The Octo-Pendant: OctoPrint control in your hand!
In case you missed it, OctoPrint is an amazing open-source project that enables remote control of your 3D printer via a web browser and is often, but not always, set up at the printer by adding a camera and Raspberry Pi to interact. Taking this one step further and removing the need to fire up a browser is the Octo-Pendant.
The Octo-Pendant connects to your OctoPrint rig over WiFi and gives you full control of the printer via the OctoPrint API. Almost all tasks you would do in front of the machine you can do remotely. The unit, powered via a USB cable, is built into a nice 3d printed case with a 2.4″ touchscreen display. Under the hood, the unit is running on an ESP8266 in the form of a Wemos D1 board. The unit is supplied fully assembled and ready to go; you just need to connect it to your wireless network. The design files and firmware are available on the GitHub page and there’s a lot of detail in the documentation there, including a look at some of the extra features this pendant offers, such as a utility for helping with bed levelling.
If you’re running a remote or headless printer setup, or if you have a large printer farm to tend, it’s worth looking at the Octo-Pendant — it might be just the tool you need!