Hello! I have an MPCNC with RAMPS, and I’m eager to enhance its control. I’m thinking about using a dedicated device, like a smartphone or a PlayStation controller, to move and home the machine. Is it feasible to achieve this with an ESP module? I happen to have one just sitting around. Could someone guide me through the steps to make this happen? I really appreciate your help! Thanks!
Michele
It is possible. But very hard and not something I am going to write instructions for.
You can connect a raspberry pi and run octoprint. Then you can connect over wifi.
You could also use a usb OTG cable to connect directly to the phone. There are gcode sender apps in the app stores for this. Your phone would need to be dedicated to the machine though. And I don’t know if they would work with our configuration of Marlin. The octopi is the safer bet.
As with many things in these forums, there’s the “I’d like an interesting project” path, and the “I’d like a reliable additional function with minimal investment” path.
Both my 3D printers have Raspberry Pi 3B+ running Octoprint, one on “classic” RAMPS and one on whatever a Sovol S-01 comes with (another 8-bt controller running Marlin) . They were easy to set up, provide lots of opportunities for exploration through plug-ins, and the core functionality “just works.”
I’m strongly considering replacing the current brains of my Burly (CNC Shield 3.00 on an Arduino Uno) with a Jackpot controller. You might consider that approach, as the Jackpot appears much more capable than the 8-bit boards I’m currently running at a reasonable cost.