Start printing while uploading

Edgars Batna

So instead of having to wait to upload 100-300MB files, the Duet could start printing while uploading. This way my 15 minute wait, consisting of 5 minutes uploading, 2 minutes heating up (I do preheat the stuff manually, but it's minor unnecessary tedium) and 8 minutes watching the initial layers could be cut nearly in half, as it happens that a print needs to be aborted due to something.

Up to 10 minutes saving per big print on DuetWifi would be significant to me, as I'm working on the print head and axes and the parameters change often.

Failed uploads are a non-issue to me after hundreds of prints. Duet could support resumable uploads and automatically pausing when reaching the end of an aborted print, automatically resuming when the upload is resumed.

bot

This doesn't really sound like a terrific idea, in case the file fails to upload completely.

Instead, why not just heat up the bed before you start the upload?

dc42

If you started printing while the upload was in progress, there would of course be the risk that the upload might fail to complete.

An easy way to save the 2 minutes is to create preheat macros for your standard filament types, then you can start the preheat before you start the upload.

I hope to increase the upload speed in a future release. What upload speed do you get at present? Are you using WiFi or Ethernet?

Edgars Batna

@bot said in Start printing while uploading:

This doesn't really sound like a terrific idea, in case the file fails to upload completely.

Instead, why not just heat up the bed before you start the upload?

@bot said in Start printing while uploading:

This doesn't really sound like a terrific idea, in case the file fails to upload completely.

Instead, why not just heat up the bed before you start the upload?

The heaters are not the main point of my post. It appears that I did not emphasize it enough that I need to see the first layers going before deciding if I stop the print or change parameters. I'm working on the print head and axes, so things change every time, like distance to bed, maximum acceleration, jerk, vibrations etc. Even if I preheat the things, I still need to wait around 10 minutes to upload a 300MB file.

The point about failing uploads... this has never happened to me after hundreds of prints, but I certainly have wasted hours waiting for the upload to complete. Over 10 layers would have already been done In these 10 minutes.

I'm getting 300-500KB/s and it's DuetWifi over otherwise good Wifi signal.

As for failing uploads: resuming a failed upload and machine pausing where it failed are simply other features that can be implemented later. Obviously these "problems" only occur if you print large files, but that's exactly what I'm building my printer for.

dc42

@edgars-batna said in Start printing while uploading:

I'm getting 300-500KB/s and it's DuetWifi over otherwise good Wifi signal.

Use M39 to check the cluster size on the SD card. It is't below 32kb then reformatting it with a larger cluster size will increase the upload speed.

Edgars Batna

@dc42 It's 4kb. Formatted to 32kb and the upload speed didn't really change.