PanelDue Improvement Tips

Phaedrux · 16 May 2020, 05:09

I think there was actually someone that built a version that split the 4 macro slots into two for 8 buttons, but I can't seem to find it right now.

richardmckenna · 16 May 2020, 17:38

While we are discussing possible changes to PanelDue, a CNC mode specific version would be amazing! Just built an MPCNC and well, let’s just say it’s not the most efficient interface for CNC.

If anyone knows of a CNC build for PanelDue that I haven’t found or other CNC specific interface please let me know.

wesc · 17 May 2020, 04:36

My #1 feature request is an option to sort the gcode filenames by date. 99% of the time I want to print the file I just uploaded.

Scrolling thru all the files, while trying to remember what I just uploaded is pretty annoying. I end up with a lot of gcode files that look like aaaaaaSomeobject.gcode with the aaaaaaa to get it to sort at least to the first page. Obviously this isn’t a very good workaround.

zapta · 17 May 2020, 06:28

@wesc said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

My #1 feature request is an option to sort the gcode filenames by date. 99% of the time I want to print the file I just uploaded.

Same here. I care mostly about the recent files.

Having a Repeat Last Print button would be nice.

As for the Home X, Y, Z, buttons, I never use them, just the HomeAll button.

Can also save real estate by eliminating the time left line (we don't need 3 different estimation) and having a single one, e.g. below the Baby Step button.

I think that the thing that Panel Due needs the most is a simple firmware upgrade process that is sone automatically when installing a new RRF firmware. That way it will be improved and flourish.

A Former User · 17 May 2020, 06:32

while waiting for what could be a long time, maybe introducing a prefix with date YYYYMMDD in the filename can help (depending on which way the default sort goes it may make it better or worse, and at least s3d should be able to do it automatically methinks)

zapta · 17 May 2020, 06:40

@bearer said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

s3d should be able to do it automatically methinks

That's an interesting idea. Prusa slicer seems to have a [timestamp] macro so may also work. https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/issues/615

Does PanelDue sort files in descending order? (my printer is currently printing and PanelDue doesn't let me look at the file list).

rongith created this issue 9 Dec 2017, 01:57 in prusa3d/PrusaSlicer

closed Output filename generation based on variables broken #615

A Former User · 17 May 2020, 07:25

@zapta said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

descending order?

seems to be the wrong way around unfortunately.

mwolter · 17 May 2020, 16:25

@zapta said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

@wesc said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

My #1 feature request is an option to sort the gcode filenames by date. 99% of the time I want to print the file I just uploaded.

Same here. I care mostly about the recent files.

Having a Repeat Last Print button would be nice.

As for the Home X, Y, Z, buttons, I never use them, just the HomeAll button.

Can also save real estate by eliminating the time left line (we don't need 3 different estimation) and having a single one, e.g. below the Baby Step button.

I think that the thing that Panel Due needs the most is a simple firmware upgrade process that is sone automatically when installing a new RRF firmware. That way it will be improved and flourish.

Agree with everything here.

arhi · 17 May 2020, 17:14

home buttons, I find separate X/Y/Z/ALL very useful, removing them would be a big nono
sort by date, this would be super but would require bit more changes than I expected. PanelDue uses M20 S2 P.. or M408 S20 P... to fetch list of files and there is no datetime info in this list. You need to do then M36 for each file in order to fetch file details where datetime is. So in order to "sort by date" if you have a lot of files, that would last rather long time (for 1000 files instead of sending one g-code and parse response you need to send 1001 codes ) .. so probbly easiest way would be to implement M20.1 that sends response that include timestamp for each file in the json so it's easier to sort on the client. Other problem is that with a lot of files this takes a lot of ram so probbly either implement some paging inside M20.1 or.. as with lot of files this can easily crash the system on duet2 duet3 has lot more RAM so it's safer but with SBC on duet3 question is if you want to have paneldue at all or just attach a hdmi touch screen on the SBC. Maybe there's easier way, I didn't see how DWC fetches the list with all the details, does it fetch file by file or uses some other way.... TBH it is easier to make slicer name file with YYMMDDHHmm prefix

as for the "useful features" go, I'd really like to have a screen with movement buttons arranged like in octoprint, or pronterface, or something in between

as the way they are now I crashed my head so many times

having a separate button to select "how much" and then huge buttons to click on "move this axis" waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than bunch of tiny buttons

garyd9 · 18 May 2020, 04:29

@zapta said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

I think that the thing that Panel Due needs the most is a simple firmware upgrade process that is sone automatically when installing a new RRF firmware. That way it will be improved and flourish.

I thought that some preliminary work was done in RRF (or was it on the duet board?) to allow RRF to update the paneldue firmware. I remember reading something about that a long time ago. Yet another desirable and promised feature that never got developed.

