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Coming in as the cheapest printer in the X3 series, the Qidi X Smart 3 lacks a few of the features of the larger models – one of which is Ethernet. While it does still include WiFi, I had issues connecting it to my WiFi network, having to dig into the OS config files to get it to connect at all. And when it does connect, the signal isn’t great. Not surprising, considering it’s buried under the printer, surrounded by the metal printer frame, metal PSU housing, and other electronic components.
Qidi X Smart 3 3D Printer Review
Our review of the Qidi X Smart 3 3D printer
While there are many other differences between the X3 series printers, the motherboard is not one of them – the X Smart 3 shares the same motherboard as the other printers in the X3 line.
The board is populated with an Ethernet port, but it is blocked out by the plastic housing surrounding the board. While it’s a shame they didn’t include an accessible port on the printer, this is the entry level printer in its range, and therefore it’s understandable that cost-savings would be made to lower the price of the printer.
Luckily, the Ethernet port remains active, so making the port accessible is enough for it to start working. This guide will go through the steps to mod your printer, aiming to create the cleanest result possible.
This is not the first time this modification has been completed – you can find a guide, along with a template to make a cutout for the socket, at Woody’s Workshop.
Woody’s Workshop
Check out the post on this topic at Woody’s Workshop
Be sure to check their post, as the mounting location and technique are a little different to what is outlined here.
If you’d prefer a video guide, you can find one on our YouTube channel using the link below.
Adding Ethernet to an X Smart 3 3D Printer
Video guide to install an Ethernet port to your X Smart 3 3D printer
Buying a Port Extender
To mount the new Ethernet port on the outside of the printer, you’ll need a panel mount Ethernet extension cable. These come in a variety of sizes – the 30cm version should be more than long enough given the small size of the printer.
Accessing the Ethernet Port
With the Ethernet port blocked, the only way to gain access to it is to trim away the plastic that is blocking it. A multi-tool is advisable to get through it, as pliers could struggle due to the thickness of the plastic.
Something to be aware of is the USB cutout which is close to the Ethernet port. You could remove this entire section of plastic, opening up the area on that side of the board, but you’ll lose the cable mounting point.
If you choose to keep the cutout small, take care not to bend the remaining strip too much, as it is much less rigid once cut.
Make sure that the edge of the cut is clean, and it is deep enough to gain full access to the port. You’ll need to trim it pretty close to the base to make enough room.
Allowing Access to the Mounting Point
To mount the extension on the rear of the printer, the cable will need to be routed down the side channel, and through the plastic wall next to the left-rear foot. Cut through this plastic as well.
While this guide is focused on mounting the extension to the rear of the printer, there’s no reason why you couldn’t mount the port elsewhere. Figure out the best route for your chosen mounting point, and make any necessary cuts to route the cable. Just keep in mind that a side- or front-mounted port would require removing additional panels later on, so the rear is probably the most sensible place to mount it.
Removing the Panels
To mount the port as cleanly as possible, it will be screwed into the inner plastic frame, with the outer panels covering the screws. This will hide the mounting screws, but means the plastic panels need to be removed.
If you’re happy to have the screws on the outside, you can skip this section and cut straight through both plastic layers to fit the port. This is the strategy outlined on Woody’s Workshop mentioned earlier in the guide. Otherwise, we’ll start getting the panels off the printer.
Removing the outer panels of the printer is probably the most difficult part of this modification, due to the number of clips used to secure the panels in place.
Start by removing the plastic panel from the top of the printer. Access is easier if you remove the clear plastic section. There are clips all around the outside of the panel, which are visible when looking inside the printer.
Once you’ve started to loosen the panel, it should be easier to unclip the remaining clips.
With the top removed, you’ll now need to move on to the rear panel. There are three cable mounting points inside the printer, which will need to be unscrewed. The Z-axis motor cable should be unplugged from the motor.
With the inside free, remove the six screws holding the rear panel in position.
Unfortunately, the screws are not the only thing holding this panel in place – you also have clips to contend with. This was the hardest panel to remove, but was much easier when using a metal pry tool. The clips are right on the corners of the panel, so focus on these areas.
Once the clips are free, you’ll notice that the extruder cable and filament tube are still holding the panel in position. This is fine, as even with these still in place, there is enough movement to access the inner plastic frame below. You can remove them if you’d prefer, but it’s not necessary to do so.
Mounting the Ethernet Extension
To mount the extension to the printer, you’ll need to cut a hole to access the port through. You’ll also need to cut holes for the screw mounts either side of the port. Ideally, you’ll need something like a multi-tool to do this.
To make this process easier, it’s a good idea to create a template to show where to make the cuts. While we used a piece of paper taped over the area, there is a printable guide on Woody’s workshop, which would be the much better option.
If you want the cleanest finish, consider cutting the hole slightly smaller than necessary, and using a file to clean it up afterwards.
To ensure the panel still sits flush on the rear of the printer, you’ll need to ditch the screws included with the panel mount, and use some countersunk M3 screws in their place. The ones used here are 8mm in length, though you could get away with slightly longer/shorter screws if they are all you have available.
Around the tops of the screw holes, cut a small chamfer in the plastic to allow the screws to sit flush with the plastic.
The result here is far from perfect, with the left screw being a little wonky. The important thing is that it sits low enough to avoid the upper panel, and is able to hold the port securely.
While not the main focus of this guide, you can also take this opportunity to do the same thing with a USB extension cable. We’re not sure what to use this for yet, but there’s no harm having one there just in case.
If you still want to have WiFi connectivity, you might consider moving the WiFi dongle to a rear-mounted port, depending on the location of your router in relation to the printer. Given the metal frame of the printer, along with the other components in the printer base, the out-of-box location of the WiFi dongle is far from ideal. Moving it to the rear, or even to the stock USB port on the side, could give a better signal strength.
Once you’re happy with how the port is mounted, repeat the same process on the rear panel. Remember that this one will be visible, so if there’s ever a time to try and get a clean result, now would be it. Also, don’t forget that the screw mounting holes are not necessary though this panel, as the screws will sit below it.
Once you’re happy with these cuts, the panel can be snapped back into position.
The reassembly process is just the disassembly in reverse, so we wont explicitly cover that here.
Connecting to the Printer
One drawback of using Ethernet is the lack of any connection information from the printer UI. To find the IP address of the printer, you’ll need to check your router.
Once you have the IP address, you can connect remotely to the printer. That’s beyond the scope of this article, but we will point out that if you’re using stock firmware, the printer web UI runs on port 10088, so to access it though a browser, use http://x.x.x.x:10088 (substitute the x’s for your printer’s IP address).
