3d printer tft lcd setup in stock

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.

Have you ever wonder where TFT derive from?  Why is TFT referred to as LCD?  The phenomenon started in early days, when bulky CRT displays were thing of the past and LCD was its replacement, but as time progresses, there were still room for improvement, which leads to the birth of TFT’s.

TFT is a variant of an LCD which uses thin film transistor technology to improve an image quality, while an LCD is class of displays that uses modulating properties of liquid crystals to form what we call an LCD (liquid crystals display) which in fact does not emits light directly.

Even though LCDs were very energy efficient, light weight and thin in nature, LCD were falling behind to the CRT display, which  then leads to a change in LCD manufacturing, where performance became a big problem.

For example, having a 2001 Mustang vs a 2014 Mustang, the dimensions and engine of the 2014 has been redesign for performance reasons, not mentioning user friendly, so does the LCD to TFT.

As the birth of TFT, the elements are deposited directly on the glass substrate which in fact the main reason for the switch was because TFTs are easier to produce, better performance in terms of adjusting the pixels within the display to get better quality.

LCDs became ineffective over a period of time, almost all aspect of watching a TV, playing video games or using a handheld device to surf the net became daunting, this phenomenon is known as high response time with low motion rate.

Another problem with LCD was crosstalking, in terms of pixelating, this happens when signals of adjacent pixels affects operations or gives an undesired effect to the other pixel.

As TFT’s become very popular throughout the century due to its elaborate low charge associate and outstanding response time, LCDs became a thing of the past, and TFT became the predominant technology with their wider viewing angles and better quality this technology will be around for a long time.

In this article, you will learn how to use TFT LCDs by Arduino boards. From basic commands to professional designs and technics are all explained here.

There are several components to achieve this. LEDs,  7-segments, Character and Graphic displays, and full-color TFT LCDs. The right component for your projects depends on the amount of data to be displayed, type of user interaction, and processor capacity.

TFT LCD is a variant of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that uses thin-film-transistor (TFT) technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast. A TFT LCD is an active matrix LCD, in contrast to passive matrix LCDs or simple, direct-driven LCDs with a few segments.

In Arduino-based projects, the processor frequency is low. So it is not possible to display complex, high definition images and high-speed motions. Therefore, full-color TFT LCDs can only be used to display simple data and commands.

There are several components to achieve this. LEDs,  7-segments, Character and Graphic displays, and full-color TFT LCDs. The right component for your projects depends on the amount of data to be displayed, type of user interaction, and processor capacity.

TFT LCD is a variant of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that uses thin-film-transistor (TFT) technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast. A TFT LCD is an active matrix LCD, in contrast to passive matrix LCDs or simple, direct-driven LCDs with a few segments.

In Arduino-based projects, the processor frequency is low. So it is not possible to display complex, high definition images and high-speed motions. Therefore, full-color TFT LCDs can only be used to display simple data and commands.

In electronics/computer hardware a display driver is usually a semiconductor integrated circuit (but may alternatively comprise a state machine made of discrete logic and other components) which provides an interface function between a microprocessor, microcontroller, ASIC or general-purpose peripheral interface and a particular type of display device, e.g. LCD, LED, OLED, ePaper, CRT, Vacuum fluorescent or Nixie.

The LCDs manufacturers use different drivers in their products. Some of them are more popular and some of them are very unknown. To run your display easily, you should use Arduino LCDs libraries and add them to your code. Otherwise running the display may be very difficult. There are many free libraries you can find on the internet but the important point about the libraries is their compatibility with the LCD’s driver. The driver of your LCD must be known by your library. In this article, we use the Adafruit GFX library and MCUFRIEND KBV library and example codes. You can download them from the following links.

By these two functions, You can find out the resolution of the display. Just add them to the code and put the outputs in a uint16_t variable. Then read it from the Serial port by Serial.println(); . First add Serial.begin(9600); in setup().

