Firmware update HOWTO [Marlin]

[PxT]

Brook asked me to write a document on how to get started with compiling and uploading a new firmware version, for those who are interested. I wrote the doc and sent it to him but he has not responded in a couple of weeks. Rather than wait any longer for him to post it on his website I am going to put the link here. If he does respond at some point then I will update this post with the most up-to-date link.

Printrbot Firmware.pdf
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68081994/printr ... rmware.pdf

Latest version will always be linked from http://www.printrbottalk.com/wiki/index ... e=User:PxT

Please let me know if any questions or feedback.

[scantrontb]

on page 2 just below the picture of the jumper and reset switch you say "Once the board is reset you can replace the BOOTjumper and proceed with the following steps." but then at the TOP of page 3 you say "Once complete (with the prior steps) make sure to replace the BOOTjumper pin and then push the reset button again to boot the board normally"

the bold/underlining are my emphasis on the implied meaning.

that is confusing, as you have us REPLACING the jumper at two different times but not taking it OFF again in between them... do you replace the jumper then do the next steps... or do you do the steps, THEN replace the jumper...

[PxT]

Thanks, I have altered the wording slightly to (hopefully) make it more clear.

[CL1]

Just want to throw something out there to perhaps watch for. At the PrintrBoard Github, I see a note from Laine something to the effect of a revision reversing some jumper's polarity. If this is the programming jumper, it would affect your instructions here. Not now, but whenever that rev of PBd is shipped.

It makes sense to do this as it will eliminate the cost of the jumper. Boards could go out without them, having been programmed at HQ with the jumper which is then removed for shipment. This also means that an open allows normal operation. Much more stable for a vibration environment, as it is far less likely for an open jumper to become closed than for a closed jumper to become open.

NOTE: I don't know if the revision mentioned was for the Programming jumper. I didn't git along well with Git site, and was there looking for something else WRT the PBd. But I noticed that commetn and made a mental note for myself which I now share.

CL1

[marmil]

Thank you for this pdf PxT. That's a great little informational document.
(I didn't see the previous version, but this version seems clear regarding the jumper.)

And thanks for that info CL1.

[PxT]

[CL1]

[jr57k]

Stupid question... what firmware is on the board as shipped. For some reason I assumed Marlin, but I haven't confirmed it... That's what I'm slicing against so it must be.

[CL1]

[jr57k]

I see the pdf file, but the word Marlin isn't present in the thread... nor is Sprinter. I may be cool, but I'm no mind reader.... I'll check out the PDF now.

EDIT... yup, the PDF has marlin all over it! Nice write up. I haven't bent racking the firmware modifications, but it would be nice to cross link a new feature/bug release doc.

[Jason_Read]

I find the idea of flashing the firmware utterly terrifying, what advantage will it give and do I really need to do it at this point?

[ben909]

[ellweber]

[extent]

Hold shift while you hit compile and it will spit out the location of the HEX file when it's done in v.23 and earlier, I think that verbose output was moved into a checkbox option in 1.0 but I don't use that version so I'm not entirely sure.

[PxT]

Good info -- I'm noting this for the next update of the doc. Thanks.

[marmil]

[ellweber]

Hi PxT,

In the Firmware Guide you mention seeing the Marlin version string in Pronterface. I have been unable to find that, can you please provide a little help with that part of the UI?

Thanks,

Lynn

[PxT]

When you connect to the printer for the first time after it has been powered up you should see it say "Connected" along with the firmware version and some other text in the console area on the right side. I'm not near my printer right now so I can't provide a screenshot. Maybe someone else can help with that.

[ellweber]

[PxT]

[JiriK]

Hi,
I just tried to compile the firmware on Mac OS X following all the steps in this guide, but all I get, when I choose Teensylu/Printrboard, is bunch of "'Serial' was not declared in this scope" errors, I tried selecting some other boards and the only ones which allow the code to compile seem to be the "Arduino Mega 2560" and "Arduino Mega (ATMega 1280)". Can anyone help me with this?

Edit: Just tried to compile it on Win 7 and it seems to be working fine, there are probably some differences between mac and win versions of the Arduino v0.22, or I just didn't copy all the files I should have copied from the win version...

