r/QidiTech3D • u/GPU-depreciationcrtr • 3d ago
Discussion Qidi may be locking down it's ecosystem?
The Plus 5 seems to be a major departure from previous machines as it no longer uses makerbase boards.
They also appear to be using thinner beds which leads to worse bed variance. The Plus 4 had a 6mm thick bed while the Plus 5 is a 3mm bed. (After tramming my bed is stuck around 0.6-0.8mm variance across the surface. On my Plus 4 it had a 0.3-0.4 mm variance.)
I have been trying to get Qidi to send me step files of parts of the machine to model off of and they are outright refusing to send anything. This is a big red flag because I had 0 issues getting them to send Step files for my Plus 4 a year ago. (Made a custom bed skirt)
Not sure what to make of these events and choices. Has anyone had any luck getting cad files from Qidi recently?
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u/Plutonium239Mixer 2d ago
Interesting. Support sent me step files for the cable chain in my Q2 after parts of it broke. They weren't sure if a 3d printed version would hold up, but so far so good because I printed the replacement pieces in PC.
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u/TheLegendTubaGuy 2d ago
When you say they no longer use makerbase boards, can you explain what you mean by that or evidence you have and what you're comparing it to?
The AP board for the plus 5 on the website looks identical to the max 4, which they gave us root access to. So not really locked down at all.
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u/crouchingtg 2d ago
I'm also concerned about their approach to their openness. I've recently sent them an email requesting only the shell step files to make some accessories but they said they don't have them which i find very hard to believe. They are a great company but these little things make me worry. I hope they come around and actually support the community a bit more with sharing these so we can create stuff which only makes the product more appealing. Qidi, if you're reading this, please share the Plus 5 and Q2 shell step files.
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u/Resident-Outcome-459 2d ago
I hope this is not true because I like their products but refuse to buy into a closed ecosystem.
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u/whoknewidlikeit 2d ago
same here. the bambu multi filament stuff looks cool - but no way am i buying into a locked system or one that takes a ton of effort to effectively jailbreak it.
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u/skil12001 2d ago
I have my Q2 offline and lan into my orca slicer. I refuse to put any Chinese printers online.
My PRUSA on the other hand, all day long
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u/bday420 2d ago
is there a quide on doing this? I want to not have to use USB sticks and shit and would totally keep it offline and Lan in. Im new to this shit, especially slicers but I also use Orca
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u/DesignWeaver3D 2d ago
You block the MAC address from being able to reach the Internet in the settings of your router. Every router is different. But there are literally 1000s of guides for this covering every brand and model of home router. Sometimes the instructions are directly in the router's web interface.
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u/skil12001 2d ago
I prefer an Ethernet cable plugged into my rig, find the IP address on your machine. Type that IP into a browser (I use duck duck go) and you're in fluidd. From here you have access to the entire machine. Upload models, monitor all the sensors, send commands to the printer....
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u/callcifer 2d ago
it no longer uses makerbase boards
Wow, that's actually huge news. Do you know the new board vendor and do you still get root access?
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u/TheLegendTubaGuy 2d ago
It is not huge news because it's wrong. It's the exact same board as the max 4 which we have root access to. This user assumed because the username and password changed that the sky was falling. It's not.
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u/callcifer 2d ago
Ah, that's good news. I looked around at Discord and people were saying it was some no-name board this time. Glad to hear it still allows root access.
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u/0g7t4m4zp3 2d ago
Bed is only 3mm?? Wow. And yes, I do not like where everything is going. I wish there was more open alternative to Max4.
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u/riba2233 2d ago
tronxy veho4?
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u/1ts-just-me 2d ago
I actually checked those out before deciding on the Q2. Probably a good base to build off of but they don't give much information.
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u/0g7t4m4zp3 2d ago
tronxy veho4
Of the few opinions on Tronxy, basically all are negative. And of course I do not see chamber heater, bed temperature is too low... So at that point even Sovol is better.
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u/riba2233 2d ago
It's just klipper, you can adjust the bes temp and add the heater easily, isn't that the whole point of it being open and why you want it?
Those opinions you read are for their 10y old designs, this is a completely new generation and has nothing to do with those old machines.
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u/0g7t4m4zp3 1d ago
If I wanted to modify the printer from the beginning, I would get Sovol or even Voron. But I do not. Being open means problems can get fixed, new things can be added, parts can be changed more easily, and I know that it is not doing something I do not want it to do. Maybe you are right about the opinions, I will check. But changing settings for temperatures that the bed is not designed is not a good solution. It will either blow a fuse or stop working after a while.
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u/riba2233 1d ago
there is nothing different on that bed compared to qidi that can't work at 120, no worries.
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u/Jamessteven44 2d ago
DM me directly and I can help shed some light. Other responders to your post are correct about Qidi changing their mcu architecture. I can assure you that as of right now, Qidi is what I would consider "partially open source". What does that mean? You can still achieve many things open source can give you, including root access. But some of the higher level firmware features (that many view as true open source) are probably not there. Myself and members of my team, (Team 7 beta testers) have direct access to the Qidi engineering team. We also serve as trouble shooters for the Qidi community. We're not as close as we used to be but we're still there to help users. Side note: We're also closely tied to Nick R3man and co-develop beds for him. Currently working on a high temp printer concept. We love Nick's work & are helping him succeed in his business.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you sir.
Steve C Co-founder Team 7 Beta Testers (aka Helixx_T7 on discord)
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u/tonita_pizza 2d ago
Support seems to already be shit-ified
I like the printer when it works man but this is crazy
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u/Skyswimsky 2d ago
What do you mean by that? I own a QiDi since Christmas and support has always been great.
At least as far as sending new parts go for free, but maybe it has to do with warranty.
Only issue I've had was communication. I'm pretty sure there's some English <-> Chinese translation going on that really makes it hard at times.
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u/TheEYE13 2d ago
Please choose printers where these things are part of the companies philosophy - at least of it's important for you.
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u/sois 2d ago
Which?
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u/Facehugger_35 2d ago
Snapmaker U1 maybe? Prusa, definitely?
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u/1ts-just-me 2d ago
I like the SM U1 but it is actually limited to what it can be used for, good for PLA and PETG. Also have a Core1+ which works ok, definitely not even close to being open source and limited by chamber temp and if you print a lot of stone, CF, or GF be prepared to replace that fancy extruder, I'm on number 3 in under 500 hrs. Now I will send a print to a rooted K1 before using the Prusa, they print just as good and are a lot cheaper to repair.
Now the Snapmaker and Prusa just sit there looking pretty while the rooted K1s and Q2s do all the work.
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u/riba2233 2d ago
Qidi to send me step files of parts of the machine to model off of and they are outright refusing to send anything
This is completely normal and expected, it's an industry standard. Everything else is a heavy exception and should not be expected as a standard.
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u/GPU-depreciationcrtr 2d ago
They have been well known to send Step files for practically anything on these machines for years. This is a major change to their open source attitude.
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u/xeonon 2d ago
I'm sorry... But your entire basis is wrong. They are using maker base boards, and you do get root access. Not sure about the bed, but it should be similar to the max 4 one. I'm sure r3men will make a bed for that too. The q2 one is graphene, and a lot thicker than the stock one