Why Do You Need to Add Webcam to Klipper and How? (Step by Step)

1. Introduction

Klipper is one of the few 3D printing firmware that works with an external camera. You can use this camera to check how your printer is doing. You can easily add a camera to the Raspberry Pi so that you can use Klipper’s online interface to see how well your printing is going.

Klipper is the latest firmware, though, and there aren’t many resources or manuals describing all of its functions. It’s simple to get perplexed about how to configure and set up a camera on the Klipper 3-dimensional printer if you’re a novice or a new user.

This guide will explain how to add webcam to Klipper, that is attached to the 3D printer and make the procedure simple for you. Read on to find out how to set up the Klipper camera and how a camera can make your 3D printing better.

2. What’s the advantage of adding a webcam to Klipper?

a. Remote Performance Monitoring

Your 3D prints can be watched over and remotely controlled from any location using a camera. Klipper has a web browser-based graphical user interface that lets you control and see your 3D printing from any device as long as it is connected to the same wireless network. Using your laptop, you can monitor the status of your printing. Also, you can monitor your printer with your tablet or smartphone.

b. Finding Printing Errors

With solutions like Obico, you can expand your remote capabilities to almost any place in the world. You can control and view the performance of your 3D printer without any limitations by utilizing the Obico configuration on the Klipper webcam duo. Additionally, Obico uses the camera on your device to automatically identify print errors because of its AI technology, which saves your filament’s additional utilization.

c. Make time-lapse clips

On Klipper firmware, you can set up your camera to make time-lapse films in addition to print monitoring. These time-lapse films can be a wonderful way to remember and show off your 3D printing to your mates. These films can be used to inspect your print errors and search for any print quality flaws.

How to select a camera for your DS printer?

The best camera for your 3D printer is commonly a USB web camera. Also, a Raspberry Pi camera can work with it perfectly. Additionally, you might go extreme and connect a DSLR camera to your gadget. A DSLR might not be necessary for remote performance evaluation, though, given its high cost and labor-intensive setup requirements.

Thus, we’ll analyze how the Raspberry Pi cameras and USB web cameras differ in this post and we will describe them in an overview.

USB Webcam

For your 3D printer, you may select from a variety of USB cameras that are simple to set up. The majority of webcams offer a plug-and-play configuration with the Raspberry Pi and demand little setup. A USB webcam also has versatile mounting choices, and for some well-liked webcams, you can purchase a variety of 3D-printed mounts.

We advise purchasing a web camera with a minimum 720p resolution. It offers respectable visual quality at comparatively low costs. Some webcams have an auto-focus feature that makes setting up the camera for printing easier. Assuming you require more command over your recording workflow, you can also look for cameras with lighting and setting modifications. You can add webcam to Klipper, simply continue learning from this guide. 

3. How to add webcam to Klipper?

It is anticipated that you have already set up Klipper on your 3D printer. Webcams are naturally supported by both interfaces without the requirement for additional installation files. We’ll describe setting up USB webcams for Mainsail OS and FluiddPi pictures.

Configuration of the FluiddPi USB webcam

1. Sign in to your Fluidd account after connecting the USB webcam to your Raspberry Pi.
2. Navigate to the camera section of the settings window.
3. Add a webcam and give it a name.
4. The webcam data should now be visible in the primary Fluidd console.

Installation of the webcam

1. Load the webcam.txt file in the setup area.
2. Remove the # sign from the camera=usb line to enable the USB webcam.
3. By removing the comment from line 24, you can modify the resolution and FPS options for improving results. For a seamless video stream in this instance, we have set the resolution to 640×480 with 10FPS.
4. Refresh your Fluidd process after saving it.

For cameras connected to Raspberry Pi, the method is the same. This is how you can benefit from the Klipper webcam.

Installation of the Mainsail OS Webcam

Connect your Raspberry Pi’s USB webcam, then sign in to your Mainsail OS account.

The camera option can be found in settings.

After saving, close the window.

You would now see a film feed on the main console.

**Webcam configuration! 

1. Load the Crowsnest.conf file by going to the Machine menu.
2. The [cam 1] portion is visible at the file’s end.
3. Under their corresponding lines, you can change the resolution and frame rate to meet your needs.
4. Restart the firmware after saving it.
5. The Raspberry Pi camera doesn’t require any special settings, and you should be able to set it up in a manner that is comparable to that of a USB webcam.

4. How to set up Multiple cameras with Klipper?

You can film with 2 or more webcams, each used for a different task, by using a multi-camera configuration.

FluiddPi

1. Copy the webcam.txt file by launching the setup area. Relying on the number of webcams you’re configuring, change its name to webcam2.txt or webcam3.txt.
2. Ensure that the camera installation is different from your most necessary camera by opening the webcam2.txt file. Modify the setting for your second webcam to camera=”auto” if your most necessary webcam settings are camera=”USB”.
3. Similar to before, relying on the secondary camera’s features, you can change the resolution and frame rate configurations.
4. Each webcam must have its unique port ID. Line 72, which lists the camera settings, should be uncommented.
5. For your secondary camera, change camera http options=”-n -p 8081″ in the file. In the same manner, change the port IDs to 8082 and 8083, accordingly, if you prefer to configure a 4th and 5th camera.

Conclusion

Klipper, one of the few 3D printing firmware, offers native compatibility for an external camera that you might utilize to monitor the workflow of your printer. You can combine a webcam to Klipper for viewing your printing progress from the internet interface, the Raspberry Pi may be readily connected with a camera.

However, as Klipper is the most recent firmware, there aren’t many sources or guides that go over all of its features. If you’re a learner or new user, you may find it tricky to set up and install a webcam on the Klipper 3D printer. In this post, we described why you need a webcam for this firmware technology and how to add a Klipper webcam with it easily.