Klipper Setup for Voron — Complete Configuration Guide

Firmware Klipper Tutorial

Klipper is the firmware that makes Voron printers exceptional. Unlike traditional Marlin-based firmware where all calculations happen on the mainboard's microcontroller, Klipper offloads motion planning to a single-board computer (Raspberry Pi, CB1, BTT Pi, etc.) and sends only low-level stepper commands to the mainboard. This enables higher step rates, more complex motion algorithms (input shaper, pressure advance), and real-time tuning without reflashing firmware.

Last updated: May 2025. This guide covers the complete Klipper setup process for Voron printers: installing on various SBC options, flashing the controller board, building the printer.cfg from official Voron templates, calculating stepper rotation distances, configuring endstops, running PID auto-tuning, calibrating input shaper (with and without an accelerometer), setting up pressure advance, bed mesh, and creating useful macros. We also include troubleshooting for the most common errors.

Hardware Options for Running Klipper

For most Voron builders, a Raspberry Pi 4B 2GB or a BTT CB1/Pi combo is the sweet spot. The Pi 4B has the best community support and documentation. The CB1 is cheaper and works well but has slightly less horsepower — fine for a single printer, may struggle with cameras or multiple Klipper instances.

Pro tip: If you're going the China-direct route, the BTT CB1 + BTT Pi V1.2 combination is hard to beat at $30-40 total. It provides the same functionality as a Pi 4B at half the price.

Installing Klipper — Step by Step

Option A: Klipper on Raspberry Pi OS (recommended for Pi users):

1. Flash Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit, Lite) to an SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager
2. Enable SSH and WiFi during flashing (gear icon in Imager)
3. SSH into the Pi: ssh pi@voron-printer.local
4. Run the KIAUH installer (Klipper Installation And Update Helper): cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/dw-0/kiauh.git && ./kiauh/kiauh.sh
5. Select Klipper, Moonraker (API), Mainsail (web UI), and KlipperScreen (optional) in KIAUH
6. KIAUH handles all dependencies and configuration automatically

Option B: Klipper on CB1 / BTT Pi:

1. Download the CB1-specific Armbian build from the BTT GitHub page
2. Flash to eMMC or SD card using balenaEtcher
3. SSH in (default: root@192.168.x.x, password: pi)
4. Run KIAUH the same way as Option A above
5. Note: CB1 requires a specific kernel build — do not use standard Raspberry Pi OS images

Option C: MainsailOS (all-in-one solution): Download the MainsailOS image for your SBC platform. It comes pre-configured with Klipper, Moonraker, and Mainsail. This is the easiest option for beginners — just flash and go. You'll still need to flash the controller board firmware and configure printer.cfg manually.

Flashing the Controller Board

After Klipper is running on the SBC, you need to flash Klipper firmware to your controller board (BTT Octopus, SKRat, Fysetc Spider, etc.).

General process (works for most boards):

• cd ~/klipper and run make menuconfig
• Select your microcontroller architecture (e.g., STM32F407 for Octopus)
• Set communication interface (USB or CAN bus depending on your setup)
• Set baud rate (250000 for USB, or CAN bus speed)
• Run make to build the firmware binary
• For USB: copy out/klipper.bin to an SD card (rename to firmware.bin), insert into board, power on. The board will auto-flash on boot.
• For CAN bus: flash via the bootloader using make flash FLASH_DEVICE=/dev/serial/by-id/...

Common board configurations:

• BTT Octopus Pro (STM32F446): Use STM32F446, 256K bootloader offset, USB DFU interface
• BTT SKRat (STM32F405): Use STM32F405, USB, 250000 baud
• Fysetc Spider v2.2 (STM32F407): Use STM32F407, USB, 250000 baud
• Manta M8P (STM32H723): Use STM32H723, USB DFU, requires DFU mode jumper

Troubleshooting flash failures: If the board doesn't appear after flashing, check: (1) correct microcontroller selected in menuconfig, (2) correct bootloader offset, (3) SD card formatted as FAT32 with MBR partition table, (4) board is in DFU/bootloader mode (some boards require a jumper or button press).

Building the printer.cfg

The official Voron Klipper configurations are maintained in the Voron GitHub repository. Start by copying the template for your printer model and size.

Critical sections to customize:

[mcu]: Set the serial path to your controller board. Find it with ls /dev/serial/by-id/*. It should look like /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Klipper_stm32f446xx_12345-if00.

[stepper_x], [stepper_y], [stepper_z]: Set endstop pins, position endpoints, and homing speed. The Voron templates have correct values for standard builds. Only change if you've modified your printer geometry.

