Creality K1 Series

HelixScreen has a cross-compilation target for the Creality K1 series of high-speed CoreXY printers. The K1 series runs Klipper on an Ingenic MIPS processor. Moonraker is available via community firmware mods (Simple AF, Guilouz Helper Script).

Supported Models

All K1 models use the Ingenic X2000E MIPS32r2 dual-core processor running Creality OS (Buildroot-based).

Model	Build Volume	Display	Notable Features	Status
K1	220 x 220 x 250 mm	4.3” 480x800	Standard	Untested
K1C	220 x 220 x 250 mm	4.3” 480x800	Tri-metal “Unicorn” nozzle	Tested
K1 Max	300 x 300 x 300 mm	4.3” 480x800	AI camera, LiDAR, ethernet	Tested
K1 SE	220 x 220 x 250 mm	4.3” 480x800	Budget model	Untested

Hardware (Confirmed on K1C and K1 Max — 2026-03)

Spec	Value
SoC	Ingenic X2000E, MIPS32r2 dual-core @ 1.2 GHz
Co-processor	XBurst 0 @ 240 MHz (security/real-time)
RAM	256 MB LPDDR2 (System-in-Package)
Storage	8 GB eMMC
Display	480x800 portrait, 32bpp ARGB8888, fbdev (/dev/fb0)
Stock UI	/usr/bin/display-server (must be stopped to use framebuffer)
OS	Creality OS (Buildroot 2020.02.1), Linux 5.4.x
glibc	2.29 (important for ABI compatibility)
Python	3.8.2
Init System	SysV init (NOT systemd, NOT procd)
SSH	root / creality_2023 (enable via Settings menu)
Config path	/usr/data/printer_data/config/
Klipper path	/usr/share/klipper/ or /usr/data/klipper/
Logs path	/usr/data/printer_data/logs/
Gcode path	/usr/data/printer_data/gcodes/

Multi-MCU Architecture

MCU	Chip	Serial Port	Purpose
mcu	GD32F303RET6	/dev/ttyS7 @ 230400	Main motion control, steppers, bed heater
nozzle_mcu	GD32F303CBT6	/dev/ttyS1 @ 230400	Hotend, LED, accelerometer (input shaper)
leveling_mcu	GD32E230F8P6	/dev/ttyS9 @ 230400	Pressure sensor (PRTouch v2)

K1C vs K1 Max Differences

Feature	K1C	K1 Max
Build Volume	220 x 220 x 250 mm	300 x 300 x 300 mm
Rated Power	350W	1000W
AI Camera	Standard	Included
AI LiDAR	No	Yes
Ethernet	No	Yes
Chamber Heater	No	Yes (heater_generic chamber_heater)

Notes

• 256 MB RAM — Memory-constrained. Moonraker + Klipper + HelixScreen leaves ~80-100 MB free. Creality warns about excessive memory usage.
• MIPS32r2 — Unusual architecture for 3D printers. Requires MIPS cross-compilation toolchain.
• 480x800 display — Portrait framebuffer, same as K2 series. Requires software rotation to landscape (800x480). Uses the standard breakpoint.
• No stock Moonraker — Must install community firmware (Simple AF or Guilouz) for Moonraker access.
• K1C 2025 hardware revision — Some units removed the root access option from the touchscreen menu.
• Stock “unload” is not an unload — QUIT_MATERIAL (what the firmware offers) purges ~100mm of filament FORWARD and retracts only ~62mm with anti-clog wiggles: net ~38mm deeper into the hotend. Creality expects you to cut the filament at the inlet and let it clear the residue (same philosophy as the Adventurer 5M). Install the HelixScreen macro pack (Advanced → Install Helper Macros) and HELIX_UNLOAD_FILAMENT takes the unload slot: heat to the firmware’s default extruder temp, renew the melt (E10), then pull E-110 fully out of the direct-drive gears in two stages. On a CFS-equipped machine it handles the toolhead side; the box retract is driven by the filament system.

Firmware Prerequisites

The K1 stock firmware does not include Moonraker. Users must install one of the following community mods:

Simple AF (Recommended)

Repository: pellcorp/creality

• Includes Klipper, Moonraker, and GuppyScreen
• Install location: /usr/data/pellcorp/
• HelixScreen replaces GuppyScreen as the touch UI

Guilouz Helper Script

Repository: Guilouz/Creality-K1-and-K1-Max

• Menu-based installer for Moonraker, Fluidd/Mainsail, GuppyScreen
• Install location: /usr/data/helper-script/
• Modular: users choose which components to install

Guppy Mod (Advanced)

Repository: ballaswag/creality_k1_klipper_mod

• Replaces entire Buildroot with modern version (2024.02)
• Updates Python 3.8.2 → 3.11.8, uses mainline Klipper
• Caveat: Breaks PRTouch — requires alternative probe

Root Access

Available via the touchscreen:

1. Settings → Root Account Information
2. Accept disclaimer
3. Wait 30 seconds, confirm

SSH credentials: root / creality_2023

Cross-Compilation

The K1 target uses MIPS32r2 with fully static musl linking. There is also an advanced dynamic-linking variant.

