Just got 2 new minis for my school. Hooked up the first one and right away I have a problem. I downloaded Cura (for MAC OS 10.10) and I noticed a few inconsistencies right away. First, there are only 3 material choices; PLA, ABS, U-PET. I am printing with the HIPS sample, so I choose U-PET (the temp is the same). Not a big deal but I thought I would mention it. After installation the “Rocktopus” didn’t load on it’s own so I pulled it from the thumb drive (also, not a big deal, but there seems to be a pattern here). Here is the big problem; the auto-leveling sequence never ran along with the “wiping” at the start of the print, then the print started with the nozzle way too high off the bed. When I try to run the bed-leveling wizard from the EXPERT dropdown menu, it says it can’t connect to the machine, even though the machine and computer are definitely connected. What am I missing?
Any thoughts are appreciated
I suspect you do not have a mini profile loaded. The start gcode in the profile contains the nozzle wipe movements and bed level command.
If you look in the Expert menu, do you have quick print or full settings selected?
Look in the Machine menu and make sure Lulzbot Mini is selected.
I see HIPS as an option in the Windows version of Cura 19.08 in quick print mode with material ease of use set to beginner.
If you switch from quick print to expert, be sure to say yes when prompted to copy settings.
LulzBot support would be glad to help you out, 970-377-1111
Besides that, It might be a good idea to start over using the great documentation LulzBot enclosed with your printer.
Per the quick start setup guide, step 2:
https://download.lulzbot.com/Mini/1.0/documentation/quick_start_guide/QuickStart_Mini_8.5x5.5_PAGES.pdf
Install Cura LulzBot Edition. On your flash drive in the Software or you can download it from http://www.lulzbot.com/cura
https://download.lulzbot.com/Mini/1.0/documentation/manual/LulzBot_Mini_manual.pdf
Cura LulzBot edition includes the start and end gcode the Mini needs to auto calibrate and wipe.
Thanks to the support technician, the problem is fixed. Had to uninstall Cura and load an older addition then flash the firmware on the machine. I will have to add in profiles down the line but it is working now (whew!)
Turns out the problem is I am using a MAC and there are communication issues with the printers. Now I also know why so many CNC, laser cutters, and 3D printers are Windows only.
Thanks
Buy some raspberry pi’s and load octoprint on them. That way you wont tie up a laptop while printing. Just upload the gcode file via a web interface to the pi and click print
This is a better way when you have multiple machines.