User Manual
Your new community enhanced experience for X1 and X1 Carbon printers
Once you have installed X1Plus, your device will by default attempt to boot from the SD card where X1Plus is installed. If unable to boot from the SD card, you will be prompted to prepare a fresh installation of X1Plus or use the boot options to load OEM firmware.
The .x1p files for all official releases of X1Plus can be found here. The .x1p files for individual commits or PRs for X1Plus can be found under Actions, however these are experimental and potentially unstable builds.
X1Plus upgrade files are provided in .x1p format (eg. 1.0.x1p ) and can simply be copied to the root of your micro SD card (ideally via FTP/SFTP) and then on reboot, select "Startup Options", then "Start X1Plus installer", and select the appropriate file version from the drop-down menu.
New .x1p versions can be found here
"Over-the-Air" (OTA) updates are a new feature available in version 2.0 of X1Plus. X1Plus will now check for updates in the background, and if an upgrade is available, it will ask you if you want to download the .x1p file. Please see the documentation on OTA updates for more details about this feature.
To remove X1Plus from the X1 Carbon, simply open OEM firmware and install an OEM update. First, power cycle the device and from the startup options menu, select the option to boot into OEM firmware ('Start built-in firmware unmodified'). Next select to downgrade the device from Bambu Handy, or if prompted to update on the touchscreen, accept the dialog and wait for the printer to reboot. If your device now boots directly into OEM firmware instead of displaying the startup dialog, you have successfully removed X1Plus.
X1Plus runs directly off your micro SD card. When booted into X1Plus, never remove your micro SD card. The SD “Format” button in the UI has been removed from X1Plus so you do not inadvertently wipe your running X1Plus install!
If your normal printing workflow involves removing the micro SD card to transfer files to your printer, we'd recommend using FTP/SFTP instead, or only transferring files while your printer is powered off. If you are having issues with incomplete or corrupt file transfers, try running the command sync /sdcard/ after the file transfer. Alternatively, you can use wget to download the upgrade directly to your SD card.
Due to reliability issues with micro SD cards (uncommon, but we have seen a handful of such issues), we recommend installing X1Plus on more than one SD card. You can also manage different versions or backups of X1Plus this way - currently only one version per SD card. To create a new bootable SD card, format an SD card and transfer to it the .x1p file you wish to install. Put the SD card in your printer and run the on screen installer.
Due to minor changes to OEM features, our documentation here may overlap or vary slightly from Bambu's OEM documentation, but for reference that's available here. We would recommend still reading the guides and documentation from Bambu Lab even if you plan to run custom firmware full time. Features which do not really differ from OEM firmware are not mentioned in this guide.
- Network: Bambu Cloud
- Printer has full access to the internet + bambu cloud. All outbound connections are allowed.
- Network: LAN
- Printer connections are restricted to LAN by software-based permission checks performed internally within the firmware.
- Network: LAN + shield
- An enhancement to LAN mode that uses Linux iptables to block outbound connections from the printer. Outbound UDP (for example, DNS, NTP and SSDP) and outbound ICMP are not blocked. The purpose behind this enhancement is to block outbound connections at the OS level, so even software bugs or malware would not be able to establish outbound connections.
In this screen you can see all of the firmware versions for individual components of the machine. You can tap on each item for more information and to see the hardware revision for that component (if applicable).
In version 2.0, X1Plus introduced over-the-air updates, which can allow your printer to update itself to the latest version of X1Plus without manually copying .x1p files around. To access the over-the-air updater, select "X1Plus Version" in the Firmware Version menu. If your printer is up to date, you will see a message that looks like the following:
If an update is available, you will see a message that looks like the following:
We recommend that you let X1Plus download the updated base firmware. The option to not download base firmware exists for users that do not want their printers to connect directly to Bambu Lab servers. If you do not download the base firmware or otherwise place it on your SD card, the X1Plus update itself will prompt you to download it at that time; if you do not, the X1Plus update will fail, and your printer will not be updated. If the update is ready to install, then a message that looks like the following will appear:
Pressing "Install update" will reboot your printer and start the update process.
The screen lock provides a low-security anti-tamper option for curious hands, public spaces etc.
- Screen Saver Only
- Provides simply a screensaver, similar to stock
- Swipe to unlock
- Classic swipe-to-unlock mode
- Passcode
- Basic numerical password protected lock screen
- Once you've set a passcode, you can unset it by clicking to set it again and not entering a code.
- If you ever forget your screen lock passcode, you can reset it using the ‘Reset X1Plus settings’ in the bootloader menu.
- In here you can see various statistics for your printer and AMS units (if attached). This data can be helpful when determining when to replace the consumables within your AMS.
- You can also tell your printer that you've lubricated your lead screws (even if you haven't and you're called Joel)
This screen, introduced in X1Plus 2.0, provides configuration for your printer's local network features including SSH, RTSP, and VNC.
