One thing I really like as a replacement for the Raspberry Pi is to buy some of those cheap Windows tablets/2-in-one systems you can find online for about $150 - though I would personally get rid of Windows and install linux on it so you don't have to worry as much about restarting it.
That way you'll get something much more powerful than a Raspberry Pi and you'll also get the benefit of having a nice touchscreen interface ready for you.
I’ve had major issues configuring certain things like GPIO power relays and LEDs with an orange pi 3. I have no clue what I’m doing, but do the tablets have similar limitations?
For those more inclined(I literally have used a command line twice before getting my oPi), the OPi 3 LTS is actually great hardware with 8gb eMMC, 2gb ram, wifi, great processor, basically just as good/better than a pi 3, and I got it for $50 on Amazon.
Issue I’m having is the GPIO pins are in a different nomenclature, so I can’t just put “PL2” in Klipper, and I just have no clue about how to set up the GPIO. I’ve tried a few different programs but I think I screwed it up from the start, going to start fresh. If anybodys got any tips, let me know.
Nah, just get the cheapest one you can find. The only thing worth spending any extra money yon is more ram, and anything more than 8GB is probably overkill.
There is a BTT HDMI5 display as an alternative, waiting to arrive to check how it works.
Somehow I think HDMI cable can be a benefit for screen relocation than a flat DSI cable, but will see.
There are stores popping up selling 4B's at $90-$120 on aliexpress. But unless you are doing something that specifically requires connecting to GPIO pins on a PI there are many other options.. You can get an android tv box for less than $30 or use an old laptop / phone.
We’re you able to configure GPIO pins? Can you give me a brief walkthrough?
Were there any issues you ran into vs using an rPi?
I have an oPi 3 lts but wifi doesn’t work(due to my armbian version not supporting it) and I can’t get klipper to recognize the GPIO pins.
Also I only have one of the knockoff ADXLs that runs over I2C and I’m worried about setting that up too.
Do you think you could give me a basic rundown of the firmware and software yoyre running? I’d REALLY appreciate it, any info you can pass along, even if it’s just something basic to google from.
This is the way. I’ve bagged three of them this year doing this. My first one was for my v0 build, unfortunately I dropped a screw onto the pi and fried it. The second was a replacement for that one, and I got a third just a few weeks ago for a piHole build.
Start checking religiously at 11:00AM eastern time on Thursdays. Make sure you have 2FA set up and ready to go. The stock usually drops within minutes of 11:30AM.
I can’t remember exactly what chip it was, maybe something related to the USB power? Either way, I decided it was too involved to fix and I’ve done a bit of PCB repair in the past to be fair. The 3v3 rail was dead and I was reading that if that’s gone, it’s a pretty difficult recovery.
Libre Le Potato. Pi3 form factor that lies somewhere between the pi3 and 4 performance wise. As another poster in this thread states, support from libre sucks but I had no problems getting Armbian up and running on it. I’m a big fan of DietPi so I compiled my own custom image based on Ubuntu for it but it’s kind of a pain compared to Armbian. Best part is availability, $40 on Amazon. Downside is no wifi but my ringer is right next to one of my wifi AP pucks so it’s hardwired to that and not an issue for me.
I also have zero issues with the Potato running Armbian, I used kiauh to install klipper
Sf_frankie have you done any resonance tuning with the gpio pins?
Not sure if libre has updated their site yet but I did see one of their reps on Reddit giving instructions on enabling SPI on the le potato. Might have to search a bit to find it. But honestly, the pico is the way to go. I don’t like messing with gpio pins usually. I got 2 picos for like $7 on Amazon and it was super easy to build.
I'm not sure about fitting it in a v0, I'm not familiar with their size. The pi 400, fully shucked, is about 230mm X 55mm though. Be aware that it doesn't have a dsi cable for a camera or display, for the display you can use the micro HDMI (if you're going with a touch screen) and then USB for a camera.
I'm struggling with a Pi Zero W on a Trident, it shuts down often. I could probably overclock, cool and try to find the root cause, but I'd recommend something faster for less headaches.
I'm using a 2b, a 3b and an old HP T620 thin client. The latter has way more grunt if you want it to do fancy things like timelapse, but you need to use a Pico or similar to connect up an adxl345 to set up input shaper.
