Kossel Mini Building

Guide
last update on 30th Jan, 2016

Building the Frame

Get 5pcs of M4X12 screws

5pcs of square nut
4pcs of M4 spring washer

Tear off the 4 circular bases

Assemble the screw as shown

Repeat this for the all 9pcs of corner parts

Putting the motor on

Install the motor as shown

Do the same for the top side

Fasten these
screws
Put 2 M4 square nut
in one of the beam
(we will use it later)

Putting the 2020 beam on as

shown (6pcs in total)
Putting the
2020 beam on
as shown (6pcs
in total)

Motor Cable
out on the side

Installing the 600mm beam

Get the following:
3pcs end stopper PCB,
3pcs plastic stopper mount
3pcs of M4x12 screw
3pcs M4 Spring washer
3pcs of M4 square nut
6pcs of M2.5x12 screws

Install the 3pcs of 600mm beam as shown

Install the 3pcs of
plastic stopper
mount on as shown

Install the 3pcs of

end stopper PCB as
shown.

Assembling the top frame

Step 1

Step 3

Get
2pcs flange bearing
2pcs M3x25 screws
2pcs M3 nuts
1pcs M3 spring washer
2pcs of flat washer

Step 2

Step 2

M3x25 screw
M3 flat washer.
M3 nut on the other side

Assemble the 2 flange

bearing as shown

Assembling the top frame

Step 1

Step 2

Filament holder
face up.

Insert the green

circled part on to
the top of the
vertical beam (like
the bottom frame)
Fasten the screw
to lock the top
frame in place.

Assembling the Roller

Step 1

Get:
3pcs M3x25 Screws
4pcs M3 Spring Washers
3pcs M3 Nuts

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

Fasten the M3 nut

(3pcs) at the back of
the roller

Fasten the M3x40

screw to apply
preload on the roller

(Rev.B)
Assemble the roller
(3pcs), nut & spring
washer as shown.

Fasten the M3
(3pcs) with th
nut at the bac

Assembling the Roller

Step 1

(Rev.A discontinued on 25th Jan,2016)

Step 2

Assemble as shown

Get 3 sets of:

3pcs M6x30 screws
3pcs M6 Spring washer
3pcs of Rollers
6pcs of M6 Nuts
M6 Spring Washer here

Step 3

Get 3 sets of:

2pcs M3x40 screws
2pcs M3 Spring washer
4pcs M3 Flat washer

Step 4

Assemble as shown

Assembling the Roller

Step 1

(Rev.A discontinued on 25th Jan,2016)

Step 2

Get:
3pcs M3x25 Screws
3pcs M3 Spring Washers
3pcs M3 Nuts

Assemble as shown

Assembling the JHead

Get:
1pcs Fan
1pcs End Stopper
1pcs metal clip
1pcs Jhead
1pcs Allen key
1pcs Spring
1pcs Fastener
2pcs M3x16
5pcs M3x20
1pcs M2.5x12
5pcs M3 Nuts
7pcs M3 Spring Washer

Step 3

Step 2

Step 1

Step 4

Install the clip and

M2.5x12 screw on
the end effector as
shown

Install the Allen

key, spring and
fasten as shown

Bend the flip as shown

Clip on the Jhead

with the Jhead
holder as shown

Assembling the JHead

Step 5

Step 7

Step 6

Step 8

Letting in the hot end

Put each of the
roller guide into
the vertical
beam as shown

You may adjust the side

screws to tighten or
loosen the roller tension.

Installing the timing belt

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Put the timing belt

around the carriage

Use cable tie to fasten the

belt as circled in green

Assembling the Extruder

Wiring
Cut the power supply
cable as shown

These two are

the fan cable

Black cable to the ve terminal

White cable to the +ve terminal
(It is suggested to double check the polarity
using a multimeter)

Motor Cable Pin Assignment

Blue cable to 1B pin
Red cable to 1A pin
Orange cable to 2A pin
Green cable to 2B pin

Kossel Wiring Diagram

Temp sensor

Heater

+ ve

- ve

12V Power
Supply

+ ve

- ve

Motor

Auto Level
End Stopper

X
End Stopper

Y
End Stopper

Z
End Stopper

Download the software required:

The Latest Arduino IDE (Please download the one that matches your OS):
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
The firmware on Google Drive (Unzip it to your desktop.):
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByOzdApaqtWkfnNPcGlvM01pOGF
EQVl0Q3lPdGhJUDg1WW03TzNMcWF1NzlqQW0taFVqaXc&usp=sharing
Printrun - Pronterface (Please download the one that matches your OS):
http://www.pronterface.com/
Slic3r: (Please download the one that matches your OS):
http://slic3r.org/download

Installing the Arduino IDE

Install Arduino by executing the .exe

file. Once completed, connect the
Computer to Kossel USB port. Then
verify the COM Port Number
assigned, you should see a new Port
appear in Device Manage as shown
below (eg. COM3).