Upload your image and download the converted file that the UTFT libraries can process. Now copy the hex code to Arduino IDE. x and y are locations of the image. sx and sy are size of the image.

while (a < b) { Serial.println(a); j = 80 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i = 80 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); j2 = 50 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i2 = 50 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); tft.drawLine(i2 + 235, j2 + 169, i + 235, j + 169, tft.color565(0, 255, 255)); tft.fillRect(200, 153, 75, 33, 0x0000); tft.setTextSize(3); tft.setTextColor(0xffff); if ((a/20)>99)

while (b < a) { j = 80 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i = 80 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); j2 = 50 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i2 = 50 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); tft.drawLine(i2 + 235, j2 + 169, i + 235, j + 169, tft.color565(0, 0, 0)); tft.fillRect(200, 153, 75, 33, 0x0000); tft.setTextSize(3); tft.setTextColor(0xffff); if ((a/20)>99)

To get your core Configuration.h settings right you’ll need to know the following things about your printer: Printer style, such as Cartesian, Delta, CoreXY, or SCARA

Settings saved in EEPROM persist across reboots and still remain after flashing new firmware, so always send M502, M500 (or “Reset EEPROM” from the LCD) after flashing.

The serial communication speed of the printer should be as fast as it can manage without generating errors. In most cases 115200 gives a good balance between speed and stability. Start with 250000 and only go lower if “line number” and “checksum” errors start to appear. Note that some boards (e.g., a temperamental Sanguinololu clone based on the ATMEGA1284P) may not be able to handle a baud rate over 57600. Allowed values: 2400, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, 250000.

This is the name of your printer as displayed on the LCD and by M115. For example, if you set this to “My Delta” the LCD will display “My Delta ready” when the printer starts up.

A unique ID for your 3D printer. A suitable unique ID can be generated randomly at uuidtools.com. Some host programs and slicers may use this identifier to differentiate between specific machines on your network.

This value, from 0 to 6, defines how many extruders (or E steppers) the printer has. By default Marlin will assume separate nozzles all moving together on a single carriage. If you have a single nozzle, a switching extruder, a mixing extruder, or dual X carriages, specify that below.

Enable SINGLENOZZLE if you have an E3D Cyclops or any other “multi-extruder” system that shares a single nozzle. In a single-nozzle setup, only one filament drive is engaged at a time, and each needs to retract before the next filament can be loaded and begin purging and extruding.

A Switching Extruder is a dual extruder that uses a single stepper motor to drive two filaments, but only one at a time. The servo is used to switch the side of the extruder that will drive the filament. The E motor also reverses direction for the second filament. Set the servo sub-settings above according to your particular extruder’s setup instructions.

A Switching Nozzle is a carriage with 2 nozzles. A servo is used to move one of the nozzles up and down. The servo either lowers the active nozzle or raises the inactive one. Set the servo sub-settings above according to your particular extruder’s setup instructions.

Enable this if you don’t want the power supply to switch on when you turn on the printer. This is for printers that have dual power supplies. For instance some setups have a separate power supply for the heaters. In this situation you can save power by leaving the power supply off until needed. If you don’t know what this is leave it.

Temperature sensors are vital components in a 3D printer. Fast and accurate sensors ensure that the temperature will be well controlled, to keep plastic flowing smoothly and to prevent mishaps. Use these settings to specify the hotend and bed temperature sensors. Every 3D printer will have a hotend thermistor, and most will have a bed thermistor.

These parameters help prevent the printer from overheating and catching fire. Temperature sensors report abnormally low values when they fail or become disconnected. Set these to the lowest value (in degrees C) that the machine is likely to experience. Indoor temperatures range from 10C-40C, but a value of 0 might be appropriate for an unheated workshop.

Maximum temperature for each temperature sensor. If Marlin reads a temperature above these values, it will immediately shut down for safety reasons. For the E3D V6 hotend, many use 285 as a maximum value.

Enable PID_AUTOTUNE_MENU to add an option on the LCD to run an Autotune cycle and automatically apply the result. Enable PID_PARAMS_PER_HOTEND if you have more than one extruder and they are different models.

Sample PID values are included for reference, but they won’t apply to most setups. The PID values you get from M303 may be very different, but will be better for your specific machine.

