Node Pro - Prusa MK3S
Quick Start Tutorial
Last update 11.04.2022
Scope of this document
This setup document is unique to Prusa i3 MK3S/MK3S+ printers. We have not tested extensively on MK3 or earlier version but we expect the steps to be similar.
Steps:
What is in the box
In the Node package you received you should have the following components:
Node Layout
Prepare to set up Node
Tools you need:
Printing Node holder (just for prusa mk3s /mk3s+)
We created a Node case holder for MK3S/MK3S+ to make it easier to install and organize. This is an optional but recommended print.Please download Node case holder here.
Print parameters:
Detect NodePro firmware version
Please confirm the firmware version of your NodePro before you start using it.
We recommend that you update to the latest version: 2022-10-19-2008-PRUSA-MK3S
Please refer this doc to update your firmware:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16Nf5uYkNyQBRbagg_cUlCnZcxTsM7C5II71hJjXmGPo/edit?usp=sharing
Connection between the Node and printer
To connect the Node to the printer, there are two parts that need to be connected: USB and SD card sockets.
You can also follow this guide to complete the installation:
Remove the two screws on the MK3 frame
Remove the two screws pointed by the yellow arrows in the picture on the right.
You’ll need a M4 hex key to do this.
Prepare the tools for installation (MK3)
You’ll need a M4 hex key to finish this.
Connect SD cable(MK3S)
Connect the micro USB to your MK3S. Please use the data cable provided by us, other data cables may have poor contact.
Prepare SD card and USB cable
Please make sure the USB Cable is data capable!
Configure Wi-Fi setting
Node can be easily set up by storing WiFi setting in a text file at the root directory of the microSD card. During boot up, Node will load the configuration file and connect with the latest setting.
Steps to complete:
Prepare TF card and TF Card Reader
Remove the SD card from the Node.
Considering that the SD card is prone to poor contact with the card holder, the SD card configured by Node Pro is a little thicker than the standard card, which makes it a bit difficult to remove the SD card.
Remove SD card from Node Pro
If the SD card does not automatically eject after you press the SD card, please perform the following actions.
Configure Wi-Fi setting File
The configuration file name is config.txt
Download a generic copy here.
Open the config.txt downloaded in a text editor and you will see this
ssid:wifiname pass_word:12345678 device_name: Node1 filament_detect:0 0 |
Enter your WiFi settings in config.txt
ssid specify WiFi Access Point name. Change the wifiname to the name of your access point.
pass_word: Your wifi password. Enter plaintext, this configuration file will be deleted after the wifi is configured, please don't worry about password leakage. We only support WPA2
device_name: The device name of your Node. In the same local area network, please try to use different device names for different Nodes.
fliament_detect: Whether to add material break detection sensor. If not, set this value to 0
The last line ends with a 0.
Please note: after each colon, do not add extra space to separate text. The last line of the file must have a 0.
config.txt example
If your WiFi app has SSID of mywifi and a passcode is 55558888. And you want this Node to be identified as SuperNode. Your config.txt would look like:
ssid:mywifi pass_word:55558888 device_name:SuperNode filament_detect:0 0 |
Wifi connect trobule shotting
If you encounter problems during the wifi configuration, please refer to this document to solve.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d0npx5afDLxgP4-HNfVYh5XOkrsUmZphVrDe-s0z2tc/edit?usp=sharing
Insert SD card
After configuring the wifi file of the SD card, we need to insert the SD card into the Node.
Power on
Node is powered by a standard USB 5V power source via its USB-C port. Please locate and use the 5V charging adapter included with your Node shipment.
Connect the USB Cable to the Node USB-C port.
Node Status
Node has a status light (highlighted on the right) that will tells you
You can also find the name and IP of Node on the screen. In this example, IP is 192.168.2.12
Connect the USB cable and SD card plug
Next, we need to connect the USB-A of NodePro to the USB port of the printer, and at the same time insert the SD card plug of Node Pro into the SD card slot of the printer.
OFF the MK3S ‘RPi port’
“RPo port” must be set to OFF within Settings, in the printer’s LCD menu,to be able to connect the MK3S by USB
Changes to Prusa Slicer (or any slicer)
Prusa printers always start print GCODE file with command M115 to check the latest version. This command will disrupt Node’s connection with Prusa printers. The following steps are for disabling this updatte check to Node working properly.
