PRINT3R for Android - No PC Required

PRINT3R for Android is a standalone print server created for the Android OS. It provides a GCode file manager, 3D and 2D GCode viewers, touch-screen 3D printer control, realtime monitoring, and much more. To use PRINT3R first connect a 3D printer to an Android device using a USB cable or Bluetooth. Then upload GCODE files to your printer using a web browser, email, bluetooth, dropbox, and more. Control and manage your 3D printer using the full-color native touch-screen interface. or use a web browser from a PC for realtime and complete control.

Print3r supports Android tablets and handsets running Android OS version 2.3.4 or higher. For Android devices with limited features, it supports USB Host and USB Accessory modes and (optionally) provides device charging capabilities. We've designed it to support multiple firmwares such as Marlin, Repetier, and more; and to work with almost any modern 3D printer control board that has a USB port. Our primary testing platform has been RAMPS 1.4. It's designed to support baud rates up to 1Mbit; and reliably works up to 115.2k baud rate on many Android devices available today. Longevity Software d.b.a. Terawatt Industries brings 7 years of experience and over 30 published applications in Google Play to development of PRINT3R for Android.

Terawatt Industries is currently conducting a closed beta-test preview of PRINT3R for Android. We're looking for users with a 3D printer and Android device - that's the basic qualification. Most 3D printers with a USB port are probably compatible, but we'll provide more specifics for each applicant. Fore more advanced users we're interested in testing on Repetier and Smoothieboard, and just about any type of firmware and/or currently supported hardware. We want to test in more environments we cannot control, such as your setup, before we publish it to Google Play.

Why help? PRINT3R for Android will be a paid-only application in Google Play and you can obtain a free license, along with additional rewards and discounts, by joining our closed beta-preview program. Oh, one other reason: your 3D printer just got easier to use.

Sign up for the beta-preview and learn more about PRINT3R for Android at http://print3r.terawattindustries.com.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2013 06:16AM by tenacious.

I love it! ive been waiting for something like this for a long time.

Way cool. Could be the next big thing.

Very nice work! I look forward to trying it.

What makes this different from Gcode Simulator?

I'm also puzzled, why is this not an advert? It is not inviting discussion. It is just a plug for their product.

It seems pointless having rules, if they are not followed.

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de jure vs. de facto --Everyone else does it, therefore it's OK. Just like your aloud 5 mph over the speed limit.

Good idea though having to submit an email address for a copy and no info on what the licensing is I'll pass. If it's a closed product I don't expect it will get too far.

However, I have another reason why I would avoid Terawatt. Earlier this year a person on the Mendelmax Google group posted some pics of some parts purchased from Terawatt stating he wasn't pleased with the quality and asking the group if he should return them. Fair enough, things lke this happen though I think the best recourse if one isn't happy is to engage the persons that sold you the goods. That person that posted the pics and started the thread posted (as noted below) the owner of Terawatt had threatened him with a potential lawsuit causing the OP to remove images and posts out of concern. Nothwithstanding the fact that there was no legal basis for Terawatt to make the claim in the first place, I find it particularly offensive that someone would use threats and intimidatiion in that manner to silence anyone, particularly a customer. Others say the chap that owns the place is a nice guy and he did make good on the original parts in question according the person with the issue. Regardless, those sorts of threats are nothing but bullying with no legal basis.

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from Mendelmax Google Group
I received an email in which the owner said he was going to speak with a lawyer about a "a potential defamation case". As a reasonable person, I can sympathize over possible loss of business, but I honestly don't feel I said or did anything slanderous or contrary to the truth. I simply posted pictures of the parts I received. I even mentioned positives such as the universal y-axis table quality. The thread was simply started to ask whether or not I received printed parts that were, in the eyes of more seasoned DIY 3D printer enthusiasts, acceptable. I don't think anyone here would disagree with that. I'm just a newbie trying to build my first 3D printer. That said, the threat was quite concerning so I removed all images in haste. In the age of review websites such as Yelp and Amazon, not to mention Youtube, I'd be surprised that a suit case like this would even get filed, but I'm not a lawyer.

[groups.google.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2013 02:16PM by vegasloki.