Rotation distance — the most common configuration error: This value tells Klipper how far a linear axis moves per full motor rotation. Get it wrong and your printer will be dimensionally inaccurate. Calculate it:

• X/Y (belt-driven): rotation_distance = belt_pitch × pulley_teeth. For GT2 belts (2mm pitch) with a 20-tooth pulley: 2 × 20 = 40
• Z (leadscrew-driven): rotation_distance = lead_pitch × number_of_starts. For T8 leadscrew (2mm pitch, 4-start): 2 × 4 = 8
• Extruder (geared): Must be measured empirically. Mark the filament 120mm above the extruder, extrude 100mm, measure actual extrusion. Formula: actual_rotation_distance = rotation_distance × (actual_extruded / requested_extruded). Start with the value from the Voron template (~22.678 for CW2).

Endstop and Probe Configuration

Physical endstops: X and Y endstops on the Voron are mechanical switches or optical sensors. Configure them in the [stepper_x] and [stepper_y] sections with endstop_pin pointing to the correct pin on your board. Set homing_speed: 20 and position_endstop to match your printer's corner dimensions.

Z probe (virtual endstop): Vorons use the nozzle probe method — the nozzle touches a switch or uses an inductive probe (Omron TL-Q5MC2 or PL-08N) to detect the bed surface. Configure the probe in Klipper as a virtual endstop:

• [stepper_z] section: endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop
• [probe] section: configure the specific probe type, x_offset, y_offset, and z_offset
• For the Omron/PL-08N inductive probe: sensor_type: hall, verify the probe's trigger distance (typically 2-4mm for inductive probes)
• Run PROBE_ACCURACY to verify the probe is repeatable (should be ±0.01mm or better)

PID Auto-Tuning

PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) tuning optimizes how the printer maintains target temperature. Klipper's auto-tuning is excellent.

Extruder PID calibration: Run PID_CALIBRATE HEATER=extruder TARGET=245 (use 250 for ABS, 220 for PLA). The process takes about 10 minutes and cycles the heater on/off to measure thermal response.

Bed PID calibration: Run PID_CALIBRATE HEATER=heater_bed TARGET=100 (or 110 for PC/PA prints). Bed PID tuning takes longer (15-20 minutes) because of the larger thermal mass.

Saving results: After each calibration, Klipper shows the PID values. Use SAVE_CONFIG to write them to your printer.cfg. Typical values for a Rapido UHF (50W): P=25-35, I=1.0-1.5, D=100-140. For a 350mm bed (500-800W): P=500-800, I=0.5-1.0, D=100-200.

Input Shaper Calibration

Input shaper eliminates ringing (ghosting) by calculating the printer's resonance frequencies and filtering the acceleration profile to avoid exciting them.

Method A: ADXL345 accelerometer (recommended):

• Mount an ADXL345 on the toolhead (use the Voron-specific mount from the GitHub repo)
• Connect to SBC via SPI (recommended) or I2C
• Add [adxl345] section to printer.cfg with the correct CS pin
• Run ACCELEROMETER_MEASURE at 100 mm/s on X, then Y
• Run ACCELEROMETER_GRAPH to visualize the frequency response
• Choose a shaper type (ZV, MZV, ZVD, EI, 2HUMP_EI, 3HUMP_EI) based on the frequency graph
• Set shaper_freq_x and shaper_freq_y to the measured resonant frequencies
• Run a ringing test print to verify

Method B: Manual tuning (no accelerometer):

• Print the ringing test tower (available on Thingiverse/Printables)
• Visually inspect which shaper type gives the cleanest corners at each frequency
• Use the [input_shaper] section with trial-and-error frequency values, reprinting the test tower each time
• This method works but takes 5-10 test prints to dial in. The accelerometer is $8 and saves hours.

Recommended shaper profiles for Voron builds:

• V2.4 350mm: ZV at ~50-55 Hz (X), ~45-50 Hz (Y). Max acceleration: 8,000 mm/s²
• Trident 300mm: MZV at ~55-65 Hz (X), ~50-60 Hz (Y). Max acceleration: 7,000 mm/s²
• V0.2: 2HUMP_EI at ~70-85 Hz (X and Y similar). Max acceleration: 10,000+ mm/s²

Pressure Advance Calibration

Pressure advance compensates for filament compression in the hotend by slightly over-extruding at the start of a move and under-extruding at the end. This eliminates bulging at corners and improves dimensional accuracy.

