M3D Micro 3D USB Connection

[oritpro]

I am not having any luck connecting to a Micro 3D printer in the Machine Control Panel. The printer is on COM7 according to Windows device manager and I've tried all baud rates listed.

The Micro 3D is in the Simplify 3D supported printers list, what's the secret to getting it to work?

[CompoundCarl]

The people at m3d chose to use their own secret protocol for USB communication, so you are always going to be stuck using their software to actually transfer the files to the printer. However, Simplify3D allows you to make much better gcode files that give far superior print quality I was pretty unhappy with the stock software that came with the M3D, but it prints a lot better now that I use simplify3d for gcode generation.

Here's a topic about it on their forum: https://printm3d.com/portal/forum/index ... ment/22692

[oritpro]

Thanks for the heads up. It's unfortunate that M3D chose to go that route because their software leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully they'll re-evaluate that policy and change it for the communities sake...and theirs.

The M3D forum thread is what led me to Simplify 3D and from what I've seen so far it's worth every penny...love it!

I have a FlashForge 3d Printer Creator Pro sitting at the top of my Amazon wishlist for early next year and then I should be able to take better advantage of S3D's incredible capabilities. In the meantime, I'll use it for gcode generation.

[kennyj]

I just got the program and my first print is running right now - already it's a huge improvement over Cura because this particular print never got past 5% with their gcode (other prints work, but this one's prone to warping because of its size and shape.) I'm already very impressed, and I've barely scratched the surface with this tool.

I have to wonder if there's any possibility of developing around M3D's weirdness? There is a Linux Octoprint plugin, M3D Fio (formerly M3D Linux) so it clearly isn't impossible, but I would certainly understand if Simplify3D were reluctant to reverse-engineer a moving target that isn't even out of its first beta yet.

Getting built-in "bed levelling" in Simplify3D would definitely be nice, though, so we could ditch the M3D pre-processor and letting the unaltered gcode run. I am planning on manually levelling my bed once I get my heated bed installed, but I imagine that's not a process that most people would be willing to undertake! It is possible to get the calibration offsets from the printer with a gcode, so one could theoretically just use the M3D software to perform the "calibration" and then just retrieve the goods later.

[jwalter007]

How do you save the file in simplify3d and open it in M3D?
It seems it will only save as gcode.
Does M3d open that format?

[JoeJ]

Yes. Open the M3D spooler and click "Add Print Job". Then selec the .gcode file and click OK.

[jwalter007]

Yes. Open the M3D spooler and click "Add Print Job". Then selec the .gcode file and click OK.

Thanks for replying.
I try to open the Gcode generated from Simplify3D in the M3D sofware and it says Optimzing and a small window thing near bottom floats up and down stating that the file or object is not found. It continues to do that until I stop it. At least I let it go for 10 -15 minutes.
I have tried a few different files.
Any idea?
thanks

[JoeJ]

If that error message keeps popping up in down in their software, then it's probably an issue with the spooler. It works fine for me.

Perhaps it's some kind of issue spaces or characters in the filename that the spooler can't handle. Or maybe also a permissions issue where the spooler can't see it. Try to export the file to an easy location like your Desktop and use a simple filename like test.gcode.

[jwalter007]

If that error message keeps popping up in down in their software, then it's probably an issue with the spooler. It works fine for me.

Perhaps it's some kind of issue spaces or characters in the filename that the spooler can't handle. Or maybe also a permissions issue where the spooler can't see it. Try to export the file to an easy location like your Desktop and use a simple filename like test.gcode.

I actually hadnt seen the spooler before. I was trying to load the file into the standard interface. I found an article mentioning the spooler and got it working that way.
One thing though, once in the spooler it asks if I want to use M3s pre-processer. Does that mean it would have M3 create the support and other things that were already created in simplify3D? So I should say no to that?

[JoeJ]

I think the pre-processor just does some bed leveling stuff, so it's up to you.