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Connect Anet A8 To Computer

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As I wrote you on a previous post, today I am going to show how I made Marlin setup for my Anet E-10 modified printer.

It is a fairly simple process to restore the original Anet A8 And A6 firmware. To do so simply follow these steps. Verify that when your printer is hooked up to your computer which COM port is enabled. Enter the following fields: 1. Programmer: Audrino 2. DO NOT be tempted to start playing with configuration files and firmware. The already installed firmware on my Anet A8 worked 100% AOK from the word go. The problem is almost certainly dirty card contacts or dirty socket contacts. Try repeating ejection the card several times. Also see my post entitled Anet A8 Where I'm at. Connect your printer to your computer via USB. Upload the code to your printer. How do I use Anet A8? The Anet A8 reads gcode files. Here are the steps for printing from a gcode file: Make sure the gcode file is on the root of your SD card. Put your SD card in the Anet A8 printer. Press the centre button to get to the main menu and select SD. The anet A8 doesn't use the arduino. It has a dedicated motherboard. I assume repetier -server is trying to connect, it keeps sending m105 (get extruder temperature) and every so often the log shows communications time out - reset send buffer block. Are you sure that the A8 connects to a PC using a serial port? I don't know of any 3D printers that do that. Typically, 3D printers connect to PCs using a USB connection, and there will be a.

What I need to put Marlin on my printer?

First of all, you need Arduino IDE, I use currently version 1.8.5 and you can download it here.

Another important thing you need is Marlin, and you can download it here. Setup explained below this lines is related to 1.1.6 version.

In my case, because I use a big LCD screen I also need U8GLib to setup the screen, and you can find it here.

I have all that stuff, and now what?

To make the setup of Marlin I followed instructions from StaticsBoards blog (in spanish), in which all the steps are explained perfectly.

Step 1: Connect by USB the printer to a computer

Step 2: Setup on Arduino IDE motherboard and port

Selección de procesador de la placa

Step 3: Install u8glib library

Choose the option that you can see on the screenhot below and add the zip file that you have downloaded before.

Step 4: Modify Marlin files for your printer

I am going to explain the changes that I made for Anet E-10, with GT2560 motherboard and DRV8825 drivers.

Configuration.h File

@machine section

In this section you must choose the motherboard that is mounted on your printer, in my case is GT2560 rev A+, you can see the supported motherboards on boards.h file of Marlin.

In this other one, you can put a name to your printer, this is not neccessary but it is cool 🙂 Acorn 6 image editor 6 5 2.

@extruder section

Here you choose the number of extruders that your printer has, in my case only 1

Anet A8 Manual

Anet
@machine section

You should let this setting like this if your power supply is not connected to the motherboard by PS_ON pin.

@temperature section

In this section you must define the kind of thermistor that are mounted on your printer to detect the temperature of the hotend and of the hotbed. I put his value, because I saw that on Skynect the value is that one on the Anet printer, and I am using the original ones.

These are the minimum temperature values that the printer detects before halting due to a thermistor that is broken. For example, if a wire is broken the temperature detected by the printer is below this limit and the firmware does not let the printer start to print. The temperature is measured on celsius degrees.

In this section you must define the highest values that the thermistors can reach before halting the printer due to overheated printer, in this case the temperature is measured on celsius degrees too.

I have set this values after executing the following GCODE command: M303 E0 S200 C8

https://betersposny1981.mystrikingly.com/blog/bulk-sms-sender-2-8-crack. Is very important to let this line commentd if you are using a mosfet or a relay to heat the hotbed. If you uncomment this line, is very easy to burn the mosfet or relay due to the great amount amount of changes that are committed usin PID protocol.

This sections is aldo very important, because this is a safety measure that do not let move to extruder motor if the temperature of the hotend is below this temperature. This will save you from a lot of hotend jams.

@homing section of endstop settings

Here you must define which are the endstops used to indicate that the printer has reach each of the axis limits. In my case, I use min endstop for each axis and the endstops are connected to the motherboard on these pins.

Due to the settings of my endstops I must change the logic of them.

@motion section of movement settings

This is one of the most important sections, because here you set the steps for each axis. In my case, because I use DRV8825 drivers, I have multiplied by 2 the steps. If you use A4988 drivers you must put this number of steps divided by 2 (80,80,400,97). In the case of the extruder motor, I calculated the steps by using simple maths extruding 10 cm and watching the real measure of the extruded filament and the fixing the number of steps.

@machine section of movement settings

I must commit a change on X axis because I saw that the axis is not moving on the correct way.

Is the same case with extruder motor.

In the first part of this section, as I have defined the endstops as min, I must put this value to -1.

On the other definitions you set the size of the hotbed and the offset of the hotend from the endstop limit to the beginning of the hotbed.

@lcd section of LCD and SD support

Here you can set the language of the interface, in this case spanish.

In this other section you must define the model of screen that you want to use, the model that you can see on the screenshot belongs to to the screen I bought at amazon.

Is very important to uncomment this line (let it as you can see above this line) to use the SD card reader integrated on the screen.

Configuration_adv.h File

@temperature section

I must set THERMAL_PROTECTION_PERIOD value to 60 seconds, because the printer was giving false positives of kind 'Heated failed' of the hotend.

I must did the same for the hotbed.

ultralcd_impl_DOGM.h File

This change allow to show the complete percentage of the printing when you are printing from a SD card.

Did you arrive here? You are so brave 😀

Thank you very much if you are arrive here, I hope that you find interesting the post.

Below this lines you can see a photo of the final result of the Marlin on the screen.