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LAN Access code: an 8 character alphanumeric code for connecting the X1 with the slicer in LAN mode. This is also the password for local MQTT.
-
RTSP server: enable/disable LAN only live view mode
Here is the syntax to access the stream from applications like OBS Studio
rtsps://bblp:<access_code>@<ip>:322/streaming/live/1In OBS Studio, select "Media" untick "local file" paste the above into the "Input" box.
-
VNC server: enable/disable VNC server. This feature allows you to remotely access and control your X1 from a VNC client running on another device.
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SSH server: enable/disable SSH. The SSH server allows you to get a root shell on your printer. Be very careful when connected to your printer over SSH, and do not enter commands into a root console unless you are absolutely certain of what you are doing: a root console provides access with which it is possible to irreparably damage your AP board!
This option allows you to toggle the WiFi driver that's loaded at startup. By default, X1Plus loads an updated WiFi driver that should improve compatibility over the OEM firmware's WiFi driver. Most users should not have to change this setting; if changing this setting makes a difference in your printer's WiFi behavior, please file an issue so that we're aware.
On this page you can run a bed mesh calibration routine (in a similar manner to you can on OEM firmware before a print), but you can also then visualise the measured data to assist with tramming or to establish whether there your bed is warped. If this routine shows that your bed is out of tram, you can run the guided tramming routine to level correct this. This may be needed after the replacement of a heatbed sensor, or a complete bed.
The Vibration Compensation (also known as input shaper) is used to identify resonant frequencies in the printer’s motion system and apply a shaped output of the printers movements in order to reduce ‘ghosting’ on prints. Calibration is done automatically and the data is exported and viewed as a graph. Major shifts in resonant frequencies without relocation can indicate that your printer requires maintenance. The compensation routine within the custom firmware uses a slightly altered frequency range vs stock firmware because this altered range appears to result in a greater calibration success rate.
This is a built-in terminal providing root shell access to the printer via on-screen keyboard, as well as a console for sending live G-Code commands. As all shell commands are sent as root, it's quite easy to cause irrecoverable damage to the printer firmware, so be very careful.
Here you can re-map the physical buttons on the top of the printer to perform custom actions.
Two actions for each button can be saved, and the duration of the button press determines which action is executed. A short button press is detected when the duration of pressing the power/estop buttons is under 850 milliseconds, and a long press is any button press longer than 850 milliseconds.
Stock firmware button actions:
-
Power button: Toggle the LCD screen -
Estop button: Abort print (only if the user accepts a dialog box)
X1Plus default button actions:
Power button- Short Press: Toggle LCD
- Long Press: Reboot
E-stop button- Short Press: Pause print
- Long Press: Abort print: print is aborted with no dialog. It is the e-stop button after all
You can adjust each of these settings, and the changes to the defined actions take effect immediately. The following actions can be mapped to each button:
-
Reboot: runs the command
rebootwhich restarts the AP board - Pause print: if the printer is printing, it will pause it. If it's paused, pressing the button again will resume your print.
- Abort print: cancel an active print. Unlike on stock firmware, this will cancel without needing to accept a touchscreen prompt
- Toggle LCD: Same function as on stock firmware, however this feature can also be used to toggle the device passcode. Rather than waiting for the timer, you can enable this feature and lock the printer with either the estop or power buttons.
- Ignore: e-stop and power buttons will perform no actions at all.
You may personalize both the home screen, printing progress screen, and lockscreen images by uploading files to your SD card to the default filepaths listed below or to custom filepaths which can be defined in /config/screen/printer.json. Custom filepaths will also allow you to display .jpg files in addition to .png files.
| Image | Default path | Settings key | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home screen | /x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/images/home.png |
"cfw_home_image" | 750x531 px |
| Print progress | /x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/images/printing.png |
"cfw_print_image" | 479x675 px |
| Lockscreen | /x1plus/lockscreen.png |
"cfw_lockscreen_image" | 750x531 px |
Images are sized to fit, but for the best results use the dimensions provided in the table above. For more instruction on setting custom filepaths for background images, see Undocumented Linux Features - Viewing LiDAR Camera Images
You may personalize both the home screen, printing progress screen, and lockscreen images by uploading files to your SD card to the default filepaths listed below or to custom filepaths which can be defined using the x1plus settings configuration tool. Custom filepaths will also allow you to display .jpg files in addition to .png files.
| Image | Default path | Settings key | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home screen | /x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/images/home.png |
"homescreen.image" | 750x531 px |
| Print progress | /x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/images/printing.png |
"homescreen.image.printing" | 479x675 px |
| Lockscreen | /x1plus/lockscreen.png |
"lockscreen.image" | 750x531 px |
Images are sized to fit, but for the best results use the dimensions provided in the table above. For more instruction on setting custom filepaths for background images, see Undocumented Linux Features - Viewing LiDAR Camera Images
You can also add text and imagery to the X1Plus lock screen, see Screen Lock
If you want to skip the X1Plus boot prompt during startup and boot right into X1Plus, you can enable this by placing an empty file with the name "quick-boot" (minus quotes) in the directory x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/ on the SD card. Upon bootup, if no new .x1p update files are found on the root of the SD card, the printer will boot right into X1Plus. Note that if uninstalled .x1p files are found on the root of the SD card, you will be shown the normal startup menu.
