3D Printer Firmware - Klipper
Klipper is a 3d-Printer firmware. It combines the power of a general-purpose computer with one or more micro-controllers.
Klipper has several compelling features:
- High precision stepper movement. Klipper utilizes an application processor (such as a low-cost Raspberry Pi) when calculating printer movements. The application processor determines when to step each stepper motor, it compresses those events, transmits them to the micro-controller, and then the micro-controller executes each event at the requested time. Each stepper event is scheduled with a precision of 25 micro-seconds or better. The software does not use kinematic estimations (such as the Bresenham algorithm) - instead it calculates precise step times based on the physics of acceleration and the physics of the machine kinematics. More precise stepper movement translates to quieter and more stable printer operation.
- Best in class performance. Klipper is able to achieve high stepping rates on both new and old micro-controllers. Even old 8bit micro-controllers can obtain rates over 175K steps per second. On more recent micro-controllers, several million steps per second are possible. Higher stepper rates enable higher print velocities. The stepper event timing remains precise even at high speeds which improves overall stability.
Klipper supports printers with multiple micro-controllers. For example, one micro-controller could be used to control an extruder, while another controls the printer's heaters, while a third controls the rest of the printer. The Klipper host software implements clock synchronization to account for clock drift between micro-controllers. No special code is needed to enable multiple micro-controllers - it just requires a few extra lines in the config file.
- Configuration via simple config file. There's no need to reflash the micro-controller to change a setting. All of Klipper's configuration is stored in a standard config file which can be easily edited. This makes it easier to setup and maintain the hardware.
- Klipper supports "Smooth Pressure Advance" - a mechanism to account for the effects of pressure within an extruder. This reduces extruder "ooze" and improves the quality of print corners. Klipper's implementation does not introduce instantaneous extruder speed changes, which improves overall stability and robustness.
Klipper supports "Input Shaping" to reduce the impact of vibrations on print quality. This can reduce or eliminate "ringing" (also known as "ghosting", "echoing", or "rippling") in prints. It may also allow one to obtain faster printing speeds while still maintaining high print quality.
- Klipper uses an "iterative solver" to calculate precise step times from simple kinematic equations. This makes porting Klipper to new types of robots easier and it keeps timing precise even with complex kinematics (no "line segmentation" is needed).
- Portable code. Klipper works on ARM, AVR, and PRU based micro-controllers. Existing "reprap" style printers can run Klipper without hardware modification - just add a Raspberry Pi. Klipper's internal code layout makes it easier to support other micro-controller architectures as well.
Simpler code. Klipper uses a very high level language (Python) for most code. The kinematics algorithms, the G-code parsing, the heating and thermistor algorithms, etc. are all written in Python. This makes it easier to develop new functionality.
- Custom programmable macros. New G-Code commands can be defined in the printer config file (no code changes are necessary). Those commands are programmable - allowing them to produce different actions depending on the state of the printer.
- Builtin API server. In addition to the standard G-Code interface, Klipper supports a rich JSON based application interface. This enables programmers to build external applications with detailed control of the printer.
If you are running the Klipper then you won't miss Fluidd
Fluidd is a lightweight & responsive user interface for Klipper, the 3D printer firmware.
Another software is octoprint. Octoprint is a web interface for 3d printers. It is based on the router of your house. So you can control your printer via phone, PC, laptop or other devices.
Source
https://www.klipper3d.org/
https://docs.fluidd.xyz/
https://octoprint.org/
