Using Panel controllers with Smoothieboard

« Panels » are a combination of a LCD screen, and some sort of input method ( encoder wheel, or buttons ).

They are used to control your machine without having to use a host computer and a USB or Ethernet connection.

To use a Panel, you need to wire it to your Smoothieboard, and to set it up in your configuration file.

This page describes the wiring and configuration for the currently supported panel types.

Supported Panels

The following panels are currently supported by Smoothie :

Supported SPI chips:- ST7565, ST7920, SSD1306

I2C and parallel panels are not supported directly, however using a cheap Arduino Mini Pro, Uno or Nano you can use the following I2C panels or a regular Reprap style Parallel style LCD using the universal panel adapter universal panel adapter and the universal_adapter driver : - old Viki lcd I2C - Most reprap style parallel LCD - Parallel - Panelolu2 probably works but not tested - I2C

Configuration

All configuration options

Here are all the configuration options available for the Panel module :

V1 Setting V2 Setting Description
Master enable Panel Enables the panel interface module. Panels provide a screen, an encoder wheel and/or a set of buttons, used to control your machine without requiring a computer connection. When enabled, the panel module initializes the LCD driver, configures input devices, and registers for system events to display machine status and accept user input. If disabled, the panel module is completely removed from memory.
Not in V2 Required reprap_discount_glcd, st7565_glcd, ssd1306_oled, viki2, mini_viki2, universal_adapter Specifies the type of panel connected to the Smoothieboard. Each panel has a specific interface and driver requirements, so the correct panel type must be specified. The value determines which panel driver will be loaded and initialized. Different panels have different pin requirements, button configurations, and display capabilities. RRD GLCD does not support SPI CS pin sharing
Not in V2 SPI 0 Selects which SPI channel to use for panel communication. The Smoothieboard has two SPI channels with different pin assignments. Channel selection affects which physical pins are used for MOSI, MISO, and SCLK signals. Most panels use channel 0 by default.
Pin nc Specifies the CS (Chip Select) pin used to select the panel device on the SPI bus. CS allows multiple devices to share the same SPI port by activating only the selected device. When CS is low (active), the panel responds to SPI commands; when high (inactive), the panel ignores SPI traffic. RRD GLCD does not support CS and requires being alone on its SPI port
Not in V2 SPI Speed SPI port frequency - some panels need it explicitly set. This setting controls the communication speed between the Smoothieboard and the panel.
Not in V2 Visual 9 Contrast value for panels that support it. Supported panels: viki2, mini_viki2, and st7565_glcd. Adjust this value if the display appears too faint or too dark.
Not in V2 Visual false If set to true, reverse the screen orientation. Use this if your panel is mounted upside down.
Not in V2 Visual 0 On some panels, this value must be set to 1. This is a number of lines to offset the menu lines by on screen. Adjust if menu items don't align properly on your display.
Not in V2 Pin Encoder A pin for the encoder wheel. Encoders have two pins: A and B. Set to nc if you use no encoder. The ^ modifier defines menu move direction. Use ! for pull-up/pull-down and ^ to invert.
Not in V2 Pin Encoder B pin for the encoder wheel. Encoders have two pins: A and B. Set to nc if you use no encoder. The ^ modifier defines menu move direction. Use ! for pull-up/pull-down and ^ to invert.
Not in V2 Encoder 2 The number of pulses the encoder emits per detent/click. Adjust this if the encoder is too sensitive or not sensitive enough for menu navigation.
Not in V2 Pin Button Pin for the click ("enter" or "select") button. This button is typically pressed to select menu items, confirm actions, and accept value changes. The ! modifier inverts the signal polarity (use for active-low buttons).
Not in V2 Pin Button Pin for the back ("escape" or "cancel") button. This button returns to the previous menu level or cancels the current operation. On Viki2 panels, this pin may be used for either back button or pause button functionality.
Not in V2 Pin Button Pin for the up button. Used for menu navigation when no encoder is present. The ! modifier inverts the signal polarity.
Not in V2 Pin Button Pin for the down button. Used for menu navigation when no encoder is present. The ! modifier inverts the signal polarity.
Not in V2 Pin Button Pin for the pause button. Allows immediate pause of the current operation. This is a convenience feature for quick access to pause functionality.