Perhaps as this thread appears to be describing a commercial product, what we need to do is start another thread about creating an open source android application similar to Pronterface.

Any takers.

Ps. I am a software developer by trade.

Shouldn't be too hard. Especially with the with the arduino ADK. [arduino.cc]

or using bluetooth on arduino. just an fyi an app that is used and is free for programming android is MIT app inventor. just sign up for it and it will help you write apps for android. it pieces programs together like puzzle pieces.

No need for the ADK, But you'd need an android device that has a host USB port.

AFIK this is quite common on tablets and other devices, ie I have very cheap / old Android tablet (from eBay / China) and it has a USB host port.

See [developer.android.com]

Bluetooth is a completely different matter. There are cheap RS232 to Bluetooth modules, that could be attached to the Arduino hadware to communicate with the Android device, but I'm not sure if Marlin has any support for this, and it would require people to buy a RS232 to Bluetooth module and connect it etc

Edit.

Probably the best way to approach this is to develop some sort of spec, probably based on a wish list.

i.e Basic functionality.

• Get GCode onto Android device.(Somehow)
• Send GCode to printer
• Monitor printer bed and hot end temperature

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2013 01:26AM by rogerclark.

Oops I did not sign the posting above! My apologies, please allow me to add a signature as the forums prevents me from editing the post this late.

Free Beachler
Founder, Terawatt Industries
Creator, PRINT3R for Android
[print3r.terawattindustries.com]

If this should have been posted to "For Sale!" I apologize - it would have been fine to move it there. It is not a sale. It is a promotion but we're not collecting money from it. Why jump to conclusions? Part of PRINT3R for Android is open-sourced, and I'm delighted to be able to use open-source libraries, contribute to them, and thanks to Apache 2 licensing this can be realized within a framework of revenue goals. Thank you open-source!

Please allow me to address some commenters above:
@aduy - are you being sarcastic? any feature requests?
@ohio - perhaps more unlikely than you think
@iquizzle - thanks man
@gyro - We could have launched PRINT3R for Android in October, maybe September, before GCode Sim, but we had similar latency issues that got fixed in a GCode Sim update. Here's a difference to consider: there is a beta-testing program before it gets published to Google Play.
@bobc - yes a promotion - I didn't mean to offend you. I apologize, seriously I didn't want to get flamed. The beta preview is not exactly an advertisement. Perhaps I should just link to [terawatt-industries.github.io] instead of the TW store?
@vegasloki - The pictures got removed and no attorneys have been involved so far. It's one thing to post photos of flawed parts, but to do so after being offered a refund, and to suddenly have different parts to photograph side-by-side (which is the reference?)...that all starts to raise questions about motivation and intent. It turns out the customer insisted on keeping other items from the order against my wishes. It also turns out that the posted photos were taken from 1-to-2 inches away from the printed objects. So far I haven't been able to find any similar treatment of TW's competitors.
@rogerclark - Some of PRINT3R for Android is already open-sourced, and more is coming. For instance, check out the GCode parser in Rajawali for Android. Also check out the PRINT3R Slicing Server on Github - built with Java+Camel. We may also open-source the optional PRINT3R hardware, not sure yet.

However creating an Android application ready and robust enough for production in Google Play, not to mention beta-testing, is perhaps more challenging and time-consuming than it is for any other software platform. But what do I know? For PRINT3R for Android, we would like to get paid for the hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of software development and testing already invested, and that to come. Also I'm somewhat convinced that sharing what we've learned from Android development since 2007 might be rather one-sided, and PRINT3R for Android might not see the ROI that it might hope for.

* Please check out Rajawali for Android GCode Parser.

* Also parts of the web server in PRINT3R are already open-sourced, again with more to come.

* By the way -- Terawatt Industries fork of Marlin supports Bluetooth alongside USB -- we called it multiplexing on USART2. We've also contributed to open-source Android+Bluetooth projects for the last 3 years, including Amarino.

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Thanks for your interest! Please keep it coming!

Quote
tenacious
Oops I did not sign the posting above! My apologies, please allow me to add a signature as the forums prevents me from editing the post this late.

