01: Installing Software and Connecting the Uncia

Read this first! These are user contributed topics to help you get printing with Creation Workshop and the Uncia!
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PomeroyB
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01: Installing Software and Connecting the Uncia

Postby PomeroyB » Thu Oct 23, 2014 7:23 am

This is the first in a series of tutorials on getting started with your Uncia! The first thing we need to do is connect to the computer.

I am assuming that your printer has been fully assembled -- You've plugged the stepper motor into the circuit board, and are ready to apply power.

Before you plug the Uncia into your computer, you need to download and install the drivers. The easiest way to do so is by installing the Arduino and Teensyduino development environment.

First, download and install for your platform.

Second, download and install (As administrator) for your platform. You should NOT skip the Virtual Serial Driver install. It doesn't matter how many additional libraries you install (I chose all libraries).

Your board already comes flashed with the Uncia firmware, so we don't have to deal with uploading code at the moment. We'll move straight onto working with CWS.

Download and unzip . You MUST download CWS from that link for it to work with the Uncia.

To double check that we have the correct version of CWS, make sure you have "Uncia.Machine" in "../Creation Workshop/Machines", as shown in the pictures below.

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You can even triple check by opening "Uncia.Machine" in a text editor, and making sure that the Driver type is set to "eUncia".

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Once we've done all of this, it's finally time to connect our printer! Plug the USB from the Uncia to your computer, and start up CWS.

When you first navigate to the "Configure" tab, you should see this:

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Notice how the dropdown says "Uncia" (Red box). That's telling CWS to use the "Uncia.Machine" file. If it shows "NullMachine" or "Default_SLA", you should select "Uncia". If you don't see "Uncia" in that dropdown, make sure you downloaded the CWS that is linked above!

Now let's configure our Control tab. The Uncia only has two controls: "Z Axis" and "Projector Control" (Green boxes). We need to make sure both of these are checked.

Whenever we make a change, CWS will remind us to apply those changes (Green box). Hit the "Apply" button (Red box) to make your changes permanent.

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You will also need to tell CWS what screen to put the model images onto. That's configured in the "Displays" boxes (Red box):

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"Available Displays" is a list of the displays connected to your computer. Notice that mine only lists one display: that is my computer monitor (I did not have the Uncia projector plugged in while taking that screenshot). The Uncia display will have a resolution of 1024x768.

"Configured Displays" are the displays that the model images will be shown on. The "+" and "-" buttons (Green boxes) will add or remove the selected displays to or from the Configured Displays.

The only display that should be in the "Configured Displays" box is the Uncia projector.

The last thing we need to configure is the COM port. Under "Machine Connection", click "Configure" (Red box):

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Now click the "Port" dropdown... You should see the following (Though the numbers may not match):

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Which port should you choose? Think of a COM port like a telephone number -- the computer and the Uncia can only connect to each other if they are using the same port!

To find the port you're using (in Windows), you can use the "Device Manager".

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Look under the "Ports" tab (Red box):

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We're looking for the "Teensy USB Serial". We can see on my computer that it is configured as "COM3". If you ever can't get the Uncia to connect, this is one of the first things you should check -- COM ports can sometimes change.

So now that we know what COM port our Uncia is, we can go back to CWS.

Now let's check out how fast our computer talks to the Uncia (Red box):

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We need the speeds the computer is sending commands to match the speed the Uncia is receiving them! Some users seem to need to select "9600", others are able to work at "115200". The Uncia team won't release the firmware that the electronics are shipped with, so we just need to guess and check. Find the number that works for you!

Once that's set, hit "OK". We're ready to connect! Click the "Connect" button to connect, and the "Disconnect" button to disconnect (Red box):

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In the "Control" tab, we can now move the printer (As long as the power cords are plugged in... it's possible to connect with only the USB connected, but the motor will not move!). This is a good time to check that your stepper motor is turning in the correct direction. "Z+" should move the platform AWAY from the projector, and "Z-" should move the platform TOWARDS the projector. If your Uncia does the opposite, disconnect all power and cables and turn the motor connector 180 degrees. Never plug or unplug a stepper motor connector while the machine has power -- doing so can damage your electronics!

An important control box is the "Projector Control" (Red box):

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"Show Calibration" will project a grid of 10mm squares, "Show Blank" will project a black screen. We'll use these later to help us print. The other parts are more advanced, and not supported with the stock Uncia.

At this point, CWS should play nicely with the Uncia. If you still have trouble, feel free to post a question in the Uncia forum!

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