M301 can be used to set Hotend PID and is also accessible through the LCD. M304 can be used to set bed PID. M303 should be used to tune PID values before using any new hotend components.

A lengthy extrusion may not damage your machine, but it can be an awful waste of filament. This feature is meant to prevent a typo or glitch in a G1 command from extruding some enormous amount of filament. For Bowden setups, the max length should be set greater than or equal to the load/eject length.

More thermal protection options are located in Configuration_adv.h. In most setups these can be left unchanged, but should be tuned as needed to prevent false positives.

Specify all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. Most printers will use all three min plugs. On delta machines, all the max plugs should be used. Probes can share the Z min plug, or can use one or more of the extra connectors. Don’t enable plugs used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes here.

These are the most crucial settings for your printer, as they determine how accurately the steppers will position the axes. Here we’re telling the firmware how many individual steps produce a single millimeter (or degree on SCARA) of movement. These depend on various factors, including belt pitch, number of teeth on the pulley, thread pitch on leadscrews, micro-stepping settings, and extruder style.

Use this option in all cases when the probe is connected to the Z MIN endstop plug. This option is used for DELTA robots, which always home to MAX, and may be used in other setups.

Even if you have no bed probe you can still use any of the core AUTO_BED_LEVELING_* options below by selecting this option. With PROBE_MANUALLY the G29 command only moves the nozzle to the next probe point where it pauses. You adjust the Z height with a piece of paper or feeler gauge, then send G29 again to continue to the next point. You can also enable LCD_BED_LEVELING to add a “Level Bed” Menu item to the LCD for a fully interactive leveling process. MANUAL_PROBE_START_Z sets the Z-height the printer initially moves to at each mesh point during manual probing. With this disabled, the printer will move to Z0 for the first probe point. Then each consecutive probe point uses the Z position of the probe point preceding it.

These offsets specify the distance from the tip of the nozzle to the probe — or more precisely, to the point at which the probe triggers. The X and Y offsets are specified as integers. The Z offset should be specified as exactly as possible using a decimal value. The Z offset can be overridden with M851 Z or the LCD controller. The M851 offset is saved to EEPROM with M500.

Use these settings to specify the distance (mm) to raise the probe (or lower the bed). The values set here apply over and above any (negative) probe Z Offset set with Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER, M851, or the LCD. Only integer values >= 1 are valid for these settings. Example: M851 Z-5 with a CLEARANCE of 4 => 9 mm from bed to nozzle.

Most 3D printers use an “open loop” control system, meaning the software can’t ascertain the actual carriage position at a given time. It simply sends commands and assumes they have been obeyed. In practice with a well-calibrated machine this is not an issue and using open loop is a major cost saving with excellent quality.

These settings reverse the motor direction for each axis. Be careful when first setting these. Axes moving the wrong direction can cause damage. Get these right without belts attached first, if possible. Before testing, move the carriage and bed to the middle. Test each axis for proper movement using the host or LCD “Move Axis” menu. If an axis is inverted, either flip the plug around or change its invert setting.

RAMPS-based boards use SERVO3_PIN. For other boards you may need to define FIL_RUNOUT_PIN. Enable the M43 feature in your firmware (PINS_DEBUGGING) and load it to your printer. Assuming you already have a runout sensor (switch based) there, you can watch the pin states while toggling the runout sensor on an off to see which pin is changing.

It is highly recommended to get your printer aligned and constrained as much as possible before using bed leveling, because it exists to compensate for imperfections in the hardware.

AUTO_BED_LEVELING_UBL (recommended) combines the features of 3-point, linear, bilinear, and mesh leveling. As with bilinear leveling, the mesh data generated by UBL is used to adjust Z height across the bed using bilinear interpolation. An LCD controller is currently required.