Free Beachler
Founder, Terawatt Industries
Creator, PRINT3R for Android

If you add this to your forum profile Signature then it automatically appears in all posts (regardless of how old).

Select "Control Center" (top of the page) and then "Edit Signature", THEN add the desired signature and press the "Submit" button.

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Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

marlin supports. it, and i wrote an sketch that makes arduino mega bt setup simple. it is here [www.reprap.org]

also bt is in marlin by default, you just need to change the comm port used

current version of marlin:

[github.com]

line of code to change in configuration.h:

#define SERIAL_PORT 0

make it

#define SERIAL_PORT 2

no i wasnt being sarcastic, ive got an android sitting around that could be used to connect to my printer.

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tenacious
@vegasloki - The pictures got removed and no attorneys have been involved so far. It's one thing to post photos of flawed parts, but to do so after being offered a refund, and to suddenly have different parts to photograph side-by-side (which is the reference?)...that all starts to raise questions about motivation and intent. It turns out the customer insisted on keeping other items from the order against my wishes. It also turns out that the posted photos were taken from 1-to-2 inches away from the printed objects. So far I haven't been able to find any similar treatment of TW's competitors.

It's a bullying tactic meant to chill his expression. There is no defamation. A better way to handle it is to state your case to the community and let the people decide for themselves. As for your excuses here responding in a defensive, passive agressive, almost sarcastic manner isn't going to win you any points either. You have provided no information on what you will do with the email addresses you collect or what the licensing terms or other stipulations regarding use of the beta. In the absence of information people speculate. I see it as an ad, plain and simple. That's fine you want to make a commercial product, closed source if you like. But don't complain about how others see your post as you put very little into it. Your post is simply an announcement of a product couched as a call for testers.

You have to give him points for creativity, both in the product and the quasi beta testing/ promotion. But I hate when companies crap on their customers like that. I value the feedback I get, even if it's negative.

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tenacious
It's one thing to post photos of flawed parts, but to do so after being offered a refund

It would seem that the person just has a vendetta if they want to go about openly flaming the seller after a resolution has been offered. IMO that's not valuable feedback.

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ohioplastics
de jure vs. de facto --Everyone else does it, therefore it's OK. Just like your aloud 5 mph over the speed limit.

My wife just paid a $400.00 fine for 5km over the speed limit.

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[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Quote
rogerclark
Perhaps as this thread appears to be describing a commercial product, what we need to do is start another thread about creating an open source android application similar to Pronterface.

Any takers.

Ps. I am a software developer by trade.

I believe MakeMendel have already done that and it is available on their website for free.
Link

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[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Quote
regpye
I believe MakeMendel have already done that and it is available on their website for free.
Link

Cool.Looks like it does everything that would be needed to print GCode from a SD Card.

oh ok cool ill give this a try! I just need to make a usb otg cable.

ok so i made an otg cable, if you are making your own or have a motorola you need to have the cable powered as well. also the mouse works natively with android and is awesome, rat 7 + android = win.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 02:55AM by aduy.

I wanted to talk a little more about USB Host Mode and one major difference in PRINT3R for Android. PRINT3R for Android was designed first for USB accessory mode. This is one aspect of making the software easier to use and more productive for users. Host mode and bluetooth support have been added in later.

In USB Host Mode the Android device won't have enough battery power for sustained usage as a 3D print server or controller for most (all?) users. One way to think of it is this: in Host Mode the Android device charges what's attached to it, like a USB hub. In Accessory Mode it can be charged and attached to other things that are hosts. This is why Print3r supports multiple connection modes and is the motivation behind the Print3r Android Adapter Board.

It's safe to say that an Android application needs USB Accessory functionality or Bluetooth support to be considered for serious use with a 3D printer. Without a separate charging port, USB Host Mode isn't feasible for continued use as a dedicated 3D print server or controller - other than to experiment or play with before it runs out of power. GCodeSim has BT support, and looks intended for serious use. There are several caveats to using Bluetooth with a 3D printer. Actually an Android app was published for BT printer control years ago - on Thingiverse and Play store - but I'm not sure what happened to it. Also, Google has made it rather easy for applications that support USB Host Mode to also provide Bluetooth support back to OS version 3.1, and in some cases version 2.3.4. Meanwhile PRINT3R for Android uses a different library that affords Bluetooth support on many devices back to version 1.5. I'm skeptical if a 1.5 series device can handle it, but I know of 2.x series devices that can, and the app is very efficient.

