This page describes how to install Franklin on your Athena. This is meant for students of MY4777, but may of course also be used by others.

If you have problems with the procedure, please write them at the bottom of this page. I'll try to address them. Before writing anything, you should of course check if the problem and perhaps the solution are already there.

Method

  1. Shut down the Athena.
  2. Download the installer package.
  3. Unpack all the files to a USB thumbdrive.
  4. Insert the drive into the USB port on the Athena.
  5. Start the Athena back up.
  6. Wait for it to shut itself down. Note that this takes about 10 minutes.
  7. Remove the drive from the USB port.
  8. Start the Athena back up.
  9. Go to http://192.168.76.2:8000/admin .
  10. Upload the firmware.
  11. Download Athena's profile and upload it.
  12. Save the profile using a name of your choice.
  13. Click the button to make the selected profile the default.
  14. Calibrate the printer.
  15. Save the profile again.

Calibrating Franklin

The initial settings are mostly right, but it is recommended that you play around with all the settings to see if you can make your machine work even better. Some calibration is required and that is explained here.

  1. Home the machine.
  2. Move Z to 0.
  3. Use the arrow keys and page up and down while the box in the red bar below the switch position setting is active to move the nozzle to the bed. Use shift for small steps. Hold a sheet of paper under it and get the nozzle so close that you can still move the paper under it, but you feel resistance.
  4. Move Y to 100.
  5. Place the cursor in the box for the W switch position and use the paper to set the distance.
  6. Move the nozzle close to the U motor and repeat the procedure for the U switch position.
  7. Move the nozzle close to the V motor and repeat the procedure for the V switch position. If you are not sure about this, repeat the previous three steps and this one. When you are satisfied, the relative positions of the limit switches are correct, so you should only move all of them together from now on.
  8. Move to 0,0 and use the paper again to set all switch positions at once.
  9. Move Y to 100.
  10. Adjust the radius of all motors at once (with the box in the red bar) until the resistance of the paper is the same as it was in the center.
  11. Save the profile.

Mailing List

Note that Franklin is experimental and not yet suitable for other people on the mailing list. If you have problems using it, please file them as issues on github instead of asking on the list.

Problems

Please edit this page and write any problems you have with the installation. Before doing so, read problems that are already listed to see if the answer you are looking for is already there.

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.