Download and unzip the Firmware from Google Drive

(see P.12). Run file [Marlin_delta2/Marlin_delta2.ino]
Go to ToolsPortselect the COM port appears as
described on the left picture.

Setting the Arduino IDE

Go to Tools Board select
Arduino Mega or Mega 2560

Uploading the Sketch

Click the Upload button to upload the Firmware

Sketch to the Kossel Controller Board. Message
Done Uploading will be displayed when the
sketch has been uploaded successfully.

Connecting Pronterface to Kossel

Location of the
connect/disconnect
button

Choose COM
Port here

Choose Baud
Rate here

Run file [pronterface.exe] downloaded during in P.12. Set

COM Port as per assigned in P.13, and Baud Rate to 250000,
then click Connect. Once connection successful, messages
will be shown as seen. Ignore message SD init fail as LCD
Controller Board with SD Card not available.

Check Endstops & Auto Level Probe

Type in Code M119 in Pronterface and you should
see the following code appears:

X_max
Endstop

Z_max
Endstop

Check X_max, Y_max ,Z_max by hand:

Carriage in contact with Endstop Switch => TRIGGERED
Carriage NOT in contact with Endstop Switch => open

Check z_min by hand:

Auto Level Probe in contact with Switch (Deployed) => open
Auto Level Probe NOT in contact with Switch (Retracted) =>TRIGGERED

Y_max
Endstop

Z_min
Auto Probe Trigger

Check XYZ Carriages Homing

After pressed the Home

button, all three axis will
travel up until they hit the
endstops.

Press this button to for XYZ Homing

All XYZ Carriages will travel towards respective Endstops and slightly back
off after in contact with respective Endstop switch.
***if any of the carriage travels downward, it means you have wired you motor inversely, please
flip the wrongly wired motor pins

Verify Current Position

Type in Code M114 in Pronterface and you should

see the following code appears:

SENDING:M114
X:0.00Y:0.00Z:210.00E:0.00
If output is X:0.00Y:0.00Z:0.00E:0.00
Controller Board have lost track of positions. Please home all Axis again.

Verify Hotend Heater

Before starting:
Before switch on the Hotend,
make sure the Hotend fan is on.
Do not leave the Hotend
unattended
Click Off to cancel heating
of Hotend once Temperature
verification completed.
Select 185(PLA) and click Set to switch
on the Hotend.
Monitor the temperature until it goes up
to 185C.

Verify Extruder

Enter M302 in Pronterface then click the Extrude button, verify

extruder motor gear rotation:
Extrude Counter Clockwise Rotation
Reverse Clockwise Rotation
The firmware code #define EXTRUDE_MINTEMP 170 in
Configuration.h will prevent Extruder Motor from any
motions when Nozzle temperature is below 170C . To solve
this, enter M302 in Pronterface can enable cold
extrusion. Alternatively, you can rise the Hotend
temperature to above 170C (as in P.20) for this verification
process.
All verification completed

Extrude

Reverse

Things you need to know before Calibration

Print Space in Cartesian Coordinate
Nozzle

Z-Tower

Z-Axis

X-Tower

X-

Y-Tower
X-Axis
Y-Axis
In order to start the calibration, it is essential
to distinguish the XYZ axis and the Cartesian
coordinate illustrated above.

Things you need to know before Calibration

Nozzle

Pronterface GUI

HOME:[0,0,Z_max]

Y_max

X_min
Z_min
BED CENTER:[0,0,0]

X_max

Y_min

Boundaries of the Cartesian space are specified

by Min & Max parameters of XYZ Axis in
[Configuration.h+ of Marlin_delta2 Firmware.
Two key Coordinates needed during Calibrations
are the HOME Coordinate [0,0,Zmax] and Center
of Bed [0,0,0].

Nozzle movement can be controlled

by the GUI above, minus(-) sign
meaning to move towards the min
direction and vice versa. The
number 0.1,1,10,100 are the
magnitude of movement in mm.

Things you need to know before Calibration

HOME:[0,0,Z_max]

Nozzle

[0,0,10]

Other than GUI, the nozzle movement can also be set by

using command prompt. For example, entering g1 x0 y0
z10 will command the nozzle to move to *0,0,10+
Cartesian space. It will be usually when it comes to Auto
Leveling Calibration.

