FlashForge Printer Emulator A comprehensive dual-protocol network emulator for FlashForge 3D printers
Test FlashForge client applications without physical hardware
Full support for both legacy TCP protocol and modern HTTP API
Protocol
Port
Status
Description
UDP Discovery
48899
Full Support
Automatic printer detection on network
TCP Commands
8899
Full Support
Legacy G-code protocol for all FlashForge printers
HTTP API
8898
Full Support
Modern REST API for Adventurer 5M/Pro/5X series
Dual-Mode
All
Full Support
Run both protocols simultaneously
Printer Model
Emulation Status
Camera Support
Material Station
Filtration System
Adventurer 5M
Full
No
No
No
Adventurer 5M Pro
Full
Yes
No
Yes
Adventurer 5X
Full
Yes
Yes (4-slot IFS)
Yes
Legacy Models (3/4)
Full
No
No
No
Feature
Description
Dual Protocol Operation
Run TCP and HTTP servers simultaneously or independently
Complete Protocol Implementation
Fully emulates both FlashForge network protocols
Discovery Protocol
UDP broadcast for automatic printer detection
Material Station Emulation
4-slot IFS support for AD5X multi-color printing
Enhanced File Management
File metadata, thumbnails, and upload support
Persistent Configuration
JSON-based auto-save/load configuration system
Cumulative Statistics
Track lifetime print time and filament usage
Real-time Simulation
Dynamic temperature changes and print progress
Multi-platform
Windows, macOS, and Linux support
Endpoint
Method
Description
/product
POST
Get printer control states and capabilities
/detail
POST
Get comprehensive printer status and metrics
/control
POST
Send control commands (temperature, LED, fans, etc)
/gcodeList
POST
Get list of recent and local files
/gcodeThumb
POST
Get base64 thumbnail for file preview
/uploadGcode
POST
Upload new G-code files to printer
/printGcode
POST
Start printing a file from storage
Feature
Description
HTTP Monitoring UI
Real-time inspection of all API requests and responses
Network Simulation
Simulate latency, packet loss, and connection failures
Print Status State Machine
Multiple states: ready, busy, printing, paused, completed, cancelled, error
Temperature Simulation
Realistic heating and cooling curves
Material Station Control
Manage filament slots, colors, and material types for multi-color prints
File Metadata Management
Track print time, filament usage, layer counts, and tool configurations
Configuration Auto-save
Automatic persistence with restart scheduling
Step
Command / Description
Start the emulator
python main.py
GUI Application
Modern ttkbootstrap interface with tabbed controls
UDP Discovery
Automatically broadcasts on port 48899
TCP Server
Listens on port 8899 for legacy G-code commands
HTTP Server
Listens on port 8898 for REST API requests
Protocol Mode
Choose TCP-only, HTTP-only, or Dual-mode operation
Setting
Description
Printer Name
Customize the name displayed to client applications
Serial Number
Set a unique identifier for the emulated printer
Machine Type
Set printer model (5M, 5M Pro, 5X, etc)
Firmware Version
Set the reported firmware version
MAC Address
Required for HTTP API clients
Check Code
Authentication code for HTTP API
Mode
TCP Server
HTTP Server
Use Case
TCP Only
Running
Stopped
Test legacy clients and older printers
HTTP Only
Stopped
Running
Test modern API clients (5M/Pro/5X)
Dual Mode
Running
Running
Test comprehensive client compatibility
Mode
Model Emulated
Camera
Filtration
Material Station
5M
Adventurer 5M
No
No
No
5M Pro
Adventurer 5M Pro
Yes
Yes
No
AD5X
Adventurer 5X
Yes
Yes
Yes (4-slot IFS)
Material Station (AD5X Mode)
Setting
Description
Slot Count
Number of filament slots (default: 4)
Current Slot
Active slot being used for printing
Slot Configuration
Configure material type, color, and presence per slot
Material Mappings
Define tool-to-slot mappings for multi-color prints
Loading State
Simulate filament loading and unloading operations
Setting
Description
Print Status
Set to ready, busy, printing, paused, completed, cancelled, or error
Print Progress
Adjust the reported progress percentage (0-100)
Current File
Set the filename of the currently printing model
Layer Progress
Automatically calculated based on print progress
Print Duration
Elapsed time for current print job
Remaining Time
Estimated time remaining for print completion
Filament Estimates
Set total filament length and weight for current job
Setting
Description
Hotend Temperature
Set current and target temperatures for the hotend
Bed Temperature
Set current and target temperatures for the heated bed
Chamber Temperature
Set chamber temperature (Pro/5X models)
Simulation Mode
Realistic heating and cooling curves with configurable rates
Idle Temperatures
Default temperatures when not printing
Setting
Description
Network Interface
Select which network interface to use for discovery
Latency Simulation
Add artificial delay to responses (testing robustness)
Packet Loss
Simulate random connection failures
Connection Failures
Test client retry and error handling
Statistic
Description
Cumulative Print Time
Total lifetime print time in minutes