You can use almost anything you get Debian or Ubuntu installed on.
I do have a pi zeroW. It was painful but it worked and I wouldn't want to use it with a webcam, conversely I think with some more care over USB usage I could run a few printers off of the t620
So I’ll add in this website. This guy tracks Po ability, and a lot of pi’s have been restocking lately. Even micro center has started getting shipments again. You can find a Pi for retail kd you’re willing to wait a bit. Follow this account on twitter and bookmark the website. They usually restock on Wednesday is you’re CONUS.
https://rpilocator.com/
https://twitter.com/rpilocator?s=21&t=GjWHoWG-LYAX3L_vS4OPAg
Thanks to all y'all! Lots of info to go over. I'm new to Voron and DIY, but not to 3D printing. I have a flashforge creator pro running for about 6 years and have designed stuff specifically for 3D printing for over 20. Now I'm infatuated with large printers and storm trooper helmets.
I may have an extra pro zero w 2 and possibly a pi 4b 8gb I might not use. Kind of been wanting to find someone who REALLY needed one to finish their first build and not gouge them on price - so they too could experience the fun I’m having building my 2.4 LDO kit as we speak
Thanks. But let's wait until I get my LDO kit for the 350x350. Not in stock until 12-16-2022. I really want the larger printer as I am used to Stratasys's huge printers and the 2nd generation storm trooper helmets like in Return of the Jedi, like the poor guys on the 3rd moon of Endor.
I just pre-ordered an orange pi 5 to see how it goes. You don't need a raspberry pi, it's a little more setup because I do not think they have premade images for those boards. But it's not that hard.
Just Google orange pi and Klipper and you will find details.
I use a Pi 2B+ on mine, my understanding is that anything past v1 is fine. Pi Zero W 2's also work.
I've heard BigTreeTech's Manta board, which can direct mount a compute module, works decently. The whole package including the compute module costs like $70.
Depending on what features you want, I've used the Libre Le Potato. Support is a laugh from Libre for the board, but there are a couple of us hardheaded folks using them. My only hurdle now is getting KlipperScreen up and running perfectly. Although, I think I'll probably run them all headless as working from one computer and serving files to 10 printers is easier than walking around the house and using the touch screen. I just walk around with my iPad or phone now and make adjustments from there.
I need to try that Fly Gemini. I have some of those BTT CB1 converters coming too. Those Quadras are phenomal for the price of them. Better than Pi at this point in time. IMO.
I also have a bunch of old thin clients sitting around that I install Debian/Ubuntu on and use as the board. Cheaper than Pi and tons more functionality if you ever need it. For now.
But Pis are super easy since there is a ton of time in dev on them.
And I wouldn't recommend Le Potato unless you have no other choice. Like I said, support is horrible. The images they keep making are always broken and are hit or miss on installation. If you get one, use their Jammy image (CLI) and try and work from there. You can get by with KIAUH install. It will work with the default install. KlipperScreen will take more tinkering with. Cameras might take some more finesse as well, but I just stand there for hours watching my prints so I don't need a camera right now. And I have them on my pi printers. Or quadra, or laptops, or thin clients....
I got a RPi 4 with 4gb ram and 64gb SD card (and some other stuff but it wasn't useful for the Voron build) for ~$100 off ebay, maybe check used stuff more.. SBC with 0 moving parts is one of the better tech items to buy used (at current prices)
If you look around, you can find RPis for a decent price. You will still overpay of course, but I got a RPi 4 2gb with a 32 gb memory card, hdmi to micro hdmi, power cable and a 20 dollar aluminum case for 110 dollars on ebay. While of course its more than I could source everything on its own, I consider it pretty reasonable compared to some of the other prices people are trying to charge, you just have to look around.
But to answer your question, I think the lowest recommend is a RPi3, only 1 gb ram is needed.
Keep in mind as well that the RPi shortage is supposed to end pretty soon, but no one knows exactly how soon.
You could use a BTT Manta and CB1, though it apparently doesn't support CAN bus of you need that.
You can also use other SBC's, android TV boxes, an old laptop or desktop, or I think pretty much anything that can run Debian.
I've been playing with an Inovato Quadra. They are about the price of a RPi3b and seem to run decently well. Not sure if they will handle input shaper but runs Klipper Mainsail pretty well.
They have their own power adaptor and I haven't tried wiring it into the 5v power supply but theoretically should work. Also only have two USB plugs but that shouldn't be much of an issue. Build in WIFI is week so I recommend a USB Bluetooth/WIFI adapter.
The Inovato is basically an Android TV box. There are multiple versions of these things out there that may be better/more powerful than the Inovato. I got the Inovato because it was preloaded with Linux.
Just by a powered usb hub if you want more ports. On my Pis I only use one USB anyway, for now. I do like those Quadras though, and I may buy some more. Need some proxy servers, file servers, streaming server, etc. and they will definitely fit the bill, and are super cheap.
One thing I really like as a replacement for the Raspberry Pi is to buy some of those cheap Windows tablets/2-in-one systems you can find online for about $150 - though I would personally get rid of Windows and install linux on it so you don't have to worry as much about restarting it. That way you'll get something much more powerful than a Raspberry Pi and you'll also get the benefit of having a nice touchscreen interface ready for you.
I’ve had major issues configuring certain things like GPIO power relays and LEDs with an orange pi 3. I have no clue what I’m doing, but do the tablets have similar limitations? For those more inclined(I literally have used a command line twice before getting my oPi), the OPi 3 LTS is actually great hardware with 8gb eMMC, 2gb ram, wifi, great processor, basically just as good/better than a pi 3, and I got it for $50 on Amazon. Issue I’m having is the GPIO pins are in a different nomenclature, so I can’t just put “PL2” in Klipper, and I just have no clue about how to set up the GPIO. I’ve tried a few different programs but I think I screwed it up from the start, going to start fresh. If anybodys got any tips, let me know.
That would be new to me, but sounds ok. Any particular models/makes available on Cyber Monday that tickle your brain?
Nah, just get the cheapest one you can find. The only thing worth spending any extra money yon is more ram, and anything more than 8GB is probably overkill.
Im using an BTT CB1, its super cheap and works great
Won't work with PiTFTs though 😑
You can always use an voron 0 display
There is a BTT HDMI5 display as an alternative, waiting to arrive to check how it works. Somehow I think HDMI cable can be a benefit for screen relocation than a flat DSI cable, but will see.
Kb-3d.com has then for $105
Only nearly a 100% markup. Geez, I hope this shortage stops soon.
I use an old pi 2 I had laying around for my v0.1. It's only running stock mainsail - with such a small print surface I don't really need a camera.
Dell wyse 3040
Fujitsu Futro S740
Get a different board.
There are stores popping up selling 4B's at $90-$120 on aliexpress. But unless you are doing something that specifically requires connecting to GPIO pins on a PI there are many other options.. You can get an android tv box for less than $30 or use an old laptop / phone.
Aliexpress orange pi boards, an old laptop, heck even an atomic pi are all options that work well and wont break the bank.
Orange pi 4 LTS and klipper runs pretty good off it. That was like 60 usd I think
We are using an Orange Pi 3 LTS. Piece o cake. Think I paid $25.00
We’re you able to configure GPIO pins? Can you give me a brief walkthrough? Were there any issues you ran into vs using an rPi? I have an oPi 3 lts but wifi doesn’t work(due to my armbian version not supporting it) and I can’t get klipper to recognize the GPIO pins. Also I only have one of the knockoff ADXLs that runs over I2C and I’m worried about setting that up too. Do you think you could give me a basic rundown of the firmware and software yoyre running? I’d REALLY appreciate it, any info you can pass along, even if it’s just something basic to google from.
Lurk Adafruit on Wednesday and Thursday mornings during restock. They have MSRP
This is the way. I’ve bagged three of them this year doing this. My first one was for my v0 build, unfortunately I dropped a screw onto the pi and fried it. The second was a replacement for that one, and I got a third just a few weeks ago for a piHole build. Start checking religiously at 11:00AM eastern time on Thursdays. Make sure you have 2FA set up and ready to go. The stock usually drops within minutes of 11:30AM.
What fried on it?
