the K2 Plus linux experience (rant)

TL;DR: Out of the box this printer will not work with a linux computer with NVIDIA drivers unless you downgrade the firmware and use another slicer. Devs are unhelpful. Software feels thrown together. They're trying to enshittify something as open source as slicing or at best are incompetent. Meanwhile my friend's Bambu "just worked".

I don't use windows, it doesn't usually hold me up much. I'm on stock Ubuntu 24, nothing fancy. I upgraded from an Ender 3v2 (and before that CR10S) because I wanted to get back to a larger bed size and was impressed by my friend's Bambu P2S printer. I've been able to send them files from Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer with no problems. K2 plus costs more, but its got the same capabilities and that bed size, so I went big. I'm having buyer's remorse.

Fail #1: After unboxing, calibrating, and updating firmware from touchscreen nag, my first benchy from the touchscreen failed with a filament retraction issue. The wiki the qr code led me to suggested filament was jammed at the head. No problem, it was old filament and I've pulled filament from the head on the Ender and CR10 plenty. Nope, step 1 was get out the wrench and remove the faceplate! It ended up being an unrelated nothingburger: i pulled and reinserted into the CRS and it was fine...that one's probably on me for not knowing how far to thread filament into the CRS. OK, wipe off the sweat and print benchy #2..I'd say it still counts as working "out of the box" like bambu but it remains my only successful print in 2 days.

Fail #2: I google "creality slicer" and it takes me here. No linux version? WTF? I installed CrealitySlicer and ran it on wine... and K2 was not a printer option? Oops, i should've downloaded CrealityPrint, maybe put that in the webpage somewhere guys. This time Wine only brings up a blank grey screen after the splash. Google it and yes, I have an NVIDIA card. Added environment variables per this sub and am rewarded with a menu bar before it hangs. Great, im stuck. Google more and find the github repo with linux versions. FML. OK, just bad web design I guess and they aren't expecting traffic that didn't go through the home page where linux is mentioned...I'll forgive that lost time. I load up the 7.0.1 flatpak and it doesn't detect the printer until i put in the IP manually and.....blank white build plate. Oh look there's an Ubuntu specific appimage. Run that, put in the IP, and...blank grey build plate. It's loading models and thinks its displaying something, but all I get is grey. NVIDIA+linux woes again. I find the corresponding github issue and it's been closed with an insult from the devs! Not their problem I guess! Opening preferences causes a crash. At least the K2 shows up in the device tab, not that I can do anything with it.

Fail #3: Fine, screw creality print, lets go over to OrcaSlicer...2.3.1 has immediate random crashes. 2.3.2-rc runs and slices ok, phew. I set up the K2 as octo/klipper but as soon as I click the device tab, instant crash. Let's try the nightly..oh nice, CrealityPrint is an option...but device tab still crashes after showing the gui for a split second. I try out BambuStudio and PrusaSlicer but neither supports the K2 natively and it's not convenient to get a K2 preset going, I'd have to enter all the speeds manually and not use the CFS.

Fail #4: I've been putting gcode files on SD cards for over a decade, i'll just do it the old fashioned way using slices from Orca...never mind how much money I dropped for their latest flagship. I find the web interface at http://ip:4408 and upload a gcode file. It warms up but fails before starting. The console only says "SDCARD_RESET_FILE cannot be run from the sdcard". Forums say it's a meaningless error that gets triggered from the actual error...which is nowhere in sight. I try printing the gcode from the file, now saved locally. The failure message on the touchscreen is equally unhelpful..thanks I know the print failed. I put in the USB stick (presumably what it's calling SD CARD) and try the default benchy there from the touchscreen... print failed. No further info

Fail #5: trying variations of fail 4 over and over I can't get anything other than the in-memory benchy to print. Console's last update is "File selected" or "SD busy". I log in via ssh but i can't find a log file to monitor via ssh in /tmp or subdirs. I can't slice with creality print but I can monitor and start files with it...but theres no running log so all I ever get is "print failed". I get console but no camera from the web ui or camera but no console (or slicing) from creality print. The creality discord is no help and all crickets for weeks apparently because of chinese new year.

Fail #6: Finally I find some discussion about the new firmware depending on proprietary creality slicer features...I remember step 1 being pestered to update firmware before printing. So I downgrade to 1.1.3,13 but there's no way they'd start walling a garden built on an open-source movement, right? Sure enough....the same files will finally print. What an awful first user-experience with this printer. I hope the open source community makes custom firmware for it like with the Ender series.