Can't get a print started

cosmobott 2018-04-30 04:24:37 UTC #1

This is my first 3D printer, so I don't know what the hell I'm doing yet. I just completed setting up my FT-5. The bed is leveled. The extruder heats up. The bed heats up. X, Y, and Z all move as they should. As far as I can tell the stars are aligned but when I load a file into Repetier and press Start, it immediately says "Print Job Finished" in the manual control tab. In the Log it says: Done Printing File and nothing happens.

Like I said, I don't know what the hell I'm doing. So maybe I'm being really thick about something. I'm at a loss. Help.

heartless 2018-04-30 12:35:32 UTC #2

So, you can move the printer manually using the controls in Repetier Host, correct? and you have the printer configured correctly in "Printer Settings"?
Make sure, on the manual control tab, that you have the "dry run" button turned off

not sure what version you are using, but this is what the "Manual Control" tab in v1.0.6 looks like

note the button on the bottom right..

Also, you do have to slice a file before you can actually print it..you can't just load a file and start...

Repetier Host comes with both Slic3r and Cura bundled in - you can choose which you want to use.
My preference is Slic3r, but it is entirely up to you which one you use.

there is a Configuration button that will open the control panel for whichever slicing program you want to use to set things like number of perimeters/shells, number of top/bottom layers, infill percentage, etc.

cosmobott 2018-04-30 15:30:45 UTC #3

Ok. Thanks for your help. I feel kind of stupid now.

heartless 2018-04-30 23:15:30 UTC #4

Nah, don't feel stupid.. all of us have been in those shoes.. some of us are willing to admit, others aren't

csorrows 2018-05-01 09:30:03 UTC #5

Are you trying to say something about me @heartless? Hmmm?

heartless 2018-05-01 12:45:30 UTC #6

not so much you, Chris, but there are those that think that way.

csorrows 2018-05-01 12:53:00 UTC #7

I'm just joking with you. But, you know that already.

Now you have a title too.... Last one I gave was "Tevo Lover". They are just for fun.

carefudundae 2018-05-01 17:54:26 UTC #8

I wish more people, myself included, would come to a place like this for help before beating their head against the wall for a few days straight... There are very few unique issues in 3dprinting anymore, meaning if you are having a problem, there are probably 10-1000 others that have had the same exact issue. Archiving those problems (and solutions: I wish more people would post their solution to a problem after they resolve it instead of leaving the post die off) for future people that will inevitably encounter that problem becomes invaluable.
Anyways, kudos to you for requesting help!

csorrows 2018-05-01 23:18:19 UTC #9

That's exactly why I created this forum in the first place. It makes for an awesome archive.

heartless 2018-05-02 00:01:37 UTC #10

Yes, forums DO make great archives, and are FAR more searchable than facebook could ever hope to be.

yes, facebook will probably garner an answer sooner, if you don't get completely overlooked by all the other posts... but for searching for answers to a question that has most likely been answered at least a 100 times, a forum is far superior.

(and thank you, Chris. =) too funny! LOL)

carefudundae 2018-05-02 14:20:47 UTC #11

ya, I completely agree with you @heartless. I tried the facebook group, and am still a member, but its so tough to find anything helpful without spending significant time filtering through all the crap... The only advantage I think it has is for file sharing (unless I missed something on the forum), but that is honestly the most miserable part of the fb group... searching for config files or whatever is horrendous.

one of the reasons why I like this forum so much (aside from the fact that I have a couple of FT printers), is that it's organized and non-hostile. I've searched through the facebook group and the reddit r/3dprinting sub for help on various topics, and reading through comments is often like watching 2 (or 7) cats fight. so, thank you @csorrows for setting this up and moderating it!

csorrows 2018-05-03 06:19:12 UTC #12

The only real file sharing I have focus on here is to post the latest versions of the various manuals. In fact, new manuals are posted here right as they are released, there is a delay, some times quite a bit of one, before they get posted to the official GDrive.

I have thrown around the idea of also including a homepage to gather all of the popular info and files into one place. The only issue is that I would want www.folgerforum.com to point directly to it which would break all the links posted in google searches ect. I get a ton of traffic from goggle and would hate to mess that up by breaking the links.

But, this is getting OT. Lets continue this topic in general and leave this topic clean.