Micro sd insert

[Pappy3831]

Has anyone seen a micro sd insert for the skirt. I like to be able to insert a card for a print (actually it’s all I know how to do right now). Guess I could run a card extender from the raspberry pi out but I’d rather have it right there in the panel. Just wondering. 

[Simon2.4]

31 minutes ago, Pappy3831 said:

(actually it’s all I know how to do right now)

You will be able to access your printer through a webpage. there, you can control it in the same way you would on its panel and you will send jobs to it through that website. Trust me, you won't miss the SD cards. This webpage is hosted on the raspberry pi and is one of the first things you setup when following the guides. The software is called Mainsail or Octoprint. You choose the one you want.

[Pappy3831]

So once I tell it to print I don’t need to keep the website open?  I take it the info is loaded into the pi and off it goes. I like that better. Did a 2 day print and was at 98 percent and bumped my sd card extender and the printer saw that as removing the card and stopped the print. Really sucked. Not to mention quite the waste of glow in the dark filament. Bit if that’s the case you’re right. I’ll love that. 

[Simon2.4]

Just now, Pappy3831 said:

So once I tell it to print I don’t need to keep the website open?  I take it the info is loaded into the pi and off it goes. I like that better. Did a 2 day print and was at 98 percent and bumped my sd card extender and the printer saw that as removing the card and stopped the print. Really sucked. Not to mention quite the waste of glow in the dark filament. Bit if that’s the case you’re right. I’ll love that. 

Yup, you just upload to an internal storage and choose a file from that list to print . The printer runs independently from the website. You can even open many instances of the page at the same time if you want. Also, that webpage lets you do things like command timelapse videos, view logs, view your bed topography, etc etc none of which you could do on the machine itsself

[Simon2.4]

Once you start using it, you'll find it intuitive. It's quite the addition to the experience. I could hardly imagine 3D printing without it now  lol

[Pappy3831]

I love it all ready. So is mainsail or o to print a personal preference or is one better than the other?

[Simon2.4]

5 minutes ago, Pappy3831 said:

I love it all ready. So is mainsail or o to print a personal preference or is one better than the other?

I think Mainsail is the preferred way to go. I use Octoprint and it works fine but its because I didn't know about Mainsail when I started. Mainsails level of finish is way above Octoprint's IMO

[PFDennis]

I recently built a control box for an older Ender 3 I had sitting around. I designed it so I'd put an SD extender on it and wouldn't have to worry about which control board I was using. I have not found a single extender that works. For some reason, they just aren't reliable. I was always getting an SD read fail, and I bought 3 different brands trying to make it work. I ended up just controlling it through Octoprint. It is Marlin based. I'm on Mainsail for my Voron 2.4. Point is, I'll never use another SD extender. 

[Pappy3831]

Mine has been reliable on my Ender 5 pro as long as I don’t touch it.  Once my voron is done though I’ll use the power built into it. I may even eventually add a raspberry pi to my Ender 5. But one thing at a time. Thanks for the input. 

[claudermilk]

I'm still running Octoprint for my Prusa Mini, and Mainsail is a few steps beyond that. It's a great interface. You do have another option in Fluidd which is similar to Mainsail; pick the one you like better.

With these web interfaces driver by a Pi, there's no need to mess with SD cards or USB sticks, just do your file & printer management through the web interface. Both even have Android apps if you have need of monitoring on your phone; you can do some limited control as well.