3d printer tft lcd setup brands

I was rebuilding one of my 3D printers — again — and decided I needed a display upgrade. A color screen is nice, but there are some limitations. I also found there are ways around these limitations, so I wanted to share my thoughts on a dual-mode color touch screen LCD controller for your 3D printer. The screen in question is a TFT35 from BigTree Tech. It is similar to an MKS screen, but it can operate in two different modes, as you will see.

A few years ago, I picked up an Anet A8 which was very inexpensive, especially on sale. Not the best printer, though, because it has that cheap acrylic frame. No problem. A box full of aluminum extrusion later, the printer was reborn. Over time, I’ve completely reworked the extrusion system and the Y-axis, leaving only the motors, bearings, and the controller/display as the original.

That last part was what bothered me. The Anet board is actually pretty capable for a small cheap board. But it is just what the printer needs and nothing more. If you wanted to hack the printer there was very little memory left and only one spare pin for I/O. So it was time to replace the board and why not the controller, too?

The A8 has an LCD2004. That means it has a 20×4 LCD. Instead of an encoder knob, there are five buttons: basically up, down, left, right, and enter. Most printers now have an LCD12864 which, as you can probably guess, is a 128×64 LCD and they use an encoder knob for direction that you can push for the enter key.

I happened to have one of these lying around so when I installed a new motherboard — a Fysetc Spider if you are curious — I also wired in the new LCD. I had to recompile Marlin, of course, but that’s easy. It all worked, it just looked a little bland.

There’s another way to control a printer, and it’s one you may have thought of before. Since the printer accepts commands via a serial port, you could take a computer like a Raspberry Pi with a nice LCD and just have it issue commands to the serial port. Bonus points if the board has more than one serial port so you can still hook up a PC or a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint or similar. Turns out, you don’t have to build this. The MKS touchscreen uses an ARM chip (it isn’t a Pi, though) and has a touch screen that you can use to control the printer. These come in different sizes and are usually called something like TFT35 for 3.5 inch display.

The advantage isn’t just appearance. Having a bunch of touch screen buttons makes many things easier. For example, if the printer is at (0,0) and you want to jog the head to (100,200), that ends up being a lot of button pushes in Marlin. With the touch display, you can bring up a navigation screen that makes it easy. Or, you can bring up an entire terminal and enter G-code. When you press Send, it shows the results of the command, if any. You can set a temperature with the knob, on-screen buttons, or press the number and type in what you want with a virtual keypad.

These displays are colorful and nice, but there are a few things they can’t do. Marlin has some wizards and user interaction that insist on a proper, local LCD. But the Marlin code thinks the MKS display is a remote host computer, connected over serial. Displays that can act like both types of LCDs are a sweet hack, and here’s the part that was never clear to me before: these displays can switch modes during printer operation. In other words, it is not a case of selecting a mode and rebooting everything. You can be looking at the colorful touchscreen, then switch over to the stock display while printing and then switch back any time you want. The best of both worlds.

On the face of it, the display looks like an MKS TFT. You have colorful menus and a touch screen. The connection for that is a simple two-wire serial port, along with — of course — power, ground, and an optional reset connection. They provide a cable you can use or modify to connect to your setup. There is also an EXT3 port for boards that have that connector.

However, if you wire the normal EXT1 and EXT2 ribbon cables to your printer, the display can emulate a normal 128×64 LCD. If you are already set up to use one of these displays, you should not need to recompile Marlin to use this display. However, if you are set up for a different type of display, you’ll need to tell Marlin to use the normal “REPRAP DISCOUNT GRAPHICS CONTROLLER.”

That’s huge. It means you can have a nice user interface that lets you control the printer, print from an SD card or USB stick, and even make customizations to the menu with the source code provided on GitHub or with a simple configuration file edit. (And, yes, you can add custom menu items simply.) But when you need to do something very specific to Marlin, or a new feature shows up that the LCD doesn’t know about yet, you can simply switch to the Marlin display mode. Then you can switch back.

The process to switch is simple. Just hold down the encoder knob or push the screen for a few seconds. A screen will show up allowing you to pick the Marlin mode or the BTT mode. Just touch the one you want. In Marlin mode, the touchscreen does nothing except switch modes, so you might want to use that method. If you hold the encoder down in Marlin mode, the printer will also see the repeated enter keys until the LCD pops up the selection screen.

If you use a bezel, be careful. If you tighten a case down enough to make the touch screen think you are pressing the screen, you’ll get stuck in the selection mode, which makes sense. Just don’t overtighten the LCD!

Installing the LCD was straightforward save a few problems. For some reason, the pin 1 designation for EXP1 and EXP2 are not consistent among vendors. A Geeetech display worked fine with the Spider board, but the TFT35 didn’t want to come up in Marlin mode at all. I applied power at the serial port and the board appeared hung. The answer was to snip off the alignment tabs on the ribbon cables and flip them 180 degrees.

The display has a number of other ports, but you probably shouldn’t use them. For example, there’s a port for a filament runout sensor. But if you connect it there, it will only work if you are printing using an SD card or USB stick in the display. A better option is to connect it to your printer and tell Marlin to notify the host if a filament break occurs. This will work with the display or something like Octoprint.

In theory, you should be able to connect Octoprint itself through one of the extra serial ports. However, I never got this to fully work. The subordinate port seems to work pretty well, but it never sends Octoprint acknowledgments so Octoprint waits forever or until you force it to continue — use the Fake Acknowledgment button in the terminal. Since the Spider has multiple serial ports, it isn’t a big deal, but in theory, the TFT should work a little better if it can intercept and filter the data stream between the printer and the host software. In practice, I don’t really notice any problems. Some Octoprint plugins like DisplayLayer can send status information to the TFT, anyway.

Another note: Using the jog keys sets the printer to relative mode. If you are used to popping codes into a terminal, you might want to get used to issuing a G90 before you send a move because the TFT will change it to relative anytime you do a jog.

Resin 3D printers are more affordable than ever – you can now pick up a great quality resin printer with a 4K LCD screen for just a few hundred dollars. So if you’re a home maker who wants to make detailed miniatures for your next game, or have more professional ambitions, it’s never been easier.

