I tried to look somewhere for the amount of grams on my bambulab spool (with bambulab filament and rfid tag) in bambu studio or printer display but i can NOT find it.
pls advise. Greetings Marc
4 Likes
Iām with you here Marc! One of the features predominately displayed in the marketing is the filament āOdometerā that it says can tell you the amount of filament youāve used from a RFID tagged spool.
I know everything seems easy when youāre not the one to have to do it, but you can already interrogate a spool from inside Bambu Studio and retrieve the serial # from it, and each print tells you how many meters of filament will be used. The next logical step would be to subtract from the starting value, and perhaps save the result on the micro SD card.
Now that Iāve typed that out, there are several variables that could throw a wrench into the mix - like prints stopped before theyāre finished, clogs, etcā¦ But if there is a way to use motor run time or if there is an actual odometer in the AMS, it would minimize or eliminate those conditions as a source of trouble.
Thanks for posting, I wouldnāt have chimed in otherwise, and itās something Iāve been thinking about for a while. The current display method is a little off - itās similar to the gas gauge in my truck. It will often appear as though it is on empty or near empty, but I know based on mileage and average MPG that I have a bit left. The little sliver on the bottom of the slot display of the AMS doesnāt really tell the user much. A number would be much betterā¦ even if it was just an approximate percent.
1 Like
Indeed the display in a car looks the same as the bambu display but in a car the mileage is shown as well.
Now the display on the bambu has no extra FUNCTION it is the same as having a quick top view on the AMS (you see imideately which spools are full or almost empty or in between). I will not believe that there is no easy fix for this, people from bambulab.
Gr Marc
Itās nice to see someone else requesting this feature. I got downvoted on the reddit when I asked for the same.
Nothing tricky needs to be done to deploy this feature. In order to make the existing graphical display of estimated material remaining on the spool, a calculation is already being performed. I just want to see the output of that calculation displayed as a number because thatās much easier for me to read. I donāt care if the number is grams or percent. In fact, the latter may be better since it is a reminder that the estimate is just a guide rather than a precise measurement.
I print a lot of PAHT-CF parts. This material needs a good 12hrs of dry time before use. Once dried, it can only be stored in the AMS for a couple of days before it should be dried again. The limited storage time in the AMS means that I canāt just always keep a spare spool in the AMS ready to go. Having a better estimate of what is left on the spool really helps me know if I should dry a second spool before I start the job.
The slicer estimates how much filament will be used and it should have a general idea of how much is left in a spool by this odometer. Itād be nice to get a warning in the slicer if it thinks you might run out during the printā¦ Just so you can plan for it if necessary or set up and auto switch.
1 Like
@cptninc Why does the PAHT-CF need to be dried again if itās stored in the AMS? Iām not being snarky, Iām legit asking. I threw a couple of hygrometers in the thing, along with some other desiccant holders, and itās always sub-10% RH. Is that not good enough for storing it, or is it that hygroscopic?
1 Like
Iām not sure of the underlying mechanics of āwhy,ā but I know that if I dry a spool of PAHT-CF and then immediately toss it into the AMS and use it, the prints come out awesome. After the same spool has been sitting in the AMS for a few days, the prints come out with a super coarse surface texture. This is a sign that the filament needs to be dried again.
This is how coarse prints come out after the previously dried spool has been in the AMS for a few days:
1 Like
I just weight the new spool, you should get something around 1150 maybe 1200 grams ā¦ so just weight it again after use. substract the weight of the spool and there you go 
It might not be 100% accurate, but itās a good estimate for me.
Eeeeesh. That is rough. I have a spool here that I havenāt used yet, waiting to buy a dehydrator, donāt have downtime on the printer to be able to dry a spool out for 12 hours. I havenāt used it for exactly this reason, I know for a fact they need to be dried.
I print PETG-CF straight out the box and have a spool sitting in the AMS for a week or so at a time as I rip through it, and donāt have issues, but the PAHT-CF is problematic from what Iāve heard.
Whatās the hygrometer on your AMS read with the spool in there?
@rantanlan Actually, this is a great approach. Could just sharpie the weight on the sticker on the side.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the best.
1 Like
The hygrometer shows the lowest the little icon can show. I suspect that the reading on it is super flaky though, which is why they make the icon microscopic.
If āall I have to doā is remove the spool from the AMS and then weigh it every time I print, why even bother with the AMS at all?
1 Like
Possiblyā¦ it seems to track the other hygrometers I have in there pretty good. Itās not perfect, for sureā¦ it would be better if they gave the actual readingā¦ like a few other things in the Bambu ecosystem.
Sorry if its no solution for youā¦ guess it depends on your usecase. For me, I rather print small things and have a lot of different spools, so Iām changing spools rather frequently. For me itās easy and practical.
Nice idea! Next time I will do the same.