[Sticky] 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL  

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

Posted by: @nikhil-s

Posted by: @baconfase

New firmware is a slam dunk if the noise is a big issue for ya, but I feel like there were other secret changes in the sauce too at least in the way the machine treats belt tension.

Late to the party, but one thing I found is to use the homing tower here and tuning the belt as it goes.

https://www.printables.com/model/542670-homing-tower

The tension the phone app said was good turned out to be WAY too low and the print results were crap.  Tightening a quarter turn at a time with the tower got me to the point of having a perfectly smooth tower section.  Note that I did this prior to the latest 6.0 FW, but the belt tension should be the same I would think, since that's a hardware thing.

Yep, I eventually did the tower and left it printing for a bit when it seemed fine. But then the following print still had issues. From my experience it seems something is wonky with the firmware with Phase Stepping OFF because all the seemingly belt tension issues disappeared after simply turning Phase Stepping ON.

Documented my issues on github.

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I have a new XL. I loaded the 6.0 right out of the gate since the feedback seemed good. I had 6 failed test benchy's because the steppers were skipping trying to accelerate. It would happen after about 2-3 layers. I turned off the phase stepping and it printed flawlessly. 

I'm fairly certain phase stepping also reduces torque, even if by a fraction it was enough to cause issues. I see a lot of layer shifting posts so it makes sense.

RE:

Posted by: @fendbass22

I have a new XL. I loaded the 6.0 right out of the gate since the feedback seemed good. I had 6 failed test benchy's because the steppers were skipping trying to accelerate. It would happen after about 2-3 layers. I turned off the phase stepping and it printed flawlessly. 

I'm fairly certain phase stepping also reduces torque, even if by a fraction it was enough to cause issues. I see a lot of layer shifting posts so it makes sense.

Yeah, I was also suspecting there was some effect on effective torque, as the change in noise level seems too significant to not have any impact.  As much as I hate to say it, I am considering rolling back to the release version FW until this is a little more baked.  I like a lot about it, but I can't have layer shifts like what I showed above.

I also had another wild one that happened where the printer simply skipped a section of gcode on the first layer. I've attached the picture below.  Reprinting the exact same gcode that was sitting on the printer's USB led to a result where it did NOT skip that area.  There's no point at which running the same gcode twice should lead to different output!  I didn't catch the error until the second layer tried to print on top of it, hence those weird jagged edges. The first layer is the one facing the camera though (diagonal from upper left to lower right). Here's what that looked like:

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I have converted 3 benchtop mills to CNC and built 2 CNC plasma tables. I know exactly what a stepper skipping sounds like, that's exactly what it was. I checked for any binding or restrictions in movement and there is none.

Having a quieter machine is better but as this machine will be in the shop and eventually with an enclosure, I'd rather have reliability.

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I noticed the new firmware (RC3) lays the groundwork for the upcoming XL enclosure. It will be interesting to see what Prusa has come up with.

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I installed RC3, now PrusaLink no longer works. I have wifi connection, when trying to connect via browser I get the printer page but no login prompt. Thought about reverting back but went ahead and enabled Prusa Connect which works just fine.

Also after upgrading my USB key was no longer recognized, Windows reported it as corrupt, ended up having to format it.

RE: 6.0.0-RC3 Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I have RC3 running with no issues so far and I am really happy with the noise reduction. Prusa connect , prusa link, wifi everything works fine and stable. I am really impressed with the continued improvements in the functionality. Touch is also nice add-on. 

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

Posted by: @studer-austria-gmbh

I have RC3 running with no issues so far and I am really happy with the noise reduction. Prusa connect , prusa link, wifi everything works fine and stable. I am really impressed with the continued improvements in the functionality. Touch is also nice add-on. 

Did you recalibrate anything after the update? 

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

I love the quietness after the 6.0.0 RC3 update.

The only issue I have had is with multi color prints on the 5 Tool.  It pauses much longer time in between tool changes compared to before.  I timed it to 1 minute and 30 seconds from the time it parks one tool until the time it grabs the next tool.

Will this be fixed for the final release?

