I want to control my Mini with a Raspberry Pi, but I am not sure what model and accessories to get. I want to be able to control my Lulzbot Mini, ideally via Wifi. Would a kit like this be all I need?
So I went back to look through the Octoprint Raspberry Pi 3 thread…
The good news is the nightly works. The bad news is you won’t have a GUI desktop. So… you may need to know some linux to set custom settings. If you own a Mac, you’ll be able to mount the SD and get to some of the configuration files. Static IP comes to mind.
If you get stuck, come back here… I’ll try to help. I’ve got RPi 3 in a box on my desk. Since my current RPi is fine, I’m not in a hurry to update.
Mine isn’t a Pi3, but the process should be about the same. You write the image to the SD card, I usually use “dd” on a Mac. A few CLI commands is all, but be warned that “dd” is also known as “Disk Destroyer”, be absolutely sure you specify the right disk. On Mac, everything it knows how to read is auto-mounted, and you can’t dd a mounted disk, you also can’t unmount the system drive, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble.
Then pop the SD into the Pi and power it on. For the IP I just assigned it a static lease in the router, then rebooted the Pi so it would pick up the changes. I didn’t need any other settings that aren’t available in the web interface.
A question for those of you using Pi/Octoprint: What do you use when you need “local” control, standing at the printer – for example, when purging/loading/priming filament? Do you carry a phone/tablet with you to the printer, or what?
I did not follow any guides, just a familiarity with RPi’s. (been using them for media/file servers, emulators, etc since the original). I also did not screw around with any nightly releases etc. Stability is worth more than features…
Also I would not bother with an RPi_3, for my own various reasons.
Here’s some links, I can’t vouge for their usefulness apart from the official doc’s.
My printer is in my office, so I have a PC there. I also use my phone over wifi and/or VPN with Chrome. There are some options for local touchscreens like the tablet mount posted already. There’s also a touchscreen that connects to the pi directly and presents a local UI. I was going to try that, but found my phone did the job.
Are you using a Mac? If so, there’s an app called Pi Baker which is GUI driven. Afpytter loading the image, put the SD card into the RPi and connect the RPi to the printer’s USB. Connect the USB camera to the RPi. Plug in the microUSB into the RPi for power.
If all goes well, you should be able to type http://octopi.local into your browser and connect to the RPi running Octoprint. It should prompt you for a new admin username and password.
You’ll need to get into the settings menu, and setup a printer under Printer Profiles. Add a new profile and input the dimensions of the Mini’s print bed. Save, and put click the Star.
Exit out of the settings menu, and click Connect. Upload a g-code, preheat the bed and extruder. When the temps are reached, click Print. Once you get the hang of it, set the print to wait for the extruder temp to stabilize for a bit more automation.
Not really sure what to do at this point, this is already way over my head haha. I think I am close. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Edit: I assigned a static IP to my Pi and went to it on my browser so I am now using Octoprint. Not sure if this is skipping an important step or not. My first print has started and everything looks good, thanks guys!