I have no experience with Pi computers or Octoprint. I am interested in upgrading my Prusa with the Raspberry Pi Zero W, but I don't know what I will gain from doing so. I personally don't see the value of remotely uploading G-codes, as I am particular about making sure filaments are loading correctly and initial layers adhere properly.
What I would like to gain is the ability to look in on the print, which I can do separate from this system if necessary as I just ordered a Wyze camera. If possible, I would like to tie the Camera function to the Raspberry Pi, weather through a Pi camera or the Wyze camera, but not at the expense of loosing other functions that I currently have with my MK3s MMU2s.
The other main thing I would like to gain is the ability to stop prints if the camera shows the print has failed.
I would prefer not to loose the power failure feature built into the MK3s, which I think I will retain as long as I print via SD card. Is there other controls I will acquire with Octoprint I am unaware of? Will I still have the full control advertised on the main page when printing via SD card (Pint job progress, GCODE visualizer, temperatures of hotends and print bed and adapt them on the fly, Move along all axes, start, stop or pause current print) or are these only available when printing via Octoprint?
I know most people feel it is better to upgrade to a Raspberry Pi B3+ or 4, but I would prefer to leave my printer as close to the manufacturers recommendations as possible, hence why I would prefer to use the Zero. I have tried to determine exactly what Raspberry Pi Zero W is capable of, but I have mostly been met with "Don't use it". That is fine for someone who is looking to get full capabilities out of Octoprint, but, at this time at least, I am not interested in the full spectrum of capabilities.
These recommendations do not fit with the recommendations of @foosel concerning the proper work of OctoPrint
Also see here: OctoPrint.org - Download & Setup OctoPrint
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Your printer manufacturer did not do his homework before making the recommendation. The Radpberry Pi Zero will give you a bad experience. This is according to the author and maintainer of the software you will be using, @foosel. You would think she knows.
Edit: I type too slow
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I understand that this is definitely not the optimal way to run Octoprint, but as I am adding Octoprint to my Prusa printer not the other way around, I prefer to side with Prusa. The main reason I think I like the zero versus the other options is the direct board interface versus via USB, I know that this is not the way to get the MOST out of Octoprint, but I am trying to determine if I can get what I want out of doing it Prusa's way. I most likely will upgrade to a Raspberry Pi 4 after I use Octoprint some, but at this time, I am only looking for a particular set of features.
Thank you for pointing out my hypocrisy on that statement, and that is why I am looking for more information. I have heard from the majority of people that it is better to avoid the Zero, but I am looking for details so I can come to that conclusion myself with what I am wanting from the system.
You can connect other pis the same way - it might not fit and you have to use jumper cabels - but yeah it's possible
I have seen posts stating that the Einsy Board will not handle the power demands of higher level Pis, so at that point it might as well be installed separately?
You could power it by usb and just connect the serial connection
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Which also nulls the need to mount it in the Einsy enclosure.
You're talking to the people who know OctoPrint intimately, btw.
The performance of a Zero with the Prusa is bad enough and you've now added a webcam.
In my mind, I invested $$$ in a 3D printer. I also invest $ in filament. My time is worth $$. When a print job goes bad then I've wasted some of each of those. So that I waste the least amount of my money, I invest in just enough processing power so that it is a success.
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