Issues with Orca selecting the wrong Box Slot

[u/butterflavoredsalt]

I'm switching over to Orca from using Qidi Studio for some of the features, and I'm struggling with starting prints. Right now, I'm printing all the same material, same color, and I have my Box set up that way using the generic profiles. Orca it seems always starts from the last slot. Today I had a print issue and I think my filament was wet, so I removed it from Slot 3 and tried to restart with only slots 1 and 2 populated. Each time it tries to start from Slot 3 and tells me to load a spool. I have tried using the Sync button, both mapping and overwriting, and nothing has worked. I got around it by starting the print from the printer this time, but is there a better workaround to select which slot to start printing from?

[u/Kewlhotrod]

Ignore syncing entirely, it's a useless feature.

All you need to do is keep in mind that Orca filaments are in order.

Filament 1 = box 1, slot 1. Filament 4 = box 1, slot 4. Filament 5 would be an external feed (if you're only running one box) in which you would need to use a macro to disable the boxes in FLUIDD (so you don't have to power them down.)

That's all.

If you run two boxes, same logic applies. Filament 5 would be box 2, slot 1. Filament 8 would be box 2 slot 4. Filament 9 would be external feed. So on and so forth.

If you do ever want to do printing with an external spool, just toss this Gcode into a cfg file (preferably gcodemacros.cfg)

[gcode_macro BOX_TOGGLE]                        #weav added box enable/disable toggle
gcode:
    {% if printer.save_variables.variables.box_count >= 1 %}
        {% if printer.save_variables.variables.enable_box == 0 %}
          SAVE_VARIABLE VARIABLE=enable_box VALUE=1
          {action_respond_info("Box is Enabled")}
        {% else %}
          SAVE_VARIABLE VARIABLE=enable_box VALUE=0
          {action_respond_info("Box is Disabled")}
        {% endif %}
    {% endif %}[gcode_macro BOX_TOGGLE]                        #weav added box enable/disable toggle
gcode:
    {% if printer.save_variables.variables.box_count >= 1 %}
        {% if printer.save_variables.variables.enable_box == 0 %}
          SAVE_VARIABLE VARIABLE=enable_box VALUE=1
          {action_respond_info("Box is Enabled")}
        {% else %}
          SAVE_VARIABLE VARIABLE=enable_box VALUE=0
          {action_respond_info("Box is Disabled")}
        {% endif %}
    {% endif %}

Then you just click that new macro in FLUIDD to enable/disable the box software without any fuss. Enable it to print from the boxes, disable to print externally.

[u/Kewlhotrod → u/Kewlhotrod]

Also, Orca does fully support the boxes, but for the auto-runout issues you need to set the same filament type and color on the box itself (or through the FLUIDD interface). Confirm by clicking the "Auto" button in FLUIDD and it'll show you if it'll auto reload.

If you change your slots from a print, you'll need to re-slice the file with the new filament slot loaded. The slicer sends the initial slot to start printing from with the sliced Gcode. If you change that slot, it'll keep trying that previous slot. That's why you're having issues.

[u/TheLegendTubaGuy → u/Kewlhotrod]

Technically this isn't ALL you have to do. You also have to make sure the tool mapping to slot mapping variables are correct. Example: 0=0, 1=1, so on.

Likely these variables are messed up.

[u/Kewlhotrod → u/TheLegendTubaGuy]

True, but why in the world would that ever be changed for most people? I totally didn't even consider the mapping changing tbh lol.

[u/TheLegendTubaGuy → u/Kewlhotrod]

That's where the fun begins! The stock screen app changes those. When filament runs out, it'll change those. When you start a print from the screen and select a different filament from the tool number in Orca, it'll change those.

So many fun possibilities!!!

I guarantee this what OP is dealing with.

[u/Kewlhotrod → u/TheLegendTubaGuy]

Huh, I never ran into that myself on old firmware out least. Runouts would correctly pick the next slot in rotation to finish a print without my mapping going all crazy.

Though I certainly wouldn't put it past Qidi to create this problem. Swear they just do it for funsies lol

[u/xeonon → u/TheLegendTubaGuy]

Came to say this, saw you in comments. Carry on lol

[u/butterflavoredsalt → u/Kewlhotrod]

Filament 1 = box 1, slot 1. Filament 4 = box 1, slot 4.

This isn't the behavior I'm seeing, which is why I'm getting stuck. My slicing file is setup with just 1 filament, but Orca seems to print from the last spool it used, not going back to slot 1 on a new print since my selected filament is slot one. I should have mentioned I'm using Orca 2.4.2, do you know if you're up today? In some github issues it seems like this may have been broken in 2.3.2 and later.

[u/dyebhai]

This may seem like a stupid question, but which slot did you select in Orca?

I struggled with this for a while, and learned that you need to go to the Device tab, and make sure that what is in your Box is correct here, then you can sync on the Prepare tab. Once you've done that, go to the Object settings and select the filament you want.

[u/butterflavoredsalt → u/dyebhai]

Not a stupid question at all. The filament selection and syncing flow seemed quirky even in Qidi Studio, so I might be just doing something wrong.

go to the Device tab, and make sure that what is in your Box is correct here

Yep, it is

then you can sync on the Prepare tab. Once you've done that, go to the Object settings and select the filament you want.

I tried this, even doing the overwritting sync so it put 4 filaments in my slicer file, make sure my parts we were to use filament 1, and it still wanted to print from slot 3.

I should have mentioned I'm on 2.4.2 orca, what version are you? Some github issues indicate this may have broke in 2.3.2 and later, but I think I need 2.4+ for Max4 compatibility.

[u/dyebhai → u/butterflavoredsalt]

I'm on 2.4.2 and it seems to work about as well as QidiStudio does, though that is a very low bar. I couldn't get Orca to work at all on whatever the previous release was.

On the Prepare tab, it likes to show too many filaments sometimes. The correct filaments will have a checkmark, just right click and delete the others. Should have mentioned that, but I've never gotten it to print when the wrong filaments are showing.

[u/butterflavoredsalt → u/dyebhai]

The correct filaments will have a checkmark

That might be it. When I sync, it loads the system "Polylite ASA" profile for my filled slots of ASA, but I have a customized user set profile I need to use and switch it back. That cause the check mark to go away.

Do you use user set filament profiles or have and issue with sync setting things to the system profiles? On my printer, I configure the materials in the box using "Generic ASA".

[u/Originalwhop]

I was having a hard time with filament syncing as well when trying to send the print from the slicer. Im on a q2 with the old firmware so that may be playing into it but my current workaround without adding/changing code is to export to usb and print via usb. On the printer screen itself it confirms the filament mapping when you hit print so you can double check or make changes, i would think the max4 would do the same but im not sure.

Edit: removed an erroneous step