Smoothie Board Controllers
I have been using Octoprint 90% of the time for my printer controls. The Raspberry Pi (Raspi) coupled with this fine piece of programming has really made using the printer a pleasure. Complete network control of the printer as well as automated time lapse videos are my two favorite abilities.
Sample screen shots from the Octo Print
OctoPi Camera
I have always liked the ability of OctoPrint to do time lapse movies of the prints and when I initially installed OctoPi, a camera was added.
The camera I selected had an adjustable focus and the ability to change the lense if desired. Arducam For Raspberry Pi The Raspi and the camera mount to the underside of a shelf I had attached to the top left of the machine housing. The shelf was used to hold an Asus EeePC 700 Series computer that was originally used to control the printer. The location is convenient and provides a stable mounting point for the camera that allows an excellent view of the part being printed.
Here is a Sample Timelapse
Smoopi
Another cool thing I discovered recently was Smoopi a Raspi program that turns a Raspi and the 7" touch screen display into a complete touch screen controller. Pretty neat stuff.
The screen is a touch controller. The controller is underneath the Raspi in the right side view. The display and the cool housing was obtained from Micro Center when I last visited Overland Park, KS. The links below will get you to the hardware I used. I have a wireless Mouse/Keyboard for the unit and the USB dongle is seen in one of the ports. The USB cord from the printer plugs into an additional port.