#if ENABLED(LCD_BED_LEVELING) #define MESH_EDIT_Z_STEP 0.025 // (mm) Step size while manually probing Z axis. #define LCD_PROBE_Z_RANGE 4 // (mm) Z Range centered on Z_MIN_POS for LCD Z adjustment //#define MESH_EDIT_MENU // Add a menu to edit mesh points

Commands like M92 only change the settings in volatile memory, and these settings are lost when the machine is powered off. With this option enabled, Marlin uses the built-in EEPROM to preserve settings across reboots. Settings saved to EEPROM (with M500) are loaded automatically whenever the machine restarts (and in most setups, when connecting to a host), overriding the defaults set in the configuration files. This option is highly recommended, as it makes configurations easier to manage.

These are the default values for the Prepare > Preheat LCD menu options. These values can be overridden using the M145 command or the Control > Temperature > Preheat Material X conf submenus.

#define NOZZLE_PARK_POINT { (X_MIN_POS + 10), (Y_MAX_POS - 10), 20 } #define NOZZLE_PARK_XY_FEEDRATE 100 // (mm/s) X and Y axes feedrate (also used for delta Z axis) #define NOZZLE_PARK_Z_FEEDRATE 5 // (mm/s) Z axis feedrate (not used for delta printers)

Choose your preferred language for the LCD controller here. Supported languages include: Code Language Code Language Code Language en English (Default) an Aragonese bg Bulgarian

The SDSUPPORT option must be enabled or SD printing will not be supported. It is no longer enabled automatically for LCD controllers with built-in SDCard slot.

Disable all menus and only display the Status Screen with NO_LCD_MENUS, or just remove some extraneous menu items to recover space with SLIM_LCD_MENUS.

This option reverses the encoder direction for navigating LCD menus. If CLOCKWISE normally moves DOWN this makes it go UP. If CLOCKWISE normally moves UP this makes it go DOWN.

The duration and frequency for the UI feedback sound. Set these to 0 to disable audio feedback in the LCD menus. Test audio output with the G-code M300 S P

Marlin includes support for several controllers. The two most popular controllers supported by Marlin are: REPRAP_DISCOUNT_SMART_CONTROLLER A 20 x 4 character-based LCD controller with click-wheel.

REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER A monochrome 128 x 64 pixel-based LCD controller with click-wheel. Able to display simple bitmap graphics and up to 5 lines of text.

LCD_I2C_PANELOLU2 PANELOLU2 LCD with status LEDs, separate encoder and click inputs. The click input can either be directly connected to a pin (if BTN_ENC is defined) or read through I2C (with BTN_ENC undefined). Requires LiquidTWI2 library v1.2.3 or later.

Marlin includes support for the Baricuda Extruder for 3D Printing Sugar and Chocolate also hosted on GitHub. The feature adds the codes M126, M127, M128, and M129 for controlling the pump and valve of the Baricuda.

This option causes the printer to give status feedback on the installed color LED, BLINKM, or PCA9632: Gradually change from blue to violet as the heated bed gets to target temp.

This option further improves hotend temperature control by accounting for the extra heat energy consumed by cold filament entering the hotend melt chamber. If material enters the hotend more quickly, then more heat will need to be added to maintain energy balance. This option adds a scaling factor that must be tuned for your setup and material.

Enable this option if you have an “IDEX” printer with Dual X-Carriages that move independently. The Dual X-Carriage design allows the inactive extruder to be parked to keep oozing filament away from the print, reduces the weight of each carriage, and enables faster printing speeds. With this option simply connect the X2 stepper to the first unused E plug.

Mode 2: Duplication Mode. ([M605](/docs/gcode/M605.html) S2 X[offs] R[temp]) The firmware will transparently make the second X-carriage and extruder copy all actions of the first X-carriage. This allows the printer to print 2 arbitrary items at once. (The 2nd extruder’s X and temp offsets are set using: [M605](/docs/gcode/M605.html) S2 X[offs] R[offs].)

After an endstop is triggered during homing, the printerhead backs off by the set HOME_BUMP_MM distance then homes again at a slower speed. The slower homing speed for each axis is set by HOMING_BUMP_DIVISOR.

