OctoPrint: Lulzbot Mini Printer Profile

We are deploying Octopi, a Raspberry Pi based operating system to run our Lulzbot Mini 3D printer. This makes the printer available to all network user via a web interface.

http://octoprint.org/

Unfortunately we found that there is no default printer profile available for Lulzbot Mini on this OS. Adafruit has some information for Lulzbot TAZ and there few posts about Octoprint in the Lulzbot forums.

https://learn.adafruit.com/octoprint-open-source-host-software/configuring-octoprint-for-lulzbot-taz

Can someone help! Thanks!

Shouldn’t be much to configure in Octoprint. Add and fill out the Printer Profile for the Mini… get the bed dimensions from the product page.

That should be it.

I actually printed with the default settings before I set up the Mini profile and it worked fine. Here is my Mini Profile:

Name: Lulzbot Mini
Identifier: luzlbot_mini
Moldel: Mini
Color: Black
Form Factor: Rectangular
Origin: Lower Left
Volume
X: 152 mm
Y: 152 mm
Z: 158 mm
Heated Bed: Check
Axis
X: 4800 mm/min
Y: 4800 mm/min
Z: 1002 mm/min
E: 300 mm/min
Invert Control: Not Checked
Nozzle Diameter: 0.5 mm
Number of Extruders: 1

Thank you for the prompt response. Much appreciated.

First time Octoprint user here. So i gather that instead of importing a printing profile for the lulzbot mini that instead you just make one in the octopi web interface itself (as evidenced in this thread)? Another thread posted different settings for their mini including inverting the y-axis here: https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/octoprint-and-the-lulzbot-mini/2783/1

My biggest question is how do you get the homing functions to work correctly in Octoprint? Or do you all just make sure to never home your machine in Octoprint? Or does the homing routine get imported each time when you upload your already sliced gcode files? I just tried homing my mini within the web interface just to see if it would work (which i did not expect it to) and it failed to stop with the back y-axis endstop. Since we know that lulzbot machines to not home to the standard bottom left hand corner like all other CNC machines this creates a problem when OctoPrint assumes all machine home states are the same. Is there a way to configure this?

Yes, you just create the profile via the Octoprint settings page. I do recommend you “invert” the Y axis, but all this does is change whether the “up” or “down” arrow in octoprint sends a positive or negative Y movement when pressed. If you don’t invert, pressing the “up” arrow will move the bed forward. If you do invert, pressing the “up” arrow will move the bed back, which is generally more intuitive for most people.

Technically, the printer profile settings are stored in a file and (assuming someone gives you a file) you can copy it to the pi filesystem using something like SCP. That would save entering the values manually. But generally speaking, that’s more trouble than just entering the values. (I will attach my profile file in case you want it. You need to remove the “.txt” extension, then transfer it to folder /home/pi/.octoprint/printerProfiles on Octopi, then restart Octoprint. You can then select the file and make it default via the Octoprint settings. Note that the X/Y/Z speeds specified are used by the Octoprint controls, so these will vary according to personal preference (I like them a bit slower – YMMV)).

Homing is a firmware function. Octoprint simply sends a “home” command (G28) to the printer, and it is totally up to the firmware to process it. None of the profile values have any effect on that. It is all up to the firmware.

Stopping at the endstop is a printer hardware (switch, wiring, Rambo) function. Again, nothing to do with Octoprint. Your printer should ALWAYS stop at the Y endstop, even if commanded to go further (i.e., past min or max). If it doesn’t, there is something wrong with the endstop switch, wiring, board, or firmware. If you command the printer to move past any endstop, the firmware should still see the endstop trigger and STOP when it gets there.
lulzbot_mini.profile.txt (416 Bytes)

Thanks.

Nevermind. I had pressed the home x and y in Octoprint and when the y-axis had hit the back switch i could clearly hear a motor still running. I had assumed it was the y-axis motor. It turns out i forgot i had unhooked my x-axis belt for maintenance. One of those forehead moments. But your right it seems to have been a limit switch problem. not that i have a bad limit switch, but that my x carriage never reached home because of a missing belt. I had a feeling i was missing something incredibly simple.

But thanks for the profile file!

Does it not work for you to manage the models and settings in Cura, save the .gcode, then upload the .gcode to the Pi for printing? This is the method we use at our makerspace.
Bonus points for faster slicing with the additional horsepower and RAM of a desktop/ laptop.

This is what I do (and recommend) as well. I like to slice/preview on the PC, where it’s a lot faster, and just let Octoprint spool the completed gcode files.

I installed Samba on the Pi3 and configured it to share the /home/pi/.octoprint/watched folder, then created a persistent network connection (drive O:) from my Windows PC.

When done tweaking/slicing/previewing using Cura or S3D on the PC, I simply save the .gcode file to drive O:\ (the “watched” folder in Octoprint). Octoprint sees it and immediately “uploads” it into the list of files to be loaded/printed.

I installed Samba on the Pi3 and configured it to share the /home/pi/.octoprint/watched folder, then created a persistent network connection (drive O:) from my Windows PC.

When done tweaking/slicing/previewing using Cura or S3D on the PC, I simply save the .gcode file to drive O:\ (the “watched” folder in Octoprint). Octoprint sees it and immediately “uploads” it into the list of files to be loaded/printed.

I use Cura on macOS (and a laptop) to do this similarly-- I “accidentally” discovered that I could drag a .gcode file from Finder directly into the OctoPrint browser window, and that will upload the file.

So I set up a Single-Site Browser (SSB) for my lulzbot mini OctoPi server. Now, in Cura, whenever I saved the gcode, I click on the disk icon in the “save” message at the bottom of the Cura plater scene that comes up. This opens Finder in the location where the file saved, and highlight/selects the output .gcode file. I drag this file into the OctoPi browser window, and viola, it uploads .gcode file to the octopi server.

I like the sound of SMB file mappings to a drive, and that is a neat solution for a desktop. The drag-and-drop way avoids any messiness with SAMBA mappings, persistence over reboot, leaving my home network, etc. that I would need to deal with on my laptop, I think. And it works “out-of-the-box” on default OctoPi configuration without any need for setup.

Thanks for the all information, this is very hepfull to me.

Hello,

Is this printer is best for 3D printing?? because my working will depend on the printer & I’m looking for the best printer I already have a printer but I want to do heavy work on it.
Please share some information.
Thanks…

Onsite scanning