My experience with the BTT and the Panda Touch

Bambu Lab P1 Series User Mods
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There seems to be a bit of a struggle going on between Panda and Bambu, maybe because Panda’s require a very special diet…

For obvious reasons our printers come with certain security features.
We might not agree to all and how they affect things but can’t be selective.
Either LAN only or fully open to the entire world.
Any remote access to our printers has to be secure and meet Bambu specs.
A constant tug of war to stay on top of changes and making features work…

The Panda touch is basically just a custom made tablet and what it does could be done with a smartphone app running on any tablet.
The X1E offer the Ethernet port we all would love to have, but comes a hefty price for such a little and for other manufacturers standard thing…
Bambu is very close knit when it comes being supportive for gaining access to their machines.

It was suggested/requested in the past that Bambu would allow for custom security tokens third party manufacturers and users could access/obtain from Bambu.
The user could created custom RF-ID tags and people/companies trying offer remote control tablets and such could gain all access to what the token allows for.
Of course these token would be generated by Bambu using the usual 2FS methods to result in hardware bound token.
Works only only on the device created for…
Would be nice to hear if Bambu is still considering these options and if there is a chance future versions of Studio or the account management will support it…

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I was thinking of getting one for my P1S…but thinking should i now lol…

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It’s really up to you. It’s improved as far as features and it works…mostly.

Just be sure if you do have any problems you reach out to them before the warranty expires. They will not help you one bit after that, regardless if it’s been an ongoing problem or not.

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Thanks for the info…but customer service is not best which is a shame…

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You can see the models you’ve printed in Bambu Studio which includes image of plate. Does Panda do that or is it just the text name of the model.

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Thought I would add that twice now I’ve been reached out to by one of their Facebook moderators/admins/helpers. Twice now I’ve been ghosted.

Really can’t stress enough to just avoid these products. I made the mistake of falling for the new shiny thing and it’s just not worth it. The plate seems to be popular but there’s no electronics or moving parts there, so think about that.

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What is this about? These aftermarket touchscreens?

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The panda touch, yes. Not so much to device it’s self but the lack of support.
While I fully understand warranty limits, if something has a history of the same issue since it was launched then it should be covered for that issue regardless of when it’s life cycle.

They replaced mine once, which just didn’t cut it. I’ve now had to solder the power leads to keep mine powered, and it dies almost immediately after taking off the mount. Sill reboots if I look at it funny.

They’ve reached out 2 times after my experience with support. So far (it’s been 5 days) there’s been no reply after I provide what’s asked for. I think that speaks volumes.

Seems BTT is in the business of just cranking out stuff and testing on the users vs throughly testing before launch. Basically what everyone does now.

The new extruder is worthless as an upgrade. Weighs more than stock. How many times has an extruder housing caused issues? The gear is meh, Fystec has been doing the same gear for quite awhile and it works great. Almost identical to Fystec.

The branch is useless to anyone who doesn’t have an A1. There are no cables that are long enough to run to an additional AMS for the X and P series. The PWR is a good idea if you want to control on off remotely without a smart switch, also give power related info. However if you don’t care about that then get a smart switch, cheaper.

The plate seems to be good. I’m holding off any judgement until it’s been out in the wild longer.

The Lux is laughable as far as light output goes. Only slightly brighter than the stock, and can’t be used with the stock. One or the other. I would think the A1 series lights would be an improvement though.

The Fur, well I don’t think there really is anything to say about it. Not good any way.

The Revo is good. Pricey but good. The thermistor is a bit much at nearly $60, nozzles aren’t cheap either. But it did hold up. I only switched because it gave me a reason to buy what I wanted.

The doors are, well plastic doors. I didn’t know there was an issue with the glass doors, and I don’t think there is. They just came up with something to match the Fur and pushed it out. I prefer glass of plastic that would scratch if you looked at it too hard. That’s me though.

The hub, well it does work. Really just a splitter that fits well into the P1 series internal usb. It’s not expensive but it’s a 2 port splitter. I found that using it with the Touch it didn’t supply enough power to keep the touch running. That or the USB port didn’t.

Think that’s it. Sorry so long winded. They irritate me now.