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

Posted by: @tylorsama

I love the quietness after the 6.0.0 RC3 update.

The only issue I have had is with multi color prints on the 5 Tool.  It pauses much longer time in between tool changes compared to before.  I timed it to 1 minute and 30 seconds from the time it parks one tool until the time it grabs the next tool.

Will this be fixed for the final release?

The one that was released 2 weeks ago?

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

Posted by: @tylorsama

I love the quietness after the 6.0.0 RC3 update.

The only issue I have had is with multi color prints on the 5 Tool.  It pauses much longer time in between tool changes compared to before.  I timed it to 1 minute and 30 seconds from the time it parks one tool until the time it grabs the next tool.

Will this be fixed for the final release?

I've not had this issue.  It might be how you've got the parked temperature set in the slicer. 

Mine is doing changes in a few seconds. 

I'm also loving how quiet it is.  I just ran a 46 hour print and couldn't even hear it at night.

RE: 6.0.0-alpha Firmware for Original Prusa XL

Posted by: @same-old-shane

Hello all.
We are happy to announce our latest firmware update for our Original Prusa XL, you will find below all the features along with Phase Stepping.

Summary

• Phase Stepping
• Phase Stepping Calibration
• RGB Side Strip Dimming
• Known Issues

This is a public release of the 6.0.0-alpha firmware for the Original Prusa XL. This is an alpha release intended for experienced users. The features in this firmware are still under development and may not perform as expected. Should you encounter any bugs or issues with the printer’s performance, please report them via GitHub or in our forums.

Phase Stepping

Overview

In the early stages of development, we selected the Trinamic 2130 drivers to have the options to further improve the stepping of motors in the XL. As a result of this development, we see improvements in print quality and a reduction in printer noise. Due to the natural variance in stepper motor manufacturing, each motor responds uniquely to driver signals, causing visible fine artifacts (VFAs) and noise. Phase Stepping customizes the drive signal for each motor, addressing these discrepancies by reducing VFAs and audible noise, thereby enhancing the printing experience.

Our developers are currently working on a stealth mode, which reduces printer noise. You may be familiar with our stealth mode implementation on our MK3 printers.

Phase Stepping Calibration

How it works

The printer will move the print head (in the case of the Multi-Tool it will select the first print head) to the middle of the bed and start to move the tool diagonally for the X and Y axes at different speeds - while collecting data from the accelerometer located on the Dwarf. The goal is to measure the characteristics of the motors and store these settings

How to Perform the Calibration

After updating the Firmware navigate to Menu - Control - Calibrations & Tests - Phase Stepping Calibration. The calibration shouldn't run on multiple printers side by side simultaneously. The neighboring printer performing similar motions may affect the measurement.

Phase Stepping and crash detection

Currently, if Phase Stepping is enabled, crash detection is disabled. This is due to technical reasons. Developers are investigating whether these two features can work together.

RGB Side Strip Dimming

Starting this release you can enable or disable dimming for the LED side strip.
Go to Menu - Settings - User Interface - RGB Side Strip Dimming

Known Issues

if you run the X-axis test independently from the menu and have phase stepping enabled, the motor might make a whirring sound and the axis test often fails. The overall self-test works after the printer is flashed.

Download link;
https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/releases/tag/v6.0.0-alpha

How to flash the firmware;
help.prusa3d.com/article/flashing-firmware-mk4_453086

Please report any bug here:
github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware/issues

You can now print next to your bedroom! The difference is huge, except auto homing. Still very loud! Overall, a great improvement, a great experience!!! 👍

QUIET

Wow. I removed all panels from the XL to reduce resonace sounds, but with this firmware update i can put them right back on again. Calibration said the noise was reduced by 87%, and that's noticable. It's so quiet i can't hear it anymore when i work with headphones on - and it's right under my desk!

Thanks a lot for this firmware it really helps. No layer shift issues so far, running firmware 6.0.1 on dual head.

RE:

This is bullshit. I just upgraded and now have to recalibrate the entire thing! Seriously, I had my printer dialed in, printing perfectly! Now I have to waste time going through each tool head recalibrating. Disappointed!