You don’t need a high power computer just for it. Load your code onto a sd card or usb then got to town. Most 3D printers take sd cards or usb thumb drives.
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I still want to monitor it remotely. I may buy a webcam to help with this goal.
A webcam maybe? Can get cheap ones like $20 that connect to a phone app. Won’t monitor temps though
True all, I’ve liked the features I’ve seen at MS.
Octoprint just needs a raspberry pi to run, a 3 or 4 (we use v3 as dms right now). Seems like chip shortages may be affecting them as prices have been fluctuating, but they’re 35 for the base board, then add in a power adapter, sd card, maybe an hdmi adapter, etc. Webcams just plug into the raspberry pi, but you’ll want to make sure it’s known to work with octoprint / raspberry pi.
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If you are just looking for remote monitoring, an ESP32 cam may be one option.
Octoprint is a great tool to use and may be just the right thing to meet your specific needs (remote monitoring, camera) and prevents you from having to take the file (g-code) to the printer. It has a bit of technical overhead but not much. It can also run on an economical raspberry pi as others mentioned.
As fantastic as 3d printing is, there is an amount of back and forth to the printer that is unavoidable especially in the beginning as you learn some of the in’s and out’s of whatever printer you purchase. That’s one of the maddening paradoxes of 3d printing that on one hand it has the appeal of just pressing a button and some time later, out pops a dimensional object. But to get to that level of ease, there is some amount of time and care from it’s owner to spend to get to know it—to pick it up when it stumbles—to pat it on the back and to say “You’ll do better next time”. ha ha.
They’re fun, challenging, frustrating and rewarding all bundled in one.
I’ve been 3d printing for over 5 years. I have a Lulzbot Taz 5 that I bought refurbished. Still love it because I have it tuned well and know it inside and out. However, as much as I love it, my recommendation is simple for first timers. Buy inexpensive or buy a Prusa. For inexpensive, it’s the Ender 3 Pro. It’s $209 +tax/shipping on their site. https://www.creality3dofficial.com/products/creality-ender-3-pro-3d-printer. I recommend this because at that price point if you decide 3d printing isn’t for you, you haven’t broken the bank and you can usually sell them pretty easily. The Prusa is as close to perfection as it gets. From the support to the technology and community, it’s superior in almost every category. But of course it’s $999 or $749 for the kit but it takes quite a bit of assembly…
Good luck
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I am a patient woman, Auto-leveling has moved to my list of requirements. I currently have $201.00 saved. and am willing to hold off until I have cleaned out another back bedroom from the mess my son left me (a daunting task).
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I’ll donate a pi3b+, case, power supply,microsd 32gb, usb 32gb stick for her to run octo once she is closer to purchase date.
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Microcenter sells 3D printers in the store. Maybe you can ask to be on a waitlist for an open box Ender. I think it’s even better if it’s already assembled. Directions for that thing are worse than Ikea’s. It took me a ridiculously long time to put one together, even with YouTube tutorials.
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The thing to keep in mind with an open box is that you have to figure out and fix whatever the last person did wrong. I have 2 Ender 3 Pros that were open box. One had the extruder set to volumetric instead of linear. The other had the rollers loosened and the extruder gear on wrong. If you get an Ender 3 Pro, I can assist with setting up if you live close to where I do.
My Creality 10s Pro, had virtually no assembly. All you had to do was put the filament stand on & plug it in. Obviously you have to put the filament in too.
Prusa printers are open source and it seems that anyone can build one and sell on Ebay as Prusa. The Prusa site refers to their printers as Original Prusa. If you choose to purchase a Prusa (and I hope you do), I would encourage you to order from the manufacturer site.
Aren’t Prusa at the Space? I have enough money to buy one but I would really like some training on them first Possible/Practical?
Last couple of weeks going to the appointments have been wearing.
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When I was giving tours on Saturday I did see two Prusas at the space. Not sure if they are committee property or not.
Why would they be there then?
According to @Evan_Lott the Prusa were donated and still need some work before they become operational. So there is no training available for them.
I personally use and would recommend the JGMaker Magic. It is best to use the video instructions for setup. I have used it for over a year without issues. The base is very sturdy with two linear guides rails, so although it does not have autoleveling, I haven’t had to relevel since initial setup. Simply slice on Cura, load onto SD, insert the SD into the printer and start the print. The bed is removable. So removing prints is alot easier.
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One handed maintenance is a must, I do not view auto leveling as optional because of this.
I now have $400.00+ saved for a 3D printer, and have cleared out a spare bedroom to put it in. All that’s left is to buy one. It will likely be from Amazon, since I do need a warranty of sorts. So now I am asking in all seriousness, any recommendations?
Ultimately I will need some help setting it up.
Reddit’s 3d printing community has a monthly purchase advice thread:
It’s worth a read-through.