With 2K, 4K, and even up to 8K LCD screen quality available under $1,000, and sub-35-micron resolution becoming increasingly common, with the right settings you can create incredible-looking miniature models, as well as key uses in jewelry molds and in the dental industry.

We’ve split our recommendations into the best cheap resin 3D printers with recommendations for $200, $300, $500, and $700, as well as recommending a couple of clear winners for professional resin 3D printers if you’re looking to start a business or scale things up.

Whereas the Mars 2 Pro has a 6.08-inch 2K LCD, the Mars 3 and Mars 3 Pro both have 6.6-inch 4K screens, improving XY resolution from 50 microns to 35 microns – a 30% accuracy improvement.

The latest entry-level Photon 3D printer, the Anycubic Photon M3 takes everything we loved about the series – fast print times, excellent resolution, and a user-friendly printing experience – and levels it up with a few choice enhancements.

The Anycubic Mono X 6K allows makers to craft exceptionally detailed 6K prints at 34 microns XY resolution without sacrificing build volume (or vice versa), which inches close to standard FDM printer sizes at 197 x 122 x  245mm. A max print speed of 80 mm/h also prints the most complex minis and models at a blistering pace.

If you’re not constrained by a tight budget and want some of the best quality offered by any consumer-grade printer, there’s no question the Anycubic Mono X 6K is a sensible buy. The same goes for those piecing together the kit needed to take a budding minis business to the next level.

Featuring an 8.9-inch 4K monochrome LCD screen for fast layer curing, the Elegoo Saturn comes much upgraded on standard models, printing 60% faster than the Elegoo Mars Pro, printing a layer every 2-3 seconds.

For your money, you get a number of other key upgrades, most notably the larger build area, turning the Elegoo Saturn into a solid resin 3D printer for larger resin models or terrain for miniatures, as well as for printing more minis in one batch and taking advantage of resin printers’ abilities to print entire layers at once.

If this isn’t enough, you have two upgrade options:Elegoo Saturn S: a slight improvement across the board, with an 9.1” 4K LCD, and a slight build volume increase to 196 x 122 x 210 mm

Elegoo Saturn 2: upgrades to a 10” 8K LCD, 28.5nm XY resolution, and a larger 219 x 123 x 250 mm build area.Elegoo SaturnElegoo Saturn SElegoo Saturn 2LCD Quality8.9″ 4K LCD9.1″ 4K LCD10″ 8K LCD

Phrozen’s flagship resin printer capitalizes on a sleek 7.1″ LCD screen and 22-micron resolution to deliver frankly outstanding print detail and surface quality that more budget-priced printers simply can’t provide.

As consumer printers go, the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K has the potential to produce the most intricate, detail-rich models of any printers currently on the market.

One thing we really want to drive home is how important it is not to get tunnel vision when looking at the specs of printers when choosing which to buy. As we explain in the buyer’s guide portion below, a well-made printer made from high-quality parts that can handle precise movements and stability will outperform a printer with a higher-spec LCD screen but worse build quality.

The 5.96” monochrome LCD is smaller than some lower-priced printers like the Elegoo Saturn 2, but it is capable of fantastic accuracy, even for tiny miniature models smaller than a penny. It’s made from high-quality parts to minimize vibrations, with a rigid aluminum body, and features a quick release mechanism to maintain z-axis calibration.

You can buy the printer on its own, or as a bundle with the CW1S 4-in-1 wash and cure machine. It pre-heats your resin before use, washes resin prints, dries them off, and cures them, all in one add-on. The bundle is available here.

Formlabs make professional resin 3D printers, but at desktop resin printer prices. The US manufacturer sells the Form 3 SLA 3D printer for $3,499, with its quality making it key for super accurate prototypes, as well as being adopted in the dental and jewelry industries.

The Form 3 comes with a huge variety of new features as compared with the previous Form 2. It comes with new LFS technology advantages as well as a new Light Processing Unit (LPU) to improve resin part surface finishes, as well as better layer registrations. The Form 2 was already fantastic, and these added features elevate the Form 3 to a whole new dimension within desktop SLA printers.

In addition, it has a scanning system for the resin tray after each layer, and automatically adjusts based on the type of resin used. Furthermore, its got a fantastic touch screen and can be operated remotely via a WiFi connection, as well as operable as part of a factory with Formlabs’ industrial multi-printer ‘Form Cell’ solutions.

This UV 3D resin 3D printer has a print volume of 145 x 145 x 185 mm, and is extremely precise with 25-micron XY resolution. The Formlabs Form 3 is compatible with a large number of resins, from ceramic, to flexible resins, to castable resins, though Formlabs also sell their own high-quality resin materials.Formlabs resins are availablehere.

With washing and curing an unavoidable part of resin 3D printing, we’ve rounded up a few choice washing and curing stations well worth weaving into your printing setup to take some of the sting and mess out of post-processing.

The Anycubic Wash & Cure is an all-in-one station compatible with the overwhelming majority of resin printers. Thanks to a nifty recent price cut from Anycubic, the Wash & Cure sets you back under $100.

Anycubic has simplified the whole wash and cure process thanks to a set-and-forget design – choose either wash or cure on the touch button interface, and off it goes. The station blocks 99.95% of UV light and comes with an auto-pause function if the cover inadvertently comes off. The station has an adjustable bracket that can latch onto an Anycubic build platform if you’re working with a Photon Mono series printer.

The accepted max print size is 125 x 85 x 160 mm for washing and 140 x 165 mm for curing. You can either use the provided cleaning basket or mount an Elegoo build plate with models still attached, making it compatible with most if not all resin 3D printers, not just with Elegoo machines.

A 385 nm and 405 nm UV light set and 360-degree rotating curing turntable do all the curing work with the option to key in and monitor curing time up to 30 minutes on the TFT touchscreen. Safety’s covered with an anti-UV lid that blocks 99.95% of UV rays and a suspend operation function should the cover come off during curing.

However, while a higher resolution makes a clear difference to print results, even the highest resolution 3D printer will not perform as well as a lower-res 2K screen if it is built from low-quality parts.

As a general rule, resin printers feature smaller build volumes than more common FDM machines, hence why makers and professionals use them to create small intricate parts with high precision.