Removal of M115 command line does not affect printing results.
Modify the “Custom G-Code” section in Prusa Slicer
Click the lock icon, it turns orange, indicating that this changed. before click： after click:
If you modify the text of Start G-code, the icon above will change from grey to orange
Disable Prusa’s update notice
Prusa's update prompt would require users to manually click a knob on prusa, which would interrupt the process of printing with wifi. Please turn off this option before using Node.
You can disable the notice by delete “M115” in PrusaSlicer.
As shown on the right, delete the line starting with M115.
Save your modifications
After modification, you can see your current configuration file, which is added by default (modified). In the drop-down box of configuration options, click the configuration option that is currently modified.
Save modifications
When you click on the modified file name:
Original Prusa i3 MK3S & MK3S+(modified)
in the previous step (Page28), the dialog box shown on the right will pop up. Click Save
Rename your configuation
After you clicked save in the previous step, a dialog will pop up asking you to rename the configuration file.Enter your custom name here.
In this step, I changed the configuration file name from Original Prusa i3 MK3S & MK3S+-Copy to
Node-Original Prusa i3 MK3S & MK3S+
Reselect your printer configuration parameters
After the previous step is complete, you will see a new configuration option in the list shown in the image on the right.
You need to re-select the printer configuration parameters as the default setting, otherwise the previous modification will not take effect.
❗Disable the reset of prusa when USB connect
The default setting for MK3S firmware is to restart the motherboard whenever the serial port is connected. This function is typically used to update the firmware, but in normal operation if there is a USB host connected it can cause unstable printing. We can disable this feature by sending the command: ;C32u2_RMD
When you need to update the prusa motherboard firmware, send: ;C32u2_RME to enable this function.
Connect Node by browser
When the Node is powered on and the network configuration is completed (the green light is always on), we can control the printer through the web page under the same local area network. First, find the IP address displayed on Node’s OLED panel , then enter IP in the browser: http://xxx.xxx.xx.xx:88
Using example from previous page. It would be http://192.168.2.12:88
If you are unable to connect. Make sure it is http protocol,not https.
Confirming marlin’s version
Before printing with Node, we recommend that you know the marlin firmware version of the 3D printer. By sending M115, you could get the firmware information of marlin, as shown on the right:
Control printer by browser
The interface shown on the right will then be displayed. You can try clicking the home button in the web page to control actions such as printer reset.
❗ Note that a Node currently only supports access to less than 5 webpages/terminals at the same time. Please try not to open multiple browser windows at the same time to control the same Node.
Upload a file to Node
You can upload the Gcode file generated by any slice software to Node. Select the Gcode file on the web page and click “Upload”.
Note: There should be no spaces in the file name, otherwise the printing cannot be controlled normally!
Print a file
After the upload is complete, in the file list in the lower left corner, click: “print”, and you can see that the printer starts printing.
Please make sure that the file you print does not contain spaces in the file name
Print trobule shotting
Most of the unsuccessful printing is related to the failure of the SD card. If you encounter errors like "Not Dir", or "SD init failed", please refer to this document to resolve:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfECTMVNlSDZ98NgJtRDPIvofP5KntQXGy4M8Kj22r0/edit?usp=sharing
For a more detailed description of web page operations, please refer to this tutorial description�
Confirm that no pop-up window will pop up in MK3S’s LCD screen during the prusa printing process
A confirmation window will pop up in the following cases:
Before using Node, please make sure that you do not need to manually click the knob to start print during the process of using the Prusa printer.
First print done with Node!
Congratulations, you have completed your first print with Node! Node takes just a few simple steps to get you going with wifi printing.
There are many more features waiting for you to use and explore:
For example, using Node's PC client Nexus, you can more easily control multiple devices in the same local area network. You can also extend other sensors and cameras for Node.
Restart sequence of Node and Prusa
If you need to power off Node, make sure Prusa is also powered off at the same time. Since the SD card of Node is connected to the card slot of Prusa, if Prusa is not powered off, Node will not be powered off completely, and then the initialization of Node will fail.
Explore more
Here are some tips for using Node, waiting for you to explore:
Community:
Use Nexus to control printer
In addition to directly using the web page to control the printer, we also have a dedicated PC client Nexus to control the printer.
Nexus provides more powerful functions and a more professional interface, which is convenient for users to manage multiple printers in the local area network at the same time.
You can refer to this link: