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Safe to update Octoprint?

Discussion in 'Software' started by Jeff Uberstine, Jan 25, 2017.

  1. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    There needs to be clear guidance on what changes are present in each version. Much like the older Robo units you want to not just "upgrade" a working one. If it is working and you are not specifically looking for a change in an update -- stay where you are.

    Otherwise you risk going from "working" to "not"

    In this case there is more than the Robo3D firmware involved -- OctoPrint (which is running on an actual operating system image on the Pi) and all of the support software/drivers that make it work are involved as well. I never update the Pi either unless I have a goal on any of the ones I use :)

    The additional downside for this particular model is that the people with the most Robo3D experience are not going to be able to add much value in these discussions due to no access to the hardware. So -- slow and steady folks ...
     
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  2. ammulder

    ammulder Member

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    It seems like there are a lot of moving parts:
    1. The "firmware", which I guess means the customized Marlin firmware, running on an Arduino
    2. OctoPrint, running on a Raspberry Pi, with a variety of plugins and etc.
    3. RoboOS, and I'm not actually sure what this is, but it's versioned separately from everything else
    4. RoboLCD: Seems to be managed by OctoPrint; I'm not clear on whether this runs on the Pi or the Arduino (since the Marlin firmware notes discuss LCD support but as I said it appears as a component in OctoPrint). I don't know whether this manages the on-screen menus, or RoboOS does.
    The reason I'm attempting to get everything up-to-date is that it seems like proper functionality is a work-in-progress, and I'm more likely to get good results from pretty current software/firmware vs. months-old releases. That said, I will not run the command @WheresWaldo said not to run. :)

    I have issues including print speed and print quality. I plan to spend some time on the phone with Robo this afternoon, but if I can't improve the quality at least, this guy is going back to MicroCenter. It's nice-looking and the built-in networking is cool, but right now I'm not using anything I print because they just don't look as good as the ones from the printer I bought in 2014 (!).
     
  3. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    @ammulder You got most of it
    1. Correct
    2. Correct
    3. Still have no idea what this is
    4. RoboLCD is a theme run on the RaspberryPi within the virtual environment that is running OctoPrint. The LCD support in Marlin is for something else and is not enabled (or necessary) for the C2
    A lot of what you mention can be compensated for in slicer profiles. Personally I am not a fan of having software "fix" hardware. You have to get all the hardware pieces working properly first, then you can use software to achieve the results you want.
     
  4. ammulder

    ammulder Member

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    So if I read that (#4) right, it is actually OctoPrint on the Pi that is controlling the touch screen on the C2?
     
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I will have one next week so a tear down and reassembly/inspection will start then.
    We have to get up to speed on the new ones I guess :)

    The LCD usually comes directly off of the printer main board set (so probably not the Pi -- but that is a S.W.A.G. at this point.
    That would usually be the RAMPS board or the Smoothie board or the Rambo board, etc... the one that actually drives the printer.

    The Pi is (in most cases) a distinct part that is not directly needed for the printer to function, but is a handy way to access the printer remotely. We will need to get a thread started with the specifications on how the C2 electronics work together.
     
  6. OutsourcedGuru

    OutsourcedGuru Active Member

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    Noting here that the microSD inside mine is 4GB capacity. Since I'm on a Mac, I use the awesome/free ApplePi-Baker software to first clone the original card and if necessary, burn it onto another microSD card for a backup. You can pickup 4GB blank microSD cards cheaply since they're usually seen as unnecessarily-small in size.
     

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