A YouTuber going by Cocoanix has used a Linux-loaded Nintendo Switch to run open-source firmware called Klipper on a Prusa MK3S 3D printer (released in 2019), cutting a 90-minute print job down to just eight minutes.
The trick doesn’t actually require a Switch specifically. Klipper is designed to offload the processing work that standard firmware like Marlin handles on a printer’s own microcontroller onto any external device. Cocoanix describes running Marlin on a 3D printer’s microcontroller as “a bit like asking a calculator to run a spreadsheet.” The Switch just happened to be what they had available, though Cocoanix concedes “for most people, a Raspberry Pi is a better choice.”
With the Switch handling G-code processing and sending real-time instructions to the printer, Cocoanix pushed the hardware to 400 mm/s at 17,000 mm/s² of acceleration. The only thing holding the test print back was a lack of better cooling and the printer’s stock hotend and extruder. The result, according to Cocoanix, was “a cleaner, faster print with less ringing and ghosting.”
Another practical upside is that Klipper lets users edit code and adjust settings on the fly, without recompiling firmware or restarting the printer. Cocoanix connected the handheld to the printer by finding its unique serial ID through Linux, linked the two devices, and then started stress-testing the limits.
Cocoanix’s verdict: “Klipper is one of the best things you can do for an old printer. It’s free, it’s powerful, and apparently you can run it on a gaming handheld.”
Source: pcgamer.com
