Upgrading to the newly released Repetier

[Eaglezsoar]

I've read that a few users have upgraded to the newly released 0.91 Repetier firmware but I have read nothing definitive as to whether the average user should attempt to upgrade.
For those of you who have upgraded, what are your feelings toward this subject, should it be attempted by the average users or are there too many issues still unresolved and your
feelings are to wait until SeeMeCNC releases a version of the 0.91?

[Batteau62]

So glad you posted this I am on the fence with this. Every time I think I'm ready to do it. I read a post with users having issues afterwards. I guess it should be "no guts no glory" but it's hard to risk breaking my "working" Max. I would really love to have an "official" release from SeeMe. And an updated install video would be great

[mhackney]

As you know, I did the upgrade "from scratch" this week. I started with .80 version. The upgrade itself was easy and I have documented it in prep for a post. The issue is, after upgrading, my printer is no longer calibrated. If I go back to .80, it is back in calibration. I am trying to understand what I can do to tweak .91 to get the same calibration as I have on .80 without physically recalibrating the printer.

Cheers,
Michael

[Eaglezsoar]

As you know, I did the upgrade "from scratch" this week. I started with .80 version. The upgrade itself was easy and I have documented it in prep for a post. The issue is, after upgrading, my printer is no longer calibrated. If I go back to .80, it is back in calibration. I am trying to understand what I can do to tweak .91 to get the same calibration as I have on .80 without physically recalibrating the printer.

Cheers,
Michael

Good point, we can't expect everyone to do a complete calibration on the install, not everyone is going to have a copy of configuration.h that is up to date with all the changes they made
and the contents of the EEPROM is not going to have all the necessary values. I have to wonder if there is a way to print a copy of the configuration.h that is in the firmware before the
upgrade is made, I think the answer is no. I wasn't sure that you were going to write a post on the procedure, now that I am I have every confidence that you will figure something out.
Please.

[MSURunner]

If the configuration.h file was built through Repetier then it would transition our values over using their build tool and the configuration strings it attaches (in theory at least), but, alas, we're downloading pre-built forks.

[int2str]

Since I'm a software developer by trade, I'm probably the wrong person to ask... but here's my take on it:

I think there's two ways to approach this:

1. "If it works, don't fix it"

If your current firmware is doing everything you want it to do and your printer works great, then there's no real need to upgrade the firmware. Nothing has changed between the host software (Repetier Host or your printing suite of choice) and the firmware. Meaning there is nothing to be gained from upgrading in that regard. You won't unlock some new cool feature or anything that will drastically alter the way your printer works.

I know many people think this way and I don't think there's anything really wrong with it.

However... another approach is:

2. It's a DIY world!

You bought a 3D printer and in this case BUILT IT YOURSELF!!! Why? To build more cool stuff and make things. The whole 3D community is made out of DIY'ers wuth a spirit of sharing. Arduino, Rambo, Reprap, SeeMeCNC, Slic3r etc. etc. all open and open source there for anybody to play with and to fix/improve.

Software is always moving forward, there will always be improvements. So why not jump in and learn how to upgrade your firmware? You put it on there in the first place, I'm sure you can do it again. In fact, staying closer to the "head" of firmware development makes upgrading much, much easier. The longer you wait, the more difficulrt it is to reconsile differences in the configuration files.

Below is a list of what changed between V0.83 and V0.91+. Since it's all out there, you can decide for yourself if it's worth upgrading for YOU.

The main benefit would be the DELTA configuration changes and the additional EEPROM parameters that make calibration easier. Also, this *may* be a placebo effect, but I do feel that my printer is moving more smoothly with 0.91.

Regarding to "HOW" to upgrade:

On the ORION it's easy, just download my firmware source, compile and run (SeeMeCNC made a video on how to compile/install). Because there's currently only one model of the ORION, it should work pretty much right out of the box. Definitely do the Z-calibration again, but other than that, it'll probably "just work".

For the Rostock, since it seems like no two builds are the same. Pins are changed, hardware is upgraded etc. Only YOU (the builder) can know what you did. Rostock users would HIGHLY benefit from keeping the setup as close to stock as possible and NOT to modify pins.h etc. To make future upgrades easier. With my addition of the SeeMeCNC LCD, upgrading has also just gotten easier.

