Hey @Mattman, currently using BIGTREETECH ESP32U module with Antenna from amzn with my LR3’s Octopus. Marlin on the Octopus, and ESP3D on the ESP32U module.
The V1E Shop’s ESP-01s module preloaded with ESP3D recommended for SKR1.2 Pro, cannot be used on the Octopus. The Octopus’s port for a Wifi module is different size (ESP-07S?). No Pi needed, but I understand why some people like to use them.
Installing ESP3D onto BIGTREETECH ESP32U requires cloning, compiling and flashing ESP3D similar, but different, to forum documented steps for ESP01. Was able to use the same USB ESP programmer module to upload firmware to either a ESP-01s, or the ESP32 module, figuring out USB programmer to ESP32 module wiring was tricky for me. Think you can get ESP8266 processor based boards with the same form factor for less. I went with BigTreeTech’s ESP32 for external antenna boost, and more compute, am increasingly doing more ESP32 stuff than ESP8266 these days, so the additional mem/cpu is nice.
My MP3DP v4 Octopus is directly connected to a Pi running Klipper. Am starting to like the MainSail/Klipper Web-UI experience, but expect to keep running ESP3D-Marlin on my LR3, am living with that setup for now.
My LR3 isn’t moving around crazy fast and needing the fine kinematic control that Klipper offers.
The thing that bugs me the most with my current LR3 setup is not being able to efficiently upload gcode files larger than the ESP32’s free mem. Am using SD cards to carry files over. Am mostly cutting one offs, not doing the same designs/cuts over and over, so the copying files to SD card every time thing probably bothers me more than some folks.
The WiFi module’s main value to me is wireless jogging, and reliable job execution, there’s no USB cord at risk of getting yanked and causing the job to halt/fail.
Hope that helps, cheers!