If you do need extra printing space for duplicate part printing or larger figurines and models, consider larger format resin printers such as the Peopoly Phenom and Phrozen Sonic Mighty 4K.

Resin 3D printing is a messy business, and post-processing is a core part of the printing process. Post-processing breaks down into two parts, washing and curing.

Your resin printer’s LCD screen uses the same UV light as the sun but in a more stable indoor environment, flashing light at certain parts of the resin to selectively cure parts, based on your model’s features.

The screen sits under the resin vat, and projects light upwards into the build platform. An FEP screen (fluorinated ethylene propylene) protects the screen from damage – though these FEP films themselves need to be replaced more often than any other parts of the printer.

As each layer is cured, the resin printer’s z-axis platform, lifts up one layer, for the next resin layer to be cured. The cured model sticks to the build platform as it moves up out of the resin (if it sticks to the resin, the print fails), with the layer on the edge cured and moved up each time.

Good cheap resin 3D printers start at around $200, with either a 2K or 4K screen that can still print precise features on miniature models. 6K and 8K screen resin printers cost from $600 to $1000+, and professional resin 3D printers from companies like Formlabs cost $3500 and up.

Budget resin 3D printers are typically used by hobbyists to make accurate figures and miniatures at details FDM printers just cannot reach. They’re commonly used for 28mm miniatures, D&D figures, and other similar projects for tabletop models.

However, these low cost options can sometimes be used for creating wax molds for jewelry casting. For better quality casting with precious metals however it is recommended to use a more professional resin 3D printer capable of better resolutions and precision.

Resin printers are commonly used in the dental, audiology, jewelry, and medical industries. For example, within dentistry resin 3D printers can print orthodontic models and implants, and within audiology, almost 100% of custom hearing aids are now 3D printed.

For the home resin 3D printing $200-600 range, the best resin 3D printer brands are Anycubic, Elegoo and Phrozen, who make high-quality printers capable of accurate details. In the professional resin printer range, Prusa, Formlabs and Peopoly are well-reputed, as well as industrial brands like 3D Systems, Carbon 3D and EnvisionTEC.

Resin 3D printers can print incredible-looking details for miniatures that FDM simply can’t compete with, so for anything precise and detailed, resin printers can’t be beaten. However, if you want a simpler printing experience without washing or curing prints, or want to print large-scale models, go for an FDM 3D printer instead.

Curing is an equally important part of the process. When a printer completes a part, the resin is in a transitory state: hard enough to retain the desired shape and detail but lacking overall rigidity, making it prone to scratches, scarring, and blemishes. By curing the print with UV, or even sunlight if you’ve got time on your side, the resin reaches its optimal, finished state.

Upgrade your Ender3 with a 3.5" TFT touch screen using the BigTreeTech TFT35-E3 v3.0.1. Easily connects to the original main board or SKR Mini E3, SKR V1.4 Turbo, SKR E3 Turbo, SKR 2, SKR Pro V1.2. This great quality TFT screen gives more control and more information about your 3D printer

BigTreeTech has designed a touch screen controller panel that can be installed onto a range of machines. The 3.5” screen provides a clear and vibrant experience when operating your 3D printer. Easily install the premium touch screen controller panel and make use of the two working modes.

Upgrade your 3D printer with the fast running medium-sized screen for swift and quick maneuvering. The touchscreen controller panel offers smooth control for your machine. With two working modes, you can choose between a traditional encoder mode or a color touch screen. The screen has great clarity so that you can always see the progress of a print. Thanks to the wear-resistant glass, the screen will not get scratched easily and is a very durable option. When working with this screen you benefit from SD slots, and Wi-Fi and USB connectivity.

Easy to usePI TFT70 V 2.0. The backlight can be adjusted by a rotary encoder. Use an FPC cable to connect the screen to the Pi"s DSI interface, and the display can be touched, which is simple and convenient.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. It appears that the upgrade package overwrites the FBTFT drivers, in particular, the Raspberry Pi bootloader. This seems to solve the problem:

dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=ttyAMA0,115200 console=tty1 root=/dev/mmcblk0p6 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline rootwait fbtft_device.custom fbtft_device.name=waveshare32b fbtft_device.gpios=dc:22,reset:27 fbtft_device.bgr=1 fbtft_device.speed=48000000 fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:ProFont6x11 logo.nologo dma.dmachans=0x7f35 console=tty1 consoleblank=0 fbtft_device.fps=50 fbtft_device.rotate=0

Hello..I tired to interface this lcd “https://www.crazypi.com/raspberry-pi-products/Raspberry-Pi-Accessories/32-TOUCH-DISPLAY-RASPBERRY-PI” to my Raspberry pi model B+.I got a DVD containing image for LCD in the package.I burned it to the SD card and plugged in the display.But my lcd is completly blank.But green inidcation led (ACT LED) in board is blinking.Why my LCD is Blank ?

My Touchscreen is now working fine.The problem was for the ribbon cable on the back side of LCD.It was not connected properly.I just tighted the cable and it worked fine.Hope it will be useful tip.

Just got my Pi2 running Wheezy, working with the Eleduino 3.5 LCD without running the OEMs image… kinda. I didn’t want to rebuild the application environment again, so was avoiding flashing the SD.

[ 0.000000] Kernel command line: dma.dmachans=0x7f35 bcm2708_fb.fbwidth=656 bcm2708_fb.fbheight=416 bcm2709.boardrev=0xa21041 bcm2709.serial=0x631a4eae smsc95xx.macaddr=B8:27:EB:1A:4E:AE bcm2708_fb.fbswap=1 bcm2709.disk_led_gpio=47 bcm2709.disk_led_active_low=0 sdhci-bcm2708.emmc_clock_freq=250000000 vc_mem.mem_base=0x3dc00000 vc_mem.mem_size=0x3f000000 dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=ttyAMA0,115200 console=tty1 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline rootwait fbtft_device.custom fbtft_device.name=flexfb fbtft_device.gpios=dc:22,reset:27 fbtft_device.bgr=1 fbtft_device.speed=48000000 fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:ProFont6x11 logo.nologo dma.dmachans=0x7f35 console=tty1 consoleblank=0 fbtft_device.fps=50 fbtft_device.rotate=0

thank you for your great tutorial, it got me on the right way. unfortunataly i only see some boot messages on the lcd and then it turns black. maybe you could give me a hint on how to get it working entirely.

