KevPlank's Build of the Max V2

[kevplank]

Hi Folks! My first post on the forum. I picked up my Max V2 last Monday afternoon (3-24-14). I didn't have a chance to really start working on it until late in the day on Tuesday. It was done a little sooner than I had expected so I didn't have my time planned to read through the manual before it came. I had fully planned on video recording the entire build (or at least the main parts of the assembly), however it went together so fast that I rarely took the time to turn the camera on. I DID take some pics and video of a few things along the way that I thought the manual didn't show really well. Long story short, I finished the assembly on Friday after about 20 hours of actual work on the parts (not counting the time it took to get all the tape off that holds the parts together).
I really thought that I'd having it printing out some parts by now but I've run into a few snags.
First off it took a little longer to configure all the software than I had expected. But it was pretty straight forward. Just a little more time consuming that I had hoped. Long story short, everything works.
EXCEPT! I can't get it to print.
I'm running the printer with my Mac Book. I tried to run the first print of the fan shroud and at first it would go to a position close to the bed and then just stop. The bed and the extruder didn't heat up at all.
After turning it off and back on and re-starting the Repetier software it seemed to be better. But still won't complete a print. In fact it won't get much past the first 30 seconds before it just stops and doesn't move.
This happens regardless of whether I try to run G code from the computer or from an SD card. I'm probably just not doing something quite right or didn't get something configured for the slic3r software or Repetier or some other gadget that I didn't input or save the right way. So I spent most of my afternoon playing with it to no avail. Any Ideas?
I'll be posting more pics and links to video on YouTube very soon. Right now I'm just too excited to spend any time on video. I'll do that while I'm waiting for the prints to get done

[mhackney]

Ok, let's start with the basics. Firstly, do you have slic3r configured properly? i.e. there are several flavors of gcode and you must make sure it is outputting the correct flavor. Secondly, when you run RH and connect, can you heat up the hot end from the UI? What about the bed, can you get it to heat up from the UI? If not, you need to figure out what the problem is, could be a firmware configuration problem or a wiring problem.

[kevplank]

Everything seems to work properly from the UI. I ran all the test to calibrate the bed heater and hot end as well as the X Y and Z. Extruded works as well.
I'm also thinking that it's a slic3r issue. I was looking at my settings last night and it looks like the start up code was incomplete. I don't think it loaded the info from the pre-set files properly.
I re-did some of that last night so ill hook it up today and see if that does the trick

[kevplank]

Here's a quick update.
After tweeking around with the Slic3r software last night I hooked things up this morning (I have the printer at my office not my home) and now it's doing similar things with another totally different issue, but I'm pretty sure the G code is not being generated properly.
Here's the full run down of what I'm experiencing.
I turn on the printer - Everything seems to come to life properly
I open the Repetier software (on a mac running OSX 10.6.8)
Upon opening this software I'm noticing that the screen that shows the print area doesn't look well framed.
In fact it's off to one side of the print area and zoomed in so far that I can only see the bottom back 25% of the print area.
Opening an STL file SEEMS to be working properly - However it drops down just off the back edge of the print area. So I move it to the center and all seems fine. When I run Slic3r it does the slicing and outputs the G Code on the screen.
Pushing the Run Print button brings the printer to life. The extruder heats up, but the bed does not. I can manually heat it up, but it's not doing it via the G code. The Delta arms used to come down and it would try to print on the bed, but now it stays up near the end stops and starts it's printing along with extrusion. About 15 seconds into the movement the entire Repetier program quits and closes on it's own. The printer then stops. If I try loading the gcode on an SD card the printer simply stops at that point and I have to reset it.
It would seem that there's a programing / config / software issue with the way I have things set.
At this point I'm planning to start over with the entire configuration process later this afternoon when I have a chance to work with it.
Frustrating because I think it's really close to running but just needs the right formula to pull it all together.

Any other thoughts?

[kevplank]

Does anyone know if customer service is on vacation at SEEMECNC?
I've been sending them Emails this whole week and not one word back. I'm beginning to become a little more than frustrated with this.
It seems that this should be an easy fix but I'm stymied with the issue and absolutely NO response from emails sent to [email protected]

Anyone have any clue about this?
I only live 30 minutes from them. I suppose I can make the trip over there.


K

[Eaglezsoar]

Does anyone know if customer service is on vacation at SEEMECNC?
I've been sending them Emails this whole week and not one word back. I'm beginning to become a little more than frustrated with this.
It seems that this should be an easy fix but I'm stymied with the issue and absolutely NO response from emails sent to [email protected]

Anyone have any clue about this?
I only live 30 minutes from them. I suppose I can make the trip over there.


K

They are in New York for another show. They should be heading back on Monday and will probably be in the office on Wednesday.
I'm not trying to justify the lack of support, I am simply stating where they are.

[kevplank]

Well that's great. I check my email when I travel. Maybe they aren't that modern yet. They didn't seem to LOOK like amish when I met them.
My first Email to them was on Monday of this week.
Even if they would just send an email back stating that they will get back to me at such and such a time would be much more assuring.
Support is a big deal in my opinion. Hopefully they'll be telling people at the show that they don't answer support emails when they are AT the show.
?

[kevplank]

Yet another update.
OK so I was suspecting that something wasn't working right with my Repetier software. I am running the 56 version on a Mac.
I decided to try going directly to the Splic3r program and export the G Code to the SD card. BINGO! The printer did everything it was supposed to and printed the fan duct as neat as could be. So it seems to be something that I have configured wrong in the Repetier software. I'm going to try firing up my old PC laptop and see if it runs better via that. I use that to run my Mach3 software on anyway but I was hoping to run things from the Mac Book since I do all my Sketchup work on the Mac.
Anyone have an idea of the config issue?
Thanks!

[brent]

Well that's great. I check my email when I travel. Maybe they aren't that modern yet. They didn't seem to LOOK like amish when I met them.
My first Email to them was on Monday of this week.
Even if they would just send an email back stating that they will get back to me at such and such a time would be much more assuring.
Support is a big deal in my opinion. Hopefully they'll be telling people at the show that they don't answer support emails when they are AT the show.
?

No need to complain/insult based on temporarily delayed support. MHackney and myself staffed the booth today (along with the seeme crew) to answer the endless wave of questions and guests. It was a busy event. Attendees were correctly informed that the shop is closed right now (staff at the event) and the current backorder would be shipped before their machines.

Yet another update.
OK so I was suspecting that something wasn't working right with my Repetier software. I am running the 56 version on a Mac.
I decided to try going directly to the Splic3r program and export the G Code to the SD card. BINGO! The printer did everything it was supposed to and printed the fan duct as neat as could be. So it seems to be something that I have configured wrong in the Repetier software. I'm going to try firing up my old PC laptop and see if it runs better via that. I use that to run my Mach3 software on anyway but I was hoping to run things from the Mac Book since I do all my Sketchup work on the Mac.
Anyone have an idea of the config issue?
Thanks!

The Mac version of Repetier is completely different from the Windows version, it is a little behind in development. There is a newer host software that SeeMeCNC advises to use instead of Repetier Host (due to the fact that it is now propeitary, closed source software) called MatterControl. It's on the downloads page: http://seemecnc.com/pages/downloads. Let me know how that works.