Controller Freezes

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Roberts_Clif
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Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

Today I post about the Hictop 3DP11 and 3DP12 Controllers.
They have many different board numbers I have the MPX.3 and Base v1.3.
I have flashed them with Marlin 1.1.5 back in august 2017 and have had no major problems. Yesterday however I found that the Motherboard on Blu had locked up in mid print and I could not get it to release, have printed the files on the SD card many times without incident. However this time the controller froze in mid print. And today Red is doing the same with a different Flash card. I have reloaded the firmware system defaults and re-leveled the bed saving the data and it seems to take care of the problem for now.

Spoke too soon locked again.

Thou still want to know why the 3D Printer startup Data is getting corrupted, I am using the same Cura program 15.04.6 for over a year now. I have printed with other slicers in the past though have not on this set of models.

The last time I had printing issues reformatted fat 16 completely formatted 2GB SD card.
Have had issues from windows wanting to repair the SD card. And I believe that the windows repair of the SD card is what is causing some of the issues of corrupting the SD card data. Would like to know what the forum thinks, and if anyone else is having similar problems with your controllers.
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GrueMaster
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by GrueMaster »

What Windows sees is that a single bit is not set indicating a clean filesystem (I can't remember where this bit is, but I'm sure I have a book on it somewhere). I don't think the SD has anything to do with your printers freezing though, but it is possible. Another possibility is that the SD is just getting old. They only have a set lifespan for reads/writes. I have a few 2G-8G cards that I used during our Ubuntu enablement project on Arm (2009-2012) that have recently started failing. SD technology is much better now. Maybe you just need new ones.
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

It's not really the SD card reader It is the LCD card cables.

Somehow the data on the Controller is getting really messed up causing many weird things to happen.
Seems like when I do an M502 or M501 and a M500 or more simply stated a factory reset the problems go away.

Well here it is later, Have determined that the problem that exists is affecting the SD card reader mostly. That reminded me of the first EFI problems I experienced, were very familiar to the one I am experiencing now.

I decided the problem is most likely EFI interference. So I have looked closely at the routing of the wiring and have made a few changes. Have started another 3D Print to see how far it will make it threw this print. And have came to the conclusion with all the heater noise that EFI is most likely, and could be causing these similar problems.

Need to shield the LCD 10 pin cables with something or replace with 10pin shielded cable and remake the cables myself.

So here is my ideal I have some Cat 6 awg28 Cable where the outer jacket is loose enough to insert a 5th cable pair making this a 5 pair cable.
Using four 10 Pin IDC Ribbon cable connectors I can make a Pair of twisted pair Cables for the SD side of the RepRapDiscount smart Controller Card.

This is going to be fun holding 5 wire pairs while trying to crimp the connectors together. Let's see what to do ? ? ? ? ????? ? ??

...

Cut 4 pieces of 3/8 inch heat shrink tubing 2 inches in length. Cut three 24 inch lengths of cat 6 cable remove 1 inch of isolating jacket from both sides. Remove 2 wire pairs from one of the cables and mark both ends with colored marker to be identified later, and slide one pair inside the two remaining 4 pair cat 6 cables and place two heat shrink tubing on each cable. Unwrap about 1 inch of each wire pair, straighten wire, Make sure pairs are color - to - color slate, stick to electricians tape leaving about 1/2 inch extruding to run thru the connector then crimp. Remove tape, fold over top attach cable strain relief.
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jonnybischof
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by jonnybischof »

Or you can just wrap the cables in tin foil (or aluminium foil for us Europeans). Ideally, connect the foil to something grounded (depending on the LCD board, the mounting holes may or may not be connected to GND. Best connection for EMI/EFI shielding is a non-painted metal frame power supply unit (with protective earth wire attached to mains socket, not a 2-pin cable), or any part of a metal frame which is electrically connected to that power supply frame.
You can simply remove a screw, and re-insert it piercing and clamping the tin foil.

Sometimes it also helps to just separate the two flat ribbon cables by a few millimeters from each other. Also, the cables should generally not be too long (30 cm is quite long for example) because the electronic circuits aren't meant to be run over a cable at all (no line drivers used).
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

jonnybischof wrote: Sometimes it also helps to just separate the two flat ribbon cables by a few millimeters from each other. Also, the cables should generally not be too long (30 cm is quite long for example) because the electronic circuits aren't meant to be run over a cable at all (no line drivers used).
I cannot help the length of the cable at 60.96cm, Where the Hictop LCD panel sits with perfect routing might weed off a couple centimeters.

As an Electric Technician should have thought of separating the LCD Cables, Guess because of the low signal levels did not think they could generate EFI noise. So guess after changing fields to become A Computer Programmer has me overlooking some of the obvious.