Build via Docker (Recommended)

# Static build — single self-contained binary (recommended)
make k1-docker

# Dynamic build — links against K1's glibc 2.29 (advanced)
make k1-dynamic-docker

Build Directly (Requires Toolchain)

make PLATFORM_TARGET=k1 -j           # Static (musl)
make PLATFORM_TARGET=k1-dynamic -j   # Dynamic (glibc)

Build Configuration

Static Build (PLATFORM_TARGET=k1) — Recommended

Setting	Value
Toolchain	Bootlin mips32el-musl-stable-2024.02-1
Architecture	MIPS32r2 (little-endian, hard-float)
Linking	Fully static (musl)
Optimization	-Os with LTO (size-optimized)
Display backend	fbdev (/dev/fb0)
SSL	Enabled (static OpenSSL)
Platform define	HELIX_PLATFORM_MIPS
Output	build/mips/bin/helix-screen (~8-10 MB stripped)

Dynamic Build (PLATFORM_TARGET=k1-dynamic) — Advanced

Setting	Value
Toolchain	Custom crosstool-NG with NaN2008+FP64 ABI
Linking	Dynamic (glibc 2.29, must match K1 firmware)
Critical flags	-mnan=2008 -mfp64 (NaN2008 ABI compatibility)
Dynamic linker	/lib/ld-linux-mipsn8.so.1
Output	build/k1-dynamic/bin/helix-screen (~3-5 MB stripped)

The static build is recommended for its simplicity — no ABI compatibility concerns.

CI/Release Status

The K1 target is included in the GitHub Actions release pipeline. Release artifacts are built automatically:

# Manual packaging
make package-k1

Installation

Prerequisites

• A Creality K1, K1C, K1 Max, or K1 SE printer
• Root access enabled (see Root Access section above)
• Moonraker installed via Simple AF, Guilouz, or Guppy Mod
• SSH access: ssh root@<printer-ip> (password: creality_2023)

Quick Install (End Users)

# SSH into the printer, then:
wget -O - https://dl.helixscreen.org/install.sh | sh

Or with a local package:

scp helixscreen-k1.zip install.sh root@<ip>:/usr/data/
ssh root@<ip>
sh /usr/data/install.sh --local /usr/data/helixscreen-k1.zip

Developer Deploy Targets

# Full deploy (binary + assets + config + platform hooks + init script)
make deploy-k1 K1_HOST=192.168.x.x

# Deploy and run in foreground with debug logging
make deploy-k1-fg K1_HOST=192.168.x.x

# Deploy binary only (fast iteration during development)
make deploy-k1-bin K1_HOST=192.168.x.x

# SSH into the printer
make k1-ssh K1_HOST=192.168.x.x

# Full build + deploy + run cycle
make k1-test K1_HOST=192.168.x.x

Deploy directory: /usr/data/helixscreen (override with K1_DEPLOY_DIR).

Note: The K1 uses BusyBox, so deployment uses tar/ssh transfer instead of rsync.

What Happens on Deploy

1. Stops any running HelixScreen processes
2. Transfers binaries, assets, XML layouts, and config via tar/ssh
3. Installs SysV init script at /etc/init.d/S99helixscreen for boot persistence
4. Platform hooks stop the stock Creality UI (display-server, Monitor, etc.)
5. Platform hooks disable /etc/init.d/S99start_app to prevent stock UI on reboot
6. Platform hooks ensure SSH (dropbear) survives the stock UI shutdown
7. Starts HelixScreen on the framebuffer

Reverting to Stock UI

ssh root@<printer-ip>
killall helix-screen helix-splash helix-watchdog 2>/dev/null
chmod +x /etc/init.d/S99start_app   # Re-enable stock UI
/etc/init.d/S99start_app start      # Start stock UI now

This lasts until the next boot. config/helixscreen.init calls platform_stop_competing_uis on every start, which re-applies chmod a-x, and S99helixscreen sorts ahead of S99start_app so it runs first. To make the revert stick, either uninstall HelixