Feedback on WiFi printing upgrade

[thopiekar 46]

I'm not often here on the forum, but I often saw people asking for additional WiFi printing support.

So on the one hand the solution exists to use OctoPrint with @fieldOfView 's plugin.

So my question is: Are there people out there, which are still interested in a WiFi printing solution without using OctoPrint? If so, what are your reasons? Which printer do you own?

What would you expect from the WiFi printing addon? Where would you like to use your WiFi-powered printer? Would you mind, if the data transfer is not encrypted inside your network, when your printer is connected to your access point?

Regards

[neotko 1,417]

I would love a solution like octoprint but more ready to plug, I mod enough stuff and after seeing all the octoprint process and options I would love a simple kit to plug and forget about it that included wifi print & camera.

Encryption I don't care since I don't give my router password to anyone but I see that having a paired system could be interesting. I use 3 umo+ and one um3.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Guest

[thopiekar 46]

I would love a solution like octoprint but more ready to plug, I mod enough stuff and after seeing all the octoprint process and options I would love a simple kit to plug and forget about it that included wifi print & camera.

Encryption I don't care since I don't give my router password to anyone but I see that having a paired system could be interesting. I use 3 umo+ and one um3.

 

Thank you for your quick reply. How would you like to use your printer at this time? Would it be comfortable for you, you had your PC turned on during your print? Like known when printing via USB? Or would you expect to have your G-Code sent to your printer and have it saved there temporary?

[neotko 1,417]

I would really want to just send the gcode to the printer, having the computer on for me would be a no-nothanks. Bare minimum I would like to store it on the sdcard of the machine and send the gcode go print that file (or something alike).

I never ever printed using the usb, mostly because my printers are one floor upstairs than my computer. Also leaving a computer on just to print fells like a waste having a sdcard on the printer already.

[thopiekar 46]

I would really want to just send the gcode to the printer, having the computer on for me would be a no-nothanks. Bare minimum I would like to store it on the sdcard of the machine and send the gcode go print that file (or something alike).

I never ever printed using the usb, mostly because my printers are one floor upstairs than my computer. Also leaving a computer on just to print fells like a waste having a sdcard on the printer already.

 

Thanks! This info is very useful. How much would you invest for such an upgrade at maximum?

[Labern 775]

I would also just want a kit to plug in and go.

It would be good if it would power off the main board as I don't want to have to plug more stuff in the wall.

Has to have camera.

Send file from Cura and print just like um3 does and be able to turn computer off.

App for mobile for remote viewing. I want to be able to view it from outside my home network and pause of cancel if something goes wrong.

Message phone when print is done.

[frederiekpascal 193]

I used Octoprint for several months but I recently switched to Repetier Server (https://www.repetier-server.com/) combined with a raspberry pi3 and the 7" Touchscreen.

There is also a repetier iOS app which sends me a notification when my print is finished or when there was an error.

I'm using a no-ip.biz domain, opened the correct port on my router for the raspberry pi and I was set to go.

I couldn't be more happy with this solution. Octoprint looked a bit oldskool compared to Repetier server.

I'm sending gcodes wireless from my macbook to my printer and start the print. Works like a charm!

[thopiekar 46]

Ok, thanks. The reason I'm asking is that I've go currently a idea how to make WiFi printing possible like @neotko expects it to work.

Any other setup, like adding a camera, etc., would need a greater investment. Finally buying a RPi, installing OctoPi and adding a webcam, is no problem anymore.

I already have a board here lying around, but powering it only for OctoPrint doesn't make any sense to me. I already tried to get OctoPrint running on my NAS and yes, it works great, but my NAS misses the USB-serial converter drivers, so nothing useful at the end. (Yes, it slices!)

For those who are interested:

https://github.com/thopiekar/octoprint-qnap-qpkg

Maybe you're lucky with your UM printers and your QNAP provides the driver for you. Feel free to continue my work in this repository.

As it seems that there is no huge interest in a simple printing via WiFi (with SD caching?) solution, I probably should suspend investigations in this direction.

