SMB enabled network share that appears as a USB drive to a connected device, and web-based portal for controlling AnyCubic Mono X/SE printers.
This project is free to use, and I hope you do, but it also take a lot of time to keep working on making it better. Consider "buying me a book" through this link to help keep this development going. That way I can learning new ways to make this (and other projects) better. Think of it as karma-ware. Have a great day!
I based this project on the work documented in the MagPi magazine article by the same name. It was written by Russell Barnes. It also borrows some ideas from Giles Davison's now defunct RadaDASH project.
- Remotely accessible USB device (uploading, deleting)
- 2GB shared storage pre-configured (Default)
- Can be used as a USB drive on any device (including Mac, Windows, TV, and 3D printers)
- After updates on the network-share, the Pi waits 30 seconds and then automatically disconnects (unplugs) and reconnects the USB interface so changes appear on the target device
- Create ANYCUBIC
WIFI.txtfile based on the Raspberry Pi's configuration - Web-based management portal
- Local storge management (Upload/delete)
- Drag & Drop file upload
- Network scanning
- RPi Camera Streaming
- Mono X/SE printing control
- Start / Stop / Pause
- Percent complete
- Layers complete
- Time Remaining
- Settings
- Update hostname
- Enable camera streaming
- Extend the USB storage based on avaialbe space
- Enable Mono X/SE features
- RPi power management (reboot / shutdown)
- RPi eject / reset virtual USP drive
Because of the file system changes, you need to re-image your SD card. The changes are too complex to apply over previous versions. Follow the instruction on the Read Me page.
This project should work for most (if not all) 3D printers as a USB drive.
However, there is an additional feature for the ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X and ANYCUBIC Photon Mono SE printers. There is an optional service that can be enabled to dynamically create a WIFI.txt file in the ANYCUBIC format to help configure the printer to match the network configuration on the Raspberry Pi W. You can also start / stop / pause print jobs from the portal.It provides simular features as teh AnyCubic Mobile App.
I don't have other printers to test, so I don't know how they are configured. If they are similar, I'm happy to work with you add support in a future release. Open an issue and make a suggestion. THey must be WiFI enabled and controled from a web API.
- MicroSD Card >= 8GB
- MicroSD Card Adapter/Reader
- Raspberry Pi Zero W (Preferred) or Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
- Raspberry Pi Camera (Optional)
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Raspberry Pi Zero W (details)
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SanDisk 8GB Industrial MLC MicroSD (Amazon link)
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USB-A to Micro USB Cable (Amazon link)
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Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2 (Amazon link)
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Tested on version 2.4.4
NOTE: You must use the "pwr" port to conenct to the printer. The "usb" port does not support USB OTG.
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Raspberry Pi Zero W (details)
-
SanDisk 8GB Industrial MLC MicroSD (Amazon link)
-
USB-A to Micro USB Cable (Amazon link)
-
Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2 (Amazon link)
-
Tested on version 2.4.4
NOTE: You must use the "pwr" port to conenct to the printer. The "usb" port does not support USB OTG.
-
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (details)
-
SanDisk 8GB Industrial MLC MicroSD (Amazon link)
-
USB-A to USB-C Cable (Amazon link)
-
Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2 (Amazon link)
-
Tested on version 2.4.4
NOTE: You must use the USB-C "pwr" port to conenct to the printer. The USB-A ports on the RPi 4 do not support USB OTG.
- Create SD Card from the provided image file
- Connect Raspberry Pi Zero W using the USB port on the Pi
- Manage files on the Raspberry Pi from a network share (SMB://)
- Access the files from the USB interface (after 30 sec)
Note: Do not add/remove files while you are printing/watching a file from the USB drive. When you make changes to the stored files, the USB will appear to unplug and reconnect. This will disrupt any current files being used.
Step 1. Download the latest release.
Step 2. Extract the image from the zip archive.
Step 3. Copy Image to SD Card
(MacOS) Connect the MicroSD card to your computer and flash the usb_share image using balenaEtcher. (Windows) Connect the MicroSD card to your computer and flash the usb_share image using Win32DiskImager.
Step 4. Edit the wpa_supplicant.conf file provided, changing the placeholders network and password to your wireless networks SSID and password. Make sure that an "extra" file extension is added when you savethe file to your computer (such as txt). The file name must remain wpa_supplicant.conf.
Step 5. Copy the wpa_supplicant.conf file to the boot partition of the SD card.
On the Pi Zero W, you'll see two micro USB ports. One is marked 'USB' and the other 'PWR IN.' You can supply power through either port, but the USB port is for data as well. There are two options.
You can connect your 3D printer into the Pi Zero W USB port, not the PWR IN port, using a standard micro USB cable. The cable will both supply power from the printer and make the USB data connection. The disadvantage is that the printer must be switched on to supply power to the Pi. When someone turns the printer off, the Pi will also lose power, which will also make it no longer available on the network.
Alternatively, you can connect a separate, always-on power supply to the PWR IN port and use a slightly modified micro USB cable to connect the printer to the USB port. The modification is to cut the red wire inside the micro USB cable. This protects the Pi from damage that could be caused by drawing power from two different power sources. The advantage of this method is that the Pi is powered independently from the printer. It will be available on the network even if the printer is off, and there is a reduced risk of sudden power loss and SD card corruption.
You might want to test the system with the first option and then move onto the second when you want a more permanent setup. Don't forget to cut the red wire if you use the second option.
Connect the Pi Zero W USB port to the printer using your chosen method, power everything up.
The Mono X 6K printer has a USB Maximum current draw of 0.5A. Exceeding this will cause the USB port to be unrecognized until the unit is turned off and then back on. This issue appears as though the Raspberry Pi does not work as a flash drive. An external power supply (Option 2) must be used for the Raspberry Pi.
Default URL: http://3dprinter.local or http://[IP ADDRESS]
Port: 80
After the Raspberry Pi has fully booted, you can now access the management protal from any local network web browser. This all featurs of the USB Sahre devices can be managed from this portal other than re-sizing the size fo teh USB drive partition; that must still be done from command line.
Default Host Name: 3dprinter
Now we can try to access the share from a Windows PC or a Mac. You'll need the hostname the Raspberry Pi is using or its IP Address. By default, the hostname will be 3DPRINTER.
In Windows, you can bring up Explorer (Windows key + E) and type \\3dprinter (or \\[IP ADDRESS]) into the address bar at the top. The Run dialogue also works (Windows key + R).
On macOS, the Raspberry Pi will show up in the Finder sidebar. Alternatively, from the Finder menu, select Go Connect to server (Apple key + K) and type smb://3dprinter (or smb://[IP ADDRESS]) as the server address.
Once connected, you will see a shared named USB where you can load your files. For your update to appear on the printer, it must first disconnect from the printer and then reconnect. Whenever you copy files over to the network-share, or delete them, the USB device should automatically reconnect to the printer after 30 seconds of inactivity.
Note: After you add files to the drive, you need to wait 30 seconds. After that, the Pi will disconenct and re-connect the USB interface so your changes can appear
userID: pi
password: raspberry
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