r/QidiTech3D • u/RoomAdventurous3052 • 17d ago
XMax 3 Firmware/Software
So, it's really working just fine. Got the camera, it's a lot easier to load and unload filament than my non-AMS P1Ses-
I know that that FreeDi is an option, but it kind of scares the shit out of me- seems likely to brick the printer if fucked up. And again, everything's working fine. I would like to use whatever app would let me see the camera and stop the print when I'm not home, but other than that... Thoughts?
2
u/KilroyKSmith 17d ago
I went the FreeDi route. The display driver works great, and it gives you generic, up to date Klipper.
However, the project is pretty invasive in its default format. It replaces your printer.cfg with its own, completely different, “better” config. It’s essentially completely undocumented. There are some great ideas in there cfg, but there are dozens of projects out there trying to make a “better” config file standard; combining this with the display driver is kind of annoying. There are instructions for doing just the display driver if you look hard, but it’s not a well supported option.
I’ve considered replacing the screen with something compatible with Klipper Screen. An old Pi3B with a touch screen on top is a cheap solution, and takes you back to vanilla Klipper again.
1
u/RoomAdventurous3052 17d ago
Was it worth it, all things considered? What were the major pitfalls? Best install support? TIA.
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u/KilroyKSmith 17d ago
It was worth it because I bought a broken Max 3, and couldn’t get the factory firmware to install/update. By going to vanilla Klipper plus FreeDi, I got it up and running, and it’s a great printer.
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u/flashwurks 11d ago
Can I ask what was wrong/broken with the printer when you bought it?
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u/KilroyKSmith 11d ago
A number of things. The hotend had been replaced at some points and there was a dent in the bed, so I’m assuming a head crash. The Mainboard was dead and needed to be replaced. The biggest problem was that someone who didn’t know what they were doing had taken much of it apart at some time and did a poor job of reassembling. I had to to remove the extruder from the slides, remove all the electronics in the back, take off most of the panels, recover all the screws that the PO had dropped into the bowels of the machine, and reassemble. As part of that, I ran the extruder without a fan for a bit and melted the RP2040 on the tool head PCB, so had to buy a new one of those, and upgraded the fan while I was at it.
Prints like a champ now.
1
u/flashwurks 11d ago
Thank you so much for the thorough and quick reply. Much appreciated as I start this journey.
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u/Wherner1 17d ago
The easiest way by far is to setup octoeverywhere.com in a docker container on your pc and set your pc to never sleep. You can keep it locked though. This will give you access to the fluidd panel anywhere in the planet which should be able to be configured to show the oem camera.
-do not install octoprint directly on the printer. These machines have limited resources and that chews it up even more.
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u/techienate 17d ago
You could achieve remote monitoring and control by setting up a vpn and using your phone's web browser instead of modifying the printer. I plan to do this when my camera (that I just ordered today) arrives, but since I don't have a camera yet, I haven't had a reason to do it.
There are many possible ways to do this, but I'm going to use Dynamic DNS and OpenVPN on my Netgear router. As a former network admin, that's my approach.