There's two ways to get started:
1. SeeMeCNC has an open source version of their Rostock firmware here:
https://github.com/seemecnc/RostockMAX/ ... E/Repetier
It has default values for what SMC thinks a "default" Rostock is. You can download the latest 0.91+ firmware and copy over the relevant sections of the Configuration.h files. And take it from there.

2. If you had to modify the firmware when you first built your printer, you hopefully saved your Configuration.h file somewhere, right?!! If not, shame on you . But in that case nobody can fix this for you, but yourself. You'll have to re-read the configuration file and adapt it for your printer again. I'd still start with 1. and get SeeMeCNC's configuration file as a starting point.

None of this is very hard. Just like you've built your printer bolt by bolt and know exactly what makes it tick, this is your chance to see what software makes your printer tick.

So I'd say GO FOR IT!
But again - I'm probably the wrong person to ask...

-----

Changes between v0.83 -> v0.91+ (latest):

Code: Select all

0eb6b92 Fixed dynamic menu handling. Fixex sd pause.
7ea2ffd Removed .gitattributes
35b9933 Fixed extruder issue with sd card pause.
2cc5493 Enable software leveling and arc support
e62792d Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master'
a91df93 CNC display support
eae8d1c Added support for SeeMeCNC LCD
518e78d Fixed Z speed issues and some other bugs.
90fcaef Added felixprinters board, fixed delta angle correction
26289ba Version 0.91
d86da83 Version 0.91
4f30f8c M116, Beep on temp. reached, fixes
0e047b0 Fixed UI_ACTION_KILL heater problem.
792fc0c Fixed GLCD minor problems
f5d8966 Full Graphic Display Support
2d886f1 Long filenames working
35f2b8e Start merge long filename from Glenn
ddf60fc Long filenames, LCD animations
0930358 Added first RepRapDiscount GLCD support
91a8b21 LCD can now show 28 chars. Smaller displays will scroll content.
b119739 Fixed compile issue
685e001 Fixed heater config in ui to allow dead time
1fd3beb Fixed compile error for DRIVE_SYSTEM 0
33a6f09 Fixed compiler issue if no Z_PROBE was selected
2a4bc71 Fixed UI set origin, better positioning with controller
c6d95d6 Fixed UI set origin, better positioning with controller
77bc8f3 Fixed sd menu
2db287e Fixed hang if started with watchdog and without sd card
1c3b3bb Improved G30
90dc473 Fixed due compilation issues
152d516 Fixed delta hang bug, dynamic menus.
0d99672 Min endstops for Tuga
061039b Changed compilation defaults
a3543d7 New delta calibration and bed leveling, new coordinate offset handling
02a916e Z coordinate update after homing for tuba
5cfc598 Tuga fixes
6efef10 Fixes for Tuga drive system
3830e98 Upgraded Due port to current stand
855dde7 Fixed compile issue without heated bed.
8fb2c03 Print raw arc values for M105, copy PID values to eeprom with M303 X0
fd5196a Better error handling, ditto printing, auto run init.g on startup, tuga support
bdea1f1 Compile snow with 0 extruder for cmc machines
0caa106 Added Azteeg X3 shield support
d2f2358 Added delta radius correction, better enforcement of minimum speed.
68ecee0 Merge pull request #166 from edwardhughes/development
43d0bda Clarification changes to the new Delta diagram in Configuration.h
601902c Fixed no retract with advance, enforce min speed, potential blocking problems
d5cdaf3 Added MAX31855 support
84da451 Fixed broken cartesian compilation
91939ce Added Sethi 3D-1 support
0f321a4 Change distance computation to use e if dominant.
2d132ca Fixed pure E-Move bug for deltas
26f6623 Fixed RUMBA pin setting for heated bed/extruder 2-3
29acb4b Merge branch 'development' of github.com:repetier/Repetier-Firmware into development
6e5efe1 Several small fixes
8f0a278 Merge pull request #154 from edwardhughes/m251
3ee7879 Merge pull request #153 from karloygard/karlo-therm-fix
fcf6758 Fix M251 command by including reset of X and Y axes, not only Z.  This should prevent the crashes users were seeing when attempting to use this command (M251 S2).
e8ee03f Fixed missing code for generic thermistor tables.
b0be874 Updated PiBot config
2b9f9c0 Added PiBot support
9a70fbc Added Swedish language, Printing time added to LCD, bugs fixed.
116d2f7 Fixed wrong acceleration bug
4f80fb2 Fixed compile errors
b8832b8 Fixed PWM timer timing
f504b52 Due version with RADDS working
2a6c546 Print last line of sd card if return is missing
c2580e6 Fixed ui menu bugs
07fec0b Fixed compile problem with cartesian printer
9d8b47e Fixed extruder oszillation problem from last update
914b6d3 Fixed advance bug!
ad717b7 Added Arduino DUE port, added debug tests
3290009 Fixed FEATURE_Z_PROBE related compile problems.
710cbf5 Fixed compilation problems for non delta printer.
7663a08 Removed OPS code
8bb8241 Better gitattributes, Fixed typos.
753481e dead-time temp. controller, RaprapWorld Keypad/LCD support
5e9866a Fixed Cura bug, Extruder fan control, M303 with FAN
ef3691f Fixed move problem for delta printer
a44c57b Extruder now works again for delta printer
f68a427 Delta iterative calibration works
6729efb Fixed generic table compile error, added spanish translation
a5a42e9 Fixed compile error
d19ed0a Fixed RAMBo pins for heater/bed
f540b3d Support for large delta printer
5ecd30b Fixed line endings
8212573 Optimized delta computations
72f04a6 CHanged line ending setting
63d19b8 Merge branch 'development' of github.com:repetier/Repetier-Firmware into development
d3e65aa Fixed SPI handling for RAMBO boards
291abc1 Merge pull request #126 from Metamaquina/deal_with_newlines
5f87866 https://help.github.com/articles/dealing-with-line-endings
c0befff Changed emergency stop
65f2c72 Fixes for dualextruder compile
11fbf88 Fixed compile issue, fixed delta printer bug with feedrate multiplyer.
c4fec75 Small patches for fan
71a9550 Merge pull request #118 from lajos/ext_cool_temp
ae9ecd2 Merge pull request #117 from lajos/fan_pwm
24e57a5 Sd upload fixed
ad7c75c added EXTRUDER_FAN_COOL_TEMP to define extruder cool down temperature
5fd6232 added get_fan_speed(), removed hard coded fan pwm_pos from ui.cpp
46f0265 Minor fixes
82e3dd0 Fixed G92 handling
4ece710 Some compile issues solved
7ef5ac0 Merge pull request #112 from leramleram/patch-1
65f2fb6 Update uimenu.h
8cd4c74 Support for servos added (M340)
0104973 Arc should now work with autolevel
cfa6f64 Mirror stepper driver
a2deed1 Added 3. extruder support in ui
665188b Version 0.83 - fixes clacks after z changes

