Ran into this problem when first tried. Unfortunately it is contingent on the phone having simultaneously PD and OTG enabled at a hardware level. It does work with the newer style usb c splitters but the phone has to have it hardware wise. The other unfortunate thing is that this spec is not easily found, at least I couldn't. So it's a trial and error thing. Higher end devices 2018 foward tend to have it. But I'm sure there are lower ones too.
@Christopher Easler but something interesting, i have the same phone and with hml adapter for hdmi use, everything works and charges perfectly! i thing it is in the kernel of the phone. May be a custom rom will solve the problem.
But something interesting, i have the same phone and with hml adapter for hdmi use, everything works and charges perfectly! i thing it is in the kernel of the phone. May be a custom rom will solve the problem.
The trick is getting a phone/tablet that will allow OTG & Charging at the same time. I went and did an experiment with a cheap Amazon Fire tablet. Octoprint runs brilliantly on it, however, it won't charge and provide otg at the same time. I also tried running octo4a on an Andriod TV box, (onn) from Walmart that was 20 bucks. it will install, and run but only for a few seconds before itself kills itself. boo. The next test is an RCA Tablet that runs USB C, my goal is to find a Super Cheap tablet that will blow a raspberry pi out of the watter and get it to run klipper.
I've used similar, they show the lightning bolt on battery but don't actually charge 🤗 Although some newer phones may work, (IDK) the older phones that you would want to use for this kind of application just don't.
I ran octa4a 1.0.4 for awhile with no issue until octoprint 1.8 release. The octa4a 1.1.1 solved this problem. Great informative octoprint video as always. Looking forward to an updated Linux revisit 🤙🏼
And again, the most underrated channel on youtube ... wtf guys go and get this guy a thumbs up and get subscribed - he will NEVER disappoint you, for sure. Thank me later!
Try using the camera in landscape mode...i.e. rotate the phone. When I do this, I don't need to flip or rotate at all!...I think this is the prefered orientation, since it gives you the wider view of the print bed. Great content - I am REALLY liking this years series so far! Didn't have issues on the 1.04, but am going to upgrate to the 1.1.1 varsion (already went to the 1.8.1 version of Octoprint
This doesn't work for me at all. The phone is a MOTO G7 Power running Android 10. I'm getting "Installation Corrupted". I attempted to SSH into the phone, but I'm getting "Connection timed out". The only other App I've installed on this phone is AlfredCam (which has been working fine for months). I also tried to install Octo4A on my (identical) daily use phone, but on that phone I'm getting "Octoprint For Android keeps stopping" as soon as I hit "Install Octoprint".
This was a really great video, Chris, thanks so much! I am trying to link up a small ~10 printer farm, so I'm exploring this option and with intention to aggregate instances using OctoFarm. I'm also running into the same issue with simultaneous charging and OTG functionality - would love an update on this! If I can't get charge + OTG on an old Android, I'll explore using a more powerful computer than a Pi (and containerizing) or using Repetier-Host.
I've tried to find one that will do both. It really depends on the phone you use. I have had some luck with this one, but it's pricey for a gamble. amzn.to/4dggrkG (aff link take you to Amazon)
I'm guessing this is because of the changes that were made to octoprint. I would ask over on the octo4a github to see if they plan on updating as well.
When I try and access the octopint through my home computer, i get the "This site can not be reached" message. Octo has the right IP given by the router
NEED HELP, i somehow forgot the username and password after using the wizard to setup octorpint. HOW THE HELL DO I DO WIZARD AGAIN ? I also tryed to SSH to the IP adress of the octo4a phone with putty but is sayed: connection refused. Help me please
You can remove the app from your phone and try again. Only other option would need you to login to the terminal ssh to reset it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-12m77CHspEI.html
Quickly scanned the comments and didn't see my question. Sorry if it's a duplicate...' Can you run two printers from one phone? Not needing two cameras, but would this require two phones? Thanks, Chris.