Did you check to see if your device is supported yet? The device name should be specific for your screen, as listed in the fbtft file linked to in the beginning of the post

I too have a raspberry pi 2, and a waveshare spotpear 3.2 RPi lcd (v3) and I just can’t get it to work! I suspect I have a faulty LCD, but thought I’ll try this forum for help before I sent it back.

Soon as the pi is powered, the LCD lights up all white, with a few vertical pixels coloured at one of the edges, and nothing else. I don’t think that should happen – not at least before the BOIS has started up.

It seems all appears to be working – just the LCD is still all white with a single line of coloured pixels on edge) and nothing else. Is there a way to output, like jeff G script, of touch points?

I had the same one, I finally found a driver for it here: http://www.waveshare.net/wiki/3.2inch_RPi_LCD_(B) you will need to translate the page, but unpack the driver then run sudo ./LCD-show/LCD32-show. It should reboot and all will be good with the screen :)

My system: Raspberry Pi 2 Model B with Raspian Wheezy from Febuary 2015. LCD display of Sainsmart 3.2 http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/1283498/Raspberry-Pi-Display-Modul-Touch-Display-81-cm-32/?ref=home&rt=home&rb=1

dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=ttyAMA0,115200 console=tty1 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootfstype=ext4 cgroup_enable=memory elevator=deadline rootwait fbtft_device.custom fbtft_device.name=sainsmart32_spi fbtft_device.gpios=dc:24,reset:25 fbtft_device.bgr=1 fbtft_device.speed=48000000 fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:ProFont6x11 logo.nologo dma.dmachans=0x7f35 console=tty1 consoleblank=0 fbtft_device.fps=50 fbtft_device.rotate=90

The LCD display shows the raspberry correctly. However, the touch screen input does not work. The mouse pointer can I move correctly with your finger, but I can not select things (function of the left mouse button).

Can someone upload SD card image that works with RBP2 ? My idea is to use Eleduino TFT as additional screen and play movies via HDMI.. is it possible?

Do not follow this article when you don’t know what kind of LCD module. In my case, I follow all of this and my raspberry pi cannot boot anymore. I will try to recover, but I think I should format my SD card and reinstall OS.

Expecting this would builtin driver module within kernel and help with avoiding mistakenly overwriting anything. But with this is cause LCD screen to go blank white and no boot activity. Also noticed on HDMI it get stuck on Initial rainbow screen and stuck on that.

Does anyone tried splash boot screen with waveshare v4 LCD and Rpi2? I tried to follow some example from https://github.com/notro/fbtft/wiki/Bootsplash but no success.

Great tutorial thanks; got an X session working great 1st time. Has anybody managed to get Kodi/XMBC working on the LCD either Kodi standalone, Raspbmc or Xbian?

fbtft_device name=waveshare32b gpios=dc:22,reset:27 speed=48000000 width=320 height=240 buswidth=8 init=-1,0xCB,0x39,0x2C,0x00,0x34,0x02,-1,0xCF,0x00,0XC1,0X30,-1,0xE8,0x85,0x00,0x78,-1,0xEA,0x00,0x00,-1,0xED,0x64,0x03,0X12,0X81,-1,0xF7,0x20,-1,0xC0,0x23,-1,0xC1,0x10,-1,0xC5,0x3e,0x28,-1,0xC7,0x86,-1,0×36,0x28,-1,0x3A,0x55,-1,0xB1,0x00,0x18,-1,0xB6,0x08,0x82,0x27,-1,0xF2,0x00,-1,0×26,0x01,-1,0xE0,0x0F,0x31,0x2B,0x0C,0x0E,0x08,0x4E,0xF1,0x37,0x07,0x10,0x03,0x0E,0x09,0x00,-1,0XE1,0x00,0x0E,0x14,0x03,0x11,0x07,0x31,0xC1,0x48,0x08,0x0F,0x0C,0x31,0x36,0x0F,-1,0×11,-2,120,-1,0×29,-1,0x2c,-3

I have exactly the same problem. I also installed a new version of Raspbian, and the LCD part works fine (except all the windows are way too large), but the touch part doesn’t work at all… I’m using Waveshare Spotpear 3.2″ V4.

I do not think that has anything to do with it. Other than power pins, the rest are communication. If it still works then you are good. No, there is something else. I do suspect it us related to the BCM pin numbering. The real question is… Why isnt the eeveloper responding? I have since abandoned this TFT because of his lack of response.

I am trying to use the sainsmart 2.8″ lcd sold through microcenter, using the sainsmart32_spi … seems to have the same pinouts, should I be able to get this to work? I am stuck at the white out screen on the lcd, doesn’t seem to recognize the module either.

Unfortunately I’ve tried that ( a few times actually) but the file still doesn’t exist. Thanks very much for the assistance anyway. I must be doing something wrong. My Raspian came from a Noobs installation, I’m wondering if I should try installing the OS from somewhere else. My LCD screen didn’t come with a CD or any docs so I’m completely in the dark here.

Well figured out that step 1 was causing my problems. I’m guessing it is shutting off my hdmi feed and trying to switch it over to the SPI, am I guessing right? If so, not sure how I’m suppose to complete the rest of the steps if my hdmi output gets turned off before the LCD is actually set up to work…that sounds kind of smartass-like, which is not my intention, just looking for some clarification on what is going on in that first step as I am fairly new to this stuff. Thanks.

Anyway, I was able to do the rest of the steps with no problem. LCD didn’t work, but I am using a Waveshare 3.5, which doesn’t look to be supported yet. Mostly I am trying to play around and see if I can get it working somehow. Anyone found a way to do this yet?

I am having an issue with getting the GUI back. Every time I use startx my pi just sits there for about two minutes saying “No protocol specified”, and then it just gives up. I went through this tutorial about four times now and am not certain why it is doing this. I have the exact same LCD as is in the tutotial (WaveShare 3.2b). any help would be great.

Thanks for the tutorial. It works, but I get the boot/command line stuff on the HDMI monitor and the LCD only comes on when I do startx. Is there a way to get everything to appear on the LCD screen?