#if ENABLED(LED_CONTROL_MENU) #define LED_COLOR_PRESETS // Enable the Preset Color menu option #if ENABLED(LED_COLOR_PRESETS) #define LED_USER_PRESET_RED 255 // User defined RED value #define LED_USER_PRESET_GREEN 128 // User defined GREEN value #define LED_USER_PRESET_BLUE 0 // User defined BLUE value #define LED_USER_PRESET_WHITE 255 // User defined WHITE value #define LED_USER_PRESET_BRIGHTNESS 255 // User defined intensity //#define LED_USER_PRESET_STARTUP // Have the printer display the user preset color on startup

#if ENABLED(LCD_PROGRESS_BAR) #define PROGRESS_BAR_BAR_TIME 2000 // (ms) Amount of time to show the bar #define PROGRESS_BAR_MSG_TIME 3000 // (ms) Amount of time to show the status message #define PROGRESS_MSG_EXPIRE 0 // (ms) Amount of time to retain the status message (0=forever) //#define PROGRESS_MSG_ONCE // Show the message for MSG_TIME then clear it

Show a progress bar on HD44780 LCDs for SD printing. Sub-options determine how long to show the progress bar and status message, how long to retain the status message, and whether to include a progress bar test in the Debug menu.

Add an option for the firmware to abort SD printing if any endstop is triggered. Turn on with M540 S1 (or from the LCD menu) and make sure endstops are enabled (M120) during SD printing.

This option makes it easier to print the same SD Card file again. Whenever an SD print completes the LCD Menu will open with the same file selected. From there you can click to start a new print, or you can navigate elsewhere.

#define DGUS_UPDATE_INTERVAL_MS 500 #if EITHER(DGUS_LCD_UI_FYSETC, DGUS_LCD_UI_HIPRECY) #define DGUS_PRINT_FILENAME #define DGUS_PREHEAT_UI #if ENABLED(DGUS_LCD_UI_FYSETC) //#define DGUS_UI_MOVE_DIS_OPTION

#if ENABLED(CLCD_USE_SOFT_SPI) #define CLCD_SOFT_SPI_MOSI 11 #define CLCD_SOFT_SPI_MISO 12 #define CLCD_SOFT_SPI_SCLK 13 #endif #endif //#define TOUCH_UI_INVERTED

Babystepping enables M290 and LCD menu items to move the axes by tiny increments without changing the current position values. This feature is used primarily to adjust the Z axis in the first layer of a print in real-time. Warning: Does not respect endstops!

Experimental feature for filament change support and parking the nozzle when paused. Adds the M600 command to perform a filament change. With PARK_HEAD_ON_PAUSE enabled also adds the M115 command to pause printing and park the nozzle. Requires an LCD display. Note that M600 is required for the default FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SCRIPT. Requires LCD display and NOZZLE_PARK_FEATURE.

Enable to add support for a filament width sensor such as Filament Width Sensor Prototype Version 3. With a filament sensor installed, Marlin can adjust the flow rate according to the measured filament width. Adjust the sub-options below according to your setup.

#if PIN_EXISTS(BUTTON1) #define BUTTON1_HIT_STATE LOW // State of the triggered button. NC=LOW. NO=HIGH. #define BUTTON1_WHEN_PRINTING false // Button allowed to trigger during printing? #define BUTTON1_GCODE "G28" #define BUTTON1_DESC "Homing" // Optional string to set the LCD status #endif

#define MAX7219_DEBUG_PRINTER_ALIVE // Blink corner LED of 8x8 matrix to show that the firmware is functioning #define MAX7219_DEBUG_PLANNER_HEAD 3 // Show the planner queue head position on this and the next LED matrix row #define MAX7219_DEBUG_PLANNER_TAIL 5 // Show the planner queue tail position on this and the next LED matrix row #define MAX7219_DEBUG_PLANNER_QUEUE 0 // Show the current planner queue depth on this and the next LED matrix row // If you experience stuttering, reboots, etc. this option can reveal how

The MMU2 provides two options how the printer board can trigger a reset: software and hardware reset. By default software reset is enabled. Hardware reset requires a digital output pin wired to the reset pin on the MMU2. To activate hardware reset you define the pin (MMU2_RST_PIN) to use on the printer board

The MMU2 LCD menu allows you to load filament to the nozzle. The MMU2 will transport the filament all the way to the extruder gears. The required extruder steps to load it into the hotend have to be defined in Marlin.

