Ending the Wild West of Smart Spools
An open-source initiative by Prusa Research creating a single smart spool standard that works across all brands and ecosystems. This allows printers and users to read and write data directly on any spool, making 3D printing more reliable and intuitive for everyone.
3D printers have become incredibly user-friendly, but interaction with filament is still a very manual process. To improve the user experience and streamline the workflow, we need smart spools.
A smart spool carries all the important information about the material and its workflow, unlocking key features:
Instantly identifies the material type and color, significantly reducing user error and leading to a simpler, more reliable workflow.
Real-time data tracking, such as the amount of remaining filament, so you always know the exact status of your material.
Enables effortless inventory management and full traceability by allowing you to log custom data.
Some smart spools already exist, but they lack the core principles of universality and interoperability. It's like every brand suddenly decided to use a different filament diameter.
Smart spools are often locked to their specific hardware and filament. This makes them unusable with any third-party machines, forcing users into a closed ecosystem.
Many smart spools just refer to an online database, forcing you to rely on the manufacturer's cloud service. No internet? Your "smart" spool becomes dumb.
Current Smart Spools offer little to zero reusability. This read-only design prevents any updates to live data, and once the filament is depleted, you have no choice but to throw the 'smart' spool away.
AsProgrammer is a minimalist, lightweight hardware utility designed to communicate directly with EEPROM (24 series) and SPI Flash (25/26 series) memory chips. While the official, generic Chinese software bundled with the CH341A hardware is notoriously buggy, outdated, and prone to verification errors, AsProgrammer offers an advanced scriptable engine, broad chip databases, and highly accurate verification routines. Key Improvements in the 2.1.0.13 "Fix" Build:
AsProgrammer 2.1.0.13 is a popular, open-source Windows utility primarily used as an alternative software for the CH341A USB programmer
Readjust the SOIC8 test clip or clean the chip pins with isopropyl alcohol. The chip is hard write-protected.
Safety Tip: Always verify that your downloaded .zip file contains the AsProgrammer.exe , a chiplist.xml component, and a dedicated scripts/ folder. Scan the directory via VirusTotal before launching. Step-by-Step Installation & Configuration 1. Download and Extract asprogrammer 21 013 better download
The absolute best, safest, and most reliable source to download AsProgrammer is the at: https://github.com/nofeletru/UsbAsp-flash
If you have ever bricked a motherboard BIOS, corrupted a router firmware, or struggled with stock Chinese software, downloading this specific version provides the stabilization and deep chip support you need.
Click "Open" to select the updated BIOS file ( .bin ). The chip is hard write-protected
:
: Includes a "Read ID" (question mark button) to automatically detect SPI flash chips, reducing manual selection errors. Instructables Essential Setup & Usage
Comprehensive Guide: AsProgrammer 2.1.0.13 — Why It Remains the Go-To Flashing Tool and How to Get the Best Download Step-by-Step Installation & Configuration 1
Many users find that the official software provided with budget programmers often fails to identify newer chips or produces verification errors. AsProgrammer solves these issues by offering:
Version 2.1.0.13 is often considered a "sweet spot" for many users due to several critical improvements:
: While earlier editions regularly glitched or crashed on legacy operating systems, 2.1.0.13 delivered seamless native execution across Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, and 11 .
Instantly read or write in any orientation. This eliminates the need to rotate the spool to find the "correct" position.
Stick a blank tag on any filament spool you own, flash it using your printer or a phone app, and simply re-use it once the spool is empty.
A single tag works even for 2kg spools, ensuring live data is always perfectly in sync. Two-tag designs cannot guarantee this.
A 3D printer or any compatible device instantly reads all data the moment the spool is loaded.
Instantly read or write in any orientation. This eliminates the need to rotate the spool to find the "correct" position.
Stick a blank tag on any filament spool you own, flash it using your printer or a phone app, and simply re-use it once the spool is empty.
A single tag works even for 2kg spools, ensuring live data is always perfectly in sync. Two-tag designs cannot guarantee this.
A 3D printer or any compatible device instantly reads all data the moment the spool is loaded.
Whether you're a manufacturer, developer, or 3D printing enthusiast, OpenPrintTag makes your workflow smarter.
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