Calibration method:

• Enable pressure advance in printer.cfg: [pressure_advance] with a starting value of 0.04
• Print the PA tuning tower (a hollow square tube with PA increasing every 5mm)
• Inspect the corners — at the correct PA value, corners are sharp without bulging or underextrusion
• For the Rapido/Dragon hotend with CW2 extruder: typical PA is 0.03-0.05
• For the Revo Voron: typical PA is 0.02-0.04 (the Revo's integrated heatbreak reduces compression)
• For the Goliath: typical PA is 0.06-0.10 (larger melt zone = more compression)

Pro tip: Pressure advance is temperature-dependent. If you change materials or printing temperatures, re-run the PA calibration. Save different PA values in your START_PRINT macro based on the material being printed.

Bed Mesh Calibration

Bed mesh compensation maps the bed surface height and adjusts Z movement during printing to maintain consistent first layer height across the entire bed.

Configuration:

• Add [bed_mesh] section to printer.cfg
• Set probe_count: 5,5 for a 250mm bed, 7,7 for 350mm (more points = better compensation but slower)
• Set mesh_pps: 2,2 (points per segment — interpolation quality)
• Set algorithm: bicubic (best quality)
• Run BED_MESH_CALIBRATE before each print, or add it to your START_PRINT macro
• View the mesh with BED_MESH_OUTPUT in the Mainsail console

Interpreting bed mesh results: A good bed mesh has a total variance (max - min) of 0.1mm or less. If you see 0.3mm+ variance, check: bed mounting screws tight? Bed thermal expansion (heat to printing temp before meshing)? Frame squareness? Z leadscrews properly aligned?

Useful Macros for Voron Builders

Macros automate repetitive tasks. Here are the essential ones for any Voron:

• START_PRINT: Loads bed mesh, sets temperatures based on filament type, homes all axes, runs QGL (V2.4) or Z_TILT_ADJUST (Trident), primes the nozzle. This is the most important macro — get it right and every print starts consistently.
• END_PRINT: Retracts filament, lifts toolhead, parks gantry, turns off heaters, turns off fans (after cool-down).
• PRINT_STATS: Shows elapsed time, filament used, estimated time remaining on the Mainsail dashboard.
• BED_SCREWS_ADJUST: For manual bed leveling on the Trident — probes each screw position and tells you how much to turn each knob.
• Z_TILT_ADJUST: For the Trident — automatically adjusts the three Z motors to tram the bed to the gantry.
• QUAD_GANTRY_LEVEL: For the V2.4 — levels all four gantry corners. Run before every print.
• FILAMENT_CHANGE: Pauses print, retracts filament, waits for user to load new filament, purges, resumes.
• CANCEL_PRINT: Emergency stop macro that parks the toolhead, turns off heaters, and aborts the print cleanly.

Troubleshooting Common Klipper Errors

• "MCU disconnected" — Check USB cable, power cycle the controller board, check for loose CAN bus connections. Most common cause: the controller board power supply is marginal or the USB port is dropping power.
• "Failed to connect to Moonraker" — Moonraker service not running. Check sudo systemctl status moonraker. Look for port conflicts or incorrect config file path.
• "Endstop triggered before movement" — An endstop switch is stuck or incorrectly wired. Use QUERY_ENDSTOPS to check each endstop's state. If triggered when not pressed, the switch is shorted or the wiring is reversed.
• "Move out of range" — Your position_max or position_min values don't match your printer geometry. Double-check that your position_endstop + homing direction is consistent with the axis orientation.
• "Probe triggered during homing" — The probe is triggering prematurely. Check that the probe's trigger distance is set correctly and that it's not hitting the bed edge during XY moves.
• "Heater not switching on" — Check your heater_pin and max_power settings. Use a multimeter to verify the heater cartridge has continuity and is getting power. The SSR or MOSFET may be faulty.
• "Step time too high" — Your microstepping or acceleration is too high for the MCU's step rate. Reduce max_accel or increase microstepping from 256 to 128 or 64.
• "Timer too close" — Similar to above — the MCU can't generate steps fast enough. Reduce acceleration or check that your stepper driver is not overheating (thermal throttling).

Final Configuration Checklist

Before declaring your Klipper setup complete, verify each of these:

• All axes home correctly (X, Y, Z)
• Endstops trigger reliably (test 5 times each)
• Probe accuracy test passes (±0.01mm or better)
• Bed mesh loads automatically in START_PRINT
• PID tuning completed for both extruder and bed
• Input shaper enabled with correct frequencies
• Pressure advance calibrated
• Extruder rotation distance verified (mark-and-measure test)
• SAVE_CONFIG has been called after all changes
• Emergency stop (M112) works correctly

Klipper is what transforms a Voron from a good printer into an exceptional one. The initial setup takes a few hours, but once it's dialed in, you'll have a machine that produces consistent, high-quality prints with minimal maintenance. The combination of input shaper, pressure advance, and bed mesh — all made possible by Klipper — is what gives Voron printers their legendary print quality at high speeds.