[Eaglezsoar]

Wow! I didn't know there were that many fixes. Granted most of them have nothing for the Rostock user but a few of them do. Thanks for sending that and for your opinions.

[mhackney]

Ok, here is info on upgrading firmware to the Repetier .91 release - or to any normal future release. But first, a little soapbox pontification:

I've noticed that a lot of folks getting started with 3D printers have no idea what the Arduino IDE is and what is going on when they run it and use it to upload the firmware. In a perfect world, the firmware would be provided already to go - precompiled as we say. But, there are so many printer variations and each printer has unique configuration requirements, that this is not practical. So, instead, the firmware is distributed as source code so each of us can configure it appropriately for our unique printer. Since most of us are using Arduino based controllers (i.e. RAMBo), the firmware is Arduino source code.

Basically, Arduino is an "integrated development environment" for the Arduino micro controllers. It was designed to make it easy to edit, compile and upload firmware to Arduino based controllers from a single application. This is what powers the controller hardware in the printer - presumably a RAMBo for our machines (unless you've changed it, but then, you probably know what an IDE is!). Basically, the firmware - like Repetier - is distributed as source code. Configuration.h is a "header file" that has information the Arduino compiler needs when it compiles the sources for the firmware. Take a look in the Repetier/src folder and you will see all of the "cpp" and "h" files (c program and header files). There is a special file, called Repetier.ino in this case, that is the starting point. It is the file you open in the Aduino application and it lets Arduino know where all of the source and header files that are needed to compile the firmware are located.

NOTE: the actual path to the src files is: src/ArduinoAVR/Repetier The ArudinoDUE folder looks very similar but is for a different Arduino processor.

