That will be the day I actually use it, I guess. I only bought it because all 4 upgrades were announced, and it looked like the hard part would be taken care of by the motor sensor. The handoff from 3d chameleon to direct extruder is awkard at best without it. Lots of jamming.
The Mk4 hardware is nearly identical to the older Mk3 hardware... the real difference is the firmware, which we will be posting soon.As for the Mk4 Pro... we won't be selling it directly. What we've decided to do is to produce the Mk4 with the ability to be expanded via add-on modules. Those modules are all open source and you'll be able to buy all the components (except the printed components) off of places like Amazon with links we provide. We won't be selling any of the components directly as the cost of them is just too low.The planned modules are:1) Filament Runout Sensors (~$5)
2) OLED Display (~$1)
3) Extruder Motor Sensor (~$1) (It's not the TMC chip anymore, it's a rotary encoder which offers a cheaper, but much better solution.)
4) Auto 3DClippy Filament Cutter (~$15)
5) Dry Box with simple filament buffer (~$10)
6) I2C and I/O Pro expansion Bus ($10) - required for multiple expansions except for the Auto 3DClippy
In addition, the Mk4 firmware brings support for all of those as well as some other cool features, like "Switch to next" filament and "Switch to Random" filament. These are designed to allow you to use up scraps of filament or just vary the colors of a print. Another new option is what we call "zero trigger," which allows the 3DChameleon to share the homing position of any axis with their homing point without causing incorrect commands to be sent to the printer. This feature allows certain printers to no need to set a particular button location in software... since it will be triggered when the unit is at it's homed position. This, along with the Extruder Motor Sensor, can make the system setup very fast. We were demonstrating swapping the 3DChameleon at RMRRF from one printer to the other within 30 seconds using this.
The OLED display is real handy, in allowing you to also see the command that is being processed and what the 3DChameleon is expecting to happen next... for example, it'll tell you that it's cutting the filament, or that it is waiting for the button to be pressed to move a particular filament.
The Extruder Motor Sensor is a 4096 step per revolution rotary encoder that allows the system to detect when a user inserts filament and it can then automatically load the filament all the way to the extruder. Once the second filament is loaded, it'll be able to easily calculate the position of the Y adapter. The result is that the 3DChameleon will be able to automatically calibrate the settings needed for loading/unloading distances.
The Auto 3DClippy will automatically cut the filament anytime the filament needs to be changed. The process is automatic and no special commands are needed.
The I2C and I/O Pro expansion bus communicates with the existing stock electronics you have today to extend the capability of the unit to support any number of these types of add-ons. And the best part... all of these, including the firmware, will be 100% fully open sourced. You'll be able to also extend firmware with your own software or hardware add-ons using our extension module template of the new firmware.
Some of these features will be released within days, like the Auto 3DClippy and OLED display, while others need a little longer, like the firmware source, which needs to be cleansed and have the appropriate lawyer review stuff. There's so much more coming in the firmware as well that this one post can't describe all... but we'll get there.In all, this update is by far our largest and will greatly extend the capabilities of the 3DChameleon, hopefully, beyond anything we've seen before.
I'm wondering when we can expect the open-source code? I have several ideas for improvements in the code, and it would be nice to know how long to wait before I can start working on them.
If it helps, I'm trying to centralize 3DChameleon tips and tricks in a section in the 3dchameleon-klipper documentation (most of the tips will work just fine without 3dchameleon-klipper). The link for the firmware list is: https://3dcoded.github.io/3dchameleon-klipper/other/firmware/
Correct, I'm referring to the motor drivers (and maybe other circuit board changes). I think Bill said the new design used TMC2209 drivers while the older boards use A4988 drivers (not at home, but I think that is the correct model number).
Well, Bill was in CO, but he lives in OH, I think. So he is probably traveling. I'm sure we will get more info later in the week. Just relax and print something. All is well.
The FAQ has already been updated, but the new answer appears to conflict with the previously released information. I'm only asking so I can figure out my filming schedule.