The values are relative E distances and feed rates in mm/m. The defaults are based on the nozzle to extruder gear distance of a Průša MK3 extruder, so if required you have to modify those to your extruder/hotend setup accordingly.

To unload filament using the LCD menu a generic ramming sequence will be executed before the MMU2 will retract the filament. The steps to do so are defined using

The values are relative E distances and feed rates in mm/m. The default values are based on a E3D V6 hotend and the nozzle to extruder gear distance of a Průša MK3 extruder, so if required you have to modify those to your extruder/hotend setup accordingly.

WARNING: BTT does not officially provide MKS TFT hardware support. MKS TFT is maintained by open source contributors and BTT does not bear any risk of MKS TFT hardware using this firmware.

In case your mainboard provides EXP1 and EXP2, you have to connect 2 ribbon cables connecting EXP1 and EXP2 of the mainboard to EXP1 and EXP2 of the TFT. In the Marlin firmware of your mainboard, make sure that ONLY REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER is activated in Configuration.h and that all other controllers are Deactivated (especially CR10_STOCKDISPLAY).

In case you have an "E3" mainboard which provides a single EXP connector, you have to connect 1 ribbon cable connecting EXP of the mainboard to EXP3 of the TFT. In case your TFT does not provide an EXP3 connector but only two 10pin connectors (TFT24 v1.1 for example) you will need a "Y-split" cable with one 10pin connector on one side (for the mainboard) and two 10pin connectors on the other side (for the TFT). In the Marlin firmware of your mainboard, make sure that ONLY CR10_STOCKDISPLAY is activated in Configuration.h and that all other controllers are Deactivated (especially REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER).

Any binary file for an MKS firmware (e.g. MKS_TFT28_V4.0.27.x.bin) MUST be renamed to MKSTFT*.bin (e.g. MKSTFT28.bin, MKSTFT35.bin etc.) in order it can be recognized and installed by the TFT

A configuration can be uploaded without the need to upload the firmware or the TFT folder again, as long as the firmware and the configuration file are from the same version (see Configuration Update).

Copy the precompiled BIGTREE_TFT*_V*.*.*.bin or your self compiled firmware, plus the TFT* folder of your preferred theme along with config.ini to the root of a blank SD card not greater than 8GB and formatted as FAT32:

Optionally, copy one or more language_*.ini file(s) onto the SD card. Doing so, it will allow you to switch between English and the uploaded language(s) from the Language menu present in the TFT firmware. We recommend to upload the minimum amount of languages to keep the memory usage low. The language_*.ini file can be edited to change the text shown on the TFT:

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

Unless the default hard coded settings have been properly configured (e.g. a self compiled firmware was installed), after an hard reset the TFT typically needs to be reconfigured with the proper config.ini file (see Configuration Update)

When the default hard coded settings are properly configured for a TFT and the TFT"s basic function such as surfing on the menus is working, in case of issues the user can opt to apply only a configuration reset (soft reset) instead of an hard reset.

A BIGTREE_TFT*_V*.*.*.bin file will be generated in the hidden .pio\build\BIGTREE_TFT*_V*_* folder. Follow the update process outlined in the Firmware Update section above to update your TFT to the latest version

TIP: In case there is a problem compiling the TFT firmware try to restart VSC. If this does not help and you are using macOS, delete the packages and platforms folders usually present under the folder /Users/***username***/.platformio/.

In case the TFT needs to be placed with a vertical orientation (e.g. 90°), the firmware needs to be compiled with the portrait mode support and installed following the procedure below:

NOTE: With only power supplied, you should be able to navigate through the menus using the touchscreen and even to switch to Marlin Mode (if available). Marlin Mode will not show any interface without a proper EXP connection (see Marlin Mode Setup).

