OctoPrint VS BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3

The cheapest way is to use OctoPrint. Octoprint itself is free, and although it's often run on a Raspberry Pi, it can be installed on many things, such as an old laptop runing Linux or even Windows, or a small single-board computer. OctoPrint would connect to the printer using a USB cable, and you'd send the slicer output to Octoprint over your WiFi.

Octoprint

2023-11-08 14:10:57,263 - octoprint.util.connectivity.connectivity_checker - INF O - Resolving octoprint.org is working

- Two LibreELEC (https://libreelec.tv/) mediaplayers in house (yes, one is not enough in my big family).

- One for hosting low usage applications at home network (Unifi controller and some more).

- Octoprint (https://octoprint.org) connected to the 3d-printer.

- One on my desk for hardware hacking – mostly as just a PC with GPIO.

- Some Raspberry Pi Zeros as security cameras.

Really quite easy, especially if you have ever dealt with a raspberry pi before. Once installed & set up, you manage everything over a web interface. I even added a webcam to it in order to see what's going on. Check out https://octoprint.org/

For other devices it can be harder, there are guides for installing on Linux on the octoprint website (I use an old laptop running Linux Mint). If using an old Android phone look for Octo4A.

I’d just get Octoprint setup and a camera for it

Last week I ugraded the mainboard to a BTT SKR mini E3 v3.0, and I just used the "firmware-USB.bin" from the GitHub page to flash that board, and I updated the pin names on the printer.cfg for my printer using the example on that same GitHub page. Everything is working well, the printer in producing good parts like it did before.

I went with this following the findings in this thread https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/issues/658

Disconnect 2 wires and hook it up to the Z-stop. Will probe, but it hovers about 25mm off the bed even when the z axis is brought all the way to 0. It will not go to negative values. Tried both the BLtouch and BLtouch-for-z-homing firmwares from here(https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/tree/master/firmware/V3.0/Marlin) but no luck

At this point I've narrowed it down to the Klipper firmware being sent over to the Mini and after it boots. Looking at BTT's github, it is included in Klipper now. So I used the build scripts there through KIAUH. Set up the information to send it over USB and it flashes without error. I tried with Serial USART1 PA10/PA9. From the printer.cfg

at some point, I was also trying to update the firmware. I have a BL touch installed at the same time so I tried to use the V3.0 Marlin firmware (https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/blob/master/firmware/V3.0/Marlin/firmware-ender3-bltouch.bin). I have no idea if it ever updated the firmware as there was never anything indicating it was installing. I assume I put it on a microSD, and plug it into the motherboard right?

I recently made my first upgrade on my ender-3, a Bigtreetech SKR mini e3 v3. I also bought the official Creality CR touch and installed it onto my printer. I plugged the cable into the adequate spot on the board and unplugged the cable from the Z endstop switch. I then downloaded the firmware (firmware-ender3-bltouch-for-z-homing.bin) from this page: "https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/tree/master/firmware/V3.0/Marlin" and uploaded it to my printer.

Pre-compiled firmware. (GH)