Now for the Bluetooth caveats. I detailed most of this on my blog once upon a time. When connecting an Android device to a 3D printer using BT you'll first need a BT module (hardware). With most 3D printer electronics, you'll either need a 5v-tolerant BT module, or a 3.3v (or other) tolerant module with a voltage shifter, on the BT module's RX line specifically. You'll need to power the module, which may or may not be that trivial in your setup, it's trivial in ours. You'll need to contend with some extra wires and get RX/TX wired properly, and if voltage shifters are involved RX/TX cannot be mixed up or risk frying the module. You may need to configure the BT module, which ma require a programmer or USB-to-serial converter, depending on the module - not all modules support configuration via Bluetooth. Some people might be willing to take on the Bluetooth setup. The USB setup is quite mindless - but again - Host Mode is an issue for almost all devices.

The PRINT3R for Android Adapter Board provides the easiest way to connect and the widest possible range of support. It provides clean charging power to the Android device and supports USB Accessory Mode, which has the widest base of Android support. The PCB was designed in-house and I have a revision on the way from the fab house. It also has a bunch of unique features not found anywhere else.

PRINT3R for Android supports it all, USB Accessory Mode, USB Host Mode, and Bluetooth. This is just one feature set and the list goes on. I'm working on a dedicated web site for Print3r and don't intend to blog about all of the features on this thread, but since USB Host Mode came up in the discussion I wanted to elaborate.

Quote
bobc
I'm also puzzled, why is this not an advert? It is not inviting discussion. It is just a plug for their product.

It seems pointless having rules, if they are not followed.

strictly speaking it is an advert, it's just one of the few that has managed to slip through, it seems the forum has been getting hit a bit more than usual since just before Christmas with spam, if Something like this gets missed again let us know by leaving a message in the administration subsection or flagging the post,

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@thejollygrimreaper

I had the same thought. This appears to be a thinly disguised way to bump the thread back to the top, and doesn't seem to be a response to another posting

I normally press the "report" link in the bottom right of the posting in these instances

I don't like it, my phone is for calling!

Also, just switched to an LCD panel and I love how the machine feels much more 'autonomous' in a way, maybe it's nice for people who don't own a good computer. I can also imagine that the phone will lose battery life, considering the USB is already in use, it's probably not a good way to print big prints that take hours, and are you able to make a phone call while printing? Might be noisy.

I see you already address these problems, but I think they are not solved properly, so I would like to suggest a possibility.

Imagine the app uploads the gcode to an SD-card that is embedded in the printers hardware, without the use of an external LCD screen you can start the print from your phone, using your phone as the LCD. The printer will start printing from the internal SD-card and whenever you want, you can check your print status. Even when you're away for an hour you can still use your phone for remote-information. This would mean your printer has to be connected to a network with a remote-control port routed through to the outside web.

I don't think smartphone users are the target audience. It's just nice to support them anyways, there shouldn't be a problem to host a 1-2 hour print job from a smartphone.
Tablets often have a dedicated charging port, so they can command the printer all day long. I think this is what PRINT3R was intended for.

This IS an advert, but it is not spam (yet ?) IMO. Reasons why :

- Relevant to reprap.
- Post fully describing the "thing" advertised, including picture - different from just posting a link with "check it out", because it actually have some content.

I didn't move it to "for sale" because
1) I believe it might have some value to some of the readers in General - now if it starts to be bumped up again and again that will change my mind.
2) There's nothing for sale (yet), it's a request for help of beta testing if I get it right.


Edit : It is good to let people hear about that google+ story, so they can make their own idea of the people behind that software, so thanks Xabbax and vegasloki.
On the other hand it shouldn't change the way I consider that thread (classification as spam or not).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2014 04:21AM by DeuxVis.

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Most of my technical comments should be correct, but is THIS one ?
Anyway, as a rule of thumb, always double check what people write.

Some perspective on this
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