Filament Runout Sensor - wire to PI

issacsim

Hello,

I am using Repetier Server on a PI with Qidi X-Plus.

Qidi only offers Sensors with shipping out of China (3 weeks delivery time, and very expensive shipping fee).

Was wondering if wiring a a Filament Runout Sensor from Amazon to the PI GPIO will work as good as the original from Qidi?

If yes, any recommendation for a good quality sensor to use?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Repetier

It might even work better - some firmwares do not report status when printing over usb. Can not say how Qidi behaves here.

Please also have a look here
https://www.repetier-server.com/gpio-tutorial/<br/><br/>it shows how to make a gpio pin a filament sesnor.

Any switch changing digital signal will work, but I can not say which switch works best.

issacsim

Thanks !
"Work Better" is what I am looking for!
What should be the GCode command used for the GPIO?

Also, I ordered the BigTreeTech SFS 2.0, I see people using it on Pi 4 with Octoprint, so should be fine ?

Repetier

See chapter Run "G-Code on change" on what to enter.

I do not think this kind of sensor works. This one changes between high and low while printing and is not a simple switch that detects if filament is in sensor, which is what you need. You need a simple switch that changes signal dependinf on filament loaded or not loaded. With this kind you need to combine e motion with signal change and that is only correctly possible if firmware uses the signals. Sure octoprint can do that safely?

Repetier

you need something like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B087325BPG/ref=sr_1_4?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=EXJJGYQ6M8HW&keywords=filament%2Bsensor&qid=1695833609&sprefix=filament%2Bsensor%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-4&th=1<br/><br/>

issacsim

Thank you.

issacsim

Works with the recommended sensor and settings, however I have an issue now when the sensor is triggered, both webcams go offline. I have to reboot the server to restore.

How do I fix this?

Repetier

In printer webcam configuration you can restart the webcam server which should also suffice.

The questions is why a switch kills the 2 mjpg-streamer processes, which are separate programs running. You should definitively look into /var/log/syslog at the timepoint where it happens. My guess is that your switch is drawing too much current or otherwise disturbs the power and linux disconnects usb which makes the streamer stop. Or it causes an error and no more data comes. Depends on the question if mjpg-streamer is still running or did stop due to some condition.