Hello everybody and welcome to another video. In today’s video, we’re going to take
a look at Octoprint and see what it might take to produce a product which might be comparable
in value while simplifying the entire process. Now, as some of you may know, I was sent the
Creality Wifi box a while a go and was very disappointed in the results. And while I didn’t
like the resulting product, I do believe that there’s room for something different in
this space. So if you’re a company looking to do something which is similar now’s the
time to take notes because I will be looking for these features when doing another review.
As always, what you see here represents my own opinions and no money has exchanged hands.
So to start things off, let's discuss what Octoprint is and what people are actually
using it for. Since Octoprint has a very creative user base, there’s actually quite a few
plugins which can add additional functionality to it’s core mechanism. Its primary use
is to be able to remotely control your 3d printer while providing important information
on the print's progress. It’s an open source community which I’ve found extremely supportive
to newcomers while continuously innovating. Being open source, everything is very transparent,
from the source code to the plugins. It is important to note that Octoprint does use
Linux, so getting used to using typed in commands will make the transition easier. So people
obviously use Octoprint to start, monitor and stop their printers, however people also
use this to create times lapses, intergrade with 3d design collections and much more.
The main question is whether a company wishes to compete or work with Octoprint itself.
If they want to compete, then they’ll need to create something which is fundamentally
better for mass consumption while enabling the user maximum control. Creating a walled
garden isn’t the proper approach in this case. Alternatively, they could simply pre-install
Octoprint on something which is similar to the Raspberry Pi, while providing resources
to help new time users. Both are valid approaches, but require completely different implementations.
For the remainder of this video, I will be focusing on what would be needed to create
a competitive product, since both Octoprint and competing products would benefit the most
from this information. As mentioned previously, transparency and giving the customer as much
control as possible is paramount. A user should always be able to view the source code of
a product, since this makes creating plugins easier for developers and has the added benefits
of increasing functionality with a limited amount of resources. This also allows the
community to submit information regarding vulnerabilities, further simplifying how a
company can address issues as they arise.
Community style plugins should definitely be an option, with verified plugins being
clearly marked. G-code slicing should be done on the user’s computer, since they’ll
be able to better leverage the resources that they have on that machine, in turn freeing
up resources on the printing device. For certain devices, a printing Queue option should be
enabled, since these machines are designed to work in a production setting. In those
cases, having the option to pause once a print is completed or move onto the next print would
help expand the devices' functionality.
A feature which is currently missing in the Octoprint Raspberry Pi is the ability to connect
multiple printer’s simultaneously and control them within the same interface. While the
Raspberry Pi does have the potential to do so, it isn’t currently a feature which is
supported officially. This would make the product more targeted towards small business
or printing farms and could be a more affordable option for these companies.
I would consider an offline mode to be essential to any implementation since this helps prevent
security issues from arising and would also increase the user base further. Companies
who are using machines in a professional setting would most likely find this to be a requirement
for security reason. The ability to disable the Wi-Fi connection if it’s implemented
with a physical button would also be preferred. Additionally, a secured SSH connection should
be integrated by default, requiring a custom password by the user. In order to prevent
future issues, I would also recommend providing the user upon purchase with a USB key that
has the default installer and password information. Doing this will allow the user to return everything
to its default settings should an issue arise. Proper documentation on how to connect to
the devices, updating, installing plugins and making changes to the password settings
will be essential to a positive user experience.
If a company decided to undertake this project, I would recommend that they work with camera
manufacturers, since there are issues with compatibility within the Octoprint ecosystem.
I would like to see software updates from camera companies to enable time-lapse options
via connection through USB. I can confirm that Sony does have a limitation which causes
a timeout after the 30-min mark, and this is often an issue for longer prints.
Now that we’ve gotten the firmware and software out of the way, let's begin discussing some
hardware requirements. As mentioning previously, I would have a monitor connection available
along with multiple USB ports. Two of these should be used for the keyboard and mouse
for diagnostic purposes, but additional one’s for multiple printers would also be a necessity.
Having the option to attach a camera and a USB stick for file transfers or firmware updates
is always an asset. A unique feature would be to enable the connection of multiple printers
together. So in this a case a minimum of 6 USB ports would be needed, however the manufacturer
could instead implement support for a USB hub, which in turn would reduce manufacturing
costs further. Let’s not forget the Wi-Fi connection if it’s implemented. This feature
could be an attachment which could be added as an add-on product or have a physical switch
which would turn this feature on and off. I personally prefer a physical switch on Wi-Fi
connections because I’m then certain that it’s been deactivated.
So with all of this information, I do hope to see a similar product in the future. If
some of these features are implemented within Octoprint or whether a company creates a custom
physical device, only time will tell. My main hope with this video is to provide companies
with a better understanding of what people may like to see in the future. If you have
your own recommendations, I would encourage you to post a comment below so that companies
can take this into consideration in the future.