Not in V2 Button Delay Delay in milliseconds before a button press is considered a "long press". Long press actions may trigger different menu functions than short presses.
Not in V2 Pin Buzzer Pin for the buzzer. The buzzer provides audio feedback for button presses and alerts. Some panels have built-in buzzers that require this pin to be configured.
Not in V2 Pin LED Pin for the red LED on Viki2 panels. The red LED typically indicates heating status or errors. Only available on Viki2 and similar panels with status LEDs.
Not in V2 Pin LED Pin for the blue LED on Viki2 panels. The blue LED typically indicates cooling or idle status. Only available on Viki2 and similar panels with status LEDs.
Not in V2 Pin Control nc If using a Viki or SSD1306, this pin is needed to drive the C/D (Command/Data) pin on the display. This pin distinguishes between command and data bytes in the SPI communication.
Not in V2 Pin Control nc If using an SSD1306, this pin is sometimes required and connects to the reset pin on the display. The reset pin is used to initialize the display controller.
Not in V2 Pin nc If using the universal_adapter, this pin can be connected to the adapter to ask if it is busy or not. The universal adapter uses this for daisy-chaining multiple devices.
Not in V2 Jogging X/Alpha 6000 X (Alpha) axis jogging feedrate in millimeters/minute. This is used when jogging using the panel screen. Adjust based on your machine's capabilities and desired jogging speed.
Not in V2 Jogging Y/Beta 6000 Y (Beta) axis jogging feedrate in millimeters/minute. This is used when jogging using the panel screen. Adjust based on your machine's capabilities and desired jogging speed.
Not in V2 Jogging Z/Gamma 200 Z (Gamma) axis jogging feedrate in millimeters/minute. This is used when jogging using the panel screen. Typically slower than XY jogging for precision and safety.
Not in V2 Preset Hotend 185 Temperature to set the hotend to when using the pre-heating menu item on the panel. This provides a quick-access one-button preset for heating the hotend to a commonly used temperature. Set to match your most commonly used filament type.
Not in V2 Preset Heated bed 60 Temperature to set the bed to when using the pre-heating menu item on the panel. This provides a quick-access one-button preset for heating the bed to a commonly used temperature. Set to match your most commonly used filament type.
Not in V2 SD card false Set to true if your panel has an external SD card slot, or if you want to connect a second SD card slot to one of your Smoothieboard's SPI ports. Enables additional SD card interface beyond the onboard SD slot. External SD cards over SPI cables can be unreliable - NOT recommended for printing
Not in V2 SPI SD card 0 Set the SPI channel the external SD card is on. This must match the SPI channel used by the panel if they share the same SPI port, or can be a different channel if separate.
Not in V2 Pin SD card Set the CS (Chip Select) pin for the external SD card. This allows you to use multiple devices on the same SPI port, as long as they each have a unique CS pin.
Not in V2 Pin SD card nc SD card detect signal pin. Set to nc if you don't use an SD card detect signal. This pin detects when an SD card is inserted or removed.
Not in V2 Visual Multi-extruder Controls which extruder's temperature is displayed on panels. Useful for multi-extruder setups to show the currently active extruder's status.
Not in V2 Custom Required for custom menu When set to true, create a new custom menu entry for the panel with the name {name}. You can create any number of custom entries as long as they have different names. Replace {name} with your menu identifier. {name} is case sensitive
Not in V2 Custom The name that will be displayed in the panel's menus. Underscores (_) are converted to spaces when displayed. This is what the user sees when browsing the menu.
Not in V2 Custom Commands The command that will be executed when the menu entry is selected and clicked. The _ character gets converted to space in the menu and commands (and must be used instead of the space character), and the | character is used to separate multiple commands that should be executed in sequence. M80_S30|G1_X10 executes M80 S30 followed by G1 X10

Custom menu entries

Menu entries can be added from the config file for simple commands, for instance the following adds a Power on and Power off menu entry. Note that _ will be converted to a space when displayed in the Menu. Commands can be seperated with a |. If you want to add a menu entry that probes your z-axis you will have to use a command like G30 Z0 followed by a G0 Z10. For this you need a custom menu entry “custom_menu.zprobe.command G30Z0|G0Z10”. This moves the z-axis down untill it hits the probe, sets Z to 0 and moves 10 back up.

