FAQ

Short answers to common questions. Each one links to the page with the details.

Tags

Which tags can I use? Blank NXP ICODE SLIX2 tags (NFC-V). Nothing else can be written. See Which tags work.

Why doesn't the tag I wrote with my phone work? The station only writes to a tag that is completely blank or already holds OpenPrintTag data. A tag with a web link or other phone-written data shows This tag can't be used as it is and Use a blank NXP ICODE SLIX2 tag. The station cannot erase it for you.

Why does the station not read my NTAG or MIFARE tag? The reader finds NFC-A tags (NTAG, MIFARE) and names them, Tag type not supported yet, but reads only NFC-V tags. Reading NTAG and MIFARE Classic spool tags is planned (issues #95 and #94). NFC-B and NFC-F tags are not seen at all, so the touchscreen keeps showing PLACE A TAG.

In the NFC READER setup step the reader says it is starting and never gets ready. Why? The reader starts only after the station has joined your Wi-Fi and the setup network has closed. Finish Wi-Fi setup and wait about half a minute. See Tag is not detected.

What happens if the power fails while a tag is being written? Put the same tag back on the reader. The station offers to finish the write or the clear. See Finish an interrupted tag operation.

Does Clear / Reuse delete my spool in Spoolman? No. It erases the tag and removes the tag's link from the spool. The spool and its weights stay. See Clear and reuse a tag.

Weighing

Does weighing change Spoolman? Not by itself. Weigh only measures. The weight is saved when you choose Update Spoolman. You can turn on saving after every Weigh in Settings; it is off by default. See Weigh a spool and save the weight.

Does leaving a spool on the scale keep updating its weight? No. Only a weight you asked for with Weigh can be saved, and each measurement is saved at most once. Tare and calibration never change Spoolman.

Does saving a weight rewrite the tag? No. The tag is written only when you write or update it yourself.

Spoolman, FilaBridge and printers

Can I use the station without Spoolman? No. Tags are written from Spoolman spools and weights are saved to Spoolman. Without it the station can only read a tag and show the scale reading.

Which Spoolman version do I need? Saving weights is enabled for Spoolman 0.26 and 0.27 (any 0.26.x or 0.27.x release). On Spoolman 0.27 or later the station also uses Spoolman's own tag list. See Supported versions.

Do I need the extra fields? Only on Spoolman older than 0.27. On 0.27 or later they are optional: the station links tags in Spoolman's tag list, and still fills the fields if they exist. See Required extra fields.

Does it work with Spoolman's own tag scanning? Yes, on Spoolman 0.27 or later. Tags the station writes appear on their spool in Spoolman, tags you link to a spool in Spoolman are recognised by the station, and each tag the station identifies is reported to Spoolman with the station's host name as the reader. Pair a browser with that reader in Spoolman's Settings → Tag Scanning and it jumps to the spool you put on the station. See What Spoolman 0.27 adds.

Can I use the station without FilaBridge? Yes. FilaBridge is only needed to assign a spool to a printer toolhead.

Which printers work? Toolhead assignment goes through FilaBridge, so any printer FilaBridge supports can work. The station shows the toolheads FilaBridge reports: the touchscreen up to five, the web page all of them. Only the Prusa XL has been tested. The manual covers it: Set up FilaBridge for a Prusa XL.

Where is the Community filament catalog? It was never part of a release and its code was removed in 1.0.1-beta.4. Choose filaments from your own Spoolman instead.

Station

Can I reach the station from the internet? Do not do that. The station uses plain HTTP and is made for your home network. An access token is optional and does not encrypt anything. See Access token and network safety.

Does it work on 5 GHz Wi-Fi? No. The station joins 2.4 GHz networks only.

Does a firmware update erase my settings? An update from the browser keeps Wi-Fi, Spoolman, printer settings and scale calibration. The USB installer erases them. See Update the firmware and Install the firmware over USB.

Where do I see the firmware version? Touchscreen: Settings → About / Advanced. Browser: Settings → Advanced, card Device.

Is it open source? The source is public under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. You may build and use it for noncommercial purposes. See LICENSE.md.

Where are the release files? Releases are published on the GitHub Releases page. Whether a release is available yet is stated on the home page.