I have had a Mini 1 for many years and use it occasionally. A year ago, I wanted to print something, but thought I’d update CuraLE and check/update firmware. Something went wrong, now my Mini won’t print. I’m finally getting around to see if you folks can help me get it running again.
A few of the things it does differently now:
a) When it comes up to temperature and extracts filament before nozzle cleaning, it extracts for over 20 seconds. I don’t remember it doing it for that long before.
b) The z height is way off, because when it goes through the wiping process, it doesn’t even come close to touch the wiper felt.
c) It goes through a weird wiping process 3 times before giving a print error and disconnects.
d) The nozzle does not come down in contact with the corner pads for the leveling process.
I attached a link to a YouTube video of the process it is currently doing.
I tried to re-update the firmware, but now Cura attempts to start, but disconnects the printer and doesn’t apply the firmware.
Is this a firmware issue causing the repeated wipe process & z issue or is it something else?
How to I manually update the firmware or force Cura to update the firmware? Once updating the firmware, will I have to re-calibrate the z?
Thank you!
Do you have the right firmware loaded? You should be loading Marlin_Mini_SingleExtruder_2.0.0.144_aded3b617.hex
It looks like you’ve got the right stuff from the video, but it is odd that we had two of these mini1 issues the same day posted.
That is strange, but my issue happened a year ago and has been sitting ever since. I’ve gotten a Taz 6 since this issue came up, so it wasn’t a priority to fix. Last night, I got a wild hair and wanted to diagnose it more.
When this happened I reach out to Lulzbot support, but they suggested checking the wiring and said they don’t support the Mini 1 any more. I keep going back to it working before Cura & firmware update. I found in my email thread with tech support that I listed using Cura LE 4.13.8 and it wanted to flash firmware version 1.1.9.34. Right now, I’m running Cura LE 4.13.16 and it is wanting to flash firmware version 2.0.0.144, but Cura isn’t able to finish the firmware update.
Is there a way to download and update the Mini with the correct firmware, since Cura is having an issue doing it. Just so I can start diagnosing the Mini for other possible issues.
I’ve always used CuraLE to load firmware, one of the reasons I keep it installed despite running custom firmware and using Orca or Prusa Slicer for everything else.
Try using a different USB cable or different PC to flash it.
I figured out why Cura wouldn’t update the firmware. I assumed that Cura had to be connected to the printer before update. But every time I tried that Cura would disconnect and the update wouldn’t happen. I found that with Cura disconnected, the select update firmware, the update would work & complete. But that didn’t fix my issue.
I saw the other post “New Lulzbot Mini 1 Issues”. So I tried the tip about connecting a wire from washer to nozzle. I tried it and got a “z_min: TRIGGERED” response. So for some reason my nozzle isn’t traveling down far enough to physically touch the washer.
Looking harder at the video, it looks like it’s just not going low enough for the wipe or the probe.
There could have been a change in the gantry parts in later revisions that caused the switches to be hit sooner in newer models, or adjustments in the toolhead that took away from the maximum Z height.
In both 1.1.9.34 firmware and 2.0.0.144, Z travel goes from 159 to -2:
In 1.1.9.34, that max height is unmodified by the toolhead, so from when the nozzle hits the top z max switch, it will come down 159mm when seeking the zero.
/**************************** MINI TOOLHEADS ***********************************/
#if defined(TOOLHEAD_Gladiola_SingleExtruder) || defined(TOOLHEAD_Albatross_Flexystruder) || defined(TOOLHEAD_Finch_Aerostruder) || defined(TOOLHEAD_CecropiaSilk_SingleExtruderAeroV2) || defined(TOOLHEAD_AchemonSphinx_SmallLayer) || defined(TOOLHEAD_BandedTiger_HardenedSteel) || defined(TOOLHEAD_DingyCutworm_HardenedSteelPlus)
#define LULZBOT_EXTRUDERS 1
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_X_MAX_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_X_MIN_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_Y_MAX_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_Y_MIN_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_Z_MAX_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_Z_MIN_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_WIPE_X1_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_WIPE_X2_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_WIPE_Y1_ADJ 0
#define LULZBOT_TOOLHEAD_WIPE_Y2_ADJ 0
That max pos is modified by the toolhead in 2.0.0.144, so the max Z after subtracting the toolhead adjustment is 157.6, and in earlier 2.x firmwares, it looks like it took 3mm away, leaving you with just 156mm of Z travel.
So…. short of making custom firmware, your options seem to be:
Put a 3mm spacer on the Z max switches or gantry where it contacts those switches, that should definitely cover the gap at the cost of Z height,
Or you can insert code to ignore the soft limits in your wiping and probing section. That would be putting M211 S0 before the wiping code (and lowing the Z height further for it) in your startup GCODE, then putting M211 S1 after the G29 to re-enable it after bed leveling has occured.
Wrathernaut, you ROCK!!! I placed a thin piece a material where the Z travel switch activates, and that fixed my issue. For more than a year I have not been able to use my Mini, and you solved it. I was able to print the Rockopus without issue. Thank you!!
In your last image above, there are other value differences, do I need to do anything to make of no other issues? The only reason I ask is because the first time the bed came out during the leveling process, it sounded like the bed max’d out and the belt slipped/skipped. I will have to run it a few more times to verify.
Most of those changes are shifting around where the “zero point” that toolhead adjustments were made from. The new toolheads all mounted so that the nozzles are in a consistent spot, so that’s the new “zero”. Legacy toolheads were adjusted based on the new zero point, and apparently, as you’ve found out with your Mini1 toolhead, it didn’t account for all versions of that toolhead. You could test the movement of the toolhead now and make sure it doesn’t try and exceed the physical limits of movement, but you’re probably fine not worrying about the rest of those min/max settings.
The Mini uses sensorless homing, so it will bump the bed finding the limits of travel.
Thank you so much for your knowledge and expertise.