V1 Configuration:

custom_menu.power_on.enable              true              #
custom_menu.power_on.name                Power_on          #
custom_menu.power_on.command             M80               #

custom_menu.power_off.enable             true              #
custom_menu.power_off.name               Power_off         #
custom_menu.power_off.command            M81               #

Another example for filament change:

custom_menu.filament_change_c.enable               true                                                   #
custom_menu.filament_change_c.name                 Change Filament                                        #
custom_menu.filament_change_c.command              G91|G1_Z0.6_F12000|G90|G1_X0_Y0|G91|G1_Z-0.6|G90|M25   #

custom_menu.filament_change_r.enable               true              #
custom_menu.filament_change_r.name                 Resume            #
custom_menu.filament_change_r.command              M24               #

V2 Configuration:

[custom_menu.power_on]
enable = true
name = Power_on
command = M80

[custom_menu.power_off]
enable = true
name = Power_off
command = M81

Another example for filament change:

[custom_menu.filament_change_c]
enable = true
name = Change Filament
command = G91|G1_Z0.6_F12000|G90|G1_X0_Y0|G91|G1_Z-0.6|G90|M25

[custom_menu.filament_change_r]
enable = true
name = Resume
command = M24

External SD card setup

WARNING using the external sdcard for printing from is not recommended, and is NOT supported. Running SPI over long (or even short) cables is problematic, and can cause random hangs and/or corrupted data. I am not aware of a way to fix this other than using differential buffer drivers.

For the RRD GLCD it CANNOT share the same SPI as the LCD so it must be hooked up to the onboard sdcard SPI and use a spare pin for the sdcs. Also note that an external SDcard sharing the SPI port with the onboard/internal sdcard must be ejected before rebooting as the bootloader does not like the external card. NOTE Smoothie will not boot if the external sdcard is inserted in the RRD LCD sdcard slot at boot time, it must be inserted after it has booted.

If the lcd panel has an sdcard reader it can be enabled with the following config:

# setup for external sd card on the viki2 which shares the lcd spi port with the sdcard
panel.external_sd                         true           # set to true if there is an extrernal sdcard on the panel
panel.external_sd.spi_channel             0              # set spi channel the sdcard is on
panel.external_sd.spi_cs_pin              0.27            # set spi chip select for the sdcard
panel.external_sd.sdcd_pin                0.28!^          # sd detect signal (set to nc if no sdcard detect)

# setup for external sd card on the RRD GLCD which shares the onboard sdcard SPI port
panel.external_sd                        true             # set to true if there is an extrernal sdcard on the panel
panel.external_sd.spi_channel            1                # set spi channel the sdcard is on
panel.external_sd.spi_cs_pin             0.27             # set spi chip select for the sdcard (or any spare pin)
panel.external_sd.sdcd_pin               0.28!^           # sd detect signal (set to nc if no sdcard detect) (or any spare pin)

Using the spare button as a Kill switch

The button on the glcd and Viki2 can be wired as a Kill button by following This guide. In that case the

should be commented out.

A RRD GLCD showing Smoothie's watch screen

A RRD GLCD showing Smoothie's "watch" screen

Reprap Discount GLCD

The Reprapdiscount GLCD is a black and white graphical display with an encoder control button that allows you to control your Smoothieboard.

It is one of the most popular options for panel controllers.

Power from the 5v line directly, from the 5v uart pin with a decoupling capacitor of at least 0.1uF, from a + pin on an unused endstop, or an external 5V power supply capable of delivering at least 500 mA. MOAR

If you are using the onboard 5V regulator to step down from 12/24V, check the current draw required for your panel - depending on the color/backlight on your GLCD, it may require >250 mA for the backlight.

The normal recommended 5V regulator will not supply enough current for those panels - if the panel powers up, it will have very low contrast.

Use Recom part R-78E5.0-**1.0** instead - it will supply 1 amp (vs 0.5 amps for the normally recommended regulator).

It is available at Digikey, and likely at other major electronics component sites.

See Voltage Regulator.

As an alternative to replacing the R-78E5.0 part on the Smoothieboard, solder a 5V 0.5 amp or 1 amp regulator to the adaptor card in the location marked. Ordinary 7805 regulators will work in that role. See 78xx Adapter

There is an adapter board to easily connect a ReprapDiscount GLCD to a Smoothieboard with flat cable, however note this is entirely optional.

You can find information about it at the RRDGLCDAdapter page.

It's sources are available on github.

Note that you may have to solder physical pins to the board for pins 3.25 and 3.26, otherwise the rotary encoder will not work. Clones Note that there are a lot of clones of the official RRD GLCD, and their connectors are reversed.

If you buy one of them, you need to modify your adapter board, by removing the sockets of the 10-pin connectors and rotating them 180 degrees each. SPI thermocouples Because the RRD GLCD does not implement SPI correctly, it has to be alone on it's SPI port.

This means you won't be able to use SPI thermocouples and the RRD GLCD together on the same board, unfortunately.

Manual wiring

On the back of the GLCD EXP1 is to left and EXP2 is to right, pin 1 is bottom left, pin 2 is top left etc. 5v is EXP1 pin 10, Gnd is EXP1 pin 9

V1 Configuration:

# config settings
panel.enable                          true              # set to true to enable the panel code
panel.lcd                             reprap_discount_glcd     # set type of panel
panel.spi_channel                     0                 # spi channel to use  ; GLCD EXP1 Pins 3,5 (MOSI, SCLK)
panel.spi_cs_pin                      0.16              # spi chip select     ; GLCD EXP1 Pin 4
panel.encoder_a_pin                   3.25!^            # encoder pin         ; GLCD EXP2 Pin 3
panel.encoder_b_pin                   3.26!^            # encoder pin         ; GLCD EXP2 Pin 5
panel.click_button_pin                1.30!^            # click button        ; GLCD EXP1 Pin 2
panel.buzz_pin                        1.31              # pin for buzzer      ; GLCD EXP1 Pin 1
panel.back_button_pin                 2.11!^            # 2.11 menu back      ; GLCD EXP2 Pin 8
# setup for external sd card on the GLCD which uses the onboard sdcard SPI port
panel.external_sd                     true              # set to true if there is an extrernal sdcard on the panel
panel.external_sd.spi_channel         1                 # set spi channel the sdcard is on
panel.external_sd.spi_cs_pin          0.28              # set spi chip select for the sdcard (or any spare pin)
panel.external_sd.sdcd_pin            0.27!^            # sd detect signal (set to nc if no sdcard detect) (or any spare pin)

V2 Configuration:

[panel]
enable = true
lcd = reprap_discount_glcd
spi_channel = 0
spi_cs_pin = PG7
encoder_a_pin = PJ3
encoder_b_pin = PJ4
click_button_pin = PJ5
buzz_pin = PJ6
back_button_pin = PJ7

[panel.external_sd]
enable = true
spi_channel = 1
spi_cs_pin = PC1
sdcd_pin = PC0

Note: V2 uses STM32 pin naming (e.g., PG7 instead of 0.16).

You can find a list of pins on the Smoothieboard to connect to the panel here and here.

Pin numbering 5vdc availability presumes a 5vdc source (power from SBUS, 5V input, or optionally installed 5v converter VBB).

Be aware that RRD does not follow proper conventions for pin numbering. The pin 1 indicator on the ribbon is actually pin 10 in the RRD schematic. The image above is numbered according to the RRD inset schematics.

GLCD Wiring

RRD GLCD to Azteeg X5 Mini v1.1 interface board

This interface board is simple to install, eliminates custom cables, frustration, and wire mess.

It is compatible with Azteeg X5 Mini v1.1 motion controller and is available from www.UltiBots.com. Source files are on our GitHub.

GLCD to Azteeg X5 Mini Wiring Harness

GLCD to Azteeg X5 Mini Wiring Harness

PDF Download

Azteeg X5 Mini to RRD GLCD wiring harness

This wiring harness uses three 2x10, one 1x2 .100” crimp housings and one heat shrinked female pin to connect the RRD GLCD to an Azteeg X5 Mini.

Note: This information is compatible with Azteeg X5 Mini v1.0 motion controllers.

