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Marlin Firmware

About this Wiki

This wiki describes official Release versions of Marlin, currently Version 1.0.2-1 and the upcoming Version 1.1.0. Most of the documentation here is still under development. Please pitch in if you see any topic that needs improvement.

Current Development

For information related to cutting-edge development and testing on Version 1.2 and beyond, head over to the Marlin Development Wiki. There you can find guidance on the new file layout, obtaining the hardware support package, and how to integrate Marlin with Arduino >= 1.6.7.

For information related to patching current releases and release candidates (beta releases) see Reporting Bugs and Contributing here in this wiki.

Introduction

Marlin is a highly optimized firmware for 3D printers based on AVR-based microprocessors (such as those used on the Arduino platform) with movement driven by stepper motors.

Through the use of a programmer tool, Marlin is flashed directly onto the PROM on your 3D printer's controller board, and will thereafter run standalone. Marlin controls the input/output, voltage states, and movement of the 3D printer, taking buffered command streams from SD cards and host controllers.

Marlin aims to be adaptable to as many boards and as many configurations as possible, with a very lean default profile. Depending on configuration options, the size of the Marlin binary image may be as low as 50K or over 200K.

A huge number of features are included, such as:

• A rich dialect of G-Code in Marlin
• USB communication with messages for hosts
• A growing list of Supported Hardware. Over 40 now supported.
• More than 20 languages supported, including Japanese and Russian
• Support for LCD Controllers and SD cards
• In addition to Cartesian_Kinematics kinematics Marlin also supports Delta_Kinematics, SCARA_Kinematics, CoreXY, and CoreXZ
• Support for up to 4 extruders
• Support for Thermistors and thermocouples
• Thermal Runaway Protection
• EEPROM save and restore
• Support using switches or sensors as proximity probes
• Probes on servo arms
• Probes that can be picked up and dropped
• Probes that can be enabled/disabled
• Bed Tilt Compensation, for better results printing on a non-level bed
• Mesh Bed Leveling, with save to EEPROM
• Manual Bed Leveling, step-by-step using an LCD controller
• Bed Auto Leveling, which requires some kind of Z Probe
• Firmware Retraction, to allow retraction tuning without re-slicing
• Acceleration and Jerk tuning, for better corners and surface finish
• Support for Dual X Carriage setups
• Support for Filament Runout Sensor and Filament Width Sensor
• ...and much more!

Essential Resources

• Marlin Development Repository on Github – Marlin Development Central. Help design, develop, document, test, and improve Marlin 1.2 and beyond. Arduino 1.6.7 has sub-folders, and the future is looking bright!
• Marlin Release Repository on Github
• Marlin Current Releases including pre-release versions
• Marlin Release Candidate Current pre-release beta in testing
• The RC Bug Patch is where all patches to RC are collected ahead of the next release candidate