Auto Leveling Calibration

Please read through page 25-28 before sending the g29 command

Entering G29 to the command prompt will initial the

auto leveling calibration, it consist a set of continuous
procedures which eventually align Nozzle to move at
uniform Z Height above a flat Print Bed.
After sending G29, 3 procedures as below will be
automatically executed:
1. Deploy Z Probe by hand
2. Probe Print Bed (at 37 Locations)
3. Retract Z Probe by hand
Check out the Youtube video below for Auto Leveling
Calibration process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioh9LRERDy4

Auto Leveling Calibration

Deploy Z Probe
The default Z Probe deployment mechanism is by pushing the horizontal part of Z Probe against the GT2 belt on ZTower. Our Z Probe are not designed for auto deploy, it is recommended to manually deploy the Probe by hand, then
sending G28 to home before sending G29 for auto leveling. In case the auto Z Probe deployment method is
preferred, make sure the XYZ coordinates is suitable for your built and horizontal portion of Z Probe is extended.
The XYZ coordinates shown below is where the
pushing of Z Probe (in X direction) against GT2 belt
will begin from, you can try modify the coordinate
and play around with it:
void deploy_z_probe() {
feedrate = homing_feedrate[X_AXIS];
destination[X_AXIS] = 25;
destination[Y_AXIS] = 95;
destination[Z_AXIS] = 100;
prepare_move_raw();

feedrate = homing_feedrate[X_AXIS]/10;
destination[X_AXIS] = 0;
prepare_move_raw();
st_synchronize();
}

Horizontal part
of Z Probe

Auto Leveling Calibration

Z Probe Offset
It is the most important parameter to be calibrated, the displacement of leveling probes tip relative to the nozzle
tip. The offset parameter can be altered by modifying the following code in [Configuration.h+ of Marlin_delta2
Firmware.
#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET {0, -14, -4, 0}
The first slot is x-offset, y-offset, z-offset respectively. In the above case x-offset is 0, y-offset is -14 and z-offset is -4.

Leveling Probe

Nozzle

Z-axis
X-axis
Y-axis
Nozzle

Leveling Probe

Auto Leveling Calibration Procedure

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.

9.

Deploy Z Probe manually by hand. Send code M119 to verify Z_min: open
Send code G28 to home all axis.
Send code G29 to start the Auto Bed Leveling procedures.
Once completed probing at the Last Probing Point, use your fingertip as a
support to lift the Z Probe to docking position.
Send GCODE G1 X0 Y0 Z40 to center the Nozzle.
Now place a piece of A4 paper on the print bed
Use GUI to move Nozzle gradually in Z direction towards Print Bed until the
nozzle tip is in contact with the A4 paper.(The best case is when you can slide the
paper without tearing it off by the nozzle tip)
Send code M114 to verify if Z value is zero (0). If yes, G29 Calibration
completed. If the Z value is >0, take a note of the value, it will be used in next
step.
If Z Value obtained in step 8 greater than 0, reduce the Z Value in *#define
Z_PROBE_OFFSET {0, 14, -6.5, 0} [eg, if the Z value obtained in step 8 is 0.4, then add it to
Z_PROBE_OFFSET and it will become Z_PROBE_OFFSET {0, 14, -6.1, 0}]

10. Re-upload the firmware as in P.15.

All Calibration Done!

Starting your first Print

Run slic3r.exe downloaded
from P.12
Drag the file
10mm_cube.stl to the
Drag your objects here

You can download the file 10mm_cube.stl inside the Google drive link below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByOzdApaqtWkfnNPcGlvM01pOGFEQVl0
Q3lPdGhJUDg1WW03TzNMcWF1NzlqQW0taFVqaXc

Starting your first Print

After loaded the 10mm_cube.stl file, drag the cube to the left bottom of the
grid map [it is the Cartesian coordinate (X0,Y0) of the Print Bed]. This move
ensure the print start at the center of the Print Bed.

Starting your first Print

Use the following settings on the
Print Settings tab

Starting your first Print

Use the following settings on the
Filament Settings tab

Starting your first Print

Use the following settings on the
Printer Settings tab

Starting your first Print

Click the Export G-code button and
save the G-code file on your desktop

Starting your first Print

Load the G-code generated in P.34
Deploy the Z Probe
Click the Print Button to start your first print
Printer will execute the probe leveling procedure.
Retract the Z probe by hand after leveling.
The print will automatically start when the Hotend temperature reaches 210C.

The END

HAPPY PRINTING!

Trouble shooting Guide

http://reprap.org/wiki/Print_Troubleshooting_Pictorial_Guide

APPENDIX

APPENDIX