Retraction issues. It seems I cannot get retraction to work, - 3D

Retraction issues. It seems I cannot get retraction to work, no matter what I try, leaving me with the strings & blobs pictured below. I’ve tried different retraction settings (0.5 to 1 mm for ABS on my E3Dv5 hotend) in Slic3r (upgraded to 1.0RC2 now), none of which solve the basic issue that the extruder DOES NOT retract at all. I’ve verified my firmware is configured correctly (Max E feedrate set to 50mm/s), and even verified that I can retract at 1800mm/min in pronterface, but while watching

Retraction issue at layer change - UltiMaker Cura - UltiMaker

How to avoid 3D printing stringing? - Official Articles

Is this a retraction problem or something else? – How do I print

Voxelab Aquila 3D Printer Review, Unboxing, Testing

Configuring Retraction Settings for PLA - Detailed Guide - 3D

Configuring Retraction Settings for PLA - Detailed Guide - 3D

Setting retractions correctly

How to Avoid 3D Printing Issues Using Retraction Settings - 3D Insider

Stringing or Oozing Simplify3D Software

3D Printer Retraction Speed – Simply Explained

Retraction: Just say No to oozing

How to Fix 3D Printer Retraction Issues

What is retraction in a 3D slicing software ? - FLASHFORGE