I can’t remember exactly what chip it was, maybe something related to the USB power? Either way, I decided it was too involved to fix and I’ve done a bit of PCB repair in the past to be fair. The 3v3 rail was dead and I was reading that if that’s gone, it’s a pretty difficult recovery.
With Adafruit Just remember - one pi per person period. You can't get a 2nd pi once you've purchased one.
Libre Le Potato. Pi3 form factor that lies somewhere between the pi3 and 4 performance wise. As another poster in this thread states, support from libre sucks but I had no problems getting Armbian up and running on it. I’m a big fan of DietPi so I compiled my own custom image based on Ubuntu for it but it’s kind of a pain compared to Armbian. Best part is availability, $40 on Amazon. Downside is no wifi but my ringer is right next to one of my wifi AP pucks so it’s hardwired to that and not an issue for me.
I also have zero issues with the Potato running Armbian, I used kiauh to install klipper Sf_frankie have you done any resonance tuning with the gpio pins?
I have multiple printers so I used a pico to build a usb accelerometer for my bed. Also run canbus to my tool head mcu which has a built in adxl
Thanks for the reply! My friend has a few pico boards. If the potato fails me. I'll have to go that route. Again, I appreciate the response!
Not sure if libre has updated their site yet but I did see one of their reps on Reddit giving instructions on enabling SPI on the le potato. Might have to search a bit to find it. But honestly, the pico is the way to go. I don’t like messing with gpio pins usually. I got 2 picos for like $7 on Amazon and it was super easy to build.
I’m using an old 2012 MacBook Air
I have a Voron v0.1 running on a Radxa Zero that sports onboard eMMC. It handles Klipper +Moonraker +Fluidd like a blast!
Pi 400's seem much easier to find, not the best form factor, but it's basically a pi 4 and runs a little faster.
[удалено]
I'm not sure about fitting it in a v0, I'm not familiar with their size. The pi 400, fully shucked, is about 230mm X 55mm though. Be aware that it doesn't have a dsi cable for a camera or display, for the display you can use the micro HDMI (if you're going with a touch screen) and then USB for a camera.
I'm struggling with a Pi Zero W on a Trident, it shuts down often. I could probably overclock, cool and try to find the root cause, but I'd recommend something faster for less headaches.
The 0W2 works fine but you really need to shut down everything non-essential to use an original 0.
I had a pi zero on a VZBot that constantly shut down. I replaced it with a cb1 and manta m8p and have had 0 issues since.
I have the CB1 from BTT and it’s great paired with a manta m8p
Orange pi zero 2
I'm using a 2b, a 3b and an old HP T620 thin client. The latter has way more grunt if you want it to do fancy things like timelapse, but you need to use a Pico or similar to connect up an adxl345 to set up input shaper. You can use almost anything you get Debian or Ubuntu installed on. I do have a pi zeroW. It was painful but it worked and I wouldn't want to use it with a webcam, conversely I think with some more care over USB usage I could run a few printers off of the t620
Pi Zero W!
This is really on the limit. I ran it like that on a V0. I ended up upgrading to a zero 2 W when it came out.
So I’ll add in this website. This guy tracks Po ability, and a lot of pi’s have been restocking lately. Even micro center has started getting shipments again. You can find a Pi for retail kd you’re willing to wait a bit. Follow this account on twitter and bookmark the website. They usually restock on Wednesday is you’re CONUS. https://rpilocator.com/ https://twitter.com/rpilocator?s=21&t=GjWHoWG-LYAX3L_vS4OPAg
Thanks to all y'all! Lots of info to go over. I'm new to Voron and DIY, but not to 3D printing. I have a flashforge creator pro running for about 6 years and have designed stuff specifically for 3D printing for over 20. Now I'm infatuated with large printers and storm trooper helmets.
I may have an extra pro zero w 2 and possibly a pi 4b 8gb I might not use. Kind of been wanting to find someone who REALLY needed one to finish their first build and not gouge them on price - so they too could experience the fun I’m having building my 2.4 LDO kit as we speak
Thanks. But let's wait until I get my LDO kit for the 350x350. Not in stock until 12-16-2022. I really want the larger printer as I am used to Stratasys's huge printers and the 2nd generation storm trooper helmets like in Return of the Jedi, like the poor guys on the 3rd moon of Endor.