Now the OS freezes at the emulation station loading screen, and if I connect my lcd it gives me a lot of error messages which I can only see on the 3.2 inch screen.

well i did it at last on pi 2,,after reading 100 pages and reimaging 50 times ,,i finally find the solution ,,,,there is a simple line forgotten to be attached in setup instruction,,,well i give u clue for prodigies ,,there is a step left between step 3 and 4,,,,and a simple change in step 5 according to your pi version ,,,that`s it ,,nothing else,,,,

This was an excellent tutorial. I have gotten an output to the screen, but no touchscreen usage . I have the Waveshare SpotPear 3.2 Inch LCD V4 screen, but using Raspberry PI 2 with wheezy. Any ideas?

I filed the steps to calibrate the screen but it did not work.I think because it did not find the TFT pin, because I think the touch problem is the assigned pin to control it changed.

I actually used the driver from here http://www.waveshare.com/wiki/3.2inch_RPi_LCD_(B) , from a new wheezy build, did nothing except enable SPI in config, install driver, and change mmcblk0p2 to mmcblk0p6 in cmdline.txt and it all worked, no drama.

i have raspberry pi 2 with 3.2 inch rpi lcd v4 waveshare spotpear.i have done as per your instructions.the display is working but touch screen not working.error shows waveshare32b module not found as well as touch screen module not found messages.

Unfortunately I have lost the Touch facility on my Waveshare 3.5″ LCD Touchscreen? Can you offer any reasons as to why? I copied the Raspbian image to my Raspberry Pi from the Waveshare website first of all. The Touchscreen displays but is not reactive with any touch

I have purchased a raspberry pi B+ total kit and waveshare 3.2 TFT display online. In the package i have been given a pre-loaded NOOBS installed SD card. I did not even start anything yet. What should i do what r the things needed and how to connect the display i really want to know. I need help as i don’t know anything. Does the above solution help or will u suggest something………………..

Hi great article thanks. I am trying to get a waveshare 7 inch LCD with capacitive touch running it works with the suppled image but if you upgrade it breaks the capacitive touch. I have a sense-hat and GPS which require the latest kernel and RASPIAN image and the install program for the screen replaces the /lib/modules directory and the kernel with older ones. I need to be able to install the touch drivers into a new clean OS can anyone give me some pointers? Thanks

For anyone who have those unbranded cheap TFT touch modules and cannot get it to work with this guide, I had success on my 3.5″ with the following steps: http://pastebin.com/89qmFbPB

I have the WaveShare 3.5 (A) and cannot get it to work with the Kali Linux with TFT for Raspberry Pi. Have anybody gotten the A to work? (Not the B, theres instructions for the B already and dont work with A)

So I have the original image that came with my screen and it works fine with the LCD but my problem is that I want to use my LCD screen with other distros (at this time I am trying to use it with Kali Linux with TFT support by default https://www.offensive-security.com/kali-linux-vmware-arm-image-download/) What do I have to do to transfer the needed files from the original image that WORKS with the screen and use them with another image?

I originally bought this bundle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013E0IJUK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 with an RPi LCD V3 and no extra documentation on the specifics on the chipset. I tried with the bftft drivers but since I have no idea what to call this screen I just suppose it isn’t supported.

I’m not sure if the Jessie kernel is compatible – can anyone please confirm or not ?? Adafruit states that their setup for TFT screens are Wheezy only ; is this a different setup ??

I am using the same LCD and followed your tutorial. Have your tested the guide lately? Are you certain that it works? I see the boot messages on console but I get white screen as GUI starts.

Please check out my answer, it may help you if it works. I’m not in that case but I’m assuming that the desktop environment simply doesn’t automatically start running anymore… This can be changed in the raspi-setup

I have tried to set up waveshare 32b on my Pi B using the latest Raspian download. I learned a lot in the process using Windows Putty, Nano etc. I have repeated the setup process several times from scratch and included the corrections for possible overwriting. My Waveshare SpotPear 3.2 inch RPi LCD V4 just shows a white screen. Any suggestions?

Hi, I am using raspberry pi 2 with raspbian jessie installed. I the waveshare spotpear 3.2 v4. The above instructions are not working. and after completing the steps there was no display from hdmi or lcd. One things to notify is.: the etc/modules files only had i2c-dev and not snd-bcm2835.

I am trying to get this to work with Retro Pie 3.3.1 and the Waveshare3.2″ v4 but I only get the terminal on the lcd and emulation station starts on hdmi. to get it working with retro pie i just replaced startx with emulationstation. how do i get this to work?

Sir, Your post has very useful to me. i am using Tinylcd. but i cant get display. i am performing all the steps in your post. i cant get touch controller information from the product website and also i am using RASPberryPi B+ model. could u please give me best solution to my work. Than you.

i installed android OS in raspberry pi 2. can i use same LCD touch screen set up for android installed raspberry pi 2 which you are used for raspbian.

Is it normal the white back light during the whole process of initializing (I suspect that during the transportation trere is a deffect)? The problem is that I missed the step #1 and I performed it at the end. Unfortunately I don’t have any monitor available right now – neither “normal”, neither LCD :))))). Is it possible turning back the system or the only option is reinstallation of the Raspbian?

I have KeDei 3.5 inch TFT version 4.0 by Osoyoo. (released after January 1 2016) how do i get it working with vanilla Raspbian Jessie (do not want to install the image sent by the seller)

I’m trying to use an original Raspberry Pi model B with a cheap 3.5 inch 320×480 LCD which allegedly was manufactured to work with the Pi and has the correct fittings to fit over the GPIO pins. The operating system is the latest, downloaded yesterday and installed with NOOBS. I can’t get past step 2 of this guidance. When I reboot after using raspi-config I can see text generated as the Pi boots, then the HDMI fed screen goes blank apart from a flashing cursor in the top left hand corner. The LCD just remains white with nothing else on it. I have missed out step 1 and rebooted after step 2 and the screen functions as I would expect. Does anyone have any ideas please?

