Kywoo Tycoon/Tycoon Max 3D printer has been widely liked by users for its stable appearance, easy use, and high printing accuracy after its release. While listening to users’ good suggestions and feedback, we continue to upgrade the appearance and structure of the machine, and at the same time, we continue to update and optimize the machine firmware based on users' suggestions.
So far, Tycoon and Tycoon Max have two major versions of firmware, V1 and V2. Why do we make these two firmwares? What are the specific differences between the two versions of firmware? Do you need to update the machine to the latest firmware? If you have any questions about these issues, please keep reading.
Note: The V1 and V2 firmware that stated here correspond to the old UI firmware and the new UI firmware respectively; the version number V2.0.3.1 displayed on the machine with the old UI firmware is the version of Makerbase firmware, which is different from the firmware version mentioned here.
Why we design V2 firmware?
Kywoo Tycoon/Tycoon Max used the mainboard and firmware from Makerbase when they first released. Its firmware uses multiple graphics files to form multiple menu pages. For some 3D printing enthusiasts, such an interface is not as intuitive as the original Marlin firmware interface.
Secondly, loading a lot of graphics files during startup can also slow down the processing speed of the printer system, and at the same time, in order to make it easier to update and add new functions later, we decided to develop Kywoo 3D's own firmware based on the Marin V2.0 firmware.
What are the differences between V1 and V2 firmwares?
Let us first look at the following two pictures:
We can see that the upper and lower menu pages of V1 firmware mostly use circular icons. Sometimes to reach a certain function menu, it is necessary to open several levels of menus. The classification of the function menus is not very clear; while in the V2 firmware, only the main page and the moving axis page are in the form of icons, and the other pages are mainly in the form of plain text similar to the file directory.
By tapping the text or icon on the main page, the user can quickly reach each function menu of the machine, home, auto-leveling, Z-axis offset, start printing, settings, etc., which makes it more intuitive and fast.
In addition, customers used to feedback us that the firmware of our machine (V1) had some useless or blank menus, which could easily cause them confused. Therefore, in the V2 firmware, we have deleted some unnecessary icons and secondary menus, and adopted the form of a text list, the resources of the main chip will not be taken up to load more graphics at start-up, so the system runs faster.
The V2 firmware also deliberately adds the path to the Z-axis offset on the home menu, so that some users with more 3D printing experience can adjust the Z-axis offset directly after homing and leveling the printer, instead of waiting until the printing starts, so to save printing time and improve printing efficiency.
The change-filament function is also a highlight of the V2 firmware which is different from the V1 firmware. Users can use this function to preheat filaments such as PLA/PETG with one tap, and the printer will automatically unload the filament after the preheating is completed, making it more convenient and faster to use.
*Please note that the WiFi function of V2 firmware is still under debugging and is not yet available. Therefore, for users of V2 firmware machines, please use the TF or SD card to print temporarily. We will test the WiFi firmware and release it to users ASAP. The WiFi function of the old firmware can be used as usual.
Do I need to update the machine to the latest firmware?
Due to the compatibility difference between the new firmware and the old version firmware, it has caused some users to experience some incompatibility after updating the V2 firmware on the V1 UI machine, or even led the printer not able to print normally. This is a normal incompatibility phenomenon. Please don't panic. At this time, please download the V1 firmware from our official website, and the machine issue will be solved.
So if your printer works normally, we recommend that you stick to the original firmware, and it is not recommended that you flash in a different version of the firmware. If there is any problem with the printer, please contact the Kywoo technical support team, we will help you analyze the specific problem and solve it. (Latest good news from Jack: in the near future, Kywoo's self-developed firmware may be compatible with the old V1 firmware from Makerbase. Let's wait and see!)
In summary, if you want to experience the new UI firmware, based on the above reminders, you can go to the download page of our official website to download the latest V2 version of the firmware and the automatic shutdown firmware. If you have any questions when using, feel free to post in our Facebook user group or directly contact our after-sales email service@kywoo3d.com, and the professional customer service team will help you solve problems.
In addition, we will continue to upgrade and optimize the firmware according to some problems mentioned by our users. If you have any comments and suggestions during the use, please write to service@kywoo3d.com. We will collect your valuable suggestions and make continuous optimization on the firmware.
PS: Regarding the problem of unclear information listing on the download page, Joyce is currently optimizing the page to make it clearer and conciser.
