Hello.
This is happening since a while and i have no idea why. I have a chinese mega and a ramps. I replaced the ramps and all the drivers but still it is doing like this. It started to do it during some prints, but now it is booting up to it. Can anyone know a possible cause?
Thanks,
Lucian
First rule of electronics. Thou shalt check voltages. Pins 1 and 2 of most HD44780 display modules is where the 5v comes in. Rustle up the schematics for all your bits and you might be able to track the problem down.
I had one machine where the regulator was running too hot from being overloaded and kept shutting down. Although the LD1117 was rated at 800mA the package type and PCB thermally limited it to somewhat less. Any more clues?
Also, what voltage is your power supply putting out?
Thanks for the response. I have an ATX power supply. I use the 12 V wires of it. It was fine for a few months then during prints the screen would do like this and the print would stop. Now it is doing since the begining.
It may be from the arduino board. I could change it but i fine tuned it after i uploaded marlin and i don’t know the settings by heart. I hoped there could be another solution.
+Lucian Sima Have you considered putting your finger on the Arduino’s PCB on the spot where the regulator sits (on the opposite side of course) to see if it’s uncomfortably warm after 5 minutes.
The voltage regulator on the chinese mega2560 is not able to power both the arduino board AND the display.
Buy an official arduino or power the display through the atx power supply instead of the arduino. (You will need to mod the cable).
Or… Replace the regulator with a more manly one. I used s little switch mode one from eBay and that worked a treat. Runs as cool as a cucumber.
By the way, There are some significant downsides to using a PC power supply in this application, not least of which is that the 12v rail(s) are usually not well regulated, instead getting taken along for the ride with another rail that is regulated. OTOH they’re ubiquitous and often free as leftovers.
Atx powersupplies are absolutely fine for the poster’s setup. I use the same hardware and had the same problems. I switched my arduino mega for a original one that i happen to had lying around.
The idea of switching regulators never ocurred to me though. Nice one!
The issue is solved(ish). I connected the arduino to a 9v power supply. Hit reset button and then it worked. I keep the 9v power supply connected, together with the 12v power connected to the ramps board, and it works great.
Thank you very much
I haven’t pluged it to the usb. It was acting badly only when the 9v power was not pluged (the round connector on the arduino). The regulator is not geting very hot as far as i can tell, but i bought a more capable one if i need to change it in the future.
Did you disconnect the supply from X4-3 Or leave it?
What is X4-3?
If you look at the 4 way power connector from the power supply to the RAMPS shield it’s the positive terminal that leads to the logic on the Arduino. You can tell which one it is because powering it but not the other one only brings the brains on and not the part fan for instance.
In this case it is connected
By adding the second source you are basically guaranteed a minimum voltage to the regulator which is probably why it ‘fixed’ the problem. Suspect connections all the way from that terminal up to the solder joint on the Arduino header. Time to break out the multimeter when you get bored.
Oh and as an aside, there are a lot of substandard RAMPS kits out there that need a little TLC and tweaking to make them come good. It’s a penny shaving thing.
