PanelDue Improvement Tips

arhi

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

@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

@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

@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

@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

@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

This post is deleted!

A Former User

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

zapta

@bearer, thanks. I deleted my post.

wesc

@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

@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

@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.

oliof

@wilriker thatll teach me not to review code when I link to it ... eventually (-;

dc42

@arhi said in PanelDue Improvement Tips:

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

To me, that graphic displayed by Pronterface makes no sense at all. More than that, I hate it. So I guess it's a matter of personal preference.

I originally designed the layout of the controls on PanelDue to match Duet Web Control as far as was practical on a small screen, so as to provide a consistent user interface. Since then, DWC has moved on.

arhi

@dc42 well try to move stuff without looking at the screen but looking at what you are doing ... imho check this circle divided in 4 parts, put the finger in the middle and move your head to the printer, move your finger around and you are moving head .. more finger is from the center, you move it more... works without looking .. the layout as is now on the panel I have to use the stylus just to not move wrong axis by looking at the screen, without looking at the screen I can't do anything...

imho for paneldue it would be better to have a separate "how much" slider to decide by how much you are moving and then something like this circle and stripe for where (so no matter where in the quarter of the screen you touch you move by same set value)

anyhow, those are my preferences, but I'm using attm only one paneldue and mostly only for monitoring and don't remember last time I "touched" it and I don't think I'll be getting more of them so I'm ok with whatever you guy's make... I'm thinking about using old phones as interface, they can all run both web and some special app ..