Mainsail Update 04-2025

Welcome to the monthly news! Once again this month, I have been working intensively on MainsailOS. Here are the highlights:

• Sonar Migration Tool & Python Rewrite: I was able to complete the migration tool for Sonar and successfully release Sonar after the extensive Python rewrite. So far, there have fortunately been no bug reports, which suggests that the rewrite is working smoothly.

• Release Workflow for MainsailOS with CustoPiZer: Another important milestone was the transition of the MainsailOS release workflow to CustoPiZer. After thorough revision and several test runs, this workflow is now also complete and ready for the upcoming release.

• /boot Mounting & Kernel Updates: Thanks to the great work of foosel (Gina Häußge), who was able to fix the /boot mounting issue last week, and I created a small PR (today) to mount /sys. With these 2 features in CustoPiZer, we are able to update the Raspberry Pi kernel directly in the workflow!

The last step here is a final test to ensure that these changes haven't introduced any new issues. Other than that, MainsailOS is now ready for the next release!

Community Meetup: "Chaosdrucker Stammtisch"

Last weekend, I had the great opportunity to attend the "Chaosdrucker Stammtisch". It was fantastic to meet most of the Mainsail-Crew in person again, as well as many friends, some of you patrons, and well-known creators from the 3D printing / maker scene. I had many interesting and inspiring conversations and, of course, got to check out some exciting new printer setups—a great source of fresh ideas every time!

My personal highlight from the meetup

I don't want to keep this discovery from you—a printer that impressively illustrates the early days of hobby 3D printing:

This is a PrintrBot Simple from 2014 with a build volume of 100×100×100mm. What makes it special is its motion system: it actually runs with a "Dremel grinding heads" and "deep-sea fishing lines"! A charming DIY solution from the early days. However, the original board has been replaced with a modern SKR Pico and a Pi Zero 2, and the little guy now runs with Klipper and Mainsail - a wonderful combination of nostalgia and modern software!

Of course, the print quality on this setup, with modern slicers and firmware, was a lot of better than my prints on the Anet A8...

Looking Ahead: Upcoming Plans

In the coming days, the release of MainsailOS is scheduled. Once that's done, I can finally focus myself fully to Mainsail again. I’m already looking forward to reviewing the big, long-awaited pull requests for the AFC module and HappyHair and pushing these exciting innovations forward.

Thank you so much for your continued support, which makes all of this possible!

Until next time,
Stefan Dej / meteyou