Network Connectivity.....
Ive never used the network with my MK3S+ and OctoPrint - just never had a need to as my laptop is on the same desk as my printer so it was just as easy to use the SD Card. However, considering its now built in to the MK4 I may give it a try.
WiFi will not be used - my router is on the same desk so I will be using ethernet.
So how does this work?
If I send a print job via ethernet I assume the entire job is streamed across to the printer before the print begins? Hence I can switch off my laptop, for instance, after sending the job across without affecting the print?
If so, when the job is transferred across, where is it stored?? Do I need to have a USB drive connected so that the job can be saved to the drive for future re-prints, for instance?
Also what was the issue with re-prints? I'm sure I read somewhere that the printer does nt re-print the same file until it has been rebooted or something?
--> MK4 - MK4S - MINI+ - Accelerometer Guide <--
RE: Network Connectivity.....
Are you wanting to do octoprint on raspberry pi if so file is store on the pi and yes you can turn off laptop
Please help me out by downloading a model it's free and easy but really helps me out https://www.printables.com/@Hello_474427/models
RE: Network Connectivity.....
No, this is using the native network connectivity built into the MK4.
Are you wanting to do octoprint on raspberry pi if so file is store on the pi and yes you can turn off laptop
--> MK4 - MK4S - MINI+ - Accelerometer Guide <--
RE: Network Connectivity.....
From my experience with Mini networking - you need the USB stick, the file is stored there (there is no usable internal storage on the board).
The connections is only needed during transfer - no need to have the pc running during print - you just transfer the gcode to the drive over network (air or wired) instead of connecting directly and then start the print.
Starting the print automatically after upload is still wonky at times on the Mini, often I have to go to it and push the "play" button anyway - iirc I saw similar things reported with MK4.
Reprint is not a problem with the Mini, it ends in the "finished /reprint /home" dialog. But there may be some MK4 specific bug ofc.
RE: Network Connectivity.....
I don't have a Mk4, but an XL and two Minis, with very similar boards/firmware. You can send prints from Prusaslicer directly to the printer. Wifi is painstakingly slow, Ethernet better but even with the latest firmware far from being a speed demon. The file is transferred to the USB storage media attached to the printers. Once there, you don't need your computer anymore.
Alternatively, you can use PrusaConnect/Prusalink. Prusalink is a local web interface on the printer. You can upload files, start and monitor prints, similar to Octoprint (but with less functionality). PrusaConnect sits on top of it and allows you cloud-based control of several printers (so even away from home) and adds the option to store print files in the cloud for download to a farm of printers.
It all works but is not at the level of robustness and feature richness as Octoprint at this point. Plenty of little bugs. On my Minis, prints start about half of the time by themselves, the other half require me to press a button on the LCD display (even though the printer is always on the home screen when files are sent). On my XL, I get a 404 error message every time I sent a file from Prusaslicereven though the file transfers no problem. And so on, and so on. My M3Ss that run PrusaLink off a Raspberry Pi had to be silenced because of a known issue that makes them beep every few seconds when for whatever reason they think they lost network connectivity. All these issues are well documented on their github site. It just feels the PrusaLink/Connect team is not resourced properly to swat all those bugs efficiently. On the other hand, I for one prefer the PrusaConnect UI/UX over Octoprint, it feels "cleaner".
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: Network Connectivity.....
Thanks for the clarification - I get how the process works now, and how/if I'd implement it into my workflow 😉
--> MK4 - MK4S - MINI+ - Accelerometer Guide <--
RE: Network Connectivity.....
Also, my XL goes offline once a day 😭 Everything looks normal in the network diagnostics but it becomes invisible to Prusaslicer and PrusaConnect.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
Also, my XL goes offline once a day 😭 Everything looks normal in the network diagnostics
Check the default DHCP/ip lease time in your router settings.
Cheerio,
RE: Network Connectivity.....
Good idea but I don't think so. It's on a static IP address on the router. And I currently have 65 devices on my network, including several Mini and MK3S/Pi, none of which display that issue.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE:
Can you ping your XL from a computer? The mini had/has a bug in some connectivity level where the Ping reply from the Mini sets a zero checksum and so the ping initiator drops the reply.. Thus it thinks the mini is not on the network.. wonder if the XL is suffering from that.. Or else maybe the XL needs to send a ‘heartbeat’ to the cloud and it isn’t.. But I would guess the slicer is trying to determine if the printer is still active in the background using some TCP mechanism (ping, etc) and there is a bug in the firmware of the XL so it isn’t replying properly.. But only the coders know. After reading all this.. I am truly impressed how rock solid my Pi4 and OctoPrint has been over the past year.. I would never have guessed communication speed was an issue with Prusa printers.
RE: Network Connectivity.....
When it shows as offline in PrusaConnect or if Prusaslicer can't connect, no I can't ping it either. But hey, I just had a case of it coming back to life (aka status is online) after a few hours, without me doing anything. Actually, it did finish a print. I'm sure this is a firmware bug.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE:
Grin.. the serial speeds are similar to what I used to design with in the 80’s.. who knew they’d still be using those old rates 40 years later. To bad that they’ve seemed to have locked themselves into hardware they can’t really grow with over many years. No Ram onboard and needing the USB device is a solution that will work.. but a little bit clunky.. not something I’d expect. The TCP stack with its associated suite of tools (ping being the most common), needs to be robust. I fully agree that they need a common hardware communication platform for all devices. They aren’t huge.. and it just makes it more efficient to use the same firmware for that.. but I fear they’ve chosen some limiting hardware.
I saw the ping firmware bug submitted for the Mini months ago.. very, very basic and important TCP debugging function.. If your Minis work.. likely not just a ping bug error.. something else in the communication firmware.