An OTG cable is must for connection or its just for charging purpose? Im trying to connect pixel phone via direct usb C cable that came with the phone and octo4a is not detecting the printer.
@@ChrisRiley Figured out! So I tried Type C to C data cables and it didn't connect. Then I tried never used cable that came with my pixel buds that had USB C to USB A and it worked! I used a OTG converter that came with phone to connect USB A to USB C on my phone. Thanks
This is perfect! Here in Sweden it's reasonable easy to get hold of Raspberry Pis last I looked, but I want one to tinker with and not tie it up to the printer. And now all I need is to fire up one of my old Androids - brilliant! Shouldn't be that hard to just scrap a USB cable to make a splitter for free.
Did you do the Klipper on phone video? I got it set up, but not sure how to use it since I can't get Mainsail loaded? But thr Klipper plugin is installed. How do you use klipper without mainsail/fluidd?
Creality Ender 3 Max and mine will nevert recognize the printer, even when the Android phone is plugged in directly to it. 'No working connection parameters could be found'. Been fighting with this for 2 days now. uchhh......
i tried it on my Samsung s5 but tells me "fatel error. java.lang.runtimeexception process exited with error code 1" when installing any idea how to fix it
Hi there ... cool , it's an old topic , the version is not the same ... but small question , how to know the phone performance needed to run manage multiple printers in the same instance of Octoprint ?
That's a great question and with a phone that is really hard to tell. All you can do is just give it a try. I'm sure someone out there has a performance monitor for phones, but I'm not familiar enough with them to know.
Thanks Chris! Again great video! Thank you. Question...have you attempted to run the Octodash for the android to get the screen visuals? Is that possible? Note: Here is some info for the ones that are curious. I have a work around for the Y cable. First of all, I know that leaving a battery plugged in constantly is bad for it and dangerous for lithium so what I done was removed the battery completely from my phone, most batteries will be labeled + and - on 2 pins only. I took a 5v AC to DC adapter and soldered the positive and negative directly to those matching pins. I now can plug my phone up and leave it running constantly with no worries about a battery and this leaves my Data port open to work with the printer. No need for any y cables etc. I hope this helps someone.
Thanks! I haven't tried in incorporate Octodash on this setup yet. Not completely sure how it would work. Thanks for all the great info on how to deal with the charging, this should help other folks.
i have tried every thin two old phone i get the ip address but the box to the side is open and i cant check it i try to view plugins it says 150% downloaded
Install step shown at 4.42 Fails On a surplus cheap ($10) Current Brand New due to phone not having Bash or Curl.. Being a locked device by Australian Carrier Telstra i am having difficulty trying to get permission to install them in /Bin folder. I installed Termux and tried but using pkg install bash and get various messages inc imetadata integrity can't be verified etc tried to install sudo and that ended in failure
I am trying get ahold a PI of any use for printers for a decent price... cannot find a zero or 4,3 or anything under a 100$..... anyone? trying to klipper.....
Hi Chris, great video! Helped me out a lot. I set up my old OnePlus 9 Pro and am using its camera to monitor my prints. Is there anyway I can lock focus on the print head? My phone seems to keep switching focus between the print head and the back of the printer.
Thank you! That's a great question, I don't thing octo4a has any smarts on how the camera does the focus. You might be able to go into the phone settings and turn off the auto focus.
Hi all,been trying to get this to run ,using the latest release 1.1.1 on both a Lenovo Tab M10 FHD plus 4/128 with Android 10 and the latest security file and a Motorola e7 power 2/64 again with Android 10 and the latest security file both download the apk ok and ask for permission to install unknown apps etc. and install but,as soon as I try to install octoprint it just crashes ,anyone had similar issues,any fixes yet ?
