Install OctoPi on your Raspberry Pi and configure it (Instructions on the octoprint website).Ĭreate a printer profile for your X-Max: (See attached Image Files)
#Octoprint for mac serial
Don't connect VCC and make sure Tx=>Rx, Rx=>Tx, Gnd=>Gnd.ĪDAFRUIT Industries 954 USB-to-TTL Serial Cable, Raspberry PI I used this adapter rather than making my own. The UART connection is located on the edge of the board between the USB and Ethernet connectors. The main board is located under the panel on the bottom side of the printer. I can confirm OctoPrint works with the X-Max and just wish I had seen pixelmaker04's "step 2" earlier! Just to add a little detail:Ĭonnect the USB adapter to the main board UART. Worth noting that this process can be applied to all the X-machines from Qidi (X-Pro, X-Plus, X-Max etc) as they all have the same Chitu board. If anyone is interested in buying a cable and serial adapter bundle, let me know, I might put a listing on eBay for this. Maybe someone will write a plugin for Chitu LCDs at some point. You will not get any print progress display on the printer's own LCD, but that's no biggie. I have run several multi-hour prints streaming GCode from Octoprint and all works well. Set the bed dimensions and everything is fine and dandy. The printer talks raw GCode so disable the GPX plugin if you previously used OctoPrint with an X3G Makerbot Replicator style clone. JUST! Use a flashlight and a pair of tweezers if necessary and then push home. You can just about get the DuPont plug and cable over the pins without removing the mainboard or disconnecting any cables.
If you don't do this, it won't work at all. Worth noting when you wire this up that TX on printer mainboard goes to RX on serial adapter, and vice-versa. Make up a cable with DuPont connectors at each end and then get a USB to Serial adapter (FTDI, TTL) which plugs into your OctoPrint server (either a PC or a Raspberry Pi running OctoPi) and away you go. You only need to establish a 3-conductor connection to this, since you won't need the printer to supply any voltage - you just need the ground, rx and tx pins. The serial port is on the printer's mainboard, marked "UART".
The only problem is, Qidi have not given the printer a USB port for this. Just to bump this thread, I can confirm that the X-Max DOES have a serial port and it CAN be connected to OctoPrint for GCode serving directly over the serial link, temperature monitoring, axis controls etc just like the old Tech1.