Hi there, I’m new on the Klipper base but I’ve already been working with Marlin in the past. I’m looking into using my raspberry pi 3 to install klipper on my cr10S pro V1 on which I installed a bltouch (working). The mainboard is based on the atmega AVR 2560.
Btw I hope my post is not redundant with another one here. Also since I’m new to Klipper, I’m ready to modify the ReXT3D file to fit my printer and change from inductive to BLTouch and modify the offset but I’m open to guidance on that matter.
I am still using my CR-10S Pro, but I have moved significantly beyond the configuration it had in those early days. I have been using BL Touch for a very long time, but I also changed the MCU to a Duet 3 Mini.
What exactly do you need? If your setup is currently working with BL Touch, then all you really need to know is sensor_pin & control_pin for your AVR 2560 as well as x_offset & y_offset values for your hot end.
I can share my current printer.cfg file, but my printer is very heavily modified - beyond the Duet Mini controller I am using 0.8 degree Moons’ steppers, low pitch lead screws and my own custom designed toolhead, among other things. This may confuse you instead of helping, depending on your experience and comfort level.
Well yeah for now I don’t have any Klipper installed and I kinda just don’t want to setup something that will go wrong instead of being helpful (to tell you I still haven’t used my printer really, mainly done troubleshooting) and I’m not sure to which extent I will have a lot of extra work if I setup Klipper. I guess I really only need the name of the pins and the offsets . For the offset I have an idea about how to get it, but about how to determine which pin is which on the avr I wonder, how do you actually determine ? Cause I know where they are but I’m at a loss when it comes to finding a diagram of the board, and how do you figure out that information without the wiring diagram ?
And yeah for the modification you did, I get that the 0.8 degree stepper is for increased resolution ? For low pitch lead screws tho I don’t really see but I’m very open to an explanation if that doesn’t bother you.
Thanks again for the help, I mainly also need to understand where to find which info in the klipper files. I only have to modify the printer.cfg file for the kind of modification I want to do ? And while I’m at it what kind of modding would you recommand on a 10S pro ? (starting at the ones you already told me about of course)
By the way I just thought of something. Since the CR10S pro V2 profile has a bltouch installed, the motherboards should be the same or about the same pinwise I guess ? Can’t I use the V2 bltouch config and replace the inductive sensor in the v1 with it ? (recalibrating the offsets and safe boundaries for my printer of course), maybe also the PIDs of both the extruder since I have the stock fans and the heat bed since I don’t have glass but a PEI plate ? If I change those, shouldn’t it suit my printer ? (As I said, basically the stock cr10s pro with a bltouch and a PEI plate)
Did you proceed with Klipper conversion yet? I will provide some comments and answer some of your questions below, in no particular order.
Pins Configuration
My configuration file at desuuuu’s repository if for a more-or-less unmodified CR-10S Pro, but it is missing the BL-Touch configuration. Since those days numerous changes have taken place in Klipper, one of the most significant ones is deprecation of the pin_map config option. Because of this change the pin names referenced in my config file will no longer function and you would need to change each one of them. I think a much better approach would be to start with the sample CR10S Pro v2 configuration file supplied in the Klipper repo: printer-creality-cr10s-pro-v2-2020.cfg and then transfer my “tweaked” configuration settings where applicable.
For additional reference, the deprecation of pin_map is described here: Deprecate pin_map config option #4078, the required mapping translation is defined here: sample-aliases.cfg, and the MCU pin configuration is described in the ATMEGA data sheet:
With respect to your BL Touch configuration in Klipper, if you connected the BL Touch in the exact same way to the MCU board as it is connected on the CR10S Pro v2 printer (using the same pins), then you can use the pins from the sample Klipper CR10S Pro v2 configuration file I referenced above. If you connected it differently, you will need to adjust the pins in the configuration file accordingly.
Printer Mods
I would strongly recommend that you refrain from modifying the printer unless you have a very specific need to address a particular deficiency. My extensive modifications were largely driven by a need to understand how specific changes were reflected in impact on print quality, print speed, print accuracy and quality of life. I am an engineer and this experiment satisfied my engineering curiosity and allowed me to understand certain tradeoffs and sensitivities before I proceeded to source parts for my Voron.
Having said this, there are some fixes and upgrades you can do to your printer that, in my opinion, have significant return on your investment. In order of most value (my opinion):
Rebuild / reassemble & fine-adjust the mechanicals of the printer. The design of the CR10S Pro is pretty decent, in its class of printers, but the quality of assembly is all over the place. The design requires a reasonably high degree of accuracy when assembling and adjusting the printer, but once you do this you will love the results.
Areas to look at are parallelism and squareness of all extrusions that provide travel paths for roller wheels. Specifically the two Z extrusions parallelism, the X axis gantry squareness and the two Y axis bed extrusions parallelism and squareness. If you get these adjusted properly everything will move smooth with no binding throughout travel and virtually no wear of the wheels.
Also, if anyone tells you that you need to belt-synchronize (or otherwise) the two Z lead screws on a printer where each lead-screw has its own stepper motor - run away from them as fast and as far as possible and never come back! The CR-10S Pro has absolutely no gantry droop if it is assembled properly.
Install Klipper. It has a learning curve but it is worth every effort. Once you get comfortable with it you will never go back.
Install a PEI flex plate system or equivalent. I use WhamBam PEX plate because it is of reasonably high quality and their magnet remains reasonably strong at higher bed temperatures. If you need to scuff the print surface DO NOT EVER USE STEEL WOOL. Use Scotch-Brite scour pads with light to moderate pressure and circular-ish motion. Beware when printing PETG as it may fuse to PEX or PEI - reduce the risk with lowering the bed temperature a bit.
Consider switching to a direct drive extruder. Bowden extruders are a solution to a problem that largely no longer exists on modern printers. Modern direct extruders & hot ends are light enough that, particularly when using Klipper resonance compensation system, they are nowhere near the limiting factor with printing speed. The only benefit of a bowden extruder is reduction in VFA (vertical fine artifacts) because the bowden tube provides significant damping (filtering) of the minute extruder mechanical inaccuracies.
There are many other upgrades that you can do, but they will provide diminishing returns. For example you could change the MCU from the crappy Creality based one to something more modern and flexible (like my Duet 3 Mini, but there are other less expensive options). This would also allow for individual control of the two Z steppers so you can tram the gantry and further reduce the gantry to bed skew to values well below 0.1mm. But this takes a lot of time and effort.
Then you could experiment with different stepper motors, lower pitch lead screws, etc. But those modifications will produce such minute improvements that they will be largely lost in the limitations of the CR10S Pro design.
Finally, if you are interested in squeezing the last bit of performance out of your printer irrespective of how modified it is, I would highly recommend that you review the Ellis’ Print Tuning Guide. While developed for the Voron printers, it is equally applicable to most FDM printers, and it is based on science and empirical knowledge rather than hearsay.