My phone won't charge even without an OTG cable. I'm trying to run this on a Samsung s10e. Haven't gotten the OTG cable yet to try hooking up to the printer, but I've been really enjoying the camera server with it's ability to focus up close and stabilize the image. I was even able to add it to my Blue Iris camera server. Problem is that it is not charging when Octo4 is running. It's not hooked up to the printer, I've even stopped the print server and just was using the camera server, turned down to 720p 5fps and it's still rapidly draining the battery. I even hooked it up to a quick charger and the phone says it's connected to a "fast charger", but the battery keeps draining anyway. Phone is getting really hot too and making me nervous about the battery. Once the battery drains out and it shuts down, the phone cools off and it charges back up just fine. Not sure what's going on here. I've never felt this phone get so hot. Being a s10e I would think it could handle this app with ease. I'm not using any OTG cable yet, just directly plugged into the charger.
Wow, that is really strange, I wonder what is going on as well. I would like to find someone else with the same phone and see if they have the same issue. I would check over on the octo4a github.
Great video! Thanks for explaining everything clearly. I have 1 question for you. What can I do if the webcam url is unreachable? How do I verify what it should be and correct it?
That's a good question. It still runs MJPEG streamer, so you could check it by looking at the service. Check it with ps -aux |grep mjpeg it should list the port.
Hi, when I connect the mobile to the printer, the board has power all the time, how do you fix this? Also when I connect the mobile to the printer bevor powering the printer, the homing is shit, it runs to the end stops like hell and fault.
Is there an app other than octoprint that simply works as an IP camera and does time lapse? I am just doing timelaps now with some app but can't view the stream over WiFi. If no IP camera is there another timelaps app for Android that can set the focus to manual? I am using superlapse right now but it is focus hunting all the time when the printer moves....and there is a lot of movement going on in my delta.
so im running into an issue where Octoprint 4a is installed it gives me the IP to connect and the port. when I go to my computer that is on the same network as my phone that is using my home's wifi connection it will not connect. I tried going to the phone and browsing to localhost:5000 and it goes to octoprint just fine. I also went to my router and set my phone's MAC to get a static IP that it says it is using in octoprint as well as in my phone's wifi information and my router's list of IPs. What am I missing?
The only thing I can think of is that your phone won't allow an incoming connection. I would look into your wifi settings on the phone, maybe there is a mini firewall of some kind.
Maybe try the a7to rotate in phones pull-down notifications this happens with me on other apps but when switch auto rotate portrait or landscape it'll change it on remote device screen
@@ChrisRiley successfully running a Lulzbot Mini 1.04 on a Fire 7 (7th Gen). Only thing that I can't get working is the camera as that crashes the app without fail and causes wifi to go crazy giving it a random IP.
Yeah it's the actual phones auto rotate settings in notification pull down menu lock it to portrait or landscape so when when moving the phone the camera stays locked in that orientation
hi chris. do i get this right? i need all the time internetconnection? my printer is in the workshop, but when i am there i use the internet for my phone. is it still possible to check the print from home, whithout having a internet connection at the mobile in the workshop??
It should just come up if you punch in the IP with the port, like this 192.168.1.x:5000 unless your phone has some sort of security that blocks the connection.
The one that I was awaiting from your channel! 1) Be careful of the battery. Specially if it is a swollen battery. Connecting it to the charge for long times could be risky. I usually just pull off the battery IC and then provide 4.0 V to it in the place of the battery 2) I had a lot of problems with Octolapse and older Android versions, I can't make it work, with newer versions I can with no problems. 3) For some reason I've never found a proper OTG cable to charge and connect the printer at the same time.
You cant flip any camera in OctoPrint except the Raspberry Camera. My current USB camera cannot be rotated on my Raspberry Pi 4 with OctoPrint. But my raspberry pi camera connected via the ribbon cable does rotate.
Fantastic video. Looks like some really kool code. Looking forward to trying it. Does it set up a real root access or is it in a sandbox and does it set up a host name, so I can access it via a hostname vs an ip address or localhost. Thanks Chris
MicroUSB will not charge the phone wilst in OTG mode. It's designed to power the peripheral not the phone and I'm affraid it's a limitation (hardware) of the microUSB design. USB C will work though as it is designed to work both ways. Wireless charging might work whilst printing?
