Print halting with Firmware Unresponsive message

[aquatiriman]

I am hoping someone can give me some suggestions of what to try. I am very new to 3D printing, so I may have easily missed something simple.

I have tried three different prints and all have halted at different places with the message "firmware unresponsive" It continues to attempt to continue but never does. I have restarted the machine, unplugged and replugged the USB cable and nothing gets it to pick back up where it left off.

I have tried the following troubleshooting:

I have updated the firmware for my Trinus 3D printer (although the Trinus forum said the update is really only to update the laser head attachment).
I have selected the Trinus selection from the printer selection drop down, but I have noticed that there is a firmware section with a dropdown as well (using the RepRap currently and have not changed it). Trinus will not provide a copy of the firmware, so I cannot load it separately.
I have moved the USB cable from my 2.0 to my 3.0 port (it actually quit sooner on the 3.0 than the 2.0).
I have tried using the "Save Toolpaths to Disk" to save to the SD card and not use USB at all, but I do not even get the print to begin printing, so something is wrong there to.

#1 does anyone have any ideas what I can try to avoid the firmware unresponsive error?

#2 would it do any good at all to change the firmware selection from RepRap to one of the other two selections?

#3 is there something I am missing with transferring all of the gcode to the SD card?

[brian442]

If you get the firmware unresponsive message, then it means that the printer stopped responding. So the software is sending it commands, but it isn't getting any responses back.

The most common times I have seen this is when I'm using a really cheap USB cable, or the USB connector on the printer is starting to go bad.

If you can't print from the SD card, then that definitely sounds like it may be a problem with the printer's firmware or electronics, so you might want to ask the manufacturer about that one..

[wirlybird]

I used to get this once and a while. Get a decent and new cable under 15 feet for USB2. No hubs, extensions etc. Also go make sure all power saving functions are turned off for the USB ports and controllers.
Also anything running on the PC can interfere.

[aquatiriman]

I used to get this once and a while. Get a decent and new cable under 15 feet for USB2. No hubs, extensions etc. Also go make sure all power saving functions are turned off for the USB ports and controllers.
Also anything running on the PC can interfere.

You folks are brilliant! I did not even consider the USB cable itself. I borrowed one from an external HDD and it works like a charm. Still not sure why putting gcode onto the SD card is not working (took the SD card out of the printer and put it into a general USB SD adapter). The code seemed to transfer quickly and fully, but evidently was not complete. Either way, if I can use the USB, that works. Thank you all again!

[brian442]

Unfortunately a lot of printers comes with really cheap USB cables, so it can make this problem more common. Paying $5 for a much higher quality cable is definitely worth it.

[edefault]

I got the "firmware unresponsive" message after my Kodama Trinus abruptly stopped mid-print ... print head bmovement, fan, everything but some LEDs.
All this came back when I touched the extra switch I bought (together with the bigger PSU) - while still in position "ON"!
Obviously it is a too cheap item that one better avoids to use, since there is plenty of current necessary for extruder and print bed heating.