LitePlacer.com forums

Hello!

I am trying to run openpnp with the liteplacer. I set COM7, 115200, 8N1, no parity, no flow control. And when i push "start" button, i get message box saying "Timeout waiting for response to G21 ; Set millimeters mode". However, terminal and liteplacer software work ok with the same settings. What am i doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

wormball wrote:Hello!

I am trying to run openpnp with the liteplacer. I set COM7, 115200, 8N1, no parity, no flow control. And when i push "start" button, i get message box saying "Timeout waiting for response to G21 ; Set millimeters mode". However, terminal and liteplacer software work ok with the same settings. What am i doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Set Command Timeout to 20000ms

Machine Setup / Gcode Driver / General Settings

Here's my machine configuration, which will serve as a good starting point. I have a standard (Juha shipped) Litepacer machine with TinyG.

The only thing is I added a vacuum sensing Actuator, so you'll need to delete the Actuator and amend the gcode PICK/PLACE_COMMAND to just switch the valve and nothing else.

And finally also calibrate the offsets and squareness for you machine and the nozzles and steps per mm/acceleration etc,
most of these you can copy over from your liteplacer software setup.

Thanks! Setting 20 s timeout did not help, but with your machine.xml it at least connects.

The other stupid thing about openpnp is that it does not write/show machine command/response history at all. Or maybe it does, but i can not find it?

wormball wrote:Thanks! Setting 20 s timeout did not help, but with your machine.xml it at least connects.

Could have also have been something else with the gcode startup sequence.

Also, TinyG isn't great in general, either in the LIterplacer or OpenPnp software. So another one to watch out for in OpenPnp is generally to a reset
on the TinyG with your E-Stop reset button before starting OpenPnp to make TinyG behave.

wormball wrote: The other stupid thing about openpnp is that it does not write/show machine command/response history at all. Or maybe it does, but i can not find it?

Check out the "Log", and enable everything in it. Every operation OpenPNP does, and every gcode command it sends is in there.

Status is handled in the status regex in the gcode driver (but I don't think it logs the status itself, as TinyG does things different to every other 3D Printer board out there)), but if
it times out it will be indicated in the log. For example hitting an end stop will cause a timeout, and you'll see it try for 20seconds before timing out and throwing an error.

If you need to send commands manually or check status, then there's a "Console" tab in the driver which enables you to do that, just like the Liteplace software.

Also, if you decide to go with a vacuum sensor at some point. checkout my recent .hex I posted to get you build 440.20 but with the $adc0 command to read the sensor.

There were 10 microstep settings in your file, and the machine made horrifying sounds and performed random walks instead of moving. I changed these to 8 microsteps, and now it moves ok.

But now i can not make both cameras work simultaneously. Manual says you should select mjpeg mode for this, but the cameras have only yuv modes. Does it mean i have to use other cameras rather than the stock ones?

Jet wrote:Check out the "Log", and enable everything in it.

Thanks! It worked.

Jet wrote:Also, TinyG isn't great in general, either in the LIterplacer or OpenPnp software.

Why do you think so? And what would you prefer instead? I suspect the same, but this is only theoretical and related to speed only (i do not like "jerk controlled" motion cos it provides about two times less acceleration than maximum acceleration setting).

wormball wrote:There were 10 microstep settings in your file, and the machine made horrifying sounds and performed random walks instead of moving. I changed these to 8 microsteps, and now it moves ok.

Yes, I use Geckos for X/Y, 10 micro steps is the optimum microstepping ratio for steppers in general, and that's what Gecko's use. If you're using the drivers on the TinyG, then switch to 8.

wormball wrote: But now i can not make both cameras work simultaneously. Manual says you should select mjpeg mode for this, but the cameras have only yuv modes. Does it mean i have to use other cameras rather than the stock ones?

I use the stock Cameras Juha had an upgrade pack for recently (the high def ones). If you're using the same and my machine.conf, the only thing I can think off that would possibly change is the port they're connecting to,
you might have to set that.

wormball wrote:

Jet wrote:Also, TinyG isn't great in general, either in the LIterplacer or OpenPnp software.

Why do you think so? And what would you prefer instead? I suspect the same, but this is only theoretical and related to speed only (i do not like "jerk controlled" motion cos it provides about two times less acceleration than maximum acceleration setting).

Juha has had issues with it (it's buggy, abandoned and no longer being updated), firmware 440.20 seems to be the only one that works reasonably. It has various bugs with really small moves.
It has a weird "Accept a command" but not wait until it's completed. This makes it asynchronous, it also makes it difficult to be deterministic.

In regards to motion, another board won't get you better where it's limited by mechanics or the stepper drivers. My recommendation here is to at least switch out X/Y to Geckos if you want an improvement here.

The general consensus seems to be Smoothie is the best, but check out the OpenPnP Wiki and you can get find information on what's wrong with TinyG and what's better with the others.

That said though, for my needs, TinyG is working with OpenPnp fine with minor irritations, and it's too much effort to rewiring everything for a new board etc., so I'm sticking with it. I can compile from source, so
if it causes me an issue I can't get around at some point, I'll fix it.

Jet wrote:I use the stock Cameras Juha had an upgrade pack for recently (the high def ones).

I also use these but they are refusing from working simultaneously (even when one of these is used with different camera). I tried "OpenPnpCaptureCamera" and "OpenCvCamera" in different combinations, once both cameras were working, but when i restarted openpnp it showed windows' "select camera" dialog and after that i never got both cameras working.

My cameras are USB\VID_5149&PID_13D3&REV_1216&MI_00 .

Other chinese cameras work ok in mjpeg mode (cos they have this mode unlike the liteplacer's cameras). Moreover, endoscope camera also works with two another cameras despite it also has only yuv modes.

using the newer stock cameras Juha sent I dont have those problems with openpnp (i did occasionally with the liteplacer software). I can vuew both cameras at once everytime without them missing or getting switched.

I run win 10 and dont connect the cameras via a hub. If you’re not using a hub, i suggest trying the openpnp forum for help, as 8 have no idea what would be the cause.

We originally downloaded the recommended Openpnp version 2 and even after all the troubleshooting could not get the message 'Timeout waiting for response to G21; set millimeters mode' to stop showing when trying to connect. After downloading the openpnp legacy version 1 the system connected on the first try. I would like to have Openpnp version 2 working, what else can I try?