H-Series machines are controlled via a web interface, which in these instructions is generally referred to as the Duet Web Controller (or DWC). In these instructions, it is assumed that you can already connect to the DWC web interface. If not, return to the previous guide. This is the first screen that comes up:
Machine Control - Dashboard
From left to right across the top we see:
Status:
- Current Tool/Machine Position - Clicking on the text will toggle between Tool and Machine Position. Generally, Tool Position is more informative and you should leave the display in this mode.
- Extruder Drives,
- Speeds,
- Active Work Coordinate System (WCS),
- Machine Compensation in use (if any), and
- Sensor outputs
Tools:
- Status and control of Tools and installed heaters
- Spindle
- Tool/Nozzle (FDM tool)
- Probe
- Bed
- Filament Chamber
Temperature chart:
- Shows the current and previous temperatures of each heater and the measured humidity of the filament chamber
Machine Movement:
- Here is where we jog and home the axes
- Home All will home all axes of the machine
- Home Z will measure the Z-axis. This is not self-explanatory. Do not click Home Z unless the build area is completely clear below the turret.
- U axis is the turret. Before you can rotate the turret, you must click "Unlock" in the Turret Lock menu.
- A and C will only cause movement if you have a rotary axis attached
Macros
- Here you can execute Macros that are written from the Macros panel.
Fan Control
- Control fans that are configured for manual control (The turret fan and cabinet fans are always-on. The extruder cooling fans are thermostatic, so will turn on when any tool is above 50C) Layer cooling fans, Spindle air jets, LED lighting, and vacuum assist are all controllable.
Panels
- Job Status
Job Control
- Pause - this will save position then run pause.g macro in the system files.
- Resume - runs resume.g in the system files - NOTE: when pausing a milling file, resume will not restart the spindle. You MUST restart the spindle by typing in the desired RPM for the appropriate spindle in the Tools section.
- Enable Auto-Sleep
Z Baby Stepping
- Baby Stepping allows you to incrementally adjust the Z-position during a job. By default, baby stepping is performed in increments of 0.05mm, but the step size can be adjusted in Settings > Machine-Specific panel.
Speed Factor
- Speed Factor allows you to modify the speed up or slow down the job speed.
Extrusion Factors
- This will increase or decrease the amount of material the machine tries to push out. The numbering of extruders begins with the first defined extruder at "Extruder 0". If your machine is equipped with 5 extruders, then Extruder 0 corresponds to Tool 1. If your machine has 3 extruders, then Extruder 0 corresponds to Tool 3.
- All filament assist drives share a single extrusion factor which is designated by highest-numbered extruder.
- In the above example, there are 2 extruders and 1 filaments assist on the machine:
- Extruder 0 controls Tool 3
- Extruder 1 controls Filament Assist
Machine Control - Console
In this panel, you can see the commands sent to the machine and messages reported back to the console. You can manually send g-code commands directly to the machine by entering the command in the text box and clicking "Send".
File Management
Here you can view and edit g-code files on the machine, or upload new files. You can also "Upload and Start" from the banner.
Macros Tab
Here you can view, edit, and upload macros.
Offsets Tab
Tool Offsets
- Here you can adjust the offset of each tool manually. If a tool is printing too far to the "Left" (-X), you can adjust it to the Right (decreasing the X offset - this represents the distance that the centerline of the nozzle is from the centerline of the Probe [0,0]. If the offset is negative, the machine thinks the tool is physically located to the left of the probe, and it will compensate by moving the coordinates to the right).
- Set X-Y. This sets the offset of the tool in that row to the current machine position. This is normally used after finding the center (see below) of a cavity created by that tool.
Probe Workpiece
- These operations use the integrated Touch Probe (T10) to find edges and surfaces. The machine will complete the operation and stop. The user must then take action with that information (for example, apply X-Y Offset or set WCS position) Note: the Probe diameter is 2mm, so you must account for this when finding vertical walls.
Touch-off Plate
- With the Touch-off plate installed, this button will move the Z-axis down until the Plate is triggered
Workpiece Coordinate Offsets
- Setup WCS - click the value to edit the location of each WCS. Typically this is done after finding the edge of something - for example, if you have a piece of stock, and you probe the left-most edge and the machine position is X=-20.3, you would click on the X value of the WCS you want to use and type in -19.3 (to account for the 1mm radius of the probe)
- Set a certain WCS as active - click the "Change to" button in the row of the relevant WCS
Settings Tab
For the most part, you will only need the Upload File(s) button on the Settings->General page. This is where you upload new Firmware, new Web Control, and new System files.
Occasionally you may need to edit a file in System Editor. Be careful - as this is where the machine definition is stored. It is not locked, so you can easily cause damage to the machine by making the wrong edits.