BambuHelper Now Supports Round Displays, Smart Plug Power Monitoring, and Chamber Light Control
3D PrintingBambuHelper is the open-source ESP32 status display project for Bambu Lab printers that doesn’t require Bambu Cloud access or a third-party account. The latest update added three meaningful features: a round display option, smart plug power monitoring, and chamber light control.
What Was Added
Round display support (GC9A01, 240x240). BambuHelper now supports the 1.28” GC9A01 round LCD module alongside the existing rectangular display options. The round display ships three selectable dashboard skins: Rim, Speedo, and Rings — chosen from the web config UI. One note: the 7-pin GC9A01 module has no backlight pin, so brightness control and night dimming aren’t available on the round variant.
Smart plug power monitoring via Tasmota. Configured Tasmota smart plugs now appear in the BambuHelper web UI with manual On/Off controls. The auto-off logic includes a door safety interlock: if the chamber door is opened while an auto-off countdown is running, the scheduled power cut is cancelled. The printer cannot accidentally lose power with the chamber open mid-cooldown.
Chamber light control. Direct toggle for the chamber lighting from the BambuHelper interface — useful for monitoring overnight prints via camera without walking to the printer.
Hardware Requirements
The round display builds run on:
- ESP32-S3 Super Mini — supports up to 2 printers
- ESP32-C3 Super Mini — 1 printer only
The project also supports rectangular displays on other ESP32 variants. The hardware cost for a basic build (ESP32 + display) runs well under $15 for most configurations.
Setup: One-Click Browser Flashing
As of v3.2, the entire setup flow — firmware flash, WiFi config — happens in the browser at keralots.github.io/BambuHelper. No PlatformIO, no esptool, no captive portal. For anyone who has built ESP32 projects before, this is a significant reduction in setup friction.
Who It’s For
BambuHelper is worth building if you want:
- A dedicated status display that doesn’t depend on Bambu’s cloud uptime
- Smart plug integration with door-safety logic for automated printer power management
- Local, read-only monitoring without sharing printer credentials with third-party services
It’s not a drop-in product — you’re building hardware and flashing firmware. The one-click browser setup makes the firmware side straightforward, but you still need to source and wire the components.
The So What
The round display adds a visually distinctive option to a project that was already useful as a local-first alternative to Bambu’s app. The Tasmota integration with door-safety auto-off is the more practically significant addition — automated power management that doesn’t risk killing a print mid-session is the kind of QoL feature that changes how you actually use the printer overnight.
Source and releases at github.com/Keralots/BambuHelper. For more open-source Bambu Lab tooling, see BambuDuddy and Bambu Lab Cloud Independence.
Source: GitHub / Keralots
Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.
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