Running OctoPrint with Stock Cube3

[Smokingenius]

Greetings Forums,

I was wondering if anyone has looked down this rabbit hole. I know OctoPrint is a great resource for many of the printers out there, but to my knowledge I haven't been able to come across any materials in my research in getting it to work with the Cube3. Now I know there have been several users here and several threads on converting the Cube3 to marlin based firm. At this moment in time I am just looking to use the printer as is, with modifications to the filament delivery of course. I started playing with the Cubify slicer and I find it lacking. I would rather use Slic3r, or maybe S3D (I have seen the how-to thread on the latter) with the Cube3. I know there is a long thread about BFB and the Cube decoder/encoder, which if Slicer3r is able to generate I am happy to go that route. Better still, if OctoPrint can just do the encode on the fly that would be nice. I dunno, I am just musing at the moment.

I'd love to here anyone's thoughts or ideas on integrating OctoPrint, most likely via an OctoPi, to the Cube3.

Regards.

[buddybu]

Welcome Smokingenius.

In my opinion, the biggest obstacles to overcome are:

1. Temperature bias handling between the two nozzles
2. Proprietary bfb or g-code.
3. Communicating with the cube to send files.
4. Generating the headers for the printer

For the 3rd one, I have been working on getting a way to send files to the printer without using the 3DSystems tools, like Cube-print. This is a work in progress.

[TommyDee]

Start with finding out of Octoprint has a BFB profile fo rthe slicer. This will give you the right format. After that, you basically have a Cura on your hands.

[Smokingenius]

Start with finding out of Octoprint has a BFB profile fo rthe slicer. This will give you the right format. After that, you basically have a Cura on your hands.

I will be sure to do that. I haven't had much time recently with work, but hopefully soon I can sit down with the OctoPrint code and see what it can do. If it can spit out BFB and its usable, then hooking in MyThander's BFB to cube3 code converter would be awesome. Since I can get the source from GitHub it should be easy enough to compile for ARM.


@bubbybu with your work in getting files to transmit to the Cube3, would it be useful then to go through the USB-A port rather than the UBS-B port since its supposed to read files from the USB-A with a thumb drive plugged in? Just a thought, never head of anyone doing that as its not really intended for that purpose. I know I saw you all having some discussion about using the default Microsoft 3D print drivers for the unit and working with those. I assume that is how your currently talking that beast?

[buddybu]

Well, TBH, I never really got the Microsoft drivers working. I know that @TommyDee did at one point and was able to print from Microsoft 3DBuilder. I have had some interesting and time consuming personal events during this time of social distancing, so I have not been able to focus much on the transformation.

I do know that in order to use the USB-A port, which you normally plugin a thumb drive, in order to dynamically provide files, whatever you plug into that port must be able to emulate a thumb drive.

[TommyDee]

And it can blow you USB port or your computer. The square right side port is the PC port. The driver is bogus in general.

[Smokingenius]

The only way I would see it working is to use a buffer, like a custom STM32F0 chip, and it plays comms intermediary between the printer and the computer. However, the chip would just be a buffer and act like a RAM version of a thumb drive, you would still need to use the printer to select the file from the intermidiary device as if it was a thumb drive. I have designed some interconnect chips before at work, but this isn't the correct solution for this in thinking about it further. You would want to use the USB-B plug side as that is how it already operates with the printer.

[TommyDee]

It isn't that smart. The Microsoft drivers are provided by 3DS. They are identical to the Cube3 CubePrint app and uses a different filename (prefixed 3dsystems_). All you can do is submit an STL-group to the slicer and let it run your print. Administrators privileges Only lets you have additional control but nothing that we need.

[tinyjuggling]

Since I can get the source from GitHub it should be easy enough to compile for ARM.

[buddybu]

I am wondering if I should get back to work on the ability to wirelessly send files to the Cube without using the CubePrint software.... I had a proof-of-concept working, but it was very rough.