So, before you make any changes or upgrades, it is a good idea to make a backup copy of the entire firmware folder. I usually name it by adding "BACKUP-20140103" to the end of the folder's name. That way I can always come back to it, recompile and upload, and know that it will work. Notice that Configuration.h is in the src folder. There is no magic here, it is a file that can be opened in a text editor - even Microsoft Word or Apple's Pages - and printed. This will get you a hardcopy of all of the configuration settings you mucked with. However, it will not include any changes you made to the EEPROM via Repetier Host. A simple way to print that is to simply do a screen capture of the EEPROM Settings Window. It is pretty tall so you may need to do 2 captures to get it all. Now, you have all of the configuration settings. If you did anything special with pin assignments, then also print pins.h in the source folder.

With the more recent release .83 & greater, support for RAMBo and the LCD are already built in so you likely won't have to muck with pins.h or any of the ui source files.

I'm not sure what the comment about "we're downloading pre-built forks" means. The "forks" are actually source code snapshots, exactly like the originals. What is "pre-built" is someone has edited them to customize them for a particular printer and setup. This is almost always simply the Configuration.h file. In the good old days, some of us would make changes to other source files to support the then new RAMBo card and later, the LCD or to make other bug fixes. But, the support in .90 for RAMBo, LCD and delta printers is pretty much complete and no special modifications to these files are needed. When I upgraded from .80 to .91 this week, I only needed to edit Configuration.h to customize it for my particular printer and setup. I used my .80 Configuration.h printout to help with this. For the most part, it was easy, but .90 has additional capabilities and has removed a couple of things (inconsequential).

Once the necessary edits to Configuration.h are made, then the firmware can be compiled and uploaded to your printer. That's what that little -> button does! It runs the compiler and then uploads the firmware to your printer.

The only other consideration for those of us using Repetier Host is the EEPROM. This can be both a blessing and a curse. If you don't understand it, it's a curse! The EEPROM is simply permanent memory in your RAMBo that can store common configuration information. Initially, the EEPROM values are set when the firmware is uploaded to the printer's controller (RAMBo). After that, if you have EEPROM enabled, (EEPROM_MODE in Configuration.h set to anything but "0") you can change these special values through Repetier Host without having to edit the Configuration.h file, recompile, and upload the firmware. That saves a lot of time, especially when you are trying to set the max length and other values when you are calibrating. The firmware developers were smart, they set things up so if you DO recompile and upload new firmware, these EEPROM values will NOT be overwritten by the values in the Configuration.h file. That is, UNLESS, you instruct it to. The way you do that is to simply change the value of EEPROM_MODE to some other number greater than 0. I usually just add "1" to whatever number is already there. Similarly, if you want to clobber the EEPROM settings and disable the ability to change things in EEPROM, simply set EEPROM_MODE back to "0". Nothing magical about it!

... end of pontification!

Ok, with all that said, here's how to upgrade to Repetier firmware 9.1

1. Make a backup copy of your existing Repetier firmware. Also print a copy of its Configuration.h file and take screen shots of the EEPROM Settings dialog in Repetier Host so you don't lose any special settings you made.
2. Go to the Repetier firmware git repository
3. Click the "Download ZIP" button on the right column. This will download the firmware sources to your computer. Unzip it once it's downloaded.
4. Run the Arduino application (install it if you need to from Arduino.cc
5. Choose File->Open and locate the Arduino.ino file inside the Repetier firmware. I mentioned this above.
6. Now for the fun part! Now you need to edit the Configuration.h file to match your system configuration. So, open Configuration.h. I've attached my special copy that is well annotated for our printers below. Print a copy and follow along with it. You will note firstly that I have moved the #define EEPROM_MODE to the top of the file. It drove me crazy looking for that whenever I wanted to tweak it to over-write the EEPROM. You can leave it where it was or move it. Now notice that I have added comments that look like this: // *** Rostock-RAMBo v1.1 *** everywhere you will need to make changes from the stock file. I've also added more descriptions for special things like PULLEY_TEETH - early Rostocks had 15, newer ones have 20. Simply copy these values from your printout of Configuration.h.
7. Compile and upload - that's it

Here are a few little "gotchas" I ran into when upgrading from .80, I don't know if this is different if you are starting with .83 but it's worth checking:

Make sure to use the "new" LCD Feature Controller one of our own contributed earlier this week. It should be:

#define FEATURE_CONTROLLER 13 //***11

(note I commented the original values in Configuration.h with //***, just to make it easier to see what the original settings were.)

Also verify your thermistor types for the hot end and heated bed.