Though I really do not like the looks of aluminum foil, although I am at my ends always searching for reasons for the erratic behavior.
I have chosen a similar route. Will use Aluminum Duct Tape and place it around the LCD cables grounding both ends should suffice in this case.

Will keep everyone up to date on how this works out.
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GrueMaster
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by GrueMaster »

The newer replacement control boards eliminated this issue by moving the SD card to below the usb port (not convenient by any means, but it fixes this issue). I ended up buying an SD extension from Amazon, and mounting it to the front of the chassis next to the LCD (I moved it down in front like the Prusia designs).
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

Believe me I have look at this new board quite a few times and not in the 3D Printer budget. I need to get it together and setup some kind of 3D Printer Print store, but do not know what I am allowed to print without getting into trouble with sales. Thought I would advertise "you want it I 3D Print it".

Just having fun right now. Today Printing for the local Hospice Cancer Center, finishing up on a group of Rubix Cubes and Fidgets they can have to occupy there time with while recovering from Chemotherapy.

Rubix.jpg
MTVDNA
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by MTVDNA »

Cool! How smoothly do they turn? Can you share the stl's?
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

They actually work better that any cheap Clone Rubix but not a good as the real Rubix.
Only takes 12 hours to print all the pieces.(6 because I have two Printers)

Rubix 2.jpg
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

Here Again!

I have programmed and connected two Raspberry Pi Zeros, was told this would solve my problem.
Have done further testing, and the controller Connected to a Raspberry Pi Octoprint USB Still reboots, and disconnects the Pi's Com Connection.
Connected to my 3D Printers to USB through my Computer still reboots in mid print.

Re-flashed Marlin 1.1.5 Still reboots in mid print, Setup the Backup controller for installation with Marlin 1.1.5. Will Install and see if problem goes away.

Installed backup controller. Printed first full print no problems, further test required.

Printer four fidgets 1 3/4 hours each no problems. so I am assuming from this that the controller has problems.
I still believe that it is the 5v LM2596S Buck regulator circuit is intermittently failing.
Now to setup a fake 3D Printer and run simulated prints until a failure occurs. ("no more failed prints only failed simulated prints")

Previous to Swapping backup controller.
"The controller fails in mid print stops and resets controller, Was watching when the controller rebooted in mid print.
I did not notice any obvious power failure on the LCD. Display back lights stayed the same brightness, of course the controller was rebooting only back lighting was present.

Will be testing for Voltage and thermal failures on a fake 3D Printer. (I don't need to really print just use the same power pretending to print)"

Bad thing is this was a backup controller I bought to replace the Original, and when I upgraded to Marlin 1.1.5 I keep the Original controller for the Backup Controller and started using the newly purchased backup controller.
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GrueMaster
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by GrueMaster »

Sounds like you need a backup for the backup as a backup. :P

On a more serious note, if you want to do some printing as a service on the side, check out https://printathing.com. They are a community printing service you can sign up for and get prints assigned to you with ~24 hour (or reasonable given printing times) turn around. They even provide preprinted shipping labels. I tried to do one print, but my CR-10S was out of tune (need to relevel the bed), and I just haven't had time to get back to it (I relinquished the job back to the pool due to printer issues). Would have taken ~2 hours to print and netted $9 for essentially $0.13 in materials.
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

GrueMaster wrote: January 1st, 2018, 11:37 am Sounds like you need a backup for the backup as a backup. :P

On a more serious note, if you want to do some printing as a service on the side, check out https://printathing.com. They are a community printing service you can sign up for and get prints assigned to you with ~24 hour (or reasonable given printing times) turn around. They even provide preprinted shipping labels. I tried to do one print, but my CR-10S was out of tune (need to relevel the bed), and I just haven't had time to get back to it (I relinquished the job back to the pool due to printer issues). Would have taken ~2 hours to print and netted $9 for essentially $0.13 in materials.
Thank you

I was wanting a way to make a little extra money, And have fun doing it.
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GrueMaster
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by GrueMaster »

There are a couple of prints online now that the user wants in purple. May take them if I can get my CR-10S back online (bed is way out of level). ~8 hours of printing time for ~$15. Meh.
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Roberts_Clif
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by Roberts_Clif »

Yea but with two Printers that is only 4 hours. if they are of equal size. And that would pay for an an extra roll of filament.
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GrueMaster
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Re: Controller Freezes

Post by GrueMaster »

BTW. if you ever feel like moving your displays down to the front (Prussia style), here is a case remix you will need for the stock displays. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2742069

You can get the back part from the original thing.

I may remix the remix to put my SD extension cable in it for easy access. For now, the SD slot is mounted to the left front corner with double sided tape.
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