Note: For online printing, you need to connect computer to the 3D printer through the data cable. During the printing process, do not turn off the computer power, do not make computer screen save or hibernate to prevent data transmission failure. In general do not suggest users to use it for the complicated operations.

Firstly load model file, set printing parameter including 'Basic' and 'Advanced' parameters, then connect the 3D printer to PC.

1. 3D printer Driver installation

Power on the printer, connect USB to the computer, and the driver will be installed automatically. If can not install automatically, please open the 'Device Management', find a port with a yellow exclamation mark, right click 'Update Driver'. Select 'Browse my computer for driver software'.

Find Cura driver and install it. Open 'Preferences'.

Anet A8 Driver

Printing window as the above picture show. Click 'OK', then click 'Machine settings' as the below picture show.

Select correct port (COM), baudrate is 'AUTO', click 'OK'.

Anet a8 review
@machine section

You should let this setting like this if your power supply is not connected to the motherboard by PS_ON pin.

@temperature section

In this section you must define the kind of thermistor that are mounted on your printer to detect the temperature of the hotend and of the hotbed. I put his value, because I saw that on Skynect the value is that one on the Anet printer, and I am using the original ones.

These are the minimum temperature values that the printer detects before halting due to a thermistor that is broken. For example, if a wire is broken the temperature detected by the printer is below this limit and the firmware does not let the printer start to print. The temperature is measured on celsius degrees.

In this section you must define the highest values that the thermistors can reach before halting the printer due to overheated printer, in this case the temperature is measured on celsius degrees too.

I have set this values after executing the following GCODE command: M303 E0 S200 C8

https://betersposny1981.mystrikingly.com/blog/bulk-sms-sender-2-8-crack. Is very important to let this line commentd if you are using a mosfet or a relay to heat the hotbed. If you uncomment this line, is very easy to burn the mosfet or relay due to the great amount amount of changes that are committed usin PID protocol.

This sections is aldo very important, because this is a safety measure that do not let move to extruder motor if the temperature of the hotend is below this temperature. This will save you from a lot of hotend jams.

@homing section of endstop settings

Here you must define which are the endstops used to indicate that the printer has reach each of the axis limits. In my case, I use min endstop for each axis and the endstops are connected to the motherboard on these pins.

Due to the settings of my endstops I must change the logic of them.

@motion section of movement settings

This is one of the most important sections, because here you set the steps for each axis. In my case, because I use DRV8825 drivers, I have multiplied by 2 the steps. If you use A4988 drivers you must put this number of steps divided by 2 (80,80,400,97). In the case of the extruder motor, I calculated the steps by using simple maths extruding 10 cm and watching the real measure of the extruded filament and the fixing the number of steps.

@machine section of movement settings

I must commit a change on X axis because I saw that the axis is not moving on the correct way.

Is the same case with extruder motor.

In the first part of this section, as I have defined the endstops as min, I must put this value to -1.

On the other definitions you set the size of the hotbed and the offset of the hotend from the endstop limit to the beginning of the hotbed.

@lcd section of LCD and SD support

Here you can set the language of the interface, in this case spanish.

In this other section you must define the model of screen that you want to use, the model that you can see on the screenshot belongs to to the screen I bought at amazon.

Is very important to uncomment this line (let it as you can see above this line) to use the SD card reader integrated on the screen.

Configuration_adv.h File

@temperature section

I must set THERMAL_PROTECTION_PERIOD value to 60 seconds, because the printer was giving false positives of kind 'Heated failed' of the hotend.

I must did the same for the hotbed.

ultralcd_impl_DOGM.h File

This change allow to show the complete percentage of the printing when you are printing from a SD card.

Did you arrive here? You are so brave 😀

Thank you very much if you are arrive here, I hope that you find interesting the post.

Below this lines you can see a photo of the final result of the Marlin on the screen.


Note: For online printing, you need to connect computer to the 3D printer through the data cable. During the printing process, do not turn off the computer power, do not make computer screen save or hibernate to prevent data transmission failure. In general do not suggest users to use it for the complicated operations.

Firstly load model file, set printing parameter including 'Basic' and 'Advanced' parameters, then connect the 3D printer to PC.

1. 3D printer Driver installation

Power on the printer, connect USB to the computer, and the driver will be installed automatically. If can not install automatically, please open the 'Device Management', find a port with a yellow exclamation mark, right click 'Update Driver'. Select 'Browse my computer for driver software'.

Find Cura driver and install it. Open 'Preferences'.

Anet A8 Driver

Printing window as the above picture show. Click 'OK', then click 'Machine settings' as the below picture show.

Select correct port (COM), baudrate is 'AUTO', click 'OK'.

Note: Different computer and COM number of the port is different, please open the 'Device Management' on computer, click 'Port' for checking it.

Connect Anet A8 To Computer

Status shows connected successfully

2. 3D printer Online printing

Click the icon as above picture show or click 'Ctrl+P' to start printing.

Clicking the gray circle ring to control the movement of XYZE axis. 0.1,10,100 means the moving distance. You can enter Gcode in the blank text box.Do not set it if you do not understand.

Click 'Print' to start printing. Please be careful during printing to prevent printing

Clicking the gray circle ring to control the movement of XYZE axis. 0.1,10,100 means the moving distance. You can enter Gcode in the blank text box. Do not set it if you do not understand.

Click 'Print' to start printing. Please be careful during printing to prevent printing failures.

You may also want to read:
Cura 3D slicing software installation and operation
How to debug 3D printer's heating platform
Alfawise U20 3D printer review: quality printing for a pocket-friendly price




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