Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Today I tried the LAN mode/Prusa link for the first time. I understand that it is in beta, but I think that it is still in this state after more than 1 year is not a good sign.
To summarize what Prusa Link does at the moment:
1. upload files
2. start printing files
That's it.
Prusa Link (browser):
Duet3D LAN interface isn't perfect either, but they do far more right than Prusa at the moment. Some basic functions that Prusa Link is currently missing:
1. printer control/adjustment: preheat, speed up or slow down the current print, set flow rate, error logs, etc.
2. print height/number of layers is not displayed. While the current z-height is visible, the number of layers or the model height is not displayed.
3. filament consumption (length and weight) is not displayed. In particular, the remaining filament needed for the current print to estimate whether the current spool is sufficient.
4. move, download or delete more than 1 file at a time
5. the upload dialog has a filter for .gcode, but the .bgcode filter is still missing forcing the operator to manually change it to the show all files filter every time.
6. no possibility to integrate an external IP camera as it is possible with Duet. This is especially bad as the competition, Bambulab A1 mini, understands the value of them and even integrated a camera which is very helpful to see if everything is going well without standing next to the printer. A major quality-of-life improvement.
7. machine information: installed nozzle, print hours (maintenance reminder), firmware version, serial number, etc.
Integration into the Printer display/firmware:
1. IP-Address is hidden within the setting menu. It would be better to display this at the main display and during prints. Right now I would need to add a printed label with the IP address to quickly identify them.
2. Option to display/generate a QR code on the printer to quickly login on mobile devices.
Verdict:
The general lack of functionality and especially the oversight of not adding the .bgcode makes me doubt whether Prusa still trust this feature and continues development, as someone uploading binary gcode (Prusaslicer default!) should have noticed immediately that the bgcode option is missing.
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Hi, some of these are really hard or did not receive priority. From what I understand, we focused on input shaping and the upload speed problem mitigation. Since I do not see those as the main points of your post, I think we succeeded. Woo
Some of these really seem like an oversight tho. I'll share this with the team. Thank you for the feedback
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Have you tried PrusaConnect? Some of the features you're missing are already implemented there. To me PrusaLink looks like a predecessor to PrusaConnect, but since even the Mini+ can handle PrusaConnect i do not look back and switched totally from PrusaLink to PrusaConnect. I can totally understand Prusa if they would want to only support 1 webinterface in the future instead of 2 and to me Connect is much more promising then Link.
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Connect is nice, but it's cloud crap. For me personally, having something like PrusaLink that doesn't need internet access is the most important thing, all the online stuff is just a bonus.
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
I can see that @Zappes, coolest thing would be a opensource homeinstalled Connect (on a RPi, NAS, NUC, etc.), so you could add the amount of space you want for the file handling and can run it behind firewalls with no internet connection if you want.
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Or one has that directly in the printer. That's my preferred solution. 🙂
RE:
As long as you manage 1 or 2 printers, ok - i would prefer a nice API on the printer and a (selfhosted) Webservice to control all my printers from there 😉
Or one has that directly in the printer. That's my preferred solution. 🙂
RE: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Well, yes, of course - if you manage a print farm, that's something entirely different. If that were my situation, I'd also prefer a solution like the one you describe.
RE:
Have you tried PrusaConnect? Some of the features you're missing are already implemented there.
If I have a choice I prefer a local LAN mode. I don't feel like I need to access it on the go and if a VPN would be my choice.
I mentioned in the initial post BambuLab. You have to use the cloud for features like the camera. Even firmware updates are only possible with a cloud connection.
A major issue with cloud-connected printers is confidelity agreement as you are uploading the model data to a third party. If everything is local it isn't a concern.
Hi, some of these are really hard or did not receive priority. From what I understand, we focused on input shaping and the upload speed problem mitigation. Since I do not see those as the main points of your post, I think we succeeded. Woo
Some of these really seem like an oversight tho. I'll share this with the team. Thank you for the feedback
Personally, the biggest issue with the current firmware/bootloader is the #12604 error. Meaning every time the printer is turned on the USB-stick needs to be removed first. Since we are at it look into updating the knowledge base for now. currently there isn't any remark about this known bug (more than 2 months of firmware and counting): https://help.prusa3d.com/article/no-file-on-usb-12604-mini-mini_390878
Github bug dating back to 5.1.0-alpha1: https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/issues/3333
There are some more issues with Prusa Link where the web interface is unresponsive until the printer is restarted or the network cable is physically removed and inserted again. This happens (not exclusively) after or during file uploads. Rarely it happen during prints (print continues without issues). As I can't reliably reproduce it there wouldn't be much value in a bug report.
After all the printer works but they could be better and times are changing. For half a decade I was happy with microSD-cards but after tasting network connectivity I don't want to go back to keeping a stack of SD-cards on my desk and frequently ordering new as the existing stack get misplaced. Now a push of a button uploads the file and check with a camera that everything works well. With MMU/AMS select materials with a mouse click.
RISPONDI: Prusa Link is in desperate need of attention: embarrassing basic with oversights
Che dire? Prima con MK3S+ e PrusaLink installato su Raspberry potevo controllare molti parametri della stampante, ora con PrusaLink integrato nel firmware MK4 non posso nemmeno scegliere se volessi i files caricati in ordine di data o di altro che non sia in ordine di nome. Un passo indietro davvero notevole. Dopo la figuraccia con il kit MMU3 per MK4 credo ache a Prusa abbiamo messo molte cose a cucinare, ma non hanno i cuochi per farlo.
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What to say? Previously with MK3S+ and PrusaLink installed on Raspberry I could control many printer parameters, now with PrusaLink integrated into the MK4 firmware I can't even choose whether I wanted the files loaded in date order or anything other than name order. A truly remarkable step backwards. After the disgrace with the MMU3 kit for MK4 I also think that in Prusa we have put a lot of things into cooking, but they don't have the cooks to do it.