Viki2 from panucatt.com

Viki2 wires to an Azteeg X5 mini with a flat cable as it has 1:1 pin mapping. The ConfigSample for the Azteeg mini has the config settings required, just uncomment them,

The config for Azteeg X5 is different to smoothieboard and is shown in the file here.

Here is an example config for a 4 driver smoothieboard

NOTE a 5 driver does not have enough free pins to use all the features

# For 4 driver Smoothie board NOT azteeg X5 or 5 driver smoothie
panel.enable                                 true              # set to true to enable the panel code
panel.lcd                                    viki2             # set type of panel
panel.spi_channel                            0                 # set spi channel to use P0_18,P0_15 MOSI,SCLK
panel.spi_cs_pin                             0.16              # set spi chip select
panel.encoder_a_pin                          3.25!^            # encoder pin
panel.encoder_b_pin                          3.26!^            # encoder pin
panel.click_button_pin                       1.30!^            # click button
panel.a0_pin                                 2.11              # st7565 needs an a0
#panel.contrast                              8                 # some panels need contrast set, this is for viki2
#panel.encoder_resolution                    4                 # number of clicks to move 1 item
panel.buzz_pin                               1.31              # pin for buzzer
panel.red_led_pin                            1.22              # pin for red led on viki2 (5 driver can't use this)
panel.blue_led_pin                           1.23              # pin for blue led on viki2 (5 driver can't use this)
#panel.back_button_pin                        1.30!^           # optionally using the red buttin as a back button
# setup for external sd card on the viki2
panel.external_sd                            true              # set to true if there is an extrernal sdcard on the panel
panel.external_sd.spi_channel                0                 # set spi channel the sdcard is on
panel.external_sd.spi_cs_pin                 2.8               # set spi chip select for the sdcard (NOTE 5 drvier can't use this)
panel.external_sd.sdcd_pin                   2.13!^            # sd detect signal (set to nc if no sdcard detect) (NOTE 5 drvier can't use this)

Using the suggested firmware above the wiring for the Viki 2.0 on a 4 driver smoothieboard is as follows:

SDCD to P0.27
BTN to P1.30
SDCS to P2.8
LCS to P0.16
SCK to P0.15
GND to 5v power supply's ground or a ground pin on the smoothieboard
ENCB to P3.26
ENCA to P3.25
MISO to P0.17
A0 to P2.11
MOSI to P0.18
=Vin to 5v power supply

BTN to None, Viki 2.0 has 2 Blue BTN wires that do the same thing
Buzzer to P1.31
Blue-LED to P1.23
Red-LED to P1.22

This wiring uses this smoothie pin map and this Viki 2.0 wiring guide.

5 driver smoothieboard, disables buzzer and uses red led instead

# For 5 driver Smoothie board NOT azteeg X5
panel.enable                                 true              # set to true to enable the panel code
panel.lcd                                    viki2             # set type of panel
panel.spi_channel                            0                 # set spi channel to use P0_18,P0_15 MOSI,SCLK
panel.spi_cs_pin                             0.16              # set spi chip select
panel.encoder_a_pin                          3.25!^            # encoder pin
panel.encoder_b_pin                          3.26!^            # encoder pin
panel.click_button_pin                       1.30!^            # click button
panel.a0_pin                                 2.11              # st7565 needs an a0
#panel.contrast                              8                 # some panels need contrast set, this is for viki2
#panel.encoder_resolution                    4                 # number of clicks to move 1 item
#panel.buzz_pin                              1.31              # pin for buzzer (use red led OR buzzer not both)
panel.red_led_pin                            1.31              # pin for red led on viki2
#panel.blue_led_pin                          1.23              # pin for blue led on viki2 (5 driver can't use this)
#panel.back_button_pin                       1.30!^            # optionally using the red button as a back button (NOT available on 5 driver)
# setup for external sd card on the viki2
panel.external_sd                            true              # set to true if there is an extrernal sdcard on the panel
panel.external_sd.spi_channel                0                 # set spi channel the sdcard is on
panel.external_sd.spi_cs_pin                 0.27              # set spi chip select for the sdcard
panel.external_sd.sdcd_pin                   0.28!^            # sd detect signal (set to nc if no sdcard detect)

LCD 12864 with ST 7920 driver

Works with the Reprapdiscount GLCD driver and is available for around 7‚¬ or 10$. Just wire

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