Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation  

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

I would love to know these answers also.

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

Perhaps if I describe my two Mk3 setups it will answer your questions.

I use RPi3 Model B's, in printed cases attached to the printers frame and connected via USB cables to the printers. I do not use the Zero/W boards or the onboard headers at all.

The Pi's have MicroSD's on which is loaded OctoPi https://octoprint.org/download/ . They connect via WiFi to my home network and all interaction with each printer is done via web browser to the network ip address of each Pi.

I have configured each Octoprint to ignore the printers own SD cards completely and all file operations are carried out using the Pi's onboard storage cards. In my workflow I transfer files directly to the Pi's via the wifi and print from there, then delete the successfully printed files. This keeps the Octoprint view clean and gives at a glance view of status / current print etc. I also means that a 2GB MicroSD is more than enough for each Pi and as it is not storing large amounts of files it keeps things fast.

I sit at my PC with two separate browser windows open on my second screen, each one showing Octoprint for my two Mk3's. This way I can monitor both machines progress at a glance and upload files / control the printers etc.

So to answer your questions directly -

1. Can you transfer a file to the RPi3 via either a LAN or WiFi connection option?
Yes.

2. When you transfer a file to the RPi3 does the gcode file get written into the RPi3 SD card, RPi3 board memory or directly to the MK3 SD card?
To the RPi card (it can be sent directly to the printers card but that is horribly slow)

3. When you transfer a file to the Arduino Zero/W does the gcode file get written into the Arduino Zero/W SD card, Arduino Zero/W board memory or directly to the MK3 SD card?
Same as 2.

4. Is the file transfer speed to the boards adequate?
To the RPi card yes, no problem at all. To the printers own card no.

Hope that helps 🙂

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

Thank you Olef. The information is helpful in understanding the different connection configurations.

Seems to be many different ways to set this up. I'm just trying to understand what is the preferred method speed and ease.

A. Would anyone connect the PC USB to a RPi3 and then the RPi3 USB to the MK3 to print the file?
The MK3 would then use the file from the RPi3 SD card to print....correct? Would this be done only with Octoprint?

B. If using the RPi3 WiFi or LAN to connect to the PC can you map the RPi3 as a drive on the PC like you would see a USB thumb drive in Windows EXPORER, and then select and send the file using the Simplify3D SD CARD icon without any Octoprint needed?

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

A. Would anyone connect the PC USB to a RPi3 and then the RPi3 USB to the MK3 to print the file?
The MK3 would then use the file from the RPi3 SD card to print....correct? Would this be done only with Octoprint?

B. If using the RPi3 WiFi or LAN to connect to the PC can you map the RPi3 as a drive on the PC like you would see a USB thumb drive in Windows EXPORER?

Connect PC USB to RPi3? No. PC to RPi3 always via network, either ethernet or WiFi. The Mk3 is then controlled by Octoprint and instructed to print files from the RPi3 sd card.

Map the Rpi3 storage as a network drive? Not tried this but why? File operations on the RPi3 storage are all carried out in the PC browser in Octoprint. Direct Pi storage access is unneccessary.

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

A. Would anyone connect the PC USB to a RPi3 and then the RPi3 USB to the MK3 to print the file?
The MK3 would then use the file from the RPi3 SD card to print....correct? Would this be done only with Octoprint?

B. If using the RPi3 WiFi or LAN to connect to the PC can you map the RPi3 as a drive on the PC like you would see a USB thumb drive in Windows EXPORER?

Connect PC USB to RPi3? No. PC to RPi3 always via network, either ethernet or WiFi. The Mk3 is then controlled by Octoprint and instructed to print files from the RPi3 sd card.

Map the Rpi3 storage as a network drive? Not tried this but why? File operations on the RPi3 storage are all carried out in the PC browser in Octoprint. Direct Pi storage access is unneccessary.

Must the RPi3 use Octoprint to function as a pathway for sending a file to and controlling the MK3? I don't want to have to use Octoprint to send a file from Simplify3D to the MK3. I would prefer sending it out to the RPi3 by clicking on the S3D SD card icon, selecting the mapped RPi3 (SD card) drive. The print would start when upload is complete and be done with it. I would think that this is a realistic possibility.

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

If you just want to send a file to the printer via the local network, buy a Toshiba FlashAir card and have it mapped as a network drive within Windows?

https://www.prusaprinters.org/easy-wireless-printing-with-flashair-sd-cards/

OctoPrint is far more comprehensive.

I used OctoPrint for a while with my previous printer before I purchased the MK3 and it makes remotely monitoring the printer a doddle. If you have Telegram Messenger, it can also message your mobile phone every so often with an update of the print status and a message once the print job is complete.

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

Must the RPi3 use Octoprint to function as a pathway for sending a file to and controlling the MK3? I don't want to have to use Octoprint to send a file from Simplify3D to the MK3. I would prefer sending it out to the RPi3 by clicking on the S3D SD card icon, selecting the mapped RPi3 (SD card) drive. The print would start when upload is complete and be done with it.

It sounds like I am misunderstanding what you are trying to achieve. Apologies if so!

So if you do not wish to use Octoprint then why are you using the RPi3? This is the only reason to add an RPi3 to the printer.

If you are thinking of using the Pi purely as a printer storage device via a mapped drive that is fine and in theory possible, leaving aside the issues of file shares and permissions between your PC and Linux on the Pi. But then you will have just uploaded a file to a share on a Pi from S3D. Without using something like Octoprint on the Pi there is no mechanism to instruct your printer to print the uploaded file. The printer is not able to see the Pi file share or act upon it, and the Pi is not able to instigate a print without some software such as Octoprint to carry this out.

Are you aware may people use a Toshiba Flashair card in their printers to upload directly to from their slicer? Those cards are WiFi enabled storage and can be added as a network mapped drive fairly easily. That would achieve the first half of what you are trying to do. You will still have to physically set the print going from the printer itself each time though.

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

Thank you all for your generous replies and insight to my questions.

Olef you have not misunderstood my questions, thank you!

It seems that a lot of people have difficulty in getting the Flashair SD card to properly function. Setting the MK3 to print from the Flashair SD card is not a problem if using it. The Flashair has a very limited usable wifi range so it won't work in all applications. Add a wifi extender I guess.

Regards

Re: Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino Zero/W Operation

A. Would anyone connect the PC USB to a RPi3 and then the RPi3 USB to the MK3 to print the file?
The MK3 would then use the file from the RPi3 SD card to print....correct? Would this be done only with Octoprint?

B. If using the RPi3 WiFi or LAN to connect to the PC can you map the RPi3 as a drive on the PC like you would see a USB thumb drive in Windows EXPORER?

Connect PC USB to RPi3? No. PC to RPi3 always via network, either ethernet or WiFi. The Mk3 is then controlled by Octoprint and instructed to print files from the RPi3 sd card.

Map the Rpi3 storage as a network drive? Not tried this but why? File operations on the RPi3 storage are all carried out in the PC browser in Octoprint. Direct Pi storage access is unneccessary.

Must the RPi3 use Octoprint to function as a pathway for sending a file to and controlling the MK3? I don't want to have to use Octoprint to send a file from Simplify3D to the MK3. I would prefer sending it out to the RPi3 by clicking on the S3D SD card icon, selecting the mapped RPi3 (SD card) drive. The print would start when upload is complete and be done with it. I would think that this is a realistic possibility.

You can configure Slic3r PE to send directly to the RPi/OctoPi. So, I'll assume that you can do the same with S3D... its actually pretty easy to activate/setup this ability in Slic3r and OctoPi.