Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?
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Can someone 'explain it like I'm 5' on why I'd use an RPI with a Duet3 other than for Wifi? If it can run without it, what else am I missing? Thanks in advance..
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Please let me add that I don't expect to need any more I/O than what is already available on the Duet3, nor do I expect to need any other programs or scripts running outside of the Duet framework..
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@gfisher said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
Please let me add that I don't expect to need any more I/O than what is already available on the Duet3, nor do I expect to need any other programs or scripts running outside of the Duet framework..
I think you just answered your own question
Right now, the only real advantage is that when you reset the Duet3, it's instantly available again because it doesn't have to deal with starting up networking. The result is a 1 second restart time.
Down the road, there could be features that are only available when using an SBC both because of the power of the SBC and also because developing for the SBC is a LOT easier than developing capabilities for the Duet itself.
For basic printing, you're fine in standalone mode and many people run it that way. Even for not so basic printing... Take a look at @deckingman 's project: https://forum.duet3d.com/topic/12887/my-corexyuvab-as-of-today
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Thank you for the reply.. I guess as long as development of the framework continues to match in standalone vs SPC, I'll be in good shape. Plus I can fully utilize my PanelDue.
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@gfisher As my name has been mentioned, I'll just add my twopence worth. I do have a RPi which is fitted and ready to go. But as of this moment in time, there is no compelling reason for me to use it. To be blunt, the only useful things I've seen anyone come up with are clever ways to shut down the RPi in a controlled manner. No doubt that will change in the future but right now, in my mind, the RPi simply adds another layer of complexity with no material gain. Also, I'm too busy (and maybe too old) to learn Linux commands untill I see a pressing need or some advantages.
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@gfisher said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
Plus I can fully utilize my PanelDue.
This is actually proving to be a sticking point for me as well. A HDMI touchscreen with fill DWC is honestly more than I need or want for at the printer controls. I've gotten used to the PanelDue layout and have a lot of macros that are suited for the screen. For this reason I'm thinking of running standalone for the time being.
Eventually the SBC will have some plugins and features that might change that however.
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@Phaedrux said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
Eventually the SBC will have some plugins and features that might change that however.
can't say i've looked at it in detail but if the macros and files on the local duet 2 sd card is handled over the serial connection then it should be doable to get that working for the duet 3 as well. but i can understand its not a priority as the ease of custom design with a generic display was among the motivations for moving from paneldue to sbc. sounds like easter project:)
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To the original question:
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As mentioned, it is the only (supported) way to do WiFi on Duet 3 systems.
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In addition to plain WiFi, any/all R Pi networking enhancements are available. Reverse proxies, firewalls, HTTPS, anything that you've wanted to do with the network connection of your printer beyond what RRF2 supports, now the entire portfolio of Pi networking is available, right there as part of the printer.
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Upgrades of DWC and Firmware become a fixed sequence of two commands. Namely:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade- Attaching an HDMI touchscreen allows full local control of a D3 based printer. (PanelDue works fine with a stand alone D3. With a Pi based D3, it has limitations that made me unplug it within one day).
Note that if you are concerned about "Full DWC", there are easy ways to "magnify" the DWC UI, thus making the touch buttons really big, and making the screen less cluttered. Not identical to Panel, but very similar.
- Future development is likely to be down this path. I'm sure Duet (the company and people) will back port as much stuff as they can as long as possible; still, the day will come when some feature is Pi only. It is inevitable.
Those are probably the more fact-based reasons. The "I don't like the command line" or "I don't know anything about Pi, and don't want to learn"... well, all I can say is I don't like arbitrary numeric codes for configuration. Really don't like them. Nonetheless, I do like Duet and learned the codes (really, learned to read the book) as an enabler to get Duet quality, power, flexibility, and precision. Your mileage may vary.
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The video editing software that I use has multiple windows that can be shown/hidden, docked/undocked, resized and moved around at will. If one of the clever people on this forum wrote a web control which worked the same way, that would be a compelling reason for me to plug in my RPi.
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@deckingman said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
The video editing software that I use has multiple windows that can be shown/hidden, docked/undocked, resized and moved around at will. If one of the clever people on this forum wrote a web control which worked the same way, that would be a compelling reason for me to plug in my RPi.
I believe this is Chris' goal, and the reason he switched frameworks when he went to 2.0. Therefore, should be "Coming Soon".
Better get that Pi warming up now!!!
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Thanks all for chiming in. My Duet 3 is currently running from an RPI4. I recently hooked up the PanelDue and have been on the fence with which way to proceed. What I feel will happen is I'll leave the PanelDue attached for basic control and then use my laptop to start prints and run macros (although, if I can get a copy of the macros on both the Duet and the RPI, I could run them from both..).
While I don't have ethernet readily available at my printer, I do have an extra one of these that could be utilized. I'm just tossing this out there for others who may not know they exist..
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@gfisher said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
if I can get a copy of the macros on both the Duet and the RPI, I could run them from both..
maybe you can? try it; insert a SD card (that does NOT contain a /sys/config.g file) and see if you're able to use the macros off that SD card. will require manual sync between files if changed but worth a try while waiting for better options.
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@gfisher I guess that's another usage case for the RPi - if you want to use WiFi rather than Ethernet as to the best of my knowledge, Duet3 does not have WiFi.
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The Pi makes for a pricy Wifi bridge, but as mentioned in a similar thread it was my main reason for using the Pi
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So.. the idea of running macros from the local SD card is compelling - it's not ideal, but it would be very workable. I took a clean SD card and put a few sample macros into a folder named "macros" off the root. It works! They all show up like expected and run! I'm pleased.. it's not perfect, but that's a big step forward.
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@gfisher said in Why use a Raspberry Pi with a Duet 3?:
It works!
wow, i had that put down to about 5% probability of success... there might be options for using g-code to sync the two (but my Duet3 doesn't have a SD socket so can't play with it)
but yeah, once you have a stable-ish set of macros its at least something, for now:)
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One factor for me is to leverage the pi4 I’m using and it’s dedicated CSI video pipeline for a monitoring camera that’s more integrated than just a usb camera.
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Maybe you could keep experimenting for me..
We have M20, M28 and M29 to play with.
M20 M28 /test.gcode G4 P500 M29 M20 -
@bearer it placed the file in the RPI's job folder.. still tinkering
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Try using
M20 P"0:/"M20 P"1:/"andM20 P"2:/"to see if there is a difference, if not it'll get tricky.