However, any new feedback on this is welcome!

[ahoeben 1,991]

My advice would be to forget SD-card caching. Writing data to the SD-card over the USB port is horrendously slow, almost as slow as printing the whole file.

I am curious to know what hardware you are planning to use that is simpler/cheaper than a raspberry pi. Are you thinking of just a Wifi-serial-bridge? That would mean you need to keep your Cura PC running, which would a lot more wasteful than running OctoPrint on a raspberry pi.

Doesn't the Doodle3d box act that way? (it is a router, with hacked firmware)

http://doodle3d.com/

Edited November 22, 2016 by Guest

[neotko 1,417]

Just thinking outloud..

Wouldn't it be easier t be easier to get a A20OlinuXino board (55-60€ ), download the um3 firmware into with some mods/hack&chop, add a usb wifi to the board (since the port on um3 is used for the small screen but for this it won't be needed), then debug how they connect by a serial port to the um2 board (the cable doesn't seem much complex)

https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/A20/A20-OLinuXino-MICRO/open-source-hardware

It should be possible and make small mods to reuse their great work to make um2 wifi/webcam boxes to install on umo+/um2 systems...

For example for umo/um2 it could be great if Ultimaker uses their already existing knowhow and make a20boards with a webcam to stick and a power/serial bridge to the um2 boards and sell them on small white boxes ready to stick under our printers.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Guest

[Labern 775]

It would be so easy for UM to sell and upgrade kit to do just that. Seeing they already have the gear, it's just a matter of having a enclosure that screws into the raspberry pi screw holes in the base on the UM2's and new firmware etc.

[ahoeben 1,991]

Wouldn't it be easier to get a A20OlinuXino board (55-60€ ), download the um3 firmware...

Easier than what?

 

It certainly won't be easier (or cheaper) than getting a Raspberry Pi 3 (~35 euro) which has onboard Wifi, download a ready-to-use OctoPi image, and use the OctoPrintPlugin. The OctoPrint plugin gives you pretty much the same experience as UM3 when it comes to printing and monitoring, except for the handling/detecting of materials. Fun fact: the OctoPrint plugin is a fork of the UM3 Network Printing plugin (thanks @nallath !).

[neotko 1,417]

Easier to have a homogeneous ecosystem, we already have many abandoned systems (umo/umo+/um2) firmwares, and using the same used on um3 could allow for a integrated solution easier to maintain and upgrade.

Easier to keep the old machines into the current developed system, easier to get replacements, easier to get users that don't program like you into installing a ready to plug box sold by ultimaker. Easier to plug into umo+/um2 boards using the adapters made by Ultimaker for this.

So, somehow easier.

[nallath 1,124]

Easier to have a homogeneous ecosystem, we already have many abandoned systems (umo/umo+/um2) firmwares, and using the same used on um3 could allow for a integrated solution easier to maintain and upgrade.

We already made sure that it's "easy" to support different API types from cura (hence there being a plugin for both OctoPrint & UM3).

Easier to keep the old machines into the current developed system, easier to get replacements, easier to get users that don't program like you into installing a ready to plug box sold by ultimaker.

It's not being sold by ultimaker as is. So if you want a solution now, i think ahoeben is right.

Easier to plug into umo+/um2 boards using the adapters made by Ultimaker for this.

Easier than plugging in a usb cable? If we ever backport the UM3 board to the um2, I expect it to be harder than that.

[neotko 1,417]

Yea well, I mean a Wifi Upgrade. Ok, so is easier to program and setup an octoprint (for you) than opening a white plastic and plug a cable. Sure. Nevermind, is like.. meh

[ahoeben 1,991]

It's not white, but there are ready-to-go OctoPrint kits:

http://www.watterott.com/en/Raspberry-Pi-3-OctoPrint-Bundle

I do get your point though. The thing is, that upgrade does not exist, and OctoPrint does.

[thopiekar 46]

 

@ahoeben: at least a part of the price goes to Gina. I personally love when sellers are respecting the work of other individuals.