I have been using the legacy app for a year or so now. Octoprint recently went to python 3 been lazy and haven't printed anything. Went to update my android server and couldn't find on Google play. This screen is def the same app from what it looks this makes sense I couldn't get octoprint server to update kept getting errors so might try this see if it will update. Pair with another octoprint app for the phone you use and wow I have been amazed. Set on the couch print watch the live feed from server phone awesome. Will try new app soon. Stay creative Peep's 😉
Thanks Chris. This is awesome. I'm also trying to set it up on an S5. I've downloaded the latest official ROM (from 2017 with Android 6.0.1) and I've tried with the latest LineageOS (Android 11) and on both Octo4A crashes constantly after installing then wants to reinstall again after re-opening. Did you experience anything like this or can advise what ROM/version of Octo4A works on your S5? Thanks!
Mine was pretty solid on my S5, but that was a little older version of Octo4A. Not sure about the newest one. I stopped pursuing the S5 because I can't find a cable that will allow USB and charging consistently. Have you found one?
@@ChrisRiley I didn't no, but I happened to buy the special back for my S5 that allows wireless charging many years ago so I can leave mine in a wireless charging cradle. I did also find this video that claims you can get your split OTG cable working properly with a single resistor, but I've not attempted it myself. If you're handy with solder maybe worth a shot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8afFKyIbky0.html
@@ChrisRiley I appreciate the reply so far haven’t found a fix yet I’ve tried a lot seems to be some reason with the serial port on the skr and I’ve scouted the internet all over for a remedy, love your video’s very informative and easy to follow.
@@ChrisRiley just watched you vid on 2022 windows to run octoprint. Reason. Im sick of powercuts/accidental shutdowns corrupting the octoprints sd card on a pi. Thought octo4a was going to be my saviour but alas its not great on any phone i have access to.
Hi; im trying to install this software in a S7 Edge, and it keeps bombing out while installing dependencies . Warning could not build wheel for tornado that uses pep 517 Can you please tell me what can be wrong?
@@ChrisTheMobileMechanic still not working, but someone has got his working ok apparently he has rooted his phone, also I dont know of the reason why it does not install on mine its because its network locked,.... Tried to root the phone the other day but it was not free, as it was advertised...
@@ChrisRiley I think that's kinda funny because I think I ran in to a similar problem as you. I couldn't find a good OTG cable for micro usb have you considered usb type-c to micro usb adapter ? since most devices don't use micro usb anymore there's not that many up-to-date type of hub/ otg cable that adapter could at least open the door to a more modern OTG cable.
Hii Chris, Thank you for making such useful videos, they all helped us a lot. A que came in my mind that can we use TMC2209 stepper drivers of another board with some different board ?? For e.g. can i use Lerdge TMC2209 stepper drivers on BTT Octopus Pro V1.0 Board ??
Yes, you should be able to use them on any board, if they have a pinout, look it over and make sure it matched the board you are going to, but most of them are pretty close to one another.
@@ChrisRiley I have one more que, i"am using BTT TFT70 v3.0 GD display with BTT octopus pro V1.0. I want to use it in Vertical Mode, but after the screen get vertical, the touch doesn't work and also the icons are not appear at right place. i have done all the possible methods whatever i found on internet. Please Help me or suggest me anything regarding this.
Great idea and I'm hoping to implement it someday, but the first OTG + Power cable, actually the 2 pack Amazon sent were complete duds. I tried them on 1 phone and 2 tablets, trying 3 different USB power supplies and 2 different micro USB wires and neither of them passed power through to the phone (or tablet). I have a feeling the most challenging part of getting this going will be wading through the glut of cheap USB OTG + Power adapters on Amazon to finally find one that works.
