SMB enabled network share that appears as a USB drive to a connected device
I based this project on the work documented in the MagPi magazine article by the same name. It was written by Russell Barnes. It also borrows some ideas from this project by Giles Davison.
- Remotely accessible USB device (uploading, deleting)
- 2GB shared storage pre-configured (Default)
- Can be used as a USB drive on any device (including Mac, Windows, TV, and 3D printers)
- After updates on the network-share, the Pi waits 30 seconds and then automatically disconnects (unplugs) and reconnects the USB interface so changes appear on the target device
- Create ANYCUBIC WIFI.txt file based on the Raspberry Pi's configuration
- Web-based management portal
- Local storge management (Upload/delete)
- Network scanning
- RPi Camera Streaming
- Mono X printing control
- Settings
- Update hostname
- Enable camera streaming
- Enable Mono X features
- RPi power management (reboot / shutdown)
- RPi eject / reset virtual USP drive
This project should work for most (if not all) 3D printers as a USB drive.
However, there is an additional feature for the ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X printer. There is an optional service that can be enabled to dynamically create a WIFI.txt file in the ANYCUBIC format to help configure the printer to match the network configuration on the Raspberry Pi W.
I don't have other printers to test, so I don't know how they are configured. If they are similar, I'm happy to work with you add support in a future release. Open an issue and make a suggestion.
- MicroSD Card >= 8GB
- MicroSD Card Adapter/Reader
- USB to Micro USB Cable
- Raspberry Pi Zero W*
*Note, will not work on other Raspberry Pi's since they do not support USB OTG.
- Create SD Card from the provided image file
- Connect Raspberry Pi Zero W using the USB port on the Pi
- Manage files on the Raspberry Pi from a network share (SMB://)
- Access the files from the USB interface (after 30 sec)
* Note: Do not add/remove files while you are printing/watching a file from the USB drive. When you make changes to the stored files, the USB will appear to unplug and reconnect. This will disrupt any current files being used. *
Step 1. Download the latest release.
Step 2. Extract the image from the zip archive.
Step 3. Copy Image to SD Card
(MacOS) Connect the MicroSD card to your computer and flash the usb_share image using balenaEtcher. (Windows) Connect the MicroSD card to your computer and flash the usb_share image using Win32DiskImager.
Step 4. Edit the wpa_supplicant.conf file provided, changing the placeholders network and password to your wireless networks SSID and password.
Step 5. Copy the wpa_supplicant.conf file to the boot partition of the SD card.
On the Pi Zero W, you'll see two micro USB ports. One is marked 'USB' and the other 'PWR IN.' You can supply power through either port, but the USB port is for data as well. There are two options.
You can connect your 3D printer into the Pi Zero W USB port, not the PWR IN port, using a standard micro USB cable. The cable will both supply power from the printer and make the USB data connection. The disadvantage is that the printer must be switched on to supply power to the Pi. When someone turns the printer off, the Pi will also lose power, which will also make it no longer available on the network.
Alternatively, you can connect a separate, always-on power supply to the PWR IN port and use a slightly modified micro USB cable to connect the printer to the USB port. The modification is to cut the red wire inside the micro USB cable. This protects the Pi from damage that could be caused by drawing power from two different power sources. The advantage of this method is that the Pi is powered independently from the printer. It will be available on the network even if the printer is off, and there is a reduced risk of sudden power loss and SD card corruption.
You might want to test the system with the first option and then move onto the second when you want a more permanent setup. ** Don't forget to cut the red wire if you use the second option.**
Connect the Pi Zero W USB port to the printer using your chosen method, power everything up.
Default URL: http://3dprinter.local or http://[IP ADDRESS]
Port: 80
After the Raspberry Pi has fully booted, you can now access the management protal from any local network web browser. This all featurs of the USB Sahre devices can be managed from this portal other than re-sizing the size fo teh USB drive partition; that must still be done from command line.
Default Host Name: 3dprinter
Now we can try to access the share from a Windows PC or a Mac. You'll need the hostname the Raspberry Pi is using or its IP Address. By default, the hostname will be 3DPRINTER.
In Windows, you can bring up Explorer (Windows key + E) and type \3dprinter (or \[IP ADDRESS]) into the address bar at the top. The Run dialogue also works (Windows key + R).
On macOS, the Raspberry Pi will show up in the Finder sidebar. Alternatively, from the Finder menu, select Go Connect to server (Apple key + K) and type smb://3dprinter (or smb://[IP ADDRESS]) as the server address.
Once connected, you will see a shared named USB where you can load your files. For your update to appear on the printer, it must first disconnect from the printer and then reconnect. Whenever you copy files over to the network-share, or delete them, the USB device should automatically reconnect to the printer after 30 seconds of inactivity.
After you add files to the drive, you need to wait 30 seconds. After that, the Pi will disconenct and re-connect the USB interface so your changes can appear
The following optional configurations can be made from the Pi console or over SSH.
Default userID: pi
Default password: raspberry
By default, the USB drive is configured as a 2GB drive. This is set to accommodate smaller SD Cards. However, you can change this by recreating the image file on the Raspberry Pi.
Step 1. Login to the Raspberry Pi using the UserID/Password combination provided above.
Step 2. Stop the USB OTG service
sudo modprobe -r g_mass_storage
Step 3. Unmount the existing disk image
sudo umount /home/pi/USB_Share/upload
Step 4. Remove the existing disk image file
sudo rm /home/pi/USB_Share/usbdisk.img
Step 5. Check the available free space
The command df -h shows your disk space usage. Look at the Avail column for /dev/root to see how much free space you have.
df -h
Step 6. Create a new disk image file
The command below will create an empty 2GB binary file, change the count=2048 parameter to your new size (i.e., 10 GB = 10240, 25 GB = 25600, 48 GB = 49152). keep a couple of GB free; if you fill the card completely full, the image will become corrupt while running.
Creating the disk image will take a long time to complete. Seriously, walk away... the Pi W is slow, but it will finish.
sudo dd bs=1M if=/dev/zero of=/home/pi/USB_Share/usbdisk.img count=2048
Step 7. Formate the disk image as FAT32
sudo mkdosfs /home/pi/USB_Share/usbdisk.img -F 32 -I
Step 8. Remount the disk image
sudo mount -a
Step 9. Start the USB OTG service
sudo modprobe g_mass_storage file=/home/pi/USB_Share/usbdisk.img stall=0 ro=0 removable=1
Step 10. Restart the Raspberry Pi
sudo reboot
By default, the USB device will be named #DPRINTER. However, you can change this if you wish by updating the hostname on the Pi.
Step 1. Login to the Raspberry Pi using the UserID/Password combination provided above.
Step 2. Change the name in the /etc/hostname file
sudo nano /etc/hostname
Press CTRL+O followed by Enter to save, and then CTRL+X to quit.
Step 3. Change the name in the /etc/hosts file
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Press CTRL+O followed by Enter to save, and then CTRL+X to quit.
Step 3. Restart the Raspberry Pi
sudo reboot
The ANYCUBIC Mono X printer has built-in WIFI capabilities. This printer option is configured using a text file named WIFI.txt that is printed on the printer. If you wish to have this file automatically created and added to the available files on the USB drive, based on what was configured in the wpa_supplicant.conf file, follow these instructions.
Step 1. Login to the Raspberry Pi using the UserID/Password combination provided above.
Step 2. Run the following commands:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable monox_wifi.service
sudo systemctl start monox_wifi.service