I have seen some comments about the P-1 camera is a lower resolution camera compared to the X series camera. Can a X series camera be installed in a P1S and if no, what is the problem? Is it a board compatibility issue, wiring, physical fit?
The controller boards between the two devices are quite a bit different. The ESP32 on the P1 series doesn’t apparently have enough processing power to have better quality video feed. So the real limitation is the controller boards themselves.
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I find that strange, after using a Tapo C100 outside the P1S the image is dark due to the smoked glass door, I’m now testing a cheap ESP32 camera and the image and refresh is far better and mine has the lowest spec camera OV2640 at 2mp, max resolution of 1600xx1200 with a 30fps refresh, lowering the resolution gives me more fps. I will soon be changing it as soon as I find or design a mount, I would say that it has better quality than my friends X1C camera.
As an added benefit in OrcaSlicer you can select the IP of the ESP32 camera and it appears in the same place the Bambu camera image would so that means I can get a perfect full HD video of my prints for less than €10.
Also it can be plugged into the printers USB port as it consumes next to nothing. I’m waiting for a mini 1 in 2 out usb connector as I also have a Panda Touch plugged in.
I can believe a dedicated ESP32 camera would be much better quality. The issue isn’t that the processor can’t do it, but that it’s not just processing camera video/images, but also running the printer itself. Basically it’s prioritizing the motion controls, network connections/communications, etc. over the camera feed. Image/Video processing can be processor intensive, so it ends up suffering when it’s the least important job that the printer does.
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I’m no wizz-kid with electronics, 3d printing and a lot more for that matter but I’m savy enough to see something is hardly worth having when a simple cheap alternative is available. The ESP32 camera does it all by itself no external processing needed as it has its own low power dual core 32bit processor, wifi/bluetooth built in, all you need to do is give it power and copy its IP into Bambu studio software where they have the inbuilt camera code, that means when the printer connects the camera also connects and you then have watchable video. What it would cost them to have done it would be a couple of $'s at most.
This confirms what I have read about the P1S camera.
It seems to boil down to the hardware(boards) in an “as built” P1S can’t do it. That if you want X-1 Carbon quality video either buy an X-1 Carbon, or build a freestanding video camera setup using an aftermarket camera.
This is an IMO comment but it’s a selling point. If you want good video “out of the box” buy a Carbon.
The video is nice but how many people are going to still focus on crystal clear video after their 100th print.
If there was optionality in a given model and I had the choice of LIDAR or the X-1 Carbon’s camera/video capability I’d opt for the LIDAR every time, along with AMS
Not having used the LIDAR personally I don’t know what I’m missing but slowly but surely I’m starting to regret getting the P1S instead of the X1Carbon. All the videos I watched prior to purchase sort of skipped over many differences that I’m finding I don’t have.
My printer is on the 2nd floor above where I use it from, my laptop is in the living room and I’m partially disabled and climbing the stairs is a bit of a chore at times, so I rely a bit more on the camera than probably most to make sure the first layer is going down ok and I also try to time my prints so the finish near bedtime. The Panda touch was the first upgrade I made as the screen looks a lot bigger and better on video than it really is and me at 67 am getting a bit short on lamp oil(poor vision) so I rely on it when I’m upstairs for shorter prints, maintenance etc. I almost sent it back for this reason alone till I found out about the panda touch. The wifi connection is worse than I expected too, the printer is literally 5 meters from the router where I have 1GB symmetric fibre internet and often the camera drops out and tells me to check the connection and internet, it also often takes 5 minutes to send a print through the cloud before the printer does anything which makes me think they skimped on a lot more than the LIDAR and camera to get the price down so much.
My next printer will be the X2 series if its a larger print bed size and not a cut down P2S version.
We sound similar in age and infirmities. I bought a Panda Touch and frankly was not impressed.
It doesn’t seem to do much more than the touchpad when all is said and done. I had major controller problems with my original P1S which Bambu sent me a new printer and I haven’t connected it to the P1S and probably won’t. Bambu Studio (PC/MAC) and Bambu Handy (smartphone app) do more than the touchpad or the Panda Touch and although I spent a bunch of time with Tech Support rather than printing, I’m coming to think that Bambu Handy is better than Bambu Studio when the AMS is being ornery.
Like you, I use the camera to gauge how the print is doing.
I am in the process of installing various sensors inside the P1S Enclosure and will probably put a high resolution, high frame rate camera in there with the sensors as a work-around
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