This one is the hot end:

#define EXT0_TEMPSENSOR_TYPE 1

and the heated bed:

#define HEATED_BED_SENSOR_TYPE 1

These are for the stock thermistors that I have. I believe these are still the same today. Note that I had an issue after updating that I wasn't getting temp readings. I thought there was a hardware pin misconfiguration. It turned out that I had my thermistor type set to "97" with .80. I do not recall why, but it worked and my temp readings were spot on. The .91 firmware treats a type 97 differently and can't read the temp. So, if you install the firmware and can't get temp readings, check the thermistor type!

Configuration.h

(53.86 KiB) Downloaded 376 times

Ok, that's it. My only other recommendation is to check your calibration. For some reason, my machine is not calibrated after installing .91. If I go back to .80 it is correctly calibrated again! I have not figured this one out yet and will post again if I learn anything.

cheers,
Michael

[Eaglezsoar]

Thank you for the writeup, Michael. The time it took you to write it is appreciated.

[dpmacri]

Ok, here is info on upgrading firmware to the Repetier .91 release - or to any normal future release. But first, a little soapbox pontification:

I
Ok, that's it. My only other recommendation is to check your calibration. For some reason, my machine is not calibrated after installing .91. If I go back to .80 it is correctly calibrated again! I have not figured this one out yet and will post again if I learn anything.

cheers,
Michael

Thank you for the writeup -- much appreciated! I haven't done the upgrade myself, yet, but plan to do it soon. One *guess* on what changes the calibration -- it's my understanding that the .91 firmware moved the PRINTER_RADIUS into the EEPROM. Is it possible that you're getting a default value in the EEPROM that's different than what you used before?

[mhackney]

dpmacri, that's a good suggestion, I'll have to check that. I've been holding off recalibrating since I am finishing up magnetic arms for my machine. However, it probably makes sense to bite the bullet and get the machine working with .91 and calibrated with stock arms then upgrade the arms and recalibrate. More work but will probably make for a smoother transition.

cheers,
Michael

[Flateric]

Are you guys aware of the online configuration tool yet.

Looks kinda nifty.

I do mine line by line by hand, but others may find this a helpful easy way to do it.

http://www.repetier.com/firmware/v091/

[Eaglezsoar]

Are you guys aware of the online configuration tool yet.

Looks kinda nifty.

I do mine line by line by hand, but others may find this a helpful easy way to do it.

http://www.repetier.com/firmware/v091/

I was not aware of this tool and I can see that it could be of value. Thanks for pointing us to it.

[GeraldO]

Sweet! I always found the configuration files to be a bit of a rats nest, but I guess I'm spoiled using code folding in Visual studio :p

[Generic Default]

I was having serious problems with the previous versions of repetier firmware, especially consistent print stoppages. I couldn't get any of the new 0.91 versions to work (and I tried 4 slightly different versions), but I eventually got it to work with the Orion 0.91 firmware that I downloaded from one of these forum threads a few days ago.

BIG DIFFERENCE!

I haven't had any failed prints since then, and there are a few other nice new features that were added/fixed that I really like. The most noticeable features;

-Jerk and acceleration are now consistent. I'm not getting any stuttering or glitchy movement with my rostock.
-Much better heat control. The PID based heating system they used before has been upgraded. It now heats up faster and doesn't overshoot or wobble in temperature.
-Better extruder control. Your cold end will accelerate to match your effector speed, so sharp corner blobbing effects are reduced.
-No stopped prints. For anyone having the problem with prints randomly stopping after 6+ hours, repetier 0.91 fixes it.


If you are getting good prints with the current 0.83 (or whatever) firmware, don't bother updating. But if you have problems, definitely update!



And Mhackney, good luck with the magnetic arms. Make sure they're all identical in length or you'll have serious problems. I went though about 4 variations of magnetic arms and cups before I got my current setup a few days ago. Right now I'm using ultra-rigid 0.43 x 12 inch brass tubes as my arms, and I can get ridiculously high acceleration/jerk and excellent surface finishes.

[mhackney]

That's odd Generic Default. It might be worthwhile to compare the Configuration.h file in the version that now works to the version that did not work earlier to see if there are any differences. You should be able to drop the working Configuration.h file onto the .91 release you get from Repetier directly and it should be identical. I don't believe any code changes were made to the Orion distribution, only configuration changes.

I am a machinist in my 2nd job! I have built a glue-up jig that will insure all the arms are identical in length - and I mean "ball to ball" length, the critical dimension. I am using 3/8" OD carbon fiber tubing. I am adding a little bling (red paint) so I need to let these dry while I drill the balls for studs today.

cheers and thanks,
Michael