OctoPrint, ESP3D, Pronterface etc, connected to a TFT"s serial port, can browse files on both the TFT"s and mainboard"s media devices and start a print that will be handled by the host (TFT or mainboard). The following actions and the related triggering G-codes are currently supported by the TFT fw:

OctoPrint, ESP3D, Pronterface etc, connected to a TFT"s or mainboard"s serial port, can host a print (print handled by the host) and optionally can trigger some actions to the TFT sending specific G-codes. The following actions and the related triggering G-codes are currently supported by the TFT fw:

Only on print end or cancel (with triggers print_end or cancel) the TFT Printing menu is finalized (statistics available etc.) and unlocked (the menu can be closed).

With the exception of TFT70, the maximum number of displayable layer count is 999 (there"s no space to display layer number and count if the layer count is above 999)

The most recent version of the standard bigtreetech TFT firmware has built in support for RepRap firmware. The pre-built images have this enabled by default.

The TFT35 E3 V3.0 has 3 cables to connect to the mainboard. Two 10 pin ribbon cables and one 5 pin serial cable. The 2 ribbon cables connect to the EXP1 and the EXP2 connections on both the TFT35 E3 V3.0 and the MKS mainboards.

NOTE: On the MKS mainboards there is an issue that involves at least the MKS GEN_L, MKS SGEN, and MKS SGEN_L models. The EXP1 and EXP2 connections have the socket shell installed wrong way around. The notch that indexes the cable should be facing towards the mainboard. If you get a blank screen on the TFT35 E3 V3.0 touchscreen after connecting the two EXP cables and turning the printer on, turn printer off and disconnect the 10 pin cables from either the touch screen or the mainboard and using small diagonal cutters trim the tab down to be as close to flush as you can get on both cables (and only on one end) and plug them back in with the trimmed tab now facing the mainboard.

Edit the Configuration.h file and enable (uncomment) REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER. Rebuild and deploy the Marlin firmware to your 3D Printer.

In case filament data is not present in the G-code, the filament length data is calculated during print. Length is calculated regardless of using the TFT USB, TFT SD or the onboard media. Calculations are done in both absolute or relative extrusion mode. Filament data takes into account the flow rate also but with a caveat. It has to be the same flow rate during the entire time of the printing, because the end result is calculated based on the flow rate at the time the print has finished. If flow rate changes during the print the results will not be accurate anymore.

Desktop / notebook computers, tablets, processors, motherboards, digital cameras, camcorders and projectors, 3D printers, 3D scanners, and CD/DVD duplicators

I mentioned in the Sidewinder X2 review that Artillery missed the opportunity of offering an improved experience for their customers by updating the touchscreen firmware. Fortunately, the Sidewinder X2 uses the same TFT28 touchscreen as the Sidewinder X1.

The main reason why you would flash Digant’s custom Touchscreen Firmware is because of the extra functionality. It’s based on the BIGTREETECH firmware originally made for the TFT line of touchscreens sold by them.

Please note that installing a custom firmware on the Sidewinder X2 requires some experience with 3D printers and hardware. Even though the flashing process has been tested and it’s confirmed to work on my side, you may break your printer during the process. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, then keep the stock firmware.

Navigate to Digant’s page on Thingiverse and download the latest version of TFT Firmware. At the time of writing this article, the latest version is artillery_tft_fw_1.27.x_patch_5..rar.

The touchscreen firmware is now installed, but you will notice that it’s not connecting to the printer. For this, you will need to do the changes listed in the second step.

One of my first Ender 3 (review) upgrades, was the jump to a BigTreeTech (v1.2) board, for one particular reason: stepper motor whine. It’s fine if you have a dedicated room to run your 6h prints, but as both printers are sat next to me, I wanted to keep the noise level down to a minimum. BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0 offers silent performance as default and brings more upgrading options than one could ever imagine.

It’s fair to say, that 3D printing is entering the same phase, as the PC was about 10 years ago. Online communities are filled with DIY mods, upgrades and improvements that you can often 3D print to make your printer even better. We care not only about the consistency and the quality of our prints but about how machines look!

