Running more than one 3D printer? Walking over to squint at each machine's little screen gets old fast. A clever open-source project now lets a single, inexpensive touchscreen keep an eye on your entire Prusa lineup at a glance, so you can see what is printing without leaving your desk.
Most modern Prusa printers, from an upgraded MK3 to the newer CORE One, can join your home network. Prusa already offers a phone app and a web dashboard for remote monitoring, but if you would rather have a dedicated little screen sitting on your bench, the official tools do not cover that. That gap is exactly what this community firmware fills.
The trick is reflashing a budget touchscreen, either the BigTreeTech K-Touch or the Panda Touch, so it speaks Prusa. Both displays are built around the popular ESP32 chip and were originally made for Klipper machines. The new firmware teaches them to pull live status from your Prusa printers, either directly across your local network or through the Prusa Connect cloud, with an interface designed to mirror the look of the official apps. It even keeps its old ability to monitor Klipper and cloud-connected Bambu Lab machines.
Getting started is refreshingly simple. Make sure your printers are on the network, download the ready-to-flash binary image for your display, and load it over USB using the maker's guide. Then point the screen at each printer's IP address or sign it into your Prusa Connect account, and your fleet lights up on one panel. Because the images are prebuilt, you never have to touch a line of code.
Want to try it on your own printer? Whether you run a single machine or a small farm, the right filament and a tidy bench make monitoring projects like this a joy. Explore beginner-friendly filament, upgrades, and accessories over at Flarelab, and turn your workspace into a proper little print command center.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to put my Prusa printer online to use this?
Your printer needs to be on your local network. From there the touchscreen can reach it directly by IP address, or through your Prusa Connect account if you prefer cloud access. Printing itself still works fully offline.
Which touchscreens does the firmware support?
The project targets the BigTreeTech K-Touch and the Panda Touch. Both are built around the ESP32 chip, and ready-to-flash binary images are provided so you do not have to compile anything yourself.
Will this work if I also own Klipper or Bambu Lab printers?
Yes. The same firmware keeps its original support for Klipper machines and can also talk to cloud-connected Bambu Lab units, though the Bambu setup takes a few more steps.
Is it safe to flash custom firmware onto my display?
The project is fully open source and installs onto the add-on touchscreen, not your printer's mainboard, so your printer keeps running its normal firmware. As always, back up first and follow the maker's flashing guide.
Inspired by reporting from Hackaday. Rewritten and expanded by Flarelab.
