Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro no USB connection from Cura 5.6

[PeterM7 0]

I have a new Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro and I am using Cura 5.6 Appimage on Linux Kubuntu 22.04. I have removed the old printer and added this printer from the Cura menu, but after slicing my project It never shows 'Print via USB'  as it did with the old printer. Lsusb shows that the printer is connected.  I can't find anything in the Elegoo setup that suggests that I need to Enable USB connection. 

Can anyone suggest a fix please? 

 

[GregValiant 1,351]

There isn't a lot you can do if they won't talk to each other.  USB Printing is a legacy piece of Cura.  It isn't really supported anymore and is rarely updated.  If it works, it works and if it doesn't, then it doesn't.  You may have run into one of the reasons why.  There are thousands of different:  computer, USB port, driver, and firmware combinations.  Trying to get USB printing to work with all of them isn't possible, so no one wants to put the effort into even attempting it.  If Elegoo changed suppliers for the USB port on the mainboard, then it might require different drivers on the computer.

 

Check the properties of the computer USB ports and see if a port driver has any configured as a Serial Port.  You will probably need the printer connected to check.

Sometimes an operating system will make the driver installation for a specific port rather than allowing just any port on the computer to work with the printer.  Try plugging the printer in to different USB ports.  You might find one that works.  Cura can take a while for Cura to locate a port and connect to it.

 

In the Cura Marketplace are two versions of "USB Printing".  By default the original version is enabled.

Go to the Marketplace and click on the "Gear" icon.  Scroll down and disable "USB Printing".  Then go to the regular "Plugins" tab and scroll down to "USB Printing NG" and install that one.  Quit and restart Cura.

Sometimes it takes a several minutes for Cura to poll all the possible ports while it looks for the printer port.  Sometimes it just fails.

 

[PeterM7 0]

Thank you.   I had heard similar from somewhere else, but didn't know whether to believe it.  Is it the case that most slicing software doesn't use USB communications from the computer any more? PrusaSlicer  indicates that it no longer supports Pronterface. I would rather print via a USB cable connection than SD card, as I like to see what is happening. 

 

Peter M.

[Dustin 160]

Its not recommended to print over USB cable at all with any modern computer or 3d printer (of any brand)

Is way too unreliable, and even when there is a configuration where it does work.
You have high risk of print fail due to the computer putting a USB device to sleep or the computer to sleep when your not actively using it. Or when windows update decides its going to install a update and reboot your computer which will fail your print.

There is also just the fact that if any application crashes on your computer while printing, this can also induce a print failure even if the slicer application wasn't what crashed.

[PeterM7 0]

Thank you again. I just restored Cura 4.5 , but it could not find the elegoo printer t install, so I can't test that. I'll accept this and print from SD card.

 

Fini.

 

[GregValiant 1,351]

I wrote a little app for Windows.  You can control the printer through the USB and monitor the printer responses and send various commands.  It's kind of like Pronterface.

Select a file from the USB, print it, see what the printer is doing, tune a print, etc.  It doesn't print over the USB but rather controls the printer via the USB.

If you want to take a look here it is.  It's an unsigned app so if you try to install it you will probably need to explain to your anti-virus what you are doing.

Unzip the file and run Setup.

Greg's SD Print Tool

Edited January 2 by GregValiant