Using a Webcam¶

Adding a camera to your FreeDi setup enables remote monitoring, timelapses, and easier troubleshooting through visual inspection.

What are we doing now?¶

You'll connect a USB camera to your printer and configure it for live streaming in Mainsail. The camera feed helps monitor prints remotely and is required for timelapse functionality.

Time required: ~10-15 minutes

Prerequisites¶

• FreeDi v2.x installed (includes Crowsnest pre-installed) OR custom OS with SSH access
• Compatible USB webcams: Logitech C270, C920, C922 (recommended and tested)
• Most UVC-compatible webcams
• Raspberry Pi Camera Modules (with ribbon cable)

Hardware Installation¶

Connect Your Camera¶

1. Power off your printer completely
2. Connect the USB camera to one of the available USB ports
3. Mount the camera with a clear view of the print bed:
4. Consider printing a camera mount from Printables or Thingiverse
5. Ensure cables don't interfere with moving parts
6. Position for both nozzle and bed visibility
7. Power on the printer

Verify Camera Detection¶

You can check if your camera is detected with 2 methods:

ls /dev/v4l/by-id/

Installing Crowsnest with KIAUH (Custom OS Only)¶

Using KIAUH to install Crowsnest:

First, start KIAUH (Klipper Installation And Update Helper).

• Open the SSH terminal and connect to your printer

• Run the following command to open KIAUH:

cd ~ && ./kiauh/kiauh.sh

• (Optional) In KIAUH you can update if you are asked to by entering "y" and then redo step 2:

• Enter "1" for installing and enter the user password:

• Enter "14" to install crowsnest:

This will automatically download and install Crowsnest, which is responsible for managing the camera stream.

Configure Crowsnest¶

Now that Crowsnest is installed (or pre-installed with FreeDi), you'll need to configure it to use your camera.

1. Go to Mainsail and open the crowsnest.conf in your MACHINE section
2. Edit the configuration file by adding the camera settings:
3. Replace device with the correct path of your camera (e.g., /dev/v4l/by-id/usb-Sunplus_IT_Co_FHD_Camera-video-index0)
4. Adjust the resolution and max_fps values to match your camera's capabilities
5. A little try & error will help finding the best resolution and aspect ratio for your taste

Here's an example configuration:

[crowsnest]
log_path: /home/mks/printer_data/logs/crowsnest.log
log_level: verbose                      # Valid Options are quiet/verbose/debug
delete_log: true                        # Deletes log on every restart, if set to true
no_proxy: false                         # Set to true if no proxy is required

[cam 1]
mode: ustreamer                         # ustreamer provides mjpg and snapshots. (Works with all devices)
                                        # camera-streamer is for RPi + Raspi OS based cameras only.
enable_rtsp: false                      # Enable rtsp server (only if camera-streamer is used)
rtsp_port: 8554                         # Port for RTSP streaming
port: 8080                              # HTTP/MJPG stream/snapshot port

# Example for a Sunplus webcam:
device: /dev/v4l/by-id/usb-Sunplus_IT_Co_FHD_Camera-video-index0
resolution: 800x600
max_fps: 5

1. Click save and restart on the top

Add Camera to Mainsail (Optional)¶

If you setup everything correctly and can't see the camera picture, you may need to manually add it to Mainsail.

1. Open the Mainsail settings:

1. Scroll down to WEBCAMS and click on ADD WEBCAM:

1. use the default options.

Multiple Cameras¶

To add a second camera:

1. Edit crowsnest.conf in Mainsail
2. Duplicate the [cam 1] section
3. Rename to [cam 2] and change:
4. port: 8081 (each camera needs a unique port)
5. device: to your second camera's device path
6. Save and restart Crowsnest
7. Add the second camera in Mainsail settings using port 8081

Troubleshooting¶

Timelapse¶

Now that your camera is set up, you can enable timelapses by following the Timelapse guide to install and configure timelapse recording.