[PxT]

I have just updated the document with a couple of additional steps for Mac users (and also made a note of the BOOT jumper change for Rev D board). I tested on a fresh 10.8 system that has never had the compiler installed and it worked. Let me know if any problems. Thanks for the feedback!

[JiriK]

Tried it again, following the updated guide and now it compiles without problems (on OS X 10.7.4), thank you

[Alexcheve]

Now I see why my PB+ has a reversed Y connection and never prints a thing. I will need a PC with internet connection (I have a Mac 10.6.8) and be VERY careful with what I do. On the first place this should have been solved before PB ships its printers, oh well... I want to PRINT!

[chris]

I'm trying to follow the windows build directions from the initial instructions:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/68081994/print ... rmware.pdf

There's no way to check to see whether this is the most current, because I don’t see any reference to this “Printerbot Firmware.pdf” at http://printrbot.com/faq/getting-started/

Where it says to choose “Teensylu/Printrboard” from the Tools –> Board menu, I’m not sure which one to use (I see):
[usbtinyisp]Teensylu/Printrboard
[BootloaderCDC]Teensylu/Printrboard

I’m guessing the 2nd one, but I’d rather know for sure...

Also, the instructions say to open Marlin.pde, which does not exist (in http://www.reprap-usa.com/download/arduino0022.zip)

What to do?

[PxT]

printrbot.com has never had a link to the Firmware guide, so it's still unofficial. I have provided it to Brook but he has not linked to it from his site. I'm providing it here as a convenience. The version on my dropbox that you linked to is the latest available version.

I don't have my bot in front of me right now to double check but I think you should use the BootloaderCDC option in the Board menu.

Marlin.pde is found in the firmware source: https://github.com/PxT/Marlin/tree/master/Marlin

[therealmax]

keep getting Serial not declared error anyone know how to fix this problem? compiles fine with other boards selected. just not the teensy/printrbot.

[JasperJ]

[JasperJ]

Right, so I packaged up my working version into a dmg, and uploaded it to a couple different hosters. The wetransfer link should go away in two weeks, hopefully someone will have hosted it somewhere more permanent by that time, and the filedropper site doesn't really get great reviews, but promises to host it longer.

http://we.tl/qxIYo866ns
http://www.filedropper.com/arduino-0022 ... rintrboard

[PxT]

[MDW]

Thank you for this guide, it was a real life-saver!

A couple of Linux (or at least, my install of Ubuntu) notes:

lsusb is useful for checking that the board is in the correct state for re-flashing.

If dfu-programmer doesn't seem to be working, try "sudo dfu-programmer". I wasted almost an hour looking for a more complicated problem.

Thanks again!

[RetireeJay]

Call me timid, or call me paranoid, but I wanted to make a copy of the firmware that's already in my Plus before I erased it and re-flashed it with something new.

I'm running Windows 7. I have FLIP installed and working, connected to the Printrboard. There's a button on there to "Read" the board's memory, but when I click it, I get a message "Device Protection is Set." So what does this mean? I googled it and they are talking about locking bits that might be set in the software. Is there any work-around? Why would Printrbot have had the locking bits set? Will the locking bits interfere when I try to reprogram? In the google info that I found, it talked about the possibility of erasing the DFU bootloader.

Is it that the bootloader resides in a particular part of memory, and it's protected? Should I be trying to Read a subset of the entire memory to avoid the bootloader?

When programming with a new version of Marlin, is the bootloader automatically included in the rewrite of memory, or is it somehow in a "safe" zone that doesn't get touched?

(Eventually, I will publish a log of how to do this under Windows 7. So far, everything has resembled what I see in the instructions, but always just a little different and just a little harder.)

[PxT]

[pomonabill221]

I was going to ask the same questions as I was getting the same "error" about the lock bit, and I didn't want to destroy the bootloader, but PxT confirmed that the bootloader is not touched when flashing through USB... WHEW!
I ALWAYS want to know these things before I cream something and create more problems than I was trying to solve.
I wanted to reflash with the autolevel firmware, but didn't want to go about it carelessly.
It would be nice to be able to save the FW that is in the board before doing something stupid, or having a problem, but it seems like this isn't possible unfortunately....

[frankv]