archery
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:36 am

how do we stop for a color change

Hello,
How can I stop printing while I'm changing color and thread?
Is there a script to command, stop, in a predefined layer? If so, what command, and how do we do it? Thanks in advance.
User avatar
dkightley
Posts: 2405
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: how do we stop for a color change

In the several years the forum has been in use, this question has been asked many, many time....hence a simple search will find you an answer:

search.php?keywords=changing+color
Doug Kightley
Volunteer at the National Tramway Museum http://www.tramway.co.uk
Railway modeller and webmaster at http://www.talkingtgauge.net
archery
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:36 am

Re: how do we stop for a color change

In all the years that all these same questions have been asked, have you seen any answer to that question? If so, please show me, because I am a beginner.
Papa-Fuher
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2016 5:44 pm

Re: how do we stop for a color change

Hi Archery - sorry the forum volunteers hear the same questions over and over again and they forget newbies need a little extra care - but hey - it's ok.
Changing colors is a little harder to learn than just pushing a button. Once you prepare your print for printing you need to save the file to a memory card. Then you take that file and open it up in an editor - I use Notepad ++, it's free and does a good job. Once it's open you need to determine what layer you want to make the change on. I do that with the preview screen and slide to the spot I want. Now open up the file you just saved to the memory card. Then in the editor, you search that file for that layer with a search of - for example, you wanted to change at layer 40 so you search for "Layer 42" finding that line in the code. Hit the space bar and then past this next lines of code into the editor at that point:

G91 ; set relative positioning
G0 Z60 ; raise Z (drop bed)
G90 ; set absolute positioning
M84 S0 ; disable idle timeout
M25 ; Pause SD Print
G92 E0 ; zero extruder

Now hit save on the file and put the memory card into the printer.
Now with the printer connected to your computer still go to the "machine control panel" you're going to want to "Print from SD card" find your new file and start the print.
When the printer comes to the layer you want your change to take place it will stop and lower the bed a bit. Now is the tricky part. From the jog command in the machine panel press Retract 100 twice to kick out your filament.
Ready your next color and insert it into the extruder - now press extruder 100 twice and be ready to gather the filament as it comes from the nozzle. I use a small pair of needle-nose pliers so it doesn't stick to my existing print. Don't move the print head or you'll screw up your print. For every retract command you must have the same number of extrude commands, no more and no less.
Back to your machine panel, press pause SD print once and it will change to resume sd print, so press resume.
If you followed this you'll jump for joy as your print starts printing again and you have changed colors.

If you search some more in the forum you will find very similar instructions Go ahead and play with it with a simple print. I just finished a print with 7 color changes and it turned out great.

Happy Trails - Papa
archery
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:36 am

Re: how do we stop for a color change

Thank you very much for your instructions.
I have and use Notepad ++.
I understand all this, thank you again.

Two clarifications, I would like if it is easy.
1) With these commands, when printing stops, to change color? will temperatures stay on hold?
2) Will it come to park, in the front left corner or will it stay where it stops?


Best Regards,
Christos Ioannou
newbpwnr
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:06 am

Re: how do we stop for a color change

archery wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 11:42 am In all the years that all these same questions have been asked, have you seen any answer to that question? If so, please show me, because I am a beginner.
I feel bad for you. this is dead software. don't ever expect an update.
dsiegfried
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:50 pm

Re: how do we stop for a color change

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just create two processes and two separate gcodes?
Run the first process / gcode, when the print ends change the filament, preheat and then run the second process / gcode.

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