Thanks for the great tutorial. I do have a question. Once you install the drivers for the lcd are you effectively disabiling the hdmi port or is it still available to use and will the pi function with both displays. I have a pi 3

once you install the drivers it replaces the kernel by disabling hdmi output and enables it for LCD. i don’t think we have a solution to get em both working at the same time. ( you are encouraged to search for it )

I’d like to find the driver software for my 7″ LCD with touch (official Pi unit) so that I can use it in buildroot. I wanted to make sure this kernel is the one before I started digging further.

I started through your tutorial and completed step 3 and rebooted. After the Raspberry screen and some of the boot text on my HDMI monitor, I now have a black HDMI monitor and a white screen on my LCD. Does this mean that the bootloader was overwritten or something else is wrong? How am I supposed to enter in the proposed fixes to the bootloader, when I can’t get the RPi to boot? Do I have to interrupt the boot process at some point to reinstall the bootloader or what?

Its a script. Download and instead of running sudo ./LCD4-show run cat ./LCD4-show to simply display what it does without actually running it. The commands are fairly simple modifying a few files. I actually saved the LCD-show.tar.gz on my own server for faster future download but also for backup as it saved me tons of hours (if that’s a measuring unit for time :) )

I used this link though (smaller file ~ 50 KB, fast download) http://www.waveshare.com/w/upload/4/4b/LCD-show-161112.tar.gz and replaced LCD4-show with LCD32-show in the last line.

i bought a 3.5 inch tft lcd screen from banggood. and i have installed raspian jessie, the latest version, in my sd card. but when i power on my Pi, only a white backlit screen comes. there are no images or graphics whatsoever.

Will your system work with my SainSmart 2.8″ 2.8 inch TFT LCD 240×320 Arduino DUE MEGA2560 R3 Raspberry Pi ? I would like to know before not be able to back out. Thanks, Lee

I ‘m actually using a LCD Waveshare3.2” , I followed your steps to setup the lcd touchscreen for my rpi and it work but I have a problem with the resolution because if I open a repertory I do not see the whole contents on the screen .

I did a 5inch LCD for my raspberry pi. I dont use the touchscreen so i didnt have to install any drivers. It works out of the box but doesnt cover the whole screen unless you open the terminal and do:

In the case of the WaveShare driver, their setup script from their “LCD_show” repository will copy a device-tree overlay to /boot/overlays/ that provides most of the module config etc via boot-time device-tree patch.

After I did the step that “INSTALL THE FBTFT DRIVERS” and then reboot, my raspberry pi couldn’t boot successfully and the green light is always on, could you help me solve this problem? Thank you.

342 x 460 x 580 mm (13.5 x 18.1 x 22.8 in)This is the process of depositing layers of filament, one on top of the other, to build up shapes and models. It is a form of additive manufacturing technology and the process used by all Ultimaker 3D printers.Print technology

100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 HzThe peak power output that the printer can reach – usually when the heated bed and hot ends are heating up.Maximum power output

A micron is the measurement used to define the thickness of a 3D printed layer. 20 micron is 0.02 mm thick. Thinner layers are used for high-detail prints, thicker layers are great for fast prototypes.Layer resolution

0.8 mm nozzle: 600 - 20 micronThe more accurate the stepper motors within the printer, the greater degree of accuracy and finer resolution can be achieved with each print.XYZ resolution

2.4-inch (6 cm) TFT color touchscreenThanks to the swappable nozzle, you can easily switch between different nozzle diameters. This results in higher uptime and easier maintenance of your 3D printer.Print head

The build speed relates to how fast the filament can be extruded through the hot end of the 3D printer. The higher the value the greater the achievable print speed.Build speed

< 2 minutesThanks to their quiet operation, Ultimaker 3D printers are suitable for use in the office, studio, or classroom environment.Operating sound

< 50 dBAAssisted leveling is easy with the Ultimaker 2+ Connect. The setup wizard guides you through the process, using the included calibration card and build plate knobs to ensure the build plate is perfectly level.Build plate leveling

0 - 32 °C (32 - 90 °F)The printer will notify you when the filter needs replacing (every 1,500 print hours – about once per year). Ultimaker 2+ Connect Air Manager sold separately.Air Manager filter technology

Ultimaker Cura is our industry-leading slicing software that turns your 3D model into a file your printer can use. Use Ultimaker Digital Factory to manage printers and print jobs via your local network or the cloudSupplied free software

SolidWorks, Siemens NX, Autodesk InventorAn STL file is the most used file type for 3D printing. Nearly any 3D modeling software program is able to create these files.Supported file types

"Last year, we produced around 1,000 different 3D printed parts. The benefits of these are improved ergonomics, productivity, and operator satisfaction. In the end, we get very good feedback from the operators working on the line."

"If you compare our 3D printed tools to conventionally manufactured tools, we can easily save approximately €1,000 per tool, which is of course a lot when you consider all the tools which are needed to produce a vehicle."

Introducing the SLA 750 stereolithography solution, anchored by the SLA 750 and SLA 750 Dual – the world’s first synchronous, dual-laser stereolithography printer – delivering cost-efficient, high quality production manufacturing at up to 2X speed and 3X throughput. This solution includes our new Accura AMX Durable Natural material, the industry’s toughest production-grade SLA material, and our new PostCure 1050 system for high-volume post-processing, as well as factory-level integration through the Oqton Manufacturing Operating System (MOS).

Hey everyone! Top 3D Blog here with another addition about affordable yet powerful FDM 3D printers that can bring good value for their money. The spotlight of this article is taken by the BIQU B1 — a sturdily built FDM 3D printer packed with a handful of features for a seamlessly integrated workflow and streamlined printing experience. Despite its sub-$400 price tag, this 3D printer offers a surprisingly large build volume and is pretty straightforward and easy to use. Designed for hobbyists and entry-level makers, the BIQU B1 has some aces up its sleeve that make it stand out among other budget-friendly FDM machines. Besides, the machine boasts a set of extraordinary features that will be of interest even to the most experienced makers. It sure is not perfect and has some weak links, but there’s nothing you can’t fix on an open-frame device thanks to its remarkable upgrade potential.

Read on as we break down the features, pros and cons, and review some troubleshooting cases. Besides, we will dwell upon the most noteworthy upgrades so you can make this 3D printer compatible with high-temperature plastics and take your FDM printing experience to another level. But before we see what the BIQU B1 has to offer, let’s get acquainted with the manufacturing company.

