Simplify3D User Forum

I wish to calibrate my printer. The setting I want to adjust is motor steps per millimeter of filament. I found a page that suggests sending M501 in the Communication tab, but my Simplify is constantly updating with an M105 command and I see no reply to the M501.

If you own a Makerbot, the firmware possibly doesn't know this command

https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M501:_Re ... rom_EEPROM


horst.w
GER

What printer? A little detail is helpful.

Sorry, my printer is a Robo R1. But, there are a million different printers. I was hoping that Simplify might provide an interface to the eeprom.

So how does one calibrate the extruder feed rate? Is it always machine specific?

First it is a question of the firmware in use and not the brand of the printer, it must know the specific commands. As shown in the link, Makerbot is one of known manufactor who use a different firmware than fully compatible to Marlin, Repetier or others.

One of my printers is a Mankati with a home-made , Marlin kompatible firmware. I have not tested the function M501 via usb, but the display offers a menue option to read out and also to change the values. The firmware is a closed software file I can import it but no external changes possible, only updates done by Mankati.

H.

PS: The typed value M501 comes back as the reversed value M105. Are you sure, your PC is clean? I have sometimes the apperance that typing letters the text is written backwards on the screen. I know, this is a virus, but harmless like a joke, only a troll.

BD22 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 6:02 pm ...
So how does one calibrate the extruder feed rate? Is it always machine specific?

You need to calibrate only in the case of different extrusion to the given distance.
E.g. given 100 mm extrusion, outcoming e.g. 110 mm or 95 mm, so the moving of the printhead is not corresponding to the given distance. Than the steps are not correct.

If the problem is only the feed rate of the filament you can set changes in S3D e.g. diameter of the filament (needs high accurate messure, not only the nominal value 2.85 or 1.75) and mostly the value of the Extrusion Multiplier.

H.

Essentially if you are on a Marlin based firmware you can probably set the steps, unlike a Sailfish firmware that doesn't use "steps" and therefor wouldn't understand the command to set them.
On a printer that is "commercially" produced and the robo seems to maybe fit this category then I would say that adjusting the steps for the extruder is probably not a good idea in general. The reason being is that the already know what they should be and if the printer is unmodified then changing them may introduce issues you don't anticipate.

I would try to find a Robo group on facebook or somewhere else to ask more about this and see what other users are doing before committing to making any changes.

When I advance my filament 100mm, it moves about 80. So my step count is wrong. There is a YouTube video on how to set the steps/mm with MatterControl, but I no longer use that and I hoped there was a similar procedure for Simplify. Googling the Simplify site produced a description of the M501 command, which doesn't seem to work on my Robo.

I have looked into this because a friend of mine with a Robo found the problem in his printer. Thought the gearing should be stable for a step count, it's possible that the feed rollers might drift over time with wear. I just assumed that I was feeding 100mm when I asked for it. Unless you check, you might not be either.