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Your first spool

This is the shortest path from a blank tag and a spool in Spoolman to a written tag, a saved weight and, if you use FilaBridge, a toolhead assignment. Each step links to the page with the details.

Before you start

1. Write the tag

Stick the tag on the spool and put the spool on the station with the tag over the reader.

Touchscreen

  1. Home shows "COMPATIBLE BLANK TAG — Ready to write". Tap WRITE TAG.
  2. Tap MY SPOOLS. Find the spool with PREV / NEXT or SEARCH, and tap it. The station reads the tag.
  3. On "Ready to write", tap WRITE TAG. Keep the tag on the reader while the bar fills.
  4. The screen shows TAG READY with the spool number, "verified" and the spool's colour.

No spool in Spoolman yet? Tap MY FILAMENTS instead, choose the filament, tap CREATE A SPOOL, check the three weights and tap CREATE SPOOL; "Ready to write" follows.

Browser

  1. The Dashboard shows "Blank tag — Ready to write". Click Write tag.
  2. In the Create OpenPrintTag dialog, choose the spool on the Spools tab and click Continue. The station reads the tag.
  3. Click Write tag.
  4. Wait for "✓ OpenPrintTag written and verified", then click Done.

The station has now written the tag, checked it, and stored the link on the spool in Spoolman. On Spoolman 0.27 or later the tag also appears on the spool in Spoolman's tag list. Details: Write or update a tag.

2. Weigh the spool and save the weight

Leave the spool on the station.

Touchscreen

  1. On the TAG READY screen tap WEIGH (or tap WEIGH on Home).
  2. Keep the spool still until the state reads STABLE. The result shows "Empty spool", "Filament now" and "In Spoolman".
  3. Tap UPDATE SPOOLMAN. The message changes to "Saved to Spoolman."

Browser

  1. On the Dashboard click Weigh.
  2. When the measurement is stable, compare "Measured filament" with "Spoolman currently".
  3. Click Update Spoolman.

Nothing is saved until you press the update button, unless you have turned on automatic saving. If the weight looks wrong, tap WEIGH AGAIN first. Details: Weigh a spool and save the weight.

3. Assign the spool to a toolhead (optional)

This needs FilaBridge and a selected printer.

Touchscreen

  1. Tap ASSIGN TO PRINTER on the TAG READY screen. Later you get to the same page with ASSIGN on Home or Assign in the bottom bar.
  2. Tap the toolhead, T1 to T5.
  3. Confirm with Assign. If the toolhead already holds a spool the station asks "Replace spool?"; confirm with Replace.

Browser

  1. On the Dashboard click Assign.
  2. Click the toolhead tile, then the Assign to T… button.
  3. Wait for "Assigned and verified on the printer."

Details: Assign a spool to a toolhead.

What you should see

Take the spool off and put it back. The station recognises it by itself:

  • Touchscreen Home: the maker, the filament name, "Spool #…" and "… g remaining".
  • Browser Dashboard: "CURRENT SPOOL" with "Tag valid" and "Linked to Spoolman".

If something goes wrong

What you see What it means What to do
The screen stays on "Place a spool" The tag is not seen. Check that it is an ICODE SLIX2 tag and sits over the reader. See Tag is not detected.
"This tag can't be used as it is" The tag is not blank and does not hold filament data the station understands. Use a blank tag. See Which tags work.
"Needs attention" with a message about a missing Spool extra field Your Spoolman is older than 0.27 and the extra fields are missing. Add the extra fields.
The Home button reads CALIBRATE The scale is not calibrated. Tare and calibrate.
"The empty spool weight is unknown. Set it on the spool in Spoolman, then weigh again." Neither Spoolman (spool, filament, vendor) nor the tag holds an empty-spool weight. Enter it in Spoolman. See Weigh a spool and save the weight.
The toolhead buttons are greyed out No linked spool on the station, FilaBridge offline, or no printer chosen. See Printer assignment fails.
The station asks you to finish writing a tag A write was interrupted. Finish an interrupted tag operation.

Other problems: Find your problem.