Just in the same way gamers care about their kit and the upgradability of their hardware. Future-proofing through hardware upgrades is what many of us look at when selecting components for our budget 3D printers. Nothing reflects this trend better than the latest motherboard for Ender 3 printers: BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0. It brings bold looks and serious upgrade capabilities.

Sporting a gamer’s aesthetic, BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0 looks like something you’d find inside a gaming rig rather than a 3D printer. Don’t be fooled by the product picture, the board still takes a fraction of the space that regular PC boards take and it’s a direct replacement for Ender 3 and Ender 3 v2 motherboards.

The beefy heating covering TMCM2209 silent stepper drivers is just one of the eye candy. A dedicated Neopixel header brings the magic of the RGBs to, no doubt, speed up your printing. While one can laugh about “everything RGB”, 3D printing is a passion, and people care about their tools as much as the effect of their work.

As BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0 isn’t just about the eye candy, it brings the features that you could find on the TOP10 most popular 3D printing upgrades. The motherboard supports:

One of the biggest limitations of this series is support for single extruder/hotend printers. If you are trying to change your printer into a dual printhead setup, you best look elsewhere – like this BIGTREETECH Octopus Pro V1.0 with support for 8 stepper motors and 4 hotends.

It means that the decision to purchase a new board (unless you have a specific upgrade path in mind) is not as simple. Having said that, I have both Ender 3 printers, I can offer some constructive purchasing advice.

If you just acquired the original Ender 3 or it’s been on your shelf forever, you should consider treating your board to a fancy new BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0. First of all, it will make your 3D printing experience much quieter which is alone an upgrade worth having. It will also enable a very flexible upgrade path to your Ender 3 printer adding features present in more modern designs.

Is it quieter in operation than Ender 3 v2’s 4.2.2 board? Possible, but not in the way you’d notice immediately. While single-axis movement on both printers is silent, BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0 offers better control over cooling fans and owners may benefit from a bit less noisy setup.

Unfortunately, the BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0 isn’t compatible (by default) with Ender’s 3 v2 display, so you will either have to spend more on BTT TFT 3.5″ touch display (recommended) or make a custom ribbon cable to enable the screen. I used the board in my silent 3D printing project, which turned out to be a huge success.

If you are going with a traditional setup, use ZAM to connect your Z-axis stepper. All steppers use JXT connectors, so other than mixing up the axis, there is little room for error.

If you already use Octoprint, I can understand why you won’t care as much about a touch-enabled display. On my original Ender 3, one of the first upgrades was the BTT TFT 3.5″ V3.0 display – to speed up pretty much everything. The screen that the printer comes with is hard to work with and the situation isn’t much better with Ender 3 v2.

If you want a highly customisable touchscreen, you have to connect it with the TFT socket (for touch display mode). You can use these screens in non-touch mode (why would you do this?) and connect these to the familiar 8-pin connector (EXP1) or have both connected at the same time.

Instead of breaking your print, the printer stops, retracts the filament and helps you with the filament change so you can continue where you left off. It works pretty well as long as you don’t let the print cool down too much.

Thanks to the relay module and the motherboard UPS, you can monitor the power input and shut down the printer safely to prevent the damage and resume the printing later. Note that provided UPS module, won’t let you continue printing, but it has enough juice to trigger the safe shutdown & buffer very brief power interruptions.

The flash will complete in about 10 seconds after showing you a blue screen. Note that if you are like me, and use a TFT Touch Display, your screen will boot as normal, but show that the printer isn’t connected.

It’s a great little board for any Ender3 owner and Ender 3 v2 owners with big upgrade plans. I will use this board in my upcoming water-cooled 3D printer build and then examine if I could use it to make a completely silent 3D printer. If you like what you see so far, then head over to the BIQU store and treat yourself to a couple of nice upgrades, starting up with the BigTreeTech SKR Mini E3 V3.0. Got questions? Let me know in this Reddit thread.

Next, we"ll need to configure the Raspberry Pi to launch a browser and load the OctoPrint/OctoPi interface on boot using the TouchUI boot to browser setup scripts.