Remove SD card

[3d-magic 0]

Question: Is it possible to remove the SD card from the UM2 while it is printing? Or does it read the card during the print?

 

[gr5 2,167]

It needs the card. A typical print might be 100MB and the mega2560 doesn't have anywhere near that kind of memory. The computing power of the Arduino mega2560 makes a cell phone look like a super computer.

However there are people experimenting with ARM technology (the computer in a cell phone). People who don't work for Ultimaker but Ultimaker is all open source and these other people are open source so... it's going to happen. It's being watched carefully. It's exciting. With ARM technology we could have some things a cell phone has - like a nice little color touch screen and wifi.

 

[3d-magic 0]

Thank you gr5, then I will leave the SD card in the printer. An additional question on which you probably know the answer:

What is the purpose of the USB cable connected to the printer? Do I only have to connect it for a firmware update? Up to now I've kept my printer connected to the PC, but since it reads the data from the SD card, I don't see the reason to keep the printer connected.

 

[gr5 2,167]

Mostly for firmware upgrade. Sometimes I do tests and diagnostics and control my printer through the USB using prontrface - a very simple to use GUI which can send any command or just move the axes around or whatever. You have much more control. For example you can cut power to an individual stepper, home only one of the 3 axes and much more. But I rarely have the printer connected to USB:

printrun/pronterface/prontrface download:

http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/

 

 

[3d-magic 0]

Thanks for the info!