Not sure if this is 3.2 beta or what-Lights out when printer not available

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I just found out how to set a printer to unavailable so that it will not start a print. But, as soon as there is no job, you press print removed, the lights go out. I do not know if this is firmware, Cura Connect or 3.2 beta.

 

But, the lights going out is not helpful as I am using that time to clean the nozzles and it makes it difficult to see clearly.

 

Is this something funky with the machine, or the way it was designed to work?

 

If designed this way, without an override on the lights (And I tried to adjust them in the system panel) I find it to be annoying since I cannot really see what is going on deep in the nozzles or printhead while not accepting jobs. Basically, a hindrance to maintenance.

[nallath 1,118]

That was how it was designed. I much preferred the old solution where it would actually use the RGB lights of the case (Changing the hue to be a bit more red), but this was removed as it would influence the brand identity too much.

 

 

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Brand Identity? I have two Ultimakers...one with a green dial and one with a blue dial LOL or is it based on a warm color combo or cool color combo?

 

But, without the ability to override the lights off mode, it starts to move away from being useful to annoying and that is the path to non usage. Between the glowing lights and the, now, lack of lights when trying to do maintenance between prints, I would have to say it is not a well thought out process.

 

Just the ability to override those things would be nice. The glowing actually hurts my eyes due to certain sensitivities I have and now it is harder to maintain the system between prints.

[cjs 34]

2 hours ago, kmanstudios said:

The glowing actually hurts my eyes

You are not alone. Wouldn't say it hurts my eyes, but it's really distracting and makes focusing hard. I think you can turn the glowing on in the machine settings on your printer. Don't know if it gets overridden by cura connect. 

I really liked the look of the print cluster shown in this post by ultimaker: https://www.instagram.com/p/BbWppS5F7EG/?taken-by=ultimaker

 

Oh man those marketing guys  Please lock them in a room with some engineers. I would bet that most engineers would prefer functional colors over brand identity. Most printers in R&D won't get seen by the public anyway. 

 

Maybe an option to configure it would be a good compromise. Ship it with the white color from stock and make it configurable. Configurable would probably be best as colors have different meanings in differen't cultures.  

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Things like the pulsing lights and such need to be reconsidered as to being overridden. Anybody remember the Pikachu Effect? It was also a plot point in "The Andromeda Strain" where they thought a woman going into seizure was infected.

 

While I do not think the frequency of the lights can do that, it does illustrate how certain visual cues can create an upset in the processing of information or sensitivities. While it is nice to be designy, I do agree that most people are not going to see the machines. Also, there are needs to be considered to allow for overriding the settings, or you can become Steve Jobs and just tell people they are holding the phone wrong.

 

If I went into a room with that setup in the instagram photo and they had a number of them pulsing, or worse, pulsing at random, it would create a real issue for me, even to the point of not being able to go into the room while that is  happening. Yay employment opportunities......

[tinkergnome 926]

7 hours ago, kmanstudios said:

Just the ability to override those things would be nice.

 

@kmanstudios

I made some python scripts based on the example from David (Inside the Ultimaker 3 - Day 3 - Remote access (part 2))

Those can be used as (kind of) an override for such things. I put them on my Google drive: python-scripts

 

You would probably have to make a copy of "led_on.py" and "led_off.py" for each printer and change the ip address accordingly.

And you would have to install Python 3.5 or newer (if you do not already have it).

And you have to confirm access to the printer on the first use.

Afterwards you can switch the light on and off at any time with a double click on the file (that's how i use it a.t.m.).

 

 

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Many thanks @tinkergnome.

 

But, right now, my plate is so loaded I am going to avoid this for the moment and just put up with it. Part of it is also because I am not happy about someone making a decision on what my printer should do in such an instance that does not really involve functionality. I am going to copy the materials just for the future when I am ready though.

 

For the time being I am just ignoring the disable thingy and letting it sit when it is telling me to change configuration. At least the lights are on and I can access all controls to do maintenance between prints.

 

Fortunately, I can stop the pestering glow because as soon as I hit print cleared, it tells me to change materials and I can catch it before it begins to get too dark in its pulsing pattern.

 

And, until I study python, it may not be a good idea. I know just enough programming to be dangerous. Not a good combo....especially for the guy that just jumps in and does things, figuring it out as I go along. Could be a good way to brick a lot of money.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I just noticed that my lights blink out on the printer when Cura Connect loses contact with the printer. I can see the icon in the Web interface grey out and see the lights go out at the same time. It will happen on one or the other and every once in a while, both.