Installation¶
These instructions assume the software will run on a linux based host running a Kalico compatible front end. It is recommended that a SBC(Small Board Computer) such as a Raspberry Pi or Debian based Linux device be used as the host machine (see the FAQ for other options).
For the purposes of these instructions host relates to the Linux device and mcu relates to the printboard. SBC relates to the term Small Board Computer such as the Raspberry Pi.
Obtain a Kalico Configuration File¶
Most Kalico settings are determined by a "printer configuration file" printer.cfg, that will be stored on the host. An appropriate configuration file can often be found by looking in the Kalico config directory for a file starting with a "printer-" prefix that corresponds to the target printer. The Kalico configuration file contains technical information about the printer that will be needed during the installation.
If there isn't an appropriate printer configuration file in the Kalico config directory then try searching the printer manufacturer's website to see if they have an appropriate Kalico configuration file.
If no configuration file for the printer can be found, but the type of printer control board is known, then look for an appropriate config file starting with a "generic-" prefix. These example printer board files should allow one to successfully complete the initial installation, but will require some customization to obtain full printer functionality.
It is also possible to define a new printer configuration from scratch. However, this requires significant technical knowledge about the printer and its electronics. It is recommended that most users start with an appropriate configuration file. If creating a new custom printer configuration file, then start with the closest example config file and use the Kalico config reference for further information.
Interacting with Kalico¶
Kalico is a 3d printer firmware, so it needs some way for the user to interact with it.
Currently the best choices are front ends that retrieve information through the Moonraker web API and there is also the option to use Octoprint to control Kalico.
The choice is up to the user on what to use, but the underlying Kalico is the same in all cases. We encourage users to research the options available and make an informed decision.
Obtaining an OS image for SBC's¶
There are many ways to obtain an OS image for Kalico for SBC use, most depend on what front end you wish to use. Some manafactures of these SBC boards also provide their own Kalico-centric images.
The two main Moonraker based front ends are Fluidd and Mainsail, the latter of which has a premade install image "MainsailOS", this has the option for Raspberry Pi and some OrangePi variants.
Fluidd can be installed via KIAUH(Klipper Install And Update Helper), which is explained below and is a 3rd party installer for all things Kalico.
OctoPrint can be installed via the popular OctoPi image or via KIAUH, this process is explained in OctoPrint.md
Installing via KIAUH¶
Normally you would start with a base image for your SBC, RPiOS Lite for example, or in the case of a x86 Linux device, Ubuntu Server. Please note that Desktop variants are not recommended due to certain helper programs that can stop some Kalico functions working and even mask access to some print boards.
KIAUH can be used to install Kalico and its associated programs on a variety of Linux based systems that run a form of Debian. More information can be found at https://github.com/dw-0/kiauh
Building and flashing the micro-controller¶
To compile the micro-controller code, start by running these commands on your host device:
cd ~/klipper/
make menuconfig
The comments at the top of the printer configuration file should describe the settings that need to be set during "make menuconfig". Open the file in a web browser or text editor and look for these instructions near the top of the file. Once the appropriate "menuconfig" settings have been configured, press "Q" to exit, and then "Y" to save. Then run:
make
If the comments at the top of the printer configuration file describe custom steps for "flashing" the final image to the printer control board then follow those steps and then proceed to configuring OctoPrint.
Otherwise, the following steps are often used to "flash" the printer control board. First, it is necessary to determine the serial port connected to the micro-controller. Run the following:
ls /dev/serial/by-id/*
It should report something similar to the following:
/dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB2.0-Serial-if00-port0
It's common for each printer to have its own unique serial port name. This unique name will be used when flashing the micro-controller. It's possible there may be multiple lines in the above output - if so, choose the line corresponding to the micro-controller. If many items are listed and the choice is ambiguous, unplug the board and run the command again, the missing item will be your print board(see the FAQ for more information).
For common micro-controllers with STM32 or clone chips, LPC chips and others it is usual that these need an initial Kalico flash via SD card.
When flashing with this method, it is important to make sure that the print board is not connected with USB to the host, due to some boards being able to feed power back to the board and stopping a flash from occuring.
For common micro-controllers using Atmega chips, for example the 2560, the code can be flashed with something similar to:
sudo service klipper stop
make flash FLASH_DEVICE=/dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB2.0-Serial-if00-port0
sudo service klipper start
Be sure to update the FLASH_DEVICE with the printer's unique serial port name.
For common micro-controllers using RP2040 chips, the code can be flashed with something similar to:
sudo service klipper stop
make flash FLASH_DEVICE=first
sudo service klipper start
It is important to note that RP2040 chips may need to be put into Boot mode before this operation.
Configuring Kalico¶
The next step is to copy the printer configuration file to the host.
Arguably the easiest way to set the Kalico configuration file is using the built in editors in Mainsail or Fluidd. These will allow the user to open the configuration examples and save them to be printer.cfg.
Another option is to use a desktop editor that supports editing files over the "scp" and/or "sftp" protocols. There are freely available tools that support this (eg, Notepad++, WinSCP, and Cyberduck). Load the printer config file in the editor and then save it as a file named "printer.cfg" in the home directory of the pi user (ie, /home/pi/printer.cfg).
Alternatively, one can also copy and edit the file directly on the host via ssh. That may look something like the following (be sure to update the command to use the appropriate printer config filename):
cp ~/klipper/config/example-cartesian.cfg ~/printer.cfg
nano ~/printer.cfg
It's common for each printer to have its own unique name for the micro-controller. The name may change after flashing Kalico, so rerun these steps again even if they were already done when flashing. Run:
ls /dev/serial/by-id/*
It should report something similar to the following:
/dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB2.0-Serial-if00-port0
Then update the config file with the unique name. For example, update
the [mcu] section to look something similar to:
[mcu]
serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB2.0-Serial-if00-port0
After creating and editing the file it will be necessary to issue a "restart" command in the command console to load the config. A "status" command will report the printer is ready if the Kalico config file is successfully read and the micro-controller is successfully found and configured.
When customizing the printer config file, it is not uncommon for Kalico to report a configuration error. If an error occurs, make any necessary corrections to the printer config file and issue "restart" until "status" reports the printer is ready.
Kalico reports error messages via the command console and via pop up in Fluidd and Mainsail. The "status" command can be used to re-report error messages. A log is available and usually located in ~/printer_data/logs this is named klippy.log
After Kalico reports that the printer is ready, proceed to the config check document to perform some basic checks on the definitions in the config file. See the main documentation reference for other information.