a comparison that would be great.
I hope this helps somebody else.
Thanks again to all contributors for providing the pathway for me to follow.

Regards

[edautz]

07BF,

I can you provide with a copy of my hex of the original firmware.
I doubt if it of any use to you, because it is with no bootloader, old marlin version 1.0.2 and with a locked eeprom. Morerover it is compiled for a 1280 and not a 2560.

I am happy printing with my CTC pro B with Marlin 1.1.3 with even a 3D Touch autoleveling sensor activ. I didn't try Marlin 1.1.4 because I have to consider the flash size of the 1280 of 128K.
If you installed sucessfully a bootloader try the stock marlin 1.1.4 and compile it for you self.

In the future I going to replace my 1280 based 2560 board, by a Ramps 1.4 setup because I going to build a filament width sensor. This is a advanced feature supported by the Marlin 1.1.x software, but compiling this feature produces a hex that doesn't fit in a 128K flash.

[07BF]

Hi Edautz
Sorry, I did not have my preferences set correctly for an email notification. Rectified now.
Thanks your response. I wasn't really chasing the hex file. More over I was just curious if the firmware I burned had any settings different to the ones the printer came with. However, its running much nicer now so no big deal.
Ill look at the Marlin upgrade as I get more experience.
My next challenge is to improve the printer. As Im new to all this, its a bit confusing as to what is essential or just nice to have. Im thinking that a Mk3 heat bed might be a good start. Like this one http://aus3d.com.au/electrical/heated-b ... lu-heatbed
Lead screws instead of threaded rod might be good for Z axis too along with some bushes at the frame top to keep wobble out.
Other structural options could be considered too but not sure of what or where to buy.
Everyone seems to be upgrading extruders and hot ends. Im at a loss on this one. While I understand they will produce better quality, as a hobbyist and to keep it all financially in perspective, I don't really know about these ideas.
Any guidance you or others might like to share relative to the CTC Prusa I3 Pro B printer would be welcomed. That probably should be on another thread I guess.

Regards

[edautz]

07BF,

I also still improving my Ctc printer.

I converted to a bowden setup, improves quatity alot because no motor on the x-axis and better filament flow.
Also stabilized the top of the printer with https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1853350.
Put some bolts on my hotbed rods to improve stability futher more.
Added a 3D touch sensor for auto bed leveling. Love that very much!!!

Going to change my hotbed to a full alumium one with cork insulation for ABS printing.
Building a filament witdh sensor.
Switch to ramps setup.
Going to add a RPI with octoprint for controlling the printing process futher more.

If you look at the costs of the upgrades. They are cheap, around €12,- for a bowden E3D hotend. €15,- for a new hotbed. €5,- for a al metal extruder. €17,- for a 3D Touch sensor.
So the price isn't the problem. If you buy an orginal Prusa it will cost €850,- My goals is voor max €100,- upgrades archive a better printer than the orginal Prusa and learn a lot while doing soo.
So for the next few months enough to do.

[07BF]

Interestingly, our goals are exactly the same edautz.
However, your cost of purchasing these items are way cheaper than I can get in Australia. Maybe link your favorite supplier please? If I buy all at once and only pay one lot of freight from Europe, it might be better than me.
I also looked at one of these

Code: Select all

https://www.hta3d.com/en/p3steel-diy-kit

because by the time I purchased all the bits you mention here plus perhaps the P3steel frame, then it would be cheaper to get the kit in the link. If I had have known about it earlier, I would have bought that instead of the CTC I think.
My prints have improved dramatically since burning the bootloader and upgrading the firmware plus changing slicer to Slic3r Prusa Edition while inside Repetier host. I guess for minimal cost, these printers do appear to be quite good value for money. Especially for the novice like me.

[edautz]

07BF,

My "secret" is bidding on ebay. This way I can reduce cost quite a lot. I have good experience with it. Normally no shipping costs.

I switched from cura 14/15 to cura 2.5 because small holes in the print were mostly oval, not round.

This is solved in cura 2.5. This moment is to get a 20 hours large Pla print finished without trouble.

I didn't try Slic3R, what are you experiences?

[07BF]

I find the slicr3d prusa edition more configurable than cura 2.5. Since changing, my prints are much better quality. I have also slowed down from 80mm ps to 60mm ps. This made a huge improvement too.
Re the Bowden extruders. Yes, I have found them now on ebay. Much cheaper than I thought. There are many Chinese sellers of what looks like the same product. I thought Bowden extruders had a motor of some sort mounted to the printer frame that pushed the filament through the tube? These ebay extruders don't appear to have that. Or am I missing something?

[edautz]

If you buy a metal extruder suitable for a teflon tube and a suitable motor mount, you can install your existing extruder motor at the top of the printer, I did modify the existing extruder cooling a bit so it fits on the top mounted extruder, because the motor will quite hot and otherwise the filament will jam.

Then buy a E3D bowden hotend suitable for a tube. You can find them on ebay.
Like http://www.ebay.com/itm/E3D-V6-Metal-Ex ... inter-Fan-

Print a bowden mount for your ctc pro b printer. You can find them on thinginverse.

You have to increase the retraction settings. In my case from 1,5mm to 6,5mm. Depends on the lenght of the tube.

And off you go.

[07BF]

Great. Ill get into that then.
Thank you.
Regards