Blocks on LCD, Firmware apparently not uploading correctly?

[drivesfast]

Two rows of blocks across the screen. Reset button doesn't appear to have ANY effect.
When Repetier is running, it connects. However, pressing any of the x/y/z buttons results in the carriage moving down towards the bed. It doesn't stop. The only methods i've found that work are Emergency Stop, and power off. Otherwise the thing grinds against the bed.

I know next to nothing about arduino programming. It appears that I will be unable to maintain that ignorance with my foray into 3d printing.

Compiling completes correctly, and the upload appears to work, to the extent that during the process the LCD goes blank for a while, and there are reset sounds as the printer "reboots"?

End result, blocks across the screen, no method for controlling the carriage other than to send it towards the bed.
The fan control, the extruder controls, and the heat controls for the hot end and the bed all appear to be working in Repetier. Any movement though, results in the carriage heading for the deck.

What have I done wrong?

[Mark]

Seems the firmware isn't right, is your printer G2S ? I'll attach the firmware for you.

[drivesfast]

Thank you for the link. I downloaded the firmware. I opened Arduino 1.01 and dragged the contents of the zipfile you gave me to Arduino. It successfully verified. I then pressed the upload button, and it, again, went through the motions. After a minute or two the LCD came back to the two rows of blocks, and on Arduino IDE it showed it finished uploading.

Back to square one. Attached is a photo of my LCD. The reset button still does nothing. I have shut everything off and re-started the printer. No joy.

I'm really not looking forward to dissassembling this thing, so please tell me this is something I'm doing wrong, and not a hardware issue......

Now what do I do?

Thank you!

[Mark]

Can't see the picture you attached....and you can attach a picture about the upload of the firmware, I think the upload might be wrong.

[drivesfast]

Ok, getting no where, but making excellent time!
I'm going to list, as best I can, the steps I'm taking, so that someone can hopefully show me the error of my ways. Because, it's not workin

Printer attached via USB, powered on.

Arduino IDE started (this isn't "installed" in my PC, it's just executable from the folder. (potential problem there later). I've selected the board "Arduino Mega 2560, or Mega ADK", and port Com8 (found through device manager).

Once the sketch is sitting open, I'm going into the folder containing the libraries, and selecting all, then moving them to the green bar in Arduino IDE. They form separate tabs for each of them. (From here, I've been successful in compiling both as they are, and after changing the baudrate in "Configuration.h" to match that of the port Com8 in device manager. Didn't seem to matter either way).

I'm then hitting the check button to verify in Arduino IDE, and it compiles successfully. There are no red messages in the lower window in Arduino, just a white message stating: "Binary sketch size: 119,694 bytes (of a 258,048 byte maximum)".

I'm then hitting the upload button. Arduino compiles again, then goes through the motions of uploading to the printer. It appears to be done successfully, as the fan slows, the lights on the board flash amber for while, then the fan speeds up and the rows of blocks return to the LCD.

I know I have to be doing something wrong, but I haven't found it yet.

Anyone see what I'm doing wrong?

I very much appreciate your help.

[Mark]

For LCD2004, if you get the backlight and two rows of rectangles as the picture shows, it might be the wrong settings of firmware, you should delete the “//” from this line of the code“//#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_SMART_CONTROLLER” and upload the firmware.

Before delete the “//”
// The RepRapDiscount Smart Controller (white PCB)
// http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller
//#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_SMART_CONTROLLER

After delete the “//”, it should be like this:

// The RepRapDiscount Smart Controller (white PCB)
// http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller
#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_SMART_CONTROLLER

[drivesfast]

In "Configuration.h", the code is already as indicated in your post.

No change.

[Mark]

And do you add "//" before the line code "#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER"? If you only delete the "//" for LCD2004, and didn't add it to the line for LCD12864, you'll still get those blocks.

// The RepRapDiscount Smart Controller (white PCB)
// http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller
#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_SMART_CONTROLLER

// The GADGETS3D G3D LCD/SD Controller (blue PCB)
// http://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.3/1.4_GA ... with_Panel
//#define G3D_PANEL

// The RepRapDiscount FULL GRAPHIC Smart Controller (quadratic white PCB)
// http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_F ... Controller
//
// ==> REMEMBER TO INSTALL U8glib to your ARDUINO library folder: http://code.google.com/p/u8glib/wiki/u8glib
//#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER

[drivesfast]

sketch_sep26a Arduino 1.0.png (21.2 KiB) Viewed 15119 times

This is what is compiling, but not uploading.

Same two rows of blocks on the LCD.

This is no fun at all.

Thanks!

[drivesfast]

Well, I'm about to list this thing on Craigslist, and buy something else. Weeks of sitting watching it sit immobile is wearing me down. I thought I'd be printing by now.

I've tried the upload so many times, I could probably do it blindfolded. I may try that, can't do any worse.

Now, I'm getting an error, saying that the COM8 port is in use by another application. This, after I reboot the computer and start Arduino IDE right after the boot.

Anyone know what I can to to diagnose what the heck is wrong?

I've ensured that all of the above advice has been followed, and have gone line-through-line over each one, several times. No joy.

I appreciate any help on this.

Thanks!