Cura 5 simply doesnt open after install (resolved)

[Slashee_the_Cow 276]

Instead of running Cura over remote desktop, consider installing OctoPrint on your Z83 to connect to the printer over USB and using Cura on your main PC for slicing. It's far lighter on system resources and has a web interface which lets you upload and control prints so remote desktop isn't an issue. You can also connect a webcam so you can watch the stream from anywhere to see if your print has failed in some way (it's saved me a fair amount of filament a couple of times). I run mine from a Raspberry Pi 3B so your mini PC is more than powerful enough.

[ghbarbehenn 0]

I have Octoprint, as others have suggested it as well.  Near as I can tell it can only communicate with printers that have an IP connection?

This solution appeals to me for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the processor on the Z83 wasn't born to slice, so to speak.  But, I couldn't figure out how to have Octoprint talk to a USB printer on the Z83.  If this is possible, perhaps you could suggest where to start on figuring out how to do that?

I have a complete wired LAN, in my house, so this would work well if I can figure out how to use Octoprint with a USB connection.

[DivingDuck 105]

There are at least two ways to run Octoprint. One as a (Server-) program on a PC like in your little PC that is connected to the Printer via USB or LAN. The other way is to run Octoprint with a raspberry pi and connect this  device to the printer via USB or LAN.

[ghbarbehenn 0]

Thank you, DivingDuck, I will look into the server on my tiny PC.  Raspberry Pi is back to Linux, and not useful to me.

So, please allow me to restate what you said to improve my understanding.  The tiny PC copy of Octoprint connects to the LAN, and the 3D printer via USB.  So, that would also mean that I would have Octoprint running on my laptop (where the slicer is).  And that the laptop copy of Octoprint, would then send the gcode file to tiny PC copy of Octoprint, to feed it to the printer over USB?

If I understand Octoprint, the copy on the laptop could display progress (and apparently camera video as well), of the 3D printer relayed by the tiny PC copy?

If this is the case, it would meet all my needs.

[DivingDuck 105]

Quote

So, please allow me to restate what you said to improve my understanding.  The tiny PC copy of Octoprint connects to the LAN, and the 3D printer via USB. 

Yes.

Quote

So, that would also mean that I would have Octoprint running on my laptop (where the slicer is).

No, you use your laptop for slicing and connecting to the running instance at your mini-pc via LAN and web browser.

It is a bit tricky to set this up but it is possible to do if you don't want to use a Raspberry Pi (what I would suggest to do as this is how it works best. Try to find a used model 3).

 

Maybe a good point to look at for some ideas:

https://community.octoprint.org/t/setting-up-octoprint-on-windows/383
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10IZ1zE2Gww

 

Edit:

I forgot one link that is also mentioned from the community: https://github.com/jneilliii/OctoPrint-WindowsInstaller

 

Edited April 24 by DivingDuck

[ghbarbehenn 0]

Thank you DivingDuck, I do have it up and running on the Z83 Tiny PC.  Octoprint seems very functional, and well thought out, but it could certainly use an overview description.  It wraps a web site around a 3D printer connected locally to the PC hosting the web site.  In theory this web site could be accessed from anywhere, but security issues make it impractical to do so from anywhere but your intranet.

The interface is still file based, so it would be highly useful for Cura to talk directly to the service.  And perhaps even embed the web page into Cura, since Octoprint can only do rudimentary slicing.   I was able to point Octoprint to a local NAS for its various working folders.

But in any event, I have it up and running and have printed a small project via Octoprint.  The number and diversity of the plug-ins is significant, so the learning curve is not instantaneous.  But that is my limitation, not the tool's.

 

[jaysenodell 13]

Octoprint doesn’t slice. You misunderstand the entire purpose of the software. 
 

There is a plugin to talk directly to octoprint from cura. You need to research things a bit. Just search for the octoprint in the plugins section. 
 

I don’t think you actually understand systems as well as you think you do. You use a lot of buzz words but your last post leads me to believe that you either don’t actually understand these tool chains and workflows or you are not actually implementing them… just doing white paper studies of them. Maybe it’s a language barrier thing and there’s a translation issue, but your entire “wrap in a website” and “does rudimentary slicing” is entirely male bovine manure. 
 

I hope utilimaker can mark this thread as containing significant disinformation and exclude it from search indexes. The internet is not better with it existing. 

[ghbarbehenn 0]

Thank you for your thoughts jaysenodell, but I do understand the system.  My comments about the rudimentary nature of Octoprint's slicing were a reflection of the authoress' own comments.  Although Slic3R, arc welder, and other plugins are available to slice in Octoprint, slicing in Octoprint is deprecated.

I have loaded a variety of plug-ins and learning to play with them.

I have also now loaded the Octoprint interface plug-in, in Cura 5.7.0, linked to my 3D printer and printed a job, via this tool chain.  And I must say that worked very, very well, indeed.

The Octoprint interface connects to the interface service, and invokes the web page automagically when the a print job is sent to the printer installed, in Cura 5.7.0, as the IP device.

 

[DivingDuck 105]

@ghbarbehenn,

Glad to hear that you was able to install and run Octoprint on your Z83 Tiny PC.