MeCreator2 setup and other information please...

[tjm3d_auto]

Hello.
I've been using my MeCreator2 successfully for about a week now but hit a couple of glitches that sidelined my printing for a day. I got it back to a somewhat normal config but I have questions that are not in the docs. It all started when I could not get a good bed leveling result. There just was not enough adjustment on the three adjustment screws to be consistent. I found that the Z-axis limit switch had two minor problems. The first was the nylon standoffs were too long and the Z-axis slide piece hit the circuit board and just barely activated the switch. Also, the switch contacts to the board were bent a little, both issues requiring the switch to be removed, the nylon standoffs to be shortened and the switch to be reinstalled and adjusted. I had changed some offsets to make it work previously and when I went back to normalize what I had changed I must have changed some settings that caused a bunch of problems. I changed a some of settings around in trial and error method and got it back to 'normal', but here's the questions. I'm sure this information will help a lot of Geeetech users if we can get it.

1. I 'upgraded' the firmware in an effort to restore any damage I may have done. The original firmware had an option to bring up the version number in the LCD window and the upgrade no longer has this option. Original was v1.0.03 . Now I don't know what it is and the info in Repetier host has a link to the Marlin firmware at github/Ultimaker/Marlin and no version numbers. I can't tell if I actually lost functionality but something definitely changed.

2. My extruder temperature now overshoots it mark and I get an overtemp or out of range error on the LCD along with an on-screen Repetier note about fixing the error and using M999 to reset. Not sure what any of that means or where to look for the overtemp error setting. All the temps in Repetier and Slic3r are accurate so far as I can tell. There's an 'autotemp' setting in the firmware list. Not sure what that does.

3. Repetier has an option in 'Config-Firmware EEEPROM Configuration' that I noticed has two fields highlighted in red as negative numbers X and Y Home Offsets. I tried some numbers in a direct effort to start printing in the exact middle of the print plate and royally screwed this up. Looking to see what numbers others have in those two boxes. After 'properly' using the 'Set Home Offsets' in the LCD firmware option those number magically became more reasonable without my intervention.

4. As I go through the load/slice/print the screen goes to Manual Control and shows the position of the extruder. X and Y show normal and accurate byut Z shows a 5mm offset that's not really there. When printing starts that number goes back to normal but It didn't do that with either the original firmware or before I started changing numbers to get the printer to work. The question is how do I get that back to reading normal? I'm not too worried about it because it doesn't appear to affect the print.

Anyway, long post, but important information. It would be nice to have a list of settings for everything showing normal ranges, especially since there is more than one way to enter parameters. Could use a doc with ALL the options and showing exactly what they do. I really don't want to crawl through the firmware code if the info is already available.

On another note, I gave up using glue sticks as a base to get the print to stick to the bed. Using blue tape stuff I now just scratch the surface of the tape with some 180 grit sand paper (lightly) and that appears to provide enough rough surface for the extrusion to grip very nicely. Tape might not last as long but it works.

thanks,
tony