The Klipper Install Process (On An Ender 3 V2)

The Klipper Install Process

Here is a guide, with links to my various videos, for installing Klipper on an Ender 3 V2. I have increasingly become convinced that I don’t need a printer screen. This is helpful when upgrading the board in an Ender 3 V2. The process of getting the printer to work with a board other than stock can be a challenge.

The Klipper Install Process on a Raspberry Pi (or a PC)

1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager software from the official website (https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/imager/) and install it on your computer.
2. Insert an SD card into your computer’s SD card reader and launch the Raspberry Pi Imager software. It should be noted, that I have had imaging fail on Windows when using an external reader.
3. Select “Other Raspbian OS” and Select Raspbian OS Lite, either 32 or 64 bit depending on your hardware, from the list of available options.
4. Click on the “Gear” button, check to enable the “Hostname” option and add a hostname, check to enable the “SSH” option, and edit the “Wi-Fi” options. Fill out the WiFi configuration with your WiFi network credentials. Be sure to select the correct LAN country. The hostname can be used in place of the RPi IP address when connecting to the RPi via SSH or to access Mainsail, Fluidd, or OctoPrint.
5. Click on the “Write” button to begin writing the operating system image to the SD card. It should take a couple of minutes to complete.
6. Once the writing process is complete, remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.
7. Power on the Raspberry Pi and wait for it to boot up.
8. Once the Raspberry Pi is booted up, SSH into the Pi using your username and password.
9. Use the command “ssh pi@[RPi IP address or hostname.local]” to initiate the SSH connection. Replace “[RPi IP address or hostname.local]” with the actual IP address of the RPi.
10. If this is the first time you are connecting to the RPi from this computer, you will be prompted to confirm the authenticity of the RPi’s host key. Type “yes” to continue.
11. You will then be prompted to enter the password for the “pi” user.
12. Once you have entered the correct password, you will be logged in and will be able to access the RPi’s command line interface.
13. From the command line, update your system by running the command “sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade” in the terminal.
14. Use the command “sudo apt-get install git ffmpeg” to install both the git and ffmpeg packages on the RPi
15. Reboot the RPi via “sudo reboot”
16. Allow the RPi to reboot and SSH back into the RPi
17. Clone the Klipper Install and Update Helper (KIAUH) scripts to the RPi by running the command “git clone https://github.com/th33xitus/kiauh” in the terminal.
18. Execute the KIAUH script using the command “./kiauh/kiauh.sh”
19. The script will prompt you to select the type of installation you want to perform. For a new installation, select option 1.
20. The script will then guide you through the process of installing and configuring Klipper on your RPi.
21. Once the installation is complete, you can flash Klipper to your Ender 3 V2 (See Below)
22. To access the Klipper Mainsail web interface, open a web browser and navigate to “http://[RPi IP address or hostname.local]”. If using Fluidd or OctoPrint, add the port that you selected during the install process to the end of the URL to access
23. You can then use the web interface to configure Klipper and start using it to control your 3D printer.
24. Test the connection between your RPi and 3D printer by sending a test command from the web interface.
25. If the test is successful, you can start printing your 3D models using Klipper.

Flashing Klipper onto Your 3D Printer (Ender 3 v2)

1. From the KIAUH menu, select 5 — Advanced.
2. Select 1 — Build. The configuration tool will open.
3. Open a browser window and navigate to the “Klipper Config Examples” on GitHub.
4. Find a sample that matches either your printer or board.
5. Open the sample, and read the comment at the top of the file. The comment will describe the settings needed to compile the firmware for the printer.
6. Go back to the Configuration Tool and select the options to match those described in the comment.
7. Select Finish and wait for the firmware to compile. Once the Klipper firmware is compiled, you will need to download it.
8. Use an FTP program to connect to the Pi. I recommend CyberDuck.
9. Open CyberDuck.
10. Use the “Quick Connect” feature.
11. Select SFTP, and add the Pi hostname, username, and password.
12. Select Connect
13. On the Pi, navigate to the “klipper” directory and then the “out” folder.
14. Download the “klipper.bin” file.
15. Once downloaded, rename the klipper.bin file to firmware.bin
16. Copy to SD Card and flash to the 3D printer. The flashing process should be accomplished via the preferred method for your 3D printer
17. From the KIAUH menu, select 5 — Get MCU ID. If the firmware flashed correctly, the MCU ID should look something like “usb-klipper-xxxx”. Verify that the firmware flashed correctly if it does not contain “klipper” in the name.
18. Copy the MCU ID.
19. Use Mainsail, Fluidd, or OctoPrint to connect to the printer and proceed to set up the printer.cfg. Use the MCU ID copied in step 18 and the sample from step 5.
20. Troubleshoot any issues you may encounter during the installation process by referring to the Klipper documentation and the KIAUH script documentation.

Klipper on an Ender 3 V2 — the Printer Profile

Here are 2 possible printer profiles for Klipper on the Ender 3 V2.

Profile for an Ender 3 V2 with the Stock Board:

• https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/blob/master/config/printer-creality-ender3-v2-2020.cfg

My Ender 3 v2 with a SKR Mini e3 v3 Klipper Profile:

I have added a section for Bed probes, both CRTouch and ezABL. Comment out what you don’t need.

• My GitHub: https://bit.ly/m3dp-skrmini

Klipper Install References:

• BigTreeTech (BTT) SKR Mini e3 v3.0 — https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3/blob/master/firmware/V3.0/Klipper/SKR-mini-E3-V3.0-klipper.cfg
• Creality Ender 3 v2: https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/blob/master/config/printer-creality-ender3-v2-2020.cfg
• BTT SKR mini e3 v3 : https://github.com/bigtreetech/BIGTREETECH-SKR-mini-E3
• Config Checks: https://www.klipper3d.org/Config_checks.html?utm_source=pocket_mylist
• Probe Calibration: https://www.klipper3d.org/Probe_Calibrate.html
• Bed Leveling: https://www.klipper3d.org/Bed_Level.html#determining-thermal-expansion
• Resonance Compensation: https://www.klipper3d.org/Resonance_Compensation.html