BIQU is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of affordable FDM 3D printers and spare parts for them. Founded in 2015, the company is known for its customer-oriented approach and a heavy focus on establishing that client-manufacturer link most of the big companies seem to miss out on. Of course, the 3D printers aren’t entirely assembled and upgraded according to the customer feedback, but there’s a large set of features that were added to improve the printing experience based on feedback.

Its current lineup consists of two consumer-grade FDM 3D printers: the BIQU B1 and BIQU Thunder. Both of the machines come as 3D printer kits, so each is not enclosed and has to be assembled manually. Indeed, it prolongs the time it takes to proceed to the actual printing process, but also provides users with all the necessary knowledge about how FDM-based machines operate and lets them install a plethora of useful upgrades all by themselves. Besides, it lays a solid foundation for further troubleshooting expertise.

The BIQU B1 is a desktop FDM 3D printer that offers an impressive build volume of 235 х 235 х 270 mm (9.25 x 9.25 x 10.62 inches), so it can print a single medium-sized model or simultaneously print several smaller ones in one go. It prints at a minimum layer thickness of 50 microns, which is good for a 3D printer of its price tag.

There’s also a Bowden type extruder with adjustable RGB LED lighting and an all-metal nozzle that can heat up to 260°C, filament runout sensor, pre-installed BLTouch holder, proprietary 32-bit mainboard, and adjustable control screen that can operate in a touch screen or rotary knob mode depending on your requirements. Besides, it lets you manually enter G-code commands through the screen interface without having to connect the printer to any other device.

The BIQU B1 can print with PLA, TPU, Wood, Nylon ABS, and flexible filaments with a diameter of 1.75 mm. It can reach a maximum speed of 100 mm/s and offers wide material compatibility, so this 3D printer can be used for the production of uniquely designed household items, props, toys, accessories, and hard-to-break prototypes.

The BIQU B1 is a sturdily built medium-sized desktop 3D printer. Its outer dimensions are 570 x 450 x 340 mm (22.4 x 17.7 x 13.4 inches) and it weighs 11 kg (24 lbs). The machine is available in two different color schemes. The first one we are going to talk about is stylish pink.

As you can see, the assembly is not entirely pink, which, in our opinion, is a good thing. The main parts of the printer are painted in a soft shade of pink and make its appearance eye-catching. Indeed, such a unique color scheme makes the printer stand out and look fabulous, making for a change of pace in a home workshop or office.

A built-in control screen is located on the front side of the printer base. Being straightforward and adjustable, it offers a user-friendly interface alongside intuitive controls.

The assembly is equipped with powerful cooling fans that provide sufficient cooling for the printer to work as intended, keeping all the overheating-related issues at bay. The leveling knobs located underneath the build plate are large and easy to reach, which ensures an effortless calibration process.

The BIQU B1 is equipped with a textured spring steel coated build plate that can be heated up to 100°C. It is a finely crafted magnetic piece that is just 4 mm thin. It ensures easy print removal and facilitates layer bonding by keeping the first layers heated. Not only this minimizes the amount of warping-related issues that could mess up your entire print, but it also expands the variety of filaments you can print with. Clearly a must for a streamlined 3D printing experience.

The prints are cooled by a duo of radial fans that provide sufficient ventilation even though they employ a single air duct. In case you’d like to ensure better airflow, 3D print two separate air ducts and upgrade the assembly design manually.

The BIQU B1 is powered by a self-developed SKR 1.4 mainboard equipped with TMC2225 stepper motor drivers that make it particularly silent. The mainboard is one of the most effective ones that can be found on the market and is usually installed on 3D printer kits that are equipped with its weaker counterparts.

Talking about other must-have functions that, in our opinion, every quality FDM 3D printer out there should feature, the BIQU B1 offers a smart filament runout sensor and resume printing function. It is surprising to see these functions on such a budget-friendly machine and very good to have them around.

The BIQU B1 is compatible with Ultimaker Cura, a swift and easy-to-use slicer that guarantees optimal performance when used with FDM 3D printers. This trusted software suite lets you rotate, edit, one-click print your models, build supports and tinker with other print settings to fine-tune the machine. You can learn more about this powerful solution by navigating here.

Simplify3D is another software suite that the BIQU B1 can run on. You can switch between multiple printers and run pre-print simulations to detect design flaws in advance. Besides, it lets you build supports automatically as well as customize them manually and tinker with a plethora of professional tools and advanced options to fine-tune the machine.

The 3D printer kit is supplied in a standard cardboard box. The contents are reliably packed and include the print base that contains all the electronic components required to operate the printer as well as two gantries that guide the extruder and a set of other printer parts.

After completing the assembly, turn the printer on and use the control screen to begin the calibration. Put a piece of A4 paper in between the nozzle and the build plate and adjust the nozzle position until the piece can barely move. Repeat the procedure for each remaining axis to complete the calibration.

Upgrading the BIQU B1 with an enclosure is the last requirement for safe and consistent ABS 3D printing. Like we already mentioned, it makes the printer’s design considerably safer and improves the quality of your 3D printed models by keeping the optimal temperature inside the chamber.

Then, insert the SD card with the BIGTREE_TFT*_V*.*.*.bin, the TFT* folder and the config.ini into the TFT"s SD card reader and reset your TFT (or optionally - power cycle your printer) to start the update process.

Considering that the BIQU B1 comes at a sub-$400 price tag, these PLA-based prints look impressive. Not to mention that you can upgrade the device with an array of cheap and easy-to-install mods that will take your FDM 3D printing to a whole new level.

The BIQU B1 is a budget-friendly desktop FFF/FDM 3D printer that offers tall build volume and wide material compatibility. It is equipped with a single gear extruder that can heat up to 260°C and a magnetic heated build plate that can reach 100°C quite rapidly. The B1 ships in a semi-assembled state, so it has to be assembled and leveled manually. It indeed has some flaws in its design, but nothing too hard to fix because it can be upgraded with a plethora of useful add-ons. This 3D printer shows outstanding results when printing with PLA and is a good choice for hobbyists and tinkerers. Installed with proper upgrades, it can even be used for some semi-professional applications.