Cumulative Filament
Total lifetime filament usage in meters
Job History
Track completed prints and their metadata
Auto-persistence
Statistics saved automatically to configuration file
TCP Protocol - Status Commands
Command
Description
M115
Get printer information and capabilities
M105
Get current temperature readings
M119
Get endstop and machine status
M27
Get print status and progress
M114
Get current position (X/Y/Z)
TCP Protocol - Control Commands
Command
Description
M601/M602
Login and logout authentication
M146
Control LED on/off
M405/M406
Control filament runout sensor
G28
Home all axes
G1
Move printer head to position
M24/M25/M26
Resume, pause, and stop print
M104/M140
Set extruder and bed temperature
M109/M190
Set and wait for temperature targets
M661
List files on printer storage
M662
Get thumbnail image for a file
HTTP API - Control Commands
Command
Parameters
Description
switchLight
status: open/close
Control printer LED
setTargetTemperature
heaterIndex, temperature
Set target temperature for extruder or bed
setChamberTemperature
temperature
Set chamber target temperature (Pro/5X)
setExternalFan
status: open/close
Control external filtration fan (Pro/5X)
setInternalFan
status: open/close
Control internal filtration fan (Pro/5X)
pause
-
Pause current print
resume
-
Resume paused print
cancel
-
Cancel current print
Tab
Description
Main
Basic controls, server start/stop, protocol mode selection, status logging
Configuration
Printer identity, protocol mode, printer mode, virtual file management
Printer State
Temperature controls, print status, progress simulation, filament estimates
Material Station
4-slot IFS configuration for multi-color printing (AD5X mode)
HTTP Monitor
Real-time inspection of all HTTP API requests and responses
Network
Interface selection, network simulation settings
Printer Details
Hardware specifications and dimensions
Filesystem
Virtual file system and metadata management
Logs
Application logging and debugging output
Property
Value
Protocol
UDP Broadcast
Port
48899
Response Format
Binary format with printer name and serial number
Purpose
Automatic printer detection by FlashForge clients
Compatibility
All FlashForge printers and client software
Property
Value
Protocol
TCP
Port
8899
Command Format
~GCODE [parameters]
Response Format
CMD GCODE Received.[newline][response data][newline]ok
Use Case
Legacy protocol for Adventurer 3/4 and older models
Client Compatibility
FlashPrint, OrcaSlicer (legacy mode), custom clients
Property
Value
Protocol
HTTP/1.1
Port
8898
Format
JSON request/response bodies
Authentication
Serial number and check code validation
Use Case
Modern protocol for Adventurer 5M/Pro/5X series
Client Compatibility
FlashForgeUI, OrcaSlicer (new API mode), custom clients
Feature
Description
Virtual Files
Pre-configured test files with metadata
File Upload
Simulate file uploads via HTTP API
Thumbnail Storage
Base64-encoded preview images
File Metadata
Track print time, filament usage, layer counts
Multi-color Files
Support for Material Station tool mappings
Recent Files
Return last 10 files for client display
Local Files
Full file list with detailed metadata (mode-dependent)
Field
Description
gcodeFileName
Name of the G-code file
printingTime
Estimated print duration in seconds
uploadTime
ISO timestamp of file upload
fileSize
File size in bytes
totalFilamentWeight
Total filament weight in grams
useMatlStation
Whether file uses Material Station (multi-color)
gcodeToolCnt
Number of tools/extruders used
gcodeToolDatas
Array of tool configurations with slot mappings
Client Software
Protocol
Testing Status
Notes
FlashForgeUI
HTTP API
Fully Tested
All printer modes supported
OrcaSlicer
TCP + HTTP
Fully Tested
Both legacy and new API modes
Orca-FlashForge
TCP
Fully Tested
Legacy protocol support
FlashPrint
TCP
Fully Tested
Official FlashForge software
Custom Clients
Both
Supported
Full protocol documentation available
Tool
Purpose
Claude Code Integration
CLAUDE.md file provides AI assistant context
Configuration Persistence
JSON auto-save prevents data loss
Hot Reload
Configuration changes applied without restart where possible
HTTP Monitoring
Built-in request/response inspection for debugging
Network Simulation
Test client robustness under adverse conditions
Component
File
Description
Core Emulator
emulator/printer.py
Central state management and coordination
TCP Server
emulator/server.py
Legacy protocol server
HTTP Server
emulator/http_server_async.py
Async HTTP API server using aiohttp
Command Processing
emulator/commands.py
G-code command parser and dispatcher
HTTP Responses
emulator/http_responses.py
JSON response generation for REST API
File Manager
emulator/file_manager.py
Enhanced file and metadata management
Printer Modes
emulator/printer_modes.py
Mode-specific features and Material Station
Configuration
config.py
Centralized configuration and defaults
Package
Purpose
ttkbootstrap
Modern GUI theming and widgets
Pillow
Thumbnail image processing
aiohttp
Async HTTP server implementation
Standard Library
asyncio, threading, json, socket, struct
