/trouble Installing Printrun

[GBuchwitz]

Hi. Several failed attempts to install Printrun for the purpose of controlling our M2e from a laptop running Windows 10 with Microsoft's Edge browser have failed. I select the latest Windows release (3 Feb. 2015) from http://kliment.kapsi.fi/printrun/, extract all the files, run Pronterface.exe, and the message "Error. The specified module could not be found. LocalLibrary(pythondll) failed" appears.

Somewhere during the course of cluelessly flailing about on sourceforge.net I managed to install an earlier version of Printrun (1 Aug. 14), but if possible I'd prefer to have the most recent version.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! - guy

[ednisley]

I'd prefer to have the most recent version

As the man says: "If you want the newest, shiniest features, you can run Printrun from source".

Windows has a fairly extensive list of prereqs with manual installation, but the instructions in the README seem straightforward:

https://github.com/kliment/Printrun

Whether any of those Python libraries disagree with Win 10, I cannot say.

Given the hassles other folks report with USB vs. Win 10 vs Edge, however, it might be less hassle all around to get a cheap laptop, install (say) Xubuntu Linux, install Printrun from GitHub in one step, and have it Just Work, thusly:

https://softsolder.com/2016/07/11/inspi ... ontroller/

[GBuchwitz]

Thanks for your reply and advice, Ed.

Acknowledging that it may take a little more effort to install the latest version of Printrun, my immediate goal is to simply get a control application running in concert with Slic3r and/or Cura so I can actually get quality work done on our M2e.

The M2e's manual suggests that I can go to Pronterface and download/install Printrun. I'm trying to understand why following those simple instructions doesn't seem to be working for me. Why do I keep getting a missing module error?

Admittedly I know nothing about Linux or Python, and I'm new to 3D printing. I don't know what's meant by running Printrun from the source, or how to run a script to get Printrun to work. I don't think I should have to buy another laptop and install & learn an unfamiliar operating system just to use one of MakerGear's recommended control applications with their printer.

Thanks again for suggesting an alternative approach, Ed, but for the time being I'm hoping someone can tell me how to install Printrun on a Windows 10 machine according Pronterface's instructions.

V/r, - guy

[zemlin]

Edge has proven to be nothing but problematic for me.
I would start with Firefox or Chrome. If you get things running there, then try Edge.

[ednisley]

Why do I keep getting a missing module error?

Because the Printrun "Windows" binary was built before Win 10 was introduced.

I'd expect Printrun to work with, say, Win 7 and 8.x, the versions available when it was built, but nothing more recent.


Casual searching suggests other folks have the same problem with Python vs. Win10, but the top hits look like low quality spam / scam sites peddling sketchy download-crap-from-random-strangers programs. Don't go there.

Why doesn't Printrun support Win 10? Probably because nobody with the expertise to build Windows installer binaries has both Win 10 and the time to make it happen.

install Printrun on a Windows 10 machine according Pronterface's instructions.

Given that the Printrun binary isn't compatible with Win 10, you must follow the run-from-source instructions: install Python and a handful of libraries, then start up Printrun. After all, Printrun itself is a Python "source code" program, so the "binary installer" is the collection of prerequisite support programs / libraries in whatever format Windows prefers.

It looks like five steps will get you from zero to hero.

Think of it as a learning experience ... [grin]

Admittedly I know nothing about Linux or Python, and I'm new to 3D printing

We all start from that exact square on the game board!

my immediate goal is to simply get a control application running in concert with Slic3r and/or Cura

A common way to get up-and-running on Windows is dropping $150 on Simplify3D, then put up with whatever troubles Win 10 may throw your way as part of its USB connection, perhaps by always printing from the SD card, with its own series of hassles. Most folks went that way in the past, perhaps because that's what Makergear suggested and it's pretty much plug-and-play for Windows.

IMO, though, a better choice would be Octoprint on a Raspberry Pi, which is basically what the newest Makergear printers use. You get a WiFi / wired network connection with your choice of PC / tablet / whatever, remote control, slice-and-go convenience, and all that jazz. A complete Pi kit costs $50-70 on Amazon, plus an SD card image download / install from octoprint.org and some configuration.

The key advantage of Octoprint is a complete Free Software interface, with complete control of all the moving parts: "when it breaks, you have all the pieces". It takes more effort and learning to get started, but 3D printing isn't really at the one-click-and-go stage: you need a deep understanding of what's going on to get good results.

[GBuchwitz]

Ed, thanks for taking the time to educate me about Printrun's history. Per your recommendation I'm going to take a shot at installing it as separate files.

The M2e I need to get going is at work. I'm a big Simplify3D fan, but for security reasons our M2e's host laptop can't be connected to a network - and I recently discovered that S3D requires an internet connection to log in. I asked the S3D folks if there's a workaround for this, but they said there isn't.

If I were running MakerGear - or any 3D printer manufacturing company for that matter - I'd have a contingent of my most talented people working on providing our customers clear instructions toward quickly realizing tested slicing and control capabilities. Nothing in MakerGear's manual or in the Pronterface installation instructions I recall said anything about Printrun's installer only being compatible with Win 7 or 8. I appreciate you explaining the reasons for this.

V/r, - guy

[ednisley]

a contingent of my most talented people working on providing our customers clear instructions toward quickly realizing tested slicing and control capabilities.

