Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266  

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

It is not currently supported in the firmware just yet. It will be though. Having said that, I already installed my ESP and am waiting on the FW update to support it!

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@asdf-tgz - thank you for the information. I did exactly the same - once I saw the slot during assembly, I inserted the ESP-01 module I had lying around 😆

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

I am excited to see which functions will come in the future. I've been a real fan of the esp chip for several years. These little things are very useful for so many things and have really amazing functions. When implemented correctly, there are hardly any limits to creativity.

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

Have you tried somebody to connect ESP-8266 to the Buddy. I am just worry about the blocking antenna by power switch.

Thanks

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

I've never used ESP... When looking online it appears that there are multiple version? Do we know what is applicable for the mini? Kinda disappointing that a $6 piece is optional.

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@lorenolepi

Nothing official, but it looks like the standard connector. The ESP01 should have all the same pinout. 

Depending on the pictures on the website, I would say they used an ESP01R1 not the S (stabilized redesign, not really important)

Btw, depending on where you order, you can get one starting at ~1,22$ including shipping costs.  

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@lorenolepi

I found some on aliexpress for 4 for $6 aud around 4 usd and they work great. Generally they are very cheap.

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

OK, not quite what you are looking for. But I have just published an ESP8266 based project.

It's a Pager/Remote status display for the MINI.

https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/50322-prusapager-mini-mini

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

I have always wondered if the support they build into the mini for the ESP8266 will work with the stock firmware that most of the ESPs ship with that emulates the AT command set of an old dialup modem, or if Prusa will also have a custom firmware to flash on the ESP8266 as well? AFAIK the stock firmware on the ESPs is limited to opening a single port/connection on the TCP/IP side. Basically emulating a serial port over TCP/IP. Not quite sure how well this would work for accessing the web portal that you can access over the ethernet interface.

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@d0ug

I suspect that the ESP01 they sell will come pre-loaded and there will be firmware available on GitHub for the rest of us. I am assuming there will be a printer menu added to configure the WiFi connection so the device will need the right hooks for the configuration. Given the variety of clones on the market, relying on the default firmware would end with a support nightmare 😀 .

There are a lot of assumptions there, hopefully we won't have too much longer to wait. On one of the early live streams they said they were targeting the 4.4 release for WiFi support, although that may have changed since then. 

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

I believe that Wireless and the additional functional for PrusaConnect Local will be in the same release, as neither make much sense without the other.

The 4.3.0-RC1 firmware contains preparation for this:

GUI and WUI (Web User Interface) refactoring

We made major changes in the code for better optimization and future-proofing. The goal of the refactoring was to:

• Implement a more secure class and API hierarchy to increase the effectiveness of future development.
• Migrate the printer control logic from the GUI to Marlin-API. This change will allow users to control many features of the printer (e.g. Wizard) through the web-based user interface. These features will be implemented in future firmware releases.
• Improve the layout of various screens for a better user experience and easier navigation.
• Fix bugs

The refactoring of the Web User Interface brings improved handling of the INI file used for LAN configuration.

Compared to the old version:

• Every item in the INI file (type, address, mask,...) is optional and the printer can read the data even if some of the items are missing.
• If any of the items in the INI file contain an incorrect IP address, the item is ignored.
• Only uppercase letters are allowed for the “type” item (e.g. type=STATIC or type=DHCP). An item containing lowercase letters is ignored.

One thing that does concern me is the choice of a 2.4GHz only platform, this does not appear to be very future proof. It is however a very cost effective solution.

I just hope that Prusa support are ready for all the "My Mini won't connect to my router" questions. 

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

Posted by: @gordon-w

@d0ug

I suspect that the ESP01 they sell will come pre-loaded and there will be firmware available on GitHub for the rest of us. [...]

No, at the release of the printer they told us that you can buy any esp-01(s) and the buddy board will flash it when it is inserted 

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@oxygen

Don't recall hearing that, a much cleaner solution.😀 

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

I think it is in the ERRF release video of the mini 

RE: Wi-Fi support - ESP-8266

@gordon-w

I would have to wonder that if instead of a printer LCD UI for configuring the wifi, they might do like a lot of other ESP projects do. On 1st boot of the ESP device it presents its own access point which you can then connect to with a phone/laptop. Then you pull up a config web page on the ESP to configure your wifi credentials using a keyboard, then the ESP reboots and connects to your configured access point. Entering a wifi password with the scroll wheel on the printer could be extreme test of patience depending on the complexity of your wifi password.