Skipped Print does only change tools

[KayGundhardt]

Hello!

So first of all: thank you very much for the cool plugin. The idea is really great! :)

But actually I have difficulties using it:

I was able to successfully determine the Z layer and also enter it in the plugin interface. When the print starts, the 5 tools are initially preheated to 70°C (as usual), but when the first tool is picked up (after being fully heated to 230°C) it is then immediately put down again without entering the print bed or printing anything. The next tool is then heated up to the same temperature, replaced and then set down again unused. This continues all the time without a single millimeter of filament being extruded... :(

Maybe I've overlooked something or made the wrong settings?

I would really appreciate your help or tips -
thank you very much!

Kay

Octoprint V1.10.3
Prusa XL (5Tool) Firmware V6.1.3

[awe-source]

Wow... cool printer! I suspect it's your multi tool device which we've not had the pleasure of using...
are you able to share the (or a sample) code file (ideally before and after, if possible)? And we can do some research on how it's been modified and how this might impact your machine behaviour.

Thanks for any other info on anything "wacky" that is machine specific as we may need to be ankle to cater for something like this where we haven't at this time

[KayGundhardt]

HI there,

thank you for your suuuuuperfast answer and offer to help ❤️

As this is a really big model the original GCODE-file is over 150MB big and even the "smaller skipped one" is about 20 MB. So I uploaded them both here:

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/048SUx43wBKt5X6BGwXyiWVvg#Adalinda

And actually I can´t think of anything special about the XL compared to e.g. the MK3/4 with a MMU except its size and that each tool has its own extruder (and it´s not only changed filament in the same one)...

Please let me know if you need further informations...

[awe-source]

Okay, I think what's happening here is actually correct (and if you had an insane amount of patience, and could wait 'forever') the printer would EVNETUALLY get to actually printing.

What its doing is (kind of) by design - what its doing is "skipping all the movement" (so any speed settings, temperature settings, preheating settings are still there - and with a multi tool device even though it hasn't DONE ANYTHING, each time it gets to a block where its going to change tools in your model, it "gets the tool ready" (it just doesn't know that its not actually ready to use that tool because this layer is being skipped).

There's also some "clever" stuff in there about wiping the tools... that takes the nozzle height up to "above the skip height" which is challenging for this plugin, because its liek it will allow these to remain (so you'll get a lot of "half wipes" (giggle: sounds rude)) of the tools when it gets "close" to the printing layer...

so my thoughts are:
DIY 'now' - if you want to DIY, just delete everything in your gcode file between the first ";layer_change" comment and the next one that has any "G1" lines after it... not fun to do it manually, and I'm not sure how it would go, but 'thats the theory'...
(here's my manual crack if you wish to try/experiment (also lemme know if you can't see the "MODIFIED MANUALLY" file )

if you have any thoughts or preferences let me know, but I think what well do is

1. add a check box in the skip dialog that says "DONT skip EVERYTHING only MOVEMENT in a layer (I'm aware that this may mean a lot of tool changing and preheating activities and other NON positional activities before it starts printing and I'm okay with that)"
   and
2. add some smarts to find the LAST tool and temperature setting BEFORE the printing layer... this could be fun/hard/challenging... as not all slicers work the same...

I guess we'll see how it goes and if people hate this change...

[awe-source]

Quick question: do you think that you want a some kind of setting that eliminates or allows you to eliminate? If you check a box? All of the getting started purge operations during a resume?

For example do you think when you restart that you are happy with the state of all the tools and you don't need to do all the purge and set up stuff or would it be reasonable to assume that the resume is within a timeframe that could forgo all that tool initialisation stuff?

Currently (if you have the ignore initial movement enable in settings) it will stop the tools moving on the bed (in the hopes that for a large model this probing/cleaning activity won't dislodge the base or hit the model. But it still does all the other things like pickup and park and reset the extenders

Thanks for any thoughts and suggestions on this

[KayGundhardt]

I'm sorry that I've only just come out of the woodwork again, but my children are keeping me very busy at the moment ;)

As for your first - DIY - idea: have a look at the attachment: I hope I was able to implement your suggestion well. Maybe you could take a look at the manually changed GCODE file in comparison? (Found in the link mentioned earlier and has same file name with an added "_v2_manually"

And for what you meant ...

"and I'm not sure how it would go, but 'thats the theory'..."

That was my workaround to mark about 1,000,000 lines of Gcode:

:D

And as for your last question: such a “checkbox” would be a great idea! However, the last time I tried it out, the purging was not done because it would have required moving the tools into the print space. And since I had activated the “Ignore Initial movements”, no purging took place. So you could, for example, add another checkbox that could be called “Ignore Toolchanges before desired layer”.

So the only thing that would have to be skipped would be the tool changes... Or what do you think?

[KayGundhardt]

Uargh!!! I only NOW saw that you had already done the manual change too....!!!!

Shit!
:)

How did YOU mark 1,000,000 lines of code?!
;))

Oh man :) Sorry, I had overlooked that.

[awe-source]

Yep kids will do that!
Lol

I can't remember exactly what I did but it was something like find layer 0 put in a line of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the find the layer to start and put in mor !!!! And then use find with a wildcard and multi line "!!!!!*!!!!!"

I probably used regex and notepad++

Anyway I'm not sure how well the manual approach will work. Given the need to get the tool prep correct.

We're working on the idea discussed and it's close to working...

I'll try it out with the files your provided and shoot them to you in the next day or so

[KayGundhardt]

🤦🏻‍♂️
Of course: add an own unique string and search for that… I really could have thought of that!!!

And sooooo cool, that you made that approach for me ❤️ Thanks a lot: I‘ll be patient and be the first tester… :)) THANK YOU!

[awe-source]

Okay I think we've got it going - and made some pretty significant changes so please let us know.
as step 1 I've uploaded the output from your specific model/file you raised - 320.2 mm restart.
I've got a couple more tweaks and will upload a new version unless you uncover issues with this output.
Instead of another checkbox, what we've currently got going is an "exclusions list" (so ratehr than "ignore movement" its basically a list of commands to ignore - more flexible, but as a downside you need to "grok" gcode a little more - but hopefuly the defaults are "mostly sensible"

[KayGundhardt]

Cool! 😎 So I’ll test with this one?

Adalinda_0.4n_0.2mm_PLA,PLA,PLA,PLA,PLA_XLIS_1d14h21m_skipTo_Z320.2 (8).gcode

[awe-source]

Yes please Update: note 0.1.5 includes these (and otehr) changes, and vastly improves and changes the process (hopefully for the better, without breaking other things). Hopefully this will improve how it works as well as making it more flexible to use

[KayGundhardt]

Sooooo, this was a veeeery long time over Christmas and new year, but FINALLY I could test the given GCODE File. I'm really sorry for the delay, but kids, illness and holidays kept me away from work :( Nevertheless here's what I could observe so far:

1. The (first used?) Printhead needs to be picked up before manually; otherwise the toolchanger moves without loaded head.
2. Then all print-heads are pre-heated correctly to about 70°C and the mentioned printhead even to the deserved extrusion temperature (230°C) => see first screenshot.
3. Afterwards the head moves suuuuuuuper slowly to a position that could be the first extrusion point (directly over the wipe-tower).
4. Sadly that´s it: nothing happens from that point on. Tool stays there heated and does nothing. I stopped it after about an hour later.

What I could say else: when file is loaded the z-height to be continued from is marked as 325.2 instead of the set 320.2: is this intended? => see screenshot 2.

Any ideas how to debug? What could I do next to help you figure out the issue? Maybe a video-chat or remote control? :))

Thank you in advance!

Kay