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Common Issues

1.1 Streamer Module

Users that are using non-standard configurations with the camera for OctoPrint may experience issues if they do not properly configure the settings in PrintWatch.

In the PrintWatch settings, the standard webcam url is: http://127.0.0.1/webcam/?action=snapshot

This is the same webcam address that is standard in OctoPrint when referencing the locally running camera or webcam.

If you are experiencing issues with the streamer module, you should:

  1. Try entering the URL into your browser to confirm that the snapshot is working properly. Optionally, check the webcam stream preview in OctoPrint’s Web Interface. Note that if you are checking on the stream from a different device that is on the same local network, you must enter http://<device ip>/webcam/?action=snapshot into the url.

  2. If you are using a non-standard configuration or a different streamer module, enter that stream address into the PrintWatch settings. In some cases you may have to re-initialize the streamer, to do this you can pause the print and resume it. Note that the stream preview in the PrintWatch tab may take 5-10 minutes into the print job to appear.

  3. Check the Log file in OctoPrint. You can download it from within OctoPrint’s Web Interface by going to Settings -> Logging and downloading the OctoPrint.Log file. Pay attention to any messages coming from the source plugins.printwatch or any camera related messages.

If you are still having issues, contact support via discord or email lebiedzinskip@printpal.io

Keywords: No stream preview PrintWatch, streamer not working, camera not working, preview not working, streamer module

1.2 False Positives

If you are experiencing issues with PrintWatch sending you notifications or pausing the print when there is no issue, you are experiencing false positives. These can be caused by a few reasons, some of them being:

  • Confidence Threshold setting set too low
  • Camera not in focus
  • Camera not oriented properly
  • Camera detecting leftover waste filament in the surrounding area

If you are experiencing issues with false positives, you should:

  1. Observe the latest notification’s image or observe the preview in the PrintWatch tab.
  2. Increase the Confidence threshold in the settings until the false-positive stops being detected.
  3. Remove the item in the frame that is causing the false positives
  4. Re-orient your camera such that only the print bed area is in the frame. The performance of the detection model will suffer if your print area is a small portion of the frame or if your frame contains many random items laying around your printer. Wires, trash filament, and other common DIY tools may trigger a detection.

1.3 Not Detecting Defects

If you are experiencing issues with PrintWatch not detecting defects on your printer, it can be caused be some of the following reasons:

  • Camera is not configured properly (resolution too low, quality too low, etc). Follow HARDWARE_CONFIGURATION.md to fix this. If your camera resolution is too low, or too high, it may cause the AI to have trouble detecting any defects.
  • Lack of lighting or too much lighting.
  • The defects are not visible in the frame or they are blocked by an item (toolhead most commonly).

2.1 DNS Name not resolving

If you are having issues communicating with the printpal.io servers and receiving an error message similar to:

Failed to establish a new connection: [Errno -3] Temporary failure in name resolution'))

Then you are having DNS resolving issues. This is an easy fix.

How to fix (Linux devices only):

  1. Find the resolv.conf file on your system and begin editing it. The file is most commonly located at /etc/resolv.conf. Beging editing with the command: sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
  2. Append the following line at the end of the document: nameserver 8.8.8.8
  3. Restart the systemd-resolveds service with the following command: sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved.service
  4. Check that the service is running: sudo systemctl status systemd-resolved.service
  5. Test pinging your favorite website with the following command: ping printpal.io