Why - Phil1988/FreeDi GitHub Wiki
The LCD software is called FreeDiLCD and created for those who want to use Qidi X3 series printers
with mainline (vanilla) Klipper and the stock LCD screen.
If you want to see more, check out the menue guide for a walk through the most important functions.
When I first got my X-Max 3, I was excited by its potential, but I quickly ran into several annoying problems:
• Scraping the nozzle into the print bed • OS failing to boot (nice support sent a replacement EMMC with reader) • Bed tilted by ~1.5mm • Bed slamming into the printer bottom • No thumbnails displayed on screen • Print head crashing into parts due to the lack of an emergency stop in the screen menu • Severe print quality issues from uneven and low belt tension
I was frustrated because most of these problems couldnt be thoroughly resolved with the stock system (for me).
Eventually, I decided to take matters into my own hands and "hacked" the printer and developed a custom OS based on Klipper. I'm really satisfied with the outcome! None of the issues listed above have occurred since! (Of course, hardware issues like the tilted bed and uneven belt tension needed to be addressed only once, but thanks to my solution, they could be adjusted precisely using accurate software measurements.)
I am incredibly thankful and proud that my FreeQIDI tutorial has gained so much popularity.
And I am very happy that this gave you so much benefit and you like your printers more since.
But I also noticed while many were interested and wanted to get the benefits of a pure and recent system, my guide had a disadvantage that cannot be dismissed out of hand:
No touch screen functionallty any more.
You could get a new mainboard and attach an HDMI touchscreen, or use (Tiger-)VNC to turn a wireless screen into a monitor, but come on:
The printer already has a screen, and you paid for it... So let's get that thing working again! ;)
Additionally my FreeQIDI tutorial was mainly followed by the more "techy people" and simple users have been somehow locked out.
My goal is to give every owner of a X-3 series printer an improved user experience over the stock system.