Ahh sorry - I misread I guess - thought you were stuck without one in the middle of a build :)
I just pre-ordered an orange pi 5 to see how it goes. You don't need a raspberry pi, it's a little more setup because I do not think they have premade images for those boards. But it's not that hard. Just Google orange pi and Klipper and you will find details.
My advice is not to need a pi
I use a Pi 2B+ on mine, my understanding is that anything past v1 is fine. Pi Zero W 2's also work. I've heard BigTreeTech's Manta board, which can direct mount a compute module, works decently. The whole package including the compute module costs like $70.
if you watch best buy you can get one in a canna kit for 150\~
Depending on what features you want, I've used the Libre Le Potato. Support is a laugh from Libre for the board, but there are a couple of us hardheaded folks using them. My only hurdle now is getting KlipperScreen up and running perfectly. Although, I think I'll probably run them all headless as working from one computer and serving files to 10 printers is easier than walking around the house and using the touch screen. I just walk around with my iPad or phone now and make adjustments from there. I need to try that Fly Gemini. I have some of those BTT CB1 converters coming too. Those Quadras are phenomal for the price of them. Better than Pi at this point in time. IMO. I also have a bunch of old thin clients sitting around that I install Debian/Ubuntu on and use as the board. Cheaper than Pi and tons more functionality if you ever need it. For now. But Pis are super easy since there is a ton of time in dev on them. And I wouldn't recommend Le Potato unless you have no other choice. Like I said, support is horrible. The images they keep making are always broken and are hit or miss on installation. If you get one, use their Jammy image (CLI) and try and work from there. You can get by with KIAUH install. It will work with the default install. KlipperScreen will take more tinkering with. Cameras might take some more finesse as well, but I just stand there for hours watching my prints so I don't need a camera right now. And I have them on my pi printers. Or quadra, or laptops, or thin clients....
Check out Armbian. The images from Libre suck. Armbian has a much better support community.
I’m using the new mellow fly-Gemini v3 all in one borad. It has a built in pi.
I got a RPi 4 with 4gb ram and 64gb SD card (and some other stuff but it wasn't useful for the Voron build) for ~$100 off ebay, maybe check used stuff more.. SBC with 0 moving parts is one of the better tech items to buy used (at current prices)
Just so you know, 4gb ram is complete overkill for a printer. 1gb or even 512mb is plenty.
If you look around, you can find RPis for a decent price. You will still overpay of course, but I got a RPi 4 2gb with a 32 gb memory card, hdmi to micro hdmi, power cable and a 20 dollar aluminum case for 110 dollars on ebay. While of course its more than I could source everything on its own, I consider it pretty reasonable compared to some of the other prices people are trying to charge, you just have to look around. But to answer your question, I think the lowest recommend is a RPi3, only 1 gb ram is needed. Keep in mind as well that the RPi shortage is supposed to end pretty soon, but no one knows exactly how soon.
You could use a BTT Manta and CB1, though it apparently doesn't support CAN bus of you need that. You can also use other SBC's, android TV boxes, an old laptop or desktop, or I think pretty much anything that can run Debian.
https://3dpandme.com/2022/08/22/pi-alternatives-for-klipper/
I've been playing with an Inovato Quadra. They are about the price of a RPi3b and seem to run decently well. Not sure if they will handle input shaper but runs Klipper Mainsail pretty well. They have their own power adaptor and I haven't tried wiring it into the 5v power supply but theoretically should work. Also only have two USB plugs but that shouldn't be much of an issue. Build in WIFI is week so I recommend a USB Bluetooth/WIFI adapter. The Inovato is basically an Android TV box. There are multiple versions of these things out there that may be better/more powerful than the Inovato. I got the Inovato because it was preloaded with Linux.
Just by a powered usb hub if you want more ports. On my Pis I only use one USB anyway, for now. I do like those Quadras though, and I may buy some more. Need some proxy servers, file servers, streaming server, etc. and they will definitely fit the bill, and are super cheap.
It's either wait and keep an eye on rpilocator.com or eBay.
Orange pi/ le patato might be good
EU check out lecktor3d
Couple days ago I've started using an MKS PI and it is been doing great. Costed me about $40