The BIQU B1 can be purchased at Top 3D Shop. This affordable FDM 3D printer comes with the manufacturer’s warranty. Besides, our team will make sure to provide the best service possible, just like we always do.

A 3D printer offers you the ability to create a model, a toy, a piece of clothing, or a mechanical part in your home or business, even when you may have minimal manufacturing knowledge. The 3D printing process is commonly known as additive manufacturing.

The most common types of 3D printing technologies include:Stereolithiography: Stereolithiography uses a UV laser beam to draw a shape or design on the surface of photopolymer resin. This resin changes its properties in response to light.

Fused Deposition Modeling: Fused deposition modeling builds an object one layer at a time by extruding or depositing material onto a platform. This process is similar to another type of 3D printing technology, fused filament fabrication.

The filament is the material used by extrusion 3D printers. Most printers will only work with certain types of material, so you should know the difference between them. Each has different properties.Polylactic Acid: A common printing material, PLA is mostly used for toys, prototypes, and other easy-to-print objects. It does not require a heated bed and is highly resistant to warping.

The object is created from a computer-aided design, or CAD for short. The CAD is typically produced via 3D scanners or digital cameras and contain information about the object"s appearance, dimensions, and shape. CAD software may determine the quality of design.

As Graduationapproaches, shop for gift cards, personalized commemorations, 3D printers, and more to celebrate all that the students in your life have accomplished.

I previously reviewed the BIQU B1 3D printer, which was a decent budget offering, with good hardware specs. Today, we are looking at the new BIQU B1 SE Plus which has a larger build volume, and it brings an integrated auto bed leveling sensor. Let’s see how well the BIQU B1 SE Plus performs and if it’s worth the price tag.

The BIQU B1 SE Plus comes in a cardboard box, with foam protection on all sides. The printer parts are protected, and everything came intact, with no damage.

You can also add a Wi-Fi module and install RepRap firmware on the board which will give you access to a Web interface for remote control of your printer.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the BIQU B1 SE Plus hotend still uses a PTFE lined heat break. It’s what most manufacturers choose to use for low-cost 3D printers. This setup usually works great if you don’t print over ~240C. Materials like PLA, PETG, and TPU work well with this setup, but if you plan to print higher temperature materials, you will need to replace the heat break to an all-metal variant.

As you might expect, the extruder is a single-gear aluminum version which is better than the plastic versions used by budget Creality machines. I know this is a budget machine, but there are a lot of cheap printers which ship with a dual-gear extruder that usually performs much better, especially for flexible filaments.

While it looks similar to the popular TFT35 touchscreen used on the b1, the BIQU B1 SE Plus comes with the cheaper version of this screen named TFT35-SPI V1.0. This screen is connected directly to the board and relies on the board CPU to work, so it doesn’t use a separate firmware and it also has less features.

Even though you can only use the regular touchscreen interface made by BIQU, all the features you would expect are there. It’s one of the most complete and feature-rich touchscreens included on a budget 3D printer.

During testing, I noticed that I was able to set the hotend temperature to 500C and the printer would try to reach that temperature. This is not good, and I reported this issue to BIQU to be fixed in a future firmware upgrade. The good news is that thermal runaway works well, and the printer stops if something happens during heating.

To make bed leveling easier, we have a strain gauge sensor installed which allows the printer to probe the bed in 16 points then generate a mesh which compensates for the irregularities in the print surface.

All these measurements were taken with a Blitzwolf smart power socket which indicates the power draw, and it can also be used for remotely powering on and off the printer.

Unfortunately, the BIQU B1 SE Plus is not that silent. When it’s idle, the hotend and power supply fans are the noisiest. When printing, besides the fan noise, there’s also a stepper driver/motor noise present which is louder than other printers I’ve tested.

During my time with the printer, I also tuned two IdeaMaker profiles for the B1 SE Plus using the tools available in the 3D Printer Calibration Guide using IdeaMaker article.

My first 3D print with the BIQU B1 SE Plus is this Bulbasaur model which was included on the SD card. While the print quality is OK, the person who sliced this model didn’t align the Z seam which created a lot of “zits” across the model. Besides that, there’s also a lot of infill used, and the print speed is not as fast.

After the first test print, I sliced this 3D Benchy to tune my IdeaMaker profile and the results are great for a first print. A small amount of stringing, but other than that, I think it looks great.

This Bender bust is one of my favorite 3D printable models because it can be printed without supports and it also looks awesome. I used silk filament for this one, and if you look closer, you can see a small ribbing effect on the smooth surfaces. Not exactly sure what generates this, but I think it’s because of the overtightened belts that amplifies the stepping of the belt.

As usual, I also printed the Torture Toaster, to check how well the printer does when it comes to tolerances. I was able to move the 0.3mm tolerance test piece, but the 0.2mm one was stuck. Besides that, some of the overhangs failed and broke off during printing. The small features were not cooled fast enough during printing and the nozzle hit them.

I also print Phil-A-Ment on every 3D printer I test because it’s a good way to see how well a printer performs. The external layers are stacked well, but you can also see the ribbing effect on the smooth sections. Other than that, the overhang section was printed well and the underside of the gloves looks better than I expected. Adhesion was also great considering the tiny contact surface of this model.

BIQU also sent me some of their Matte Olive-Green PLA to test, but I can’t say I am a big fan. The color is nice, but every time I print it, there’s some stringing present and layer adhesion is not great. In this model, you can also see some tiny points where the filament did not extrude well and caused tiny holes on the external walls. I don’t think this is caused by the printer, becase this didn’t happen with the rest of the filaments.

Finally, I printed the Nightwing Bust from Eastman and I must say, it came out really well. The printer is able to print consistent layers while also preserving a lot of detail. It also helps using higher quality filament, but the results are excellent for a budget machine.

In the end, if you’re looking for a decent large-format 3D printer that doesn’t break the bank, which works well out of the box, but can also be easily upgraded in the future, I don’t think you can go wrong with the BIQU B1 SE Plus.

The BIQU B1 SE Plus is a decent large format FDM 3D printer with an attractive price and feature set. The SKR 2 board allows for easy expandability and modding in the future, and the ABL eliminates the need for manual bed leveling turning the B1 SE Plus into a good entry for people looking to get their first printer.