¶ Node Pro Prusa User Manual
Support mahcine list:
- Prusa i3 MK3S
- Prusa I3 MK3s+
¶ What's in the box
In the Node Pro package you received, the following parts belong to Node:
- A Node module
- A Type C data cable
- A 5V charging adapter
- TF card to SD card converter
- 8GB SD card(inserted in Node Pro)
Node Layout
❶ Reset button.
❷ USB Host. (Printer)
❸ USB-C power port.
❹ SD socket slot.
❺ GPIO expansion port.
❻ I2C expansion port.
❼ UART expansion port.
❽ Status light.
❾ SD card plug
❿ OLED socket slot. (FPC wiring)
¶ Preparation for installation
¶ 1.Tools you need
- MicroSD/TF card, best to be name brand.
- A computer that can read and write to SD card in FAT32 format (Windows / OSX / Linux)
- microSD/TF Card reader (Ender3 comes with it)
- M4 hex key
- Utility knife
- Needle nose pliers
¶ 2.Printing Node Shell(Just for MK3S/MK3S+)
We created a Node shell for Ender3 v1/v2 to make it easier to install and organize.
Please download Node Shell here.
This is optional but recommended print:
- Print parameters:
- 0.4mm Nozzle/Extrusion
- 0.2mm layer thickness
- 15% fill
- 3 Top/Bottom Layers
- Print flat as seen on the right
Next we install the mount to the printer.
First,remove the two screws pointed by the yellow arrows in the picture on the right.
You’ll need a M4 hex key to do this.
Then install the fixing bracket on the printer as shown in the figure:
¶ 3. Detect Node Pro firmware version
Please confirm the firmware version of your Node Pro before you start using it.
We recommend that you update to the latest version: 2022-10-19-2008-PRUSA-MK3S
Please refer this doc to update your firmware
¶ Setting up wifi
¶ 1. Prepare TF card and TF card Reader
Remove the SD card from the Node.
Considering that the SD card is prone to poor contact with the card holder, the SD card configured by Node Pro is a little thicker than the standard card, which makes it a bit difficult to remove the SD card.
¶ 2. Remove SD card from Node Pro
If the SD card does not automatically eject after you press the SD card, please perform the following actions:
Loosen the four screws shown in the picture
As shown in the picture below on the right, use your fingernail to remove the SD card.
¶ 3. Edit wifi setting file
The configuration file name is config.txt
Download a generic copy here.
Open the config.txt downloaded in a text editor and you will see this
ssid:wifiname
pass_word:12345678
device_name: Node1
filament_detect:0
0
ssid specify WiFi Access Point name. Change the WiFi name to the name of access point you preferred.
pass_word: Your wifi password. Enter plaintext, this configuration file will be deleted after the wifi is configured, please don't worry about password leakage. We only support WPA2
device_name: The device name of your Node. In the same local area network, please try to use different device names for different Nodes.
fliament_detect: Whether to add material break detection sensor. If not, set this value to 0
The last line ends with a 0.
Please note: after each colon, do not have a space to separate text. The last line must add a 0.
¶ 4. Insert SD card after finish edit
After configuring the wifi file of the SD card, we need to insert the SD card into the Node.
¶ 5. Power on Node Pro
Node is powered by standard USB 5V power source to its USB-C port. Please locate and use the 5V charging adapter included in the Node shipment.
Connect USB Cable to Node Type C port.
Best to use included USB 5V Charger. Some USB PD Charger may have over 5V current that could damage Node.
¶ Connect Node Pro to your printer
¶ 1. Node Pro's status
Node has a status light (highlighted on the right) that will tells you
- Blinking red: SD card not found
- Steady red light: wifi has not been configured
- Steady green light: wifi configuration complete
- Steady blue light: printing
You can also find the name and IP of Node on the screen. In this example, IP is 192.168.2.12
¶ 2. Connect the USB cable and SD card plug
Next, we need to connect the USB-A of NodePro to the USB port of the printer, and at the same time insert the SD card plug of Node Pro into the SD card slot of the printer.
Please note that the baud rate of the USB communication between the Node Pro and the printer is 115200. If your printer has changed the firmware and changed to another baud rate, then the USB of the Node Pro may not be able to communicate with the printer normally.
¶ 3. Set your Prusa MK3S/MK3S+ to connect Node Pro
RPo port must be set to OFF within Settings, in the printer’s LCD menu,to be able to connect the MK3S by USB
¶ 4. PrusaSlicer setting
Prusa printers always start print GCODE file with command M115 to check the latest version. This command will disrupt Node’s connection with Prusa printers. The following steps are for disabling this updatte check to Node working properly.
Removal of M115 command line does not affect printing results.
Click the lock icon, it turns orange, indicating that this changed.
before click：
after click:
If you modify the text of Start G-code, the icon above will change from grey to orange.
Prusa's update prompt would require users to manually click a knob on prusa, which would interrupt the process of printing with wifi. Please turn off this option before using Node.
You can disable the notice by delete “M115” in PrusaSlicer.
As shown on the right, delete the line starting with M115.
remove this line:
do not forget to save your modifications:
¶ Control printer via webpage
¶ 1. Confirming Node’s firmware version via browser
Open the browser and make sure that your computer or mobile phone is connected to the same local area network as Node. Enter in the ip on the Node display into the browser.
Using previous page example:
It would be http://192.168.2.12:88/version
Check the version number on the top left corner
(Suppose your version is: 2022-6-8-2005)
Note the use of http, not https when input your ip in the browser.
¶ 2. Disable the reset of prusa when USB connect
The default setting for MK3S firmware is to restart the motherboard whenever the serial port is connected. This function is typically used to update the firmware, but in normal operation if there is a USB host connected it can cause unstable printing. We can disable this feature by sending the command: ;C32u2_RMD
When you need to update the prusa motherboard firmware, send: ;C32u2_RME to enable this function.
¶ 3. Connect Node Pro by browser
When the Node is powered on and the network configuration is completed (the green light is always on), we can control the printer through the web page under the same local area network. First, find the IP address displayed on Node’s OLED panel , then enter IP in the browser: http://xxx.xxx.xx.xx:88
Using example from previous page. It would be http://192.168.2.12:88
If you are unable to connect. Make sure it is http protocol,not https.
¶ 4. Control printer by browser
The interface shown below will then be displayed. You can try clicking the home button in the web page to control actions such as printer reset.
Note that a Node currently only supports access to less than 5 webpages/terminals at the same time. Please try not to open multiple browser windows at the same time to control the same Node.
¶ Test print
¶ 1. Upload file to Node Pro
You can upload gcode files to Node Pro in many ways, including the following:
- Web upload
- Upload via Nexus PC
- Upload via Cura plugin
- Upload via PrusaSlicer web tool
Here we only demonstrate the example of using web page upload
You can upload the Gcode file generated by any slice software to Node. Select the Gcode file on the web page and click “Upload”.
Note: There should be no spaces in the file name, otherwise the printing cannot be controlled normally!
¶ 2. Choose file and print
After the upload is complete, in the file list in the lower left corner, click: “print”, and you can see that the printer starts printing.
At this point, you can see that the printer starts to print, and you can also see the log returned by the printer on the right side of the web page