Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders  

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

I forgot to lubricate my linear bearings after 1800 hours. They started squeaking. Would have been nice to get a reminder that I surpassed the 200 hour mark (multiple times). 

Is there a better place to request firmware features? Github?

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

Github is where the developers lurk. 

regards Joan

If a machine is unused for six months and not maintained because the useage hours have not elapsed it is likely to fail in several ways, so:

Rather than hours used (I know Prusa's recommendation) I prefer regular by date.  Once a month works for me. 

Cheerio,

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

Rather than hours used (I know Prusa's recommendation) I prefer regular by date. 

I understand. Everyone's situation is going to be different. For now, my GitHub request will just stick to usage hours as recommended.
The maintenance reminder system could be in-depth and ask you all sorts of questions (is your printer enclosed? how dusty is your environment? etc.) to determine an appropriate maintenance schedule. 

I just want maintenance to be taken more seriously (myself included). It is, after all, one of the key selling points of these printers. My car reminds me when it's time... these printers should too in my opinion.

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

I, on the other hand, think that the developers have far more important things ahead of them than this. Maintenance intervals are strictly individual and depend on many circumstances related to the printer. If someone has it at home next to the computer in a clean and dry environment, then they do not have to worry about the printer as much, unlike someone who has the printer somewhere in the garage or basement in a dusty and often humid environment. Likewise, there will be a difference in the maintenance of a printer somewhere in the tropics and a printer located somewhere in the Nordic states. Just one more time: this is completely individual and I certainly wouldn't burden the developer with it, even if the function is completely trivial, because the printer monitors its operation and writes it into internal statistics.

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

All of that is true, but showing a little reminder at some interval would be a typical case of „low hanging fruit“: it can be implemented in a few minutes, it will help many people and when it doesn‘t help, it doesn‘t cause any harm, either.

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

Maintenance warnings are standard on most all industrial machine tools today.  Just another catchup for 3D printers. 

RE: Firmware Feature Request - Maintenance Reminders

I, on the other hand, think that the developers have far more important things ahead of them than this.

I disagree, and so do many others. This feature has been requested multiple times on github, dating all the way back to 2019. It's slated to be added to the MK3 on the next firmware version. 
These printers are marketed as a "3D printing workhorse." It's time for the software to catch up with the times and remind users not to forget about maintenance like vhubbard just said. If 5% of users choose to ignore every 3rd 200 hour reminder because they have a filtered air enclosure... then so be it. Just like I ignore every other oil change reminder on my car because I use synthetic oil. It would be a reminder, not a requirement. Personally, I'm not interested in manually tracking the print hours and determining when to apply lubricant. Machines are better at counting.

Also, with input shaping, maintenance is more important than ever. A quote from Input Shaper Prusa Knowledge Base: "We strongly suggest performing basic maintenance on the MK4 before you start to use the Input shaper to achieve the best possible print performance."