And now, with the push to use a SBC (raspberry pi) with a duet3 board, I'm not sure that the feature would ever happen. Sadly, I get the impression that I'm one of a very small group that prefers the paneldue to a full web interface for simple control at the printer. As well, its much easier to wire a paneldue (4 tiny wires) when compared to a HDMI display (which requires a thick HDMI cable and a power cable.)

As for some of the requests... I think a lot of people aren't taking into account the extremely limited screen space (and resolution), the slow bandwidth of the paneldue connection (57k bps), and the slow drawing speed of the display. Adding buttons isn't easy when there's no place to add them. As well, it's extremely hard to make one interface that makes everyone happy. Some want home x/y/z. Others don't want them (or in the case of a delta printer, they don't even make sense.)

My honest opinion is that the paneldue firmware is actually pretty good for what it is (and the very limited storage space available on the paneldue board.)

Could it be better? Perhaps, but I don't know how it would be done that would keep everyone happy.

As for repeating the last print... I think it would be doable with RRF3.01 using a macro. Something like this might work (inside a macro)

echo "Repeating print of " ^ job.lastFileName
; select the file to be printed as the filename of the last job
M23 job.lastFileName
; start printing the selected file
M24

This isn't perfect, because it doesn't check the status of the printer before starting a new print. My first thought was to check if "state.status = "idle"", but that doesn't work because state.status returns "busy" while running a macro. I'm sure there's a way to do it, I just don't know off the top of my head.

zapta · 18 May 2020, 04:39

@garyd9 said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

I think it would be doable with RRF3.01 using a macro.

The OP (and myself) or on RRF2 but if there is a solution for RRF3 that's something. Upgrading to RRF3 is on my todo list but read somewhere that it will be easier or safer to do it in a month or so.

arhi · 18 May 2020, 05:12

@zapta said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

will be easier or safer to do it in a month

I'm running RRF3 on the duet2ethernet (standard 3 axes cartesian, precision piezo sensor, single extruder, few fans) since 3.0 was out and it is printing on average 26-27 hours a day (2 printers) and hasn't had a single issue. Most of the bugs are related to duet3 boards with SBC and extensions. This core "single duet2eth" part, from what I can say, works flawlessly.

A Former User · 18 May 2020, 05:12

@zapta i wouldn't say easier in any way or form; but safer with respect to more widely tested as features (probably?) won't be added to 3.1.x - yes.

A Former User · 18 May 2020, 05:18

@garyd9 said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

I thought that some preliminary work was done in RRF (or was it on the duet board?) to allow RRF to update the paneldue firmware. I remember reading something about that a long time ago. Yet another desirable and promised feature that never got developed.

And now, with the push to use a SBC (raspberry pi) with a duet3 board, I'm not sure that the feature would ever happen. Sadly, I get the impression that I'm one of a very small group that prefers the paneldue to a full web interface for simple control at the printer. As well, its much easier to wire a paneldue (4 tiny wires) when compared to a HDMI display (which requires a thick HDMI cable and a power cable.)

I think i read it was planned or something to that effect as well, but i also suspect it got pushed down on the list, even more so as new versions will be few and far between.

the touch display from the Raspberry people is quite nice, single 15 way flat flex for display and touch, but does need usb power or two adittional 0.1" jumpers from the Pi. but at least there doesn't have to be any bulky connectors that portrude.

zapta · 18 May 2020, 14:14

This post is deleted!

A Former User · 18 May 2020, 14:15

@zapta i believe this is more current https://github.com/Duet3D/PanelDueFirmware

zapta · 18 May 2020, 15:05

@bearer, thanks. I deleted my post.

wesc · 29 Oct 2020, 20:34

@arhi said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

TBH it is easier to make slicer name file with YYMMDDHHmm prefix

Unfortunately PanelDue sorts A-Z so the most recent files are at the bottom, requiring scrolling.

Would be really nice if PanelDue allowed you to set the sort order.

oliof · 30 Oct 2020, 13:32

@richardmckenna diabase have a paneldue with encoder and click for their cnc machines, with the code on GitHub. It's based on the old M408 implementation though.

https://github.com/diabase/H-Series-Pendant-Firmware

They have also made the UI portrait mode because that seems better for a pendant.

wilriker · 30 Oct 2020, 14:06

@oliof said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

@richardmckenna diabase have a paneldue with encoder and click for their cnc machines, with the code on GitHub. It's based on the old M408 implementation though.

https://github.com/diabase/H-Series-Pendant-Firmware

They have also made the UI portrait mode because that seems better for a pendant.

Actually this is meanwhile also based on M409 ObjectModel data.