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I’m so glad you didn’t mention the Panda Jet / Jetpack… so I can. I actually bought an anemometer and here’s what I found:

3.97 - The generic blower fan that came with the Bambu toolhead cover up until a few months ago
4.30 - The Snowfan that comes with the Bambu toolhead covers if you order now.
0.94 - Panda Jet / Jetpack

But wait, didn’t that one Youtuber say you have to tap the poweder out left behind by the manufacturing process??.. well I tried, then I got a ziptie and fished it back and fourth through all 4 ducts… not a grain of anything came out. You must have gotten a lemon you say… I bought 4 Panda Jets, they all sucked so I returned them, then bought 4 Jetpacks. Am I an idiot? You betcha! The Jetpacks were exactly the same. I liked the wire frame cover so I kept them and swapped the ducts out for the Bambu stock ones.

Also any review posted on their website that isn’t 4 or 5 stars gets deleted.

@johnfcooley is right on the money with everything he said.

Oh and I bought some of the Honeybadger fans and soldered the Bambu connector on… the only problem is the air output is half the size of the Bambu ducts. If they ever put out a fan with the double wide opening it will be awesome.

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I’ll say something which is 100% wrong that BIQU does with that lux light which is about as deceptive as possible and I firmly believe it is purposeful and borders on fraud.

I bought one of those lights and if you have seen the parts that come with it, why would you make a connector that you can plug 4 of those lux strips into, when they know full well you use either the single lux or the stock light.

That was the exact thought that went through my mind when I saw the 3 empty ports
"

Hey, I can buy 3 more lux strips and have lots of light, then read only one can be used. No one is so stupid they don’t think a bunch of people are going to do just that.

I’m not a fan of people or companies whose marketing is based on their customers ignorance and I think Biqu marketing have seen their gadgetry sales decline due to Bambu and they want a piece of that market but not at the added expense of viable, valuable products. So they slap something together, say its Bambu compatible. Maybe it is, probably marginal at best.

All part of that whole parts ecosystem that has grown up around cheap bedslingers.

I want my 3d printer to be like my refrigerator or TV. That will drive a bunch of businesses to the wall

I sometimes think that buying parts “to make it better” is burned into the average 3d printers genes. Folks (me included) battled with cheap printers for so long it was like the Quest for the Holy Grail. This is it. This is THE PART. To buy that one part and the clouds parted, the Sun started shining and even had a rainbow.

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I own a p1s, I saw the Panda Touch and really liked the idea of a larger screen with more usable features. Problem, I can’t install the usb cable because the cable end will not go through the front panels? Has anyone have the same problem? Reading the above comments it sounds like this is not worth the time or money, goes into the bottom drawer with the other junk I have bought in the past!

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Welcome to the forum! It’s supposed to go down this hole:

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(not my picture, borrowed from Reddit)

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You can also drive yourself nuts in a few easy (haha) steps.

Take the USB C end of the cable and a sharp hobby knife or dull kitchen knife, depending on your insurance, and strip as much excess plastic off so it slides through the slot beind the stock screen. To access this push in slightly and then to the right on the stock screen until it moves or breaks. Dealers choice.

Now comes the fun part. Ready, take your blood pressure meds and skimp on the caffine because this is some fun stuff.

Remove the 2 screws that you can see on the front cover that were under the screen. The last screw is inside the cover on the right hand side and is near impossible to see without contorting like some circus performer or tilting the printer forward. Nows the time you realize it should be off and you forgot to turn it off. So you kinda cool like panic if anyone is watching and pull the power cord while looking around saying “Well, just in case”. We’ve all done it.

WARNING: take out the sd card here. Really, take it out. Now, I’ll wait.

When you lift up on the cover in a few minutes lift straight up at least a quarter of an inch. If you live in one of the more mathmatically enlightened contries (all but the US and I think Libya) about 2 mm will do. If you don’t do this you will ruin an AP board that costs around $50. You have been warned.

Once the screws are you kinda have to pray-pull the top edges at the ends to pop out the connectors. You’re going to think you broke it (and it is a possibility) but it’ll come out. CAREFULLY rotate down because the landmine that is the WIFI antenna is taped to it. Gently pull it off but NOT BY THE WIRE, unless you have another on hand and don’t mind the cussing you’re going to do. Once you removed the antenna from the cover set it aside.

It will fall off whatever you sat it on, but that’s a small thing.

Now, behind where the screen was on the inside is the AP board. Please be sure that by now you’ve turned it off. There are 4 screws holding in the AP board, the wifi antenna, a ribbon cable (display cable) and 2 molex on the front with I thinik one molex on the back. Not really much reason to undo any of these, you just want the board loose to feed that whittled down end of the cable through that hole (inside to outside) and pull some slack through.