If you want to skip the X1Plus boot prompt during startup and boot right into X1Plus, you can enable this by running the command x1plus settings set boot.quick_boot true. Upon bootup, if no new .x1p update files are found on the root of the SD card, the printer will boot right into X1Plus. Note that if uninstalled .x1p files are found on the root of the SD card, you will be shown the normal startup menu.
You can backup the contents of your emmc to SD card by placing an empty file with the name “dump-emmc” (minus quotes) in the directory x1plus/printers/<serialnumber>/ on the SD card. Upon bootup, the emmc will be backed up to a file named emmc.bin in the same directory. Approximately 3.7gb of free space on the SD card will be required and the process will take 5-10 minutes. The idea with an emmc backup is that tools may be developed in the future to allow even severely bricked printers to be recovered using an emmc backup image.
You can backup the contents of your emmc to SD card by running the command x1plus settings set boot.dump_emmc true; reboot. Upon reboot, the emmc will be backed up to a file named emmc.bin in the same directory. Approximately 3.7gb of free space on the SD card will be required and the process will take 5-10 minutes. The idea with an emmc backup is that tools may be developed in the future to allow even severely bricked printers to be recovered using an emmc backup image.
VNC control of your printer permits remote control of functions that are only accessible via the printer's screen. You can also take screenshots of UI elements or faults using this method.
SSH login to the printer and run the script
/usr/bin/start_bbl_screen_vnc.sh and you can connect to the printer with a VNC client on the default port 5900. Screen responsiveness will be relatively slow due to the slow wifi speed, although this is still improved compared to stock firmware.
In version 2.0, VNC control was rewritten to be able to run simultaneously with on-printer display. Simply enable the VNC server from the LAN Access menu, and then connect to the printer with a VNC client on the default port, 5900. The password will default to be the same as your Access Code.
Display performance will be somewhat slower while a VNC client is connected. There should be no performance impact if a VNC client is not connected.
X1Plus will accept and use NTP time servers provided to it via DHCP option 42.
You can use the command ntpq -p from the terminal to confirm that this is working.
Correct time is not critically important on the X1 series of printers, but without it, anything that gives a time (eg. calibration results) may not display correctly. A local network NTP server can facilitate correct time without giving the printer direct access to the internet.
The AP can access windows fileshares and mount them locally.
SSH to the AP, make a file /mnt/.smbcredentials containing:
username=user password=pass
mkdir /mnt/samba
then do
mount.smb3 //windowspc/fileshare /mnt/samba -o credentials=/mnt/.smbcredentials
The AP now supports Wireguard, both as a client and as a server. wg and wg-quick are now included in X1Plus.
Enable wireguard by inserting the kernel module:
insmod /system/lib/modules/wireguard.ko
Information how to configure wireguard can be found here: https://www.wireguard.com/quickstart/
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Start X1Plus from SD card
- Loads the X1Plus you have installed on the currently inserted SD card
-
Start X1Plus installer
- The preferred method for upgrading your X1Plus installations. Place the latest .x1p file in the root of the SD card and use this option.
- Reset X1Plus Settings
- Resets X1Plus-specific configuration settings to default. For example resets the screen lock PIN.
- Emergency Recovery Console
- Starts up a number of features (ssh, serial console, etc) intended to allow troubleshooting and repair of a broken X1Plus bootloader. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! It is very possible to permanently brick your printer using the recovery console.
- Start built-in firmware with updater disabled
- If you absolutely need to boot into the OEM firmware, this option will try to disable the OEM update function to prevent inadvertently erasing the bootloader and losing your ability to run or install X1Plus. Still, tread with extreme caution when running the OEM firmware, operating in LAN mode and avoiding use of Bambu Handy is still highly recommended.
- Start built-in firmware unmodified
- Can be dangerous if you intend to retain your ability to run or install X1Plus. Not generally recommended.
You can bypass the bootloader and boot straight into OEM firmware by holding down the
and
buttons while powering on the printer. You may release the buttons once the printer interior lighting turns on.
Bypassing the bootloader can be useful if your X1Plus installation becomes corrupt for some reason.
Version 2.0 of X1Plus introduced the x1plusd settings system, which is managed by the x1plus command line tool. For more information on configuration settings that are accessible through x1plus settings, see the configuration settings wiki page.