Geeetech

Hi all,

After some trouble with my A30T I now managed to get some decent prints from it, using Repetier Host.
I only cannot figure out how to choose which extruder (color/filament) I want to print with when only print 1 object (1 group).
The "workaround" I found is to print at least 2 objects. Then there are 2 groups. Then I can assign another extruder to the second group.
If I only have one group and assign another extruder to it, it always uses extruder E0 anyway.

Someone found a solution for this?

Cheers,
Dynamickx

Hhmmm.... Noone?
Is there someone out there actually using Repetier software??

I ordered my A30T and has yet to arrive. I have been using Repetier Host on my I3 machine for at least 4 years without too much issue. I've been mutli-color printer by manually splicing in various material during live prints and got tired of failed prints so decided to go the route of the A30T. I used the color mixer program to slice up the gcode file and it seems to splice into the gcode the appropriate 'reels' of filiment at the right time. I would be great if Repetier would visualize this when you use the tool to view what will be printed by layer but it does not do that (yet).

The method is outlined in a Geeetech document on the mixer software. Basically you load your STL file into Repetier. Then using the Cura slicer you create a monolithic color gcode file for your object. Then import this gcode into the color mixer software, pick how you want the layers to be broken down by color (can be 100% one color or a mix of the three reels). When satisfied on your layering of colors, export the file to a gco file. Now back in Repetier delete the original object you created the gcode for, then import (from the icon in the main title bar) the gco file that was output from the color mixer software. That's it. You can use the editor or an external editor to view the added gcode commands picking which feed is driving the extruder.

Example below starts using source 0 (left most reel) at 100% (no material from the middle or right reel). Then at layer 10 the middle reel is used at 100% and the two outer reels are dormant. These are the M163 commands, S0, S1, S2 are the reels; left to right on the machine. The Px.y is the percentage of weight where 1.0 is 100%. If you were to mix all three reels equally these P values would be Px.33. The M164 is the virtual extruder number, since this machine only has one extruder this is S0 but it could be any S value provided it was used consistently in the the gcode.

G0 X86.8 Y113.3 Z0.3 F6000
M163 S0 P1.0
M163 S1 P0.0
M163 S2 P0.0
M164 S0
..
..
..
G0 X170.6 Y180.1 Z1.95 F6000
M163 S0 P0.0
M163 S1 P1.0
M163 S2 P0.0

Steve

Thank you so much for your explanation, Steve!
I tried this mixer software and now avoid Repetier completely. I see no reason to use it anymore and do everything in Cura now. Works great for me.
Cheers!

Glad that explanation helped. I'm still using Repetier Host only because I'm so familiar with it. The profiles Geeetech provided for Cura seemed to work ok for an out of box experience. I'm very pleased with my initial results. Something I learned about the color mixer software (someday perhaps we'll have a users manual) is if you import a gcode file that didn't have multiple extruders the color mixer software doesn't warn you. So you spend time color slicing only to get a one extruder result.

This happened to me when I took an older model and color sliced it. The older model was targeted to my Geeetech I3 Pro. It took me a bit to figure out what I did wrong but then it all made sense.

Best of luck.