From here lay the USB cable against the back bottom corner of the channel and put the AP board back. If you undid the antenna cable then go get a drink, you’ll need it.

At this point I’m pretty sure it’s obvious you reverse the steps. If it isn’t obvious then probably shouldn’t have attempted this. Good thing I put that at the end, huh?

TLDR: do what @PrinterMcgee said.

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I had some issues with mine connecting to the printer. After many hours i got it working. Very frustrating that there is not a button to update the firmware. Takes a second device to flash firmware. I do like having controls at the printer. The p1s is limited on controls.

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Just so you know the Panda touch will soon be bricked.

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The cable reaches through the hole. It’s was worth the money… now it’s going to be a paperweight.

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Henk

Goedeavond

De oplossing voor Panda Touch rebooting is om exact 5v of meer aan te bieden. Op de usb van de Bamboo printer staat minder dan 5v (mijn 4.93v).
Bied ik 5v aan dan start Panda Touch gewoon op.

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I wholeheartedly agree. I believe that’s what BTT was hoping to achieve, but they jumped before they looked. They’re now having to come clean with the touch and the new firmware. They’re claiming they reached out and BL just ghosted them after initial positive communications.

It’s always been somewhat clear that BTT moved without any help from BL, and I suspect BL had their reasons for not wanting to be a part of the Panda product line. Nothing is official while E3D does offer official nozzles. Oddly the E3D Revo design used by BTT doesn’t carry the official tag.

Again, agree. Ignorance confuses “compatible” with “officially supported”. I’m not mad at my PT not working. Didn’t work that well to begin with so no real loss. I knew going in it wasn’t supported by BL and would eventually be a paperweight. That was communicated from BTT but really only at launch. They managed to get around the first firmware update that broke the PT and I guess that made them think everything was ok and they could do it again.

This honestly, is why the update doesn’t irritate me as much as others. As is it works, it works how I want it to work. I don’t need to fiddle and search out the “best” or settings or slicers or flex anywhere. The tinkering days are done.

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They have a history of making products that don’t work well with other companies products. I’m a big fan of the Beacon eddy sensor. They were having an odd amount of Beacon’s getting fried and the common denominator was they were being used with the BTT-PI (BTT’s Raspberry Pi clone) and the BTT Manta board. Turns out the shielding on the USBs of those two products wasn’t grounded. Just like the connector for the Panda Lux that Wsquared58 mentioned that they had to go back on due to not knowing how much the AP board could handle, they seem to make questionable decisions about all things electrical. That plus, they have that same policy that once something leaves the shipping dock it’s the customers problem from that point on.

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Having been sucked into the whole Creality circus of hoping I would eventually find the miracle part, I have had prior experience with BTT because they made an identical product for the Ender3 which I bought so I had that BTT aspect lodged in my brain already.

I imagine most of those companies, not just BTT, saw their sales drop off a cliff when Bambu Lab really became well known across the entire 3d printing universe of people. I’m sure people like Micro-Swiss who made hotends saw their sales plummet.

Yesterday, when I turned on my TV, which typically is set to various YouTube live streams, YouTubes algorithm populated my TV with dozens of anti-Bambu Lab rants yesterday.
But here’s the thing. All those folks saying some version of “I’m selling my Bambu” or “I will never recommend Bambu again” are stuck. As far as I can tell, there are no other options. No one who has a running Bambu printer is going to go back to Creality. That ain’t happening.

There’s an old saying around my area that goes “A Hog will never knowingly slit it’s own throat.”
That saying applies to Bambu. They make money selling printers and they want to continue selling printers to people like you, me and countless others. I don’t see them doing anything to impact sales of their printers. Bambu has never said they were open source and the open source community was sort of tip-toeing around that fact because Bambu printers JUST WORKED and no one who owns a Bambu printer has any desire to return to the constant tweaking required of any pre-Bambu printer.
This is really about Open Source. Bambu pretty much just reminded everyone, including businesses like BTT, that they are not, nor ever will be open source.

I see this as more of a shot across the bow of companies like BTT who want a piece of the Bambu pie but without having to pay to be a certified parts vendor of Bambu Lab.

Totally unrelated to the above but not sure if you saw a comment I made about having installed Bambu Handy on my Kindle which was pretty easy in the end and has the added benefit of not having to wonder if it will work after a Bambu firmware update.

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