@@ChrisRiley My guess is that it did not work. MOST vintage android devices WILL not work. octo4a is a great exercise but unusable for longer that the battery lasts.
does anyone have the same problem as me, when i have loaded octo4a on my android and run it but the browser shows the issue initial settings fetch failed. Please help me find a way out of that problem
Hi Chris, great video. I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and can't get it to charge and connect to the printer at the same time. I'm going to buy the adapter you linked, but I noticed that your phone in the video is not charging during the tutorial. The battery drops from 100% to 60%. Does your adapter actually work? The Amazon listing says it does not charge the phone. Hoping you can sort this out. Thanks!
Hi Chris, another option for octoprint, klipper or anything in linux is a Android TV box, very inexpensive and are a very good option. They do involve a bit of programming depending the chip the box uses. There is not a lot of information on setup, might be a good topic to look into seeing Pi's are rare now, and TV boxes are plenty.
Cannot attach an accelerometer is a big downside. You can get a Pi3 alternative for $less than 60usd. Less hassle. But using the phone as a screen is a good idea. Also very disappointed a video installing klipper was never made for octo4a, although it was baited at the start of the video
Hey Chris, Great Video! IT is a great way to repurpose an old android device. Especially with the ever growing pi shortage! What was the setup you used to hold the phone?
I don't know what he used, but we are watching this because we have a 3D printer so... ... just design and make one 😁 I'm sure there already are several variants on printables, thingiverse, etc.
Well i can charge my s8 while printing with octo4a i just need to figure out to connect octo4a to klipper thats where im hitting a wall as i cant figure out how to connect to klipper via octo4a
@@nickt4508 i'm currently installing linux on my phone and trying that lol. i'm pretty sure you need linux to install klipper so octo4a is not gonna make it. but that's my understanding.
I am having trouble getting the Install to complete on my S5. I did an S5 Reset, and after everything came back; I started the current Release Octo4a-1.2.5apk install. The 1st step install worked OK; but attempting the longer Octo Print install croaked. It ran past the 50% mark and then it halted with an install error. I attempted installing it again; and the error response changed to "Screen overlay detected". So, I went down that rabbit hole; turning off every APP's Screen Overlays; but nothing helped. I would include the LOG file from the 1st attempt, but I have no idea where it got stored. What would you suggest? At this point checking for ways to Charge the Phone; while using the Y cable will have to wait :(( I did manage to get the S5 to run the install again, after manually turning off all the Screen overlays; but it failed fatally again. I took the liberty to email you the Log file captured from that last attempt. I have no idea where else to sent it
I did a quick web search on the Final Error line; and discovered that there is a similar OPEN reported problem Mar 26, by sharpie7, in 'feelfreelinux/octo4a' for release 1.2.4. ie: exception when installing octoprint #395 But I could not find any reported resolutions :(( I sure hope this duck isn't dead. I an going to try to load a few of the Older Releases .... starting with the one you used; to see if i can get that loaded.
@ChrisRiley So far I got the release 1.0.4 to load 'kinda'. It still warns that the install was 💔 How do Find out what real Revision it loaded; because as the install proceeded it said it was using the NEWEST
lg v20 works with a $7.00 cheap hdmi otg as long as the charger is either Power Delivery or Quickcharge. Only problem is that it prompts for USB every time I power cycle (reconnect)the printer. This means I have to go to the phone menu, instead of being fully remote. I wish marlin would do WiFi.
Since I have an oldschool Ender 3 with a mini usb connection, I had to get a little creative. I ordered a usb c to mini usb adapter (female to male). Then bought a usbc hub. All that is supposed to be here Thursday. Here's to hoping that adapter doesnt fry my printer. Honestly I was just looking for a video on how to use an old phone as a webcam for octoprint. Wasn't really planning on using it as a server as I already have an octoprint server up and running.
Hey Chris Love your videos I have octo 4A running now on 1 of my Android Tablets, with no issues, Curious if you have updated to the Newer 1.1.2 I am trying to get it set up on an android phone and keeps crashing when trying to install octoprint just wondering if something changed with it