I have zero inside knowledge of Makergear's operations, but I suspect a "contingent" would round off to one person, maybe two. They're not a big operation and they're not swimming in VC money, so ... with that in mind, they do have reasonably clear instructions: buy S3D, select the M2 profile, and go. The newest printers come with Octopi to make them pretty much self-contained.

I also have no inside info on Printrun, but GitHub shows only a few folks contributing patches & making commits: they don't have a deep bench, either. As with most small Free Software projects, supporting Windows isn't a priority, keeping up with the latest & greatest version happens only when the stars align, and there's no real support staff. On the other paw, you have complete access to the source code, which (IMO) counts for a lot.

You're outside the usual operational envelope:

• Beginner at 3D printing, so you ...
• Need precooked instructions, but ...
• Can't use S3D, because you ...
• Can't have a network and you're ...
• Running Win 10 (*), but you ...
• Want "latest & greatest" Slic3r / Cura features

Soooo, you're deep in self-support territory: few other people operate with all those simultaneous constraints.

I iterate around the design / slice / preview cycle on my desktop PC until I get something workable, store the G-Code file on a server (a USB stick would cross your airgap), then upload-and-print at the M2 without any fancy features. I keep Slic3r (and OpenSCAD, definitely an acquired taste) at the bleeding edge of GitHub source code, but Pronterface lags far behind as a click-and-print operation in the basement.

Were I in your situation, I'd set up Slic3r on a PC outside the airgap, a minimal Printrun / Pronterface at the printer inside the gap, then wear out a USB stick doing G-Code transfers. If you must slice inside the airgap, install separate Slic3r and Printrun versions on the inside PC, so you can iterate design / slice without keeping the config files in lockstep on each update.

And expect to climb a steep learning curve in all directions from your starting square! It's perfectly normal and everybody must climb it, but you're in a self-selected pothole! Folks on the forum can help out, but it'll be useful to occasionally remind us why you can't use the obvious and well-tested solutions. [grin]

Welcome aboard ...

(*) Win 10 has something like 30% market share and Win 7 still has 50%. While Win 10 isn't as weird as, say, Linux (3%), it's not the dominant OS.

[GBuchwitz]

Ed,

Thanks for putting the scale of MakerGear's operation - as well as the popularity of various operating systems - in perspective for me.

At the risk of flaunting my ignorance (again), would you please explain what you mean by PC's inside and outside the "air gap"?

Unless/until I successfully install a controller program like Printrun, as far as I know the only way I can bridge the gap between my slicer program and the printer is by copying my g-code files to the "Demos" folder of the SD card which came with our M2e and then using MakerGear's "Quick Start App" to print the file. Shamefully klunky, but it will have to do for now.

I do have an M3 at home for which I use S3D and Octoprint as my slicer and controller applications. Aside from Octoprint's occasional (and very frustrating) tendency to fail to establish a Wi-Fi connection with my M3 (... a perplexing problem since, for example, none of my PC's ever have a problem connecting via that same wireless network with any inkjet printer I've ever owned), it all works relatively smoothly.

Thanks again for the reality check/encouragement and for your recommendations.

V/r, - guy

[insta]

You need one of the LCD control panels, either the Viki or the newer Geeeetech one. That will handle all the things you want Printrun / S3D for, and let you silce GCode elsewhere.

[ednisley]

PC's inside and outside the "air gap"

You said "for security reasons" the PC on the printer can't connect to a network, which puts an "air gap" between that PC and the world at large. I assume you've also disabled WiFi and Bluetooth access; you don't need copper wires to cross an air gap these days:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gap_(networking)

If you really intend to run Windows without an Internet connection, you're running unpatched Windows and that's just flat-out crazy. Unless you never, ever do anything other than transfer data using an absurdly sanitized USB stick, you have no security at all: connect the PC to the Internet to update Slic3r and wham you're pwned by the latest malware.

That's likely an exaggeration, but not by much.

If you care that much about security, you should run Linux on the inside box. It's not invulnerable to attack, but essentially all the popular attacks depend on Windows flaws.

bridge the gap between my slicer program and the printer

You have it right; that's what Pronterface does for a living. You can integrate Pronterface with Slic3r, but I have no experience there, because I design & slice & preview many times before the final load-and-go on a different PC.

Octoprint's occasional (and very frustrating) tendency to fail to establish a Wi-Fi connection with my M3

All I know about the M3 is what I see in the pictures, but I have several Raspberry Pi Model 3 boards scattered around the house. Their WiFi modem uses a tiny bar antenna (on the other end of the board from the USB / Ethernet connectors that's adequate for a router in the same room, marginal for our router in the basement, and useless when placed diagonally across the house.

Your M3 mounts the Pi flat against the metal frame, with its antenna maybe 10 mm above what's basically an RF shield. Unlike your laptops, with their large antennas carefully laid along the upper frame edges behind plastic-covered openings, the Pi is basically deaf to start with. Indeed, I'll lay you long odds you've got the M3 arranged so the antenna points away from the router, which in turn sits a couple of rooms away.

If you can remove the Pi from the M3's frame, get it out in the open, and aim it appropriately, you may improve reception to the point where WiFi doesn't drop out nearly as often.

That's not the fault of the Pi, which was designed as an everybody-in-one-room educational device, nor the M3, which wasn't designed with WiFi in mind. RF is hard to get right!