PanelDue vs touchscreen with DWC
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Just curious, which one do you prefer?
Which one offers more functions?
Which one feels more responsive? I read that the DWC can be quite laggy when run over the network but when run locally on a built-in touchscreen, I doubt there's much of a difference?
Which one is more touchscreen-friendly i.e. has the bigger buttons and readability?
Which one will receive the better support in the future?
Has anyone maybe made a switch from PanelDue to a touchscreen with DWC or vice versa and can compare them?
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There's been a few threads debating this. It really comes down to what you want for controls close to the printer.
The PD is great for basic printer function controls right at the printer itself. It's more a control panel. Setting temps, movement, homing, starting a print, pause, cancel, e stop, baby stepping, speed and flow adjustment, fan adjustment. Basic console commands. And with macros you can do more complex things with on screen prompts etc. It's a simplified and quick interface.
The DWC is a full blown interface and with a large enough touch screen it can even be used to directly edit the config.g file and see all the charts and graphs etc.
For me the PD is the better interface when at the printer. I rarely use DWC unless I'm checking in remotely on a print, or if I'm editing a config file. Otherwise the gcode gets uploaded to the printer from the slicer and started immediately.
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I was only thinking yesterday if its posible to get the PD interface running on a touchscreen. ie make it HTML based and point the screen to that not DWC.
Way above my skill level but a idea. -
I use both. For quick simple operations the PanelDue works great, and DWC is for editing any changes needed and uploading stuff to print. One of my printers is behind my chair, so it's hard to watch for "oh, crap" moments when changing something.
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@TechNi said in PanelDue vs touchscreen with DWC:
Just curious, which one do you prefer?
For what? For "at the printer controls", I prefer the PanelDue. For anything requiring typing gcode commands or complex stuff, I prefer DWC (with a real keyboard - not a touch screen keyboard.)
Which one offers more functions?
Actually, they both allow you to type gcode commands, and everything is a gcode command - so they both offer all "functions." DWC has more interaction built in, while PanelDue is a simpler interface.
Which one feels more responsive? I read that the DWC can be quite laggy when run over the network but when run locally on a built-in touchscreen, I doubt there's much of a difference?
Again, it depends. Even without a network dragging it down, some web browsers can get laggy after running for days without a restart. However, on a Windows PC, DWC is very responsive for me. In some cases, more responsive than the PanelDue.
Which one is more touchscreen-friendly i.e. has the bigger buttons and readability?
The PanelDue without a doubt. However, the PanelDue interface was designed solely to be a touch panel interface on a small screen.
For anyone asking me, I'd suggest getting a PanelDue for "at the printer" use. However, having DWC available is also a good idea for anything beyond basic printer control, uploading gcode files, editing macros and config files, etc.
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I use DUEUI on a Pi with 7"TFT because I had one lying around ... Fully customizable - some screen shots to get the idea:
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@stuartofmt Thanks, this looks great! Is it possible to remove the scroll bars?