Bill has previously stated that the pro will have "extensive hardware changes" requiring the purchase of an upgrade kit. He also stated that the new features in the Pro require the newer driver chip to perform filament sensing. I have no problem purchasing upgrades, I just need to know what to buy or self-source.
You're refering to the Pro that will include an "automatic filament cutter". That device will be available seperately. As I understand it, the control board itself, will be unchanged other than perhaps the 2209 drivers and perhaps the I2C attachment.
Has there been progress on the motor sensor? I need it bad.
upgraded my MK3 to MK4 firmware and now it does not work at all no bumbs nothing I followed the video to the T. Any advise on what I did wrong?
The Mk4 hardware is nearly identical to the older Mk3 hardware... the real difference is the firmware, which we will be posting soon. As for the Mk4 Pro... we won't be selling it directly. What we've decided to do is to produce the Mk4 with the ability to be expanded via add-on modules. Those modules are all open source and you'll be able to buy all the components (except the printed components) off of places like Amazon with links we provide. We won't be selling any of the components directly as the cost of them is just too low. The planned modules are: 1) Filament Runout Sensors (~$5)
2) OLED Display (~$1)
3) Extruder Motor Sensor (~$1) (It's not the TMC chip anymore, it's a rotary encoder which offers a cheaper, but much better solution.)
4) Auto 3DClippy Filament Cutter (~$15)
5) Dry Box with simple filament buffer (~$10)
6) I2C and I/O Pro expansion Bus ($10) - required for multiple expansions except for the Auto 3DClippy
In addition, the Mk4 firmware brings support for all of those as well as some other cool features, like "Switch to next" filament and "Switch to Random" filament. These are designed to allow you to use up scraps of filament or just vary the colors of a print. Another new option is what we call "zero trigger," which allows the 3DChameleon to share the homing position of any axis with their homing point without causing incorrect commands to be sent to the printer. This feature allows certain printers to no need to set a particular button location in software... since it will be triggered when the unit is at it's homed position. This, along with the Extruder Motor Sensor, can make the system setup very fast. We were demonstrating swapping the 3DChameleon at RMRRF from one printer to the other within 30 seconds using this.
The OLED display is real handy, in allowing you to also see the command that is being processed and what the 3DChameleon is expecting to happen next... for example, it'll tell you that it's cutting the filament, or that it is waiting for the button to be pressed to move a particular filament.
The Extruder Motor Sensor is a 4096 step per revolution rotary encoder that allows the system to detect when a user inserts filament and it can then automatically load the filament all the way to the extruder. Once the second filament is loaded, it'll be able to easily calculate the position of the Y adapter. The result is that the 3DChameleon will be able to automatically calibrate the settings needed for loading/unloading distances.
The Auto 3DClippy will automatically cut the filament anytime the filament needs to be changed. The process is automatic and no special commands are needed.
The I2C and I/O Pro expansion bus communicates with the existing stock electronics you have today to extend the capability of the unit to support any number of these types of add-ons. And the best part... all of these, including the firmware, will be 100% fully open sourced. You'll be able to also extend firmware with your own software or hardware add-ons using our extension module template of the new firmware.
Some of these features will be released within days, like the Auto 3DClippy and OLED display, while others need a little longer, like the firmware source, which needs to be cleansed and have the appropriate lawyer review stuff. There's so much more coming in the firmware as well that this one post can't describe all... but we'll get there. In all, this update is by far our largest and will greatly extend the capabilities of the 3DChameleon, hopefully, beyond anything we've seen before.
Bill
Correct, I'm referring to the motor drivers (and maybe other circuit board changes). I think Bill said the new design used TMC2209 drivers while the older boards use A4988 drivers (not at home, but I think that is the correct model number).
Well, Bill was in CO, but he lives in OH, I think. So he is probably traveling. I'm sure we will get more info later in the week. Just relax and print something. All is well.
Bill has previously stated that the pro will have "extensive hardware changes" requiring the purchase of an upgrade kit. He also stated that the new features in the Pro require the newer driver chip to perform filament sensing. I have no problem purchasing upgrades, I just need to know what to buy or self-source.
If you need/want to replace the driver, they are readily available.