HICTOP - Software

Software and Firmware Discussion - related to source code, firmware updates, etc.
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Chip Luck
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HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

Gang,

New thread for software questions.

Do I have to download a development package just to retrieve the 'configuration.h' file from my actual printer/controller?, I will assume so. Wonder if there is an SSH type client for USB/serial Just to browse files on-board... Looking.
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martin-bienz
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by martin-bienz »

Chip, me again. :)
Well, actually I think your printer has an arduino mega as a base electronics component (can you post a link to the detail specs of your exact printer)? That would mean, that you will require the Arduino IDE (yes, dev package, here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software). Download and then install. Then you will probably check which marlin / derivate your printer has installed and if it's possible to the get a pre-configured version for your printer. If NOT you will need to configure everything from the standard marlin branch to suite your printer (but I don't sthink that this will be required).
You are not able to "donwload" firmware from the Arduino / printer to your computer. This is all compiled so the Arduino can understand that.

Honestly, if you have not done that before (how is your programing in general?), then I would suggest some reading before, maybe simple Arduino starter projects. If you can find your printers Marlin (which I am sure exists) than it's not toooo complex to just modify a few things, compile it and then upload the compiled firmware to the printer.

yes, you can use puTTy in Windows, sure that exists for linux / mac, but never tried.

EDIT: I think I just found your marlin version (http://reprap.org/wiki/HICTOP_Prusa_i3 PROBABLY OLD, read: https://maggiemcfee.com/2015/11/29/hic- ... or-marlin/), scroll down, at the end of the page there is at least one version, not sure it's the latest. Maybe on the company's homepage?
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

Bang head on bench - repeat... of course, a micro-controller = what am I thinking.

Doing software/hardware design since mid-70's I always had the source code, or I wrote it. Just for the books, wrote assembly for 1602, 6800, 68000, 8080, 8088, et. all then onto Fortran, Basic, MS-DOS 0.1 (yep, good old Bill Gates himself sent me the floppy), UNIX, LINUX, C, C++ etc. on a lot of home projects and home built computers (still have a shed full) for yeats. Then, mainly I/O and hardware/software integration, wire-list, power design; main discipline wound up in military/commercial flight simulation since the late 80's (F-4, F/A-16, F/A-18 etc.). Would always have to talk to the outside world, CPU's would do nothing without interface. Been a while since actual coding, but once you learn - it's like a bike. But we are getting a little older!

[edit] guess what I just found digging through some keep-sake's that you got me thinking, my old Motorola 6800 pocket machine language programming reference card, era 1978.

Pretty stupid of me, I'm on the links and posting to the other users of the HICTOP.

Your help has been more than greatly appreciated, that's for sure... will update later.

BTW: I left my PC USB/HICTOP cable plugged in, shut it down and just got back. To my surprise the LCD was back-lit and green status LED's on the controller were lit. Standby power, Interesting... learned some more.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

16:54:50.172 : FIRMWARE_NAME:Marlin V1; Sprinter/grbl mashup for gen6 FIRMWARE_URL:https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin/ PROTOCOL_VERSION:1.0 MACHINE_TYPE:Mendel EXTRUDER_COUNT:1 UUID:00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Got this on program load then power-up of HICTOP from Repetier Host.
Last edited by Chip Luck on March 2nd, 2016, 9:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

The HICTOP Reprap Prusa I3 printer on Amazon:


Or where I got it for $310 shipped from China:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HICTOP-RepRap-P ... SwkZhWTpj-

Already have some hardware updates completed, my best friend is a master machinist and will be sending me USA made linear bearings, rods, linear z-axis rods, etc. I do not mind dumping some time also on the hardware upgrades.

Of course, software is main issue right now while waiting on the parts. Appears my M500 command did _not_ store parameters to controller eeprom after investigation. As in the video on the other link, you have to edit and save the 'configuration.h' file. Nope, you have to re-compile software and install the .exe, .bin, or whatever the device uses.

Still learning - heck... at least I'm having fun for a change! Software/Hardware, tis' nothing like it. Fun stuff...
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

Watching the printer print using nothing but the gcode from my last print/output when I used Slic3r for printing, now is currently running on the Repetier software only. Sure is nice to see actual real-time status on the print and other variables visible along with an GUI E-Stop switch.

Will be interesting to see how this test cube compares to standard SD card only prints.
HICTOP re-printing test cube over USB for the first time
HICTOP re-printing test cube over USB for the first time
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by martin-bienz »

Chip Luck wrote:Bang head on bench - repeat... of course, a micro-controller = what am I thinking.
Great! I think we all had such a (or similar) moment when starting with 3D-Printers :)
Chip Luck wrote: BTW: I left my PC USB/HICTOP cable plugged in, shut it down and just got back. To my surprise the LCD was back-lit and green status LED's on the controller were lit. Standby power, Interesting... learned some more.
Basically, as soon as you connect USB (and it's power) to the Arduino, it will boot, this is how arduino's work and got popular, I guess. You can use USB to power and program at the same time.
Chip Luck wrote: Watching the printer print using nothing but the gcode from my last print/output when I used Slic3r for printing, now is currently running on the Repetier software only. Sure is nice to see actual real-time status on the print and other variables visible along with an GUI E-Stop switch.

Will be interesting to see how this test cube compares to standard SD card only prints.
Well, it should not be different IF you use the same gcode - file. If you slice it differently, that's another story. But in general, if you load a gcode file that was sliced before (let's say in cura) and you just use repetier to "stream" the file, it should actually not be different at all.

The advantage of using the sd-card is that you can shutdown, disconnect your printer => especially for really long prints i would recommend that. As with pc's we never know. When they hibernate, stand-by they tend to shutdown USB / serial => stops printing!

For reference, the link to the master branch of Marlin on github:
https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

Agreed on the same file, once it's sliced it should be no different and the test cube was not.

I always use an SD card for long prints per your and others advise = agreed. I wonder, would be interesting to test Repetier if it is capable of monitoring a SD print status via USB link. I would think it is not, as it is no longer handshaking, in direct control of the controller.
Last edited by Chip Luck on March 3rd, 2016, 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by martin-bienz »

Chip Luck wrote: I wonder, would be interesting to test Repetier if it is capable of monitoring a SD print status via USB link. I would think it is not, as it is no longer handshaking, in direct control or handshaking with the controller.
Well, not really, It's doable with limits within marlin (side note: look at octoprint http://octoprint.org/ installed on a Raspberry Pi2, can stream and monitor gcode printing, great tool).
2 things you need to be careful,
first, when you connect the usb / serial to the printer, the arduino resets / reboots, so never connect a usb cable (or do a connect in repetier or any other software) while printing (taking it out while sd printing is not a problem as far as I know).
Secondly, If you allready have a working serial connection, then you can kindly ask Marlin to give you status updates (also while printing), but this is manual, so you could ask M105 => that gives you the current temperature status. woth M27 you get a response saying sd printing xxxx/xxxx bytes and you could also get the current position (forgot the M command). But that's about it as far as I know.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

Thanks Martin, good advise as usual. Will give it a try next time I do a large print which will be soon, however have to finish up some hardware mod's.
Last edited by Chip Luck on March 3rd, 2016, 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HICTOP - Software : Config/Storage Issues

Post by Chip Luck »

I still have an a main configuration issue,

I have tried changing Acceleration from default 3000 => 1200 (using either the eeprom editor or/and the LCD panel). Then I set my /control/motion/esteps from 94.4 => 96.0 for my filament using the LCD. When I issue M501 or M503 the data looks configured. Then issue M500 to store and it it appears, on my setup at least, it does not write to eeprom and it performs the 'factory reset' and I loose my changes. Guess I will just keep on having to manually setup the printer on every boot. Will have to research this issue.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by martin-bienz »

...strange, as I think every arduino (at least MEGA) have an eeprom, so I guess it must be disabled completly in your version of Marlin (which seems strange to). If your setup is based on an Arduino Mega that is...
So you are setting the paramters with M92 xxx and then followed by an M500? And when exactly it does a factuory reset? After you issues M500? Or M501 (read settings and set parameters to those in the eeprom)
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Re: HICTOP - Software : Config/Storage Issues

Post by Chip Luck »

As mentioned, I send a M500 to store changes from the LCD or Repetier eeprom editor. Issue a M501 to read, or M503 for print settings, everything appears fine. Then issue a M500 to store = back to default values. I wish I could find out exactly what hardware I have out there, will look into it further when I get the time.
Last edited by Chip Luck on March 3rd, 2016, 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by martin-bienz »

I think in this case I would try to re-flash with the latest version of Marlin, with a configuration.h that makes sense for your printer... (I hope the manufacturer could give you a "preconfigured" version)?

I quickly checked that guys config.h that I found yesterday (https://maggiemcfee.com/2015/11/29/hic- ... or-marlin/), and he has eeprom settings disabled (as shown below). You could theoretically take his other settings, transform that into a fresh Marlin copy and then change those paramters:

Code: Select all

// EEPROM
// the microcontroller can store settings in the EEPROM, e.g. max velocity...
// M500 - stores paramters in EEPROM
// M501 - reads parameters from EEPROM (if you need reset them after you changed them temporarily).
// M502 - reverts to the default "factory settings". You still need to store them in EEPROM afterwards if you want to.
//define this to enable eeprom support
//#define EEPROM_SETTINGS
//to disable EEPROM Serial responses and decrease program space by ~1700 byte: comment this out:
// please keep turned on if you can.
//#define EEPROM_CHITCHAT
You can see that EEPROM_SETTINGS and also CHITCHAT are commented out, those should be enabled.

I would do that for you but am scared that I destroy your 3D - Printer...
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Re: HICTOP - Software

Post by Chip Luck »

I appreciate the effort on your part. However if I cannot find the OEM config.h file, well I would be back to square one. Do not have the time right now to re-code a header file and possibly damage my printer, which it will, looking at the source files. Too many defines and variables that can cause harm.

Will e-mail mfg and see if I can get proper config.
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