Geeetech A10 firmware Marlin 1.1.9

[MichaelK]

Good job!
Yes 'am planning to use GitHub, but today i didn't have enough time to do it...

So what exactly was the bug you supposedly fixed when it comes to component cooling fan?

I'am using the wrong PIN-Number! The fan didn't work using the wrong pin. Thats i'ved fixed.

[patm300e]

OK, so I am a 3D Newbie with a shiny new Geeetech A10. It has Marlin version 1.0.4 on it and seems to work OK. What does flashing to 1.1.9 gain for me?

Thanks,

Pat.

[AFewSkroosLoose]

Thank you for your firmware, Michael K. Pat, I am no firmware expert but I upgraded for the sole reason to get the part cooling fan working as controllable fan. Without changing firmware comment, fan is only 100% on or 100% off - no control in the middle. For some, this is okay and i was getting good prints with fan 100%. But, in order to truly be able to experiment with perfect settings and different filaments and manufacturers, and to tweak settings to fix stringing etc, a controllable fan can help in these endeavors.

That is my main reason for upgrading firmware. There are other reasons, as well, that may include some safety measures(temperature runaway auto shut off and the like - though I think stock firmware has this already enabled) and also the ability to add upgrades like filament run out and bl touch sensing for auto bed leveling.

I ran a number of good prints without upgrading firmware, however, so I don't think its absolutely necessary for the A10 until and unless you wish to explore other settings and features.

This is my take on it, anyway. Others with more experience may have different opinions.

[patm300e]

Thanks for the reply Skroos...I am getting some stringing with the nozzle temp at 190 (PLA). I believe I have extraction set on, but would have to check. I do know that the fan is set to be off initially, then ramp up to 100% at about 5mm. I guess that is not working well. Maybe I should flash firmware as well.

[AFewSkroosLoose]

Pat try leaving fan off for first layer or two then set to 100%. Once I figured out I needed to set it to 100 to get it to work (100% is actually 255 in firmware and if you go to control>temp>fan on lcd menu, you must turn knob to 255 to get fan to come on at all), parts came out better just leaving it at 100 all the time. And you are correct that retraction settings can also affect stringing. I also found that my extruder needed calibrated. Check youtube for how to do it - basically you mark cold material a set distance from where it goes into extruder, then tell the extruder motor to advance that amount and see if your mark ends up at entrance from which you measured initially. You can change steps per mm in the control>motion menu on LCD. Note that if you want to save your changes to your machine, you must find 'store memory' line and click knob after. Hope this helps. Updating firmware for me as a newbie was a bit daunting at first, but eventually i got it to work. I used Michael Ks on this thread from thingiverse. Note you have to download latest arduino IDE first, and also note you dont have to use his hex file - that is for another method of upgrading firmware. Also, on the version I grabbed of his, I believe I still had to change the comment referred to by combat134 in the forum thread '24v fan not working' in order to get my full range of fan control.

Good luck hope this helps.

[AFewSkroosLoose]

i forgot to mention be sure your nozzle is hot before you advance material through during calibration. This may have been obvious, but better to mention than not. Otherwise you may get some jamming or shredding at extruder gears (unless stock firmware has min temp protection which I am not sure - in that case it will not allow you to extrude if nozzle temp is below a certain temp)

[patm300e]

Thanks! I have not checked calibration through the feeder, but I had one of those machines where the set screws were loose and I had to take feeder apart to fix. After doing that, I realized that this is probably going to be the first part to fail and printed a replacement just in case.

Mine seems to feed OK (no catching or jerking, but I am not sure about calibration. Based on your knowledge level at this point, maybe you should write a book: "How to Get Your 3D Printer Working Correctly (and what to do if it isn't)". I know there are a few out there, but they don't seem to be written as well as your instructions here.

Thanks again!

[AFewSkroosLoose]

No problem - it is sometimes difficult to get simple answers that do not assume a pre-existing level of knowledge. I would definitely calibrate your extruder. I had to change my value - it was off I believe about 5%. This is enough to cause over or underextrusion depending on which direction it is off. If it is not calibrated first, you may find yourself tweaking settings in a wild goose chase that arent the source of your issues. Do the biggest things first, then tweak in. Happy printing!

[axiom]

I updated to the marlin 1.1.9 FW. I ran a test, and I had layer shifting. It was really bad. So I switched back to the original FW and fixed the fan issue. Anyone had any layering issues with 1.1.9?

[AFewSkroosLoose]

ive only printed a board fan cover since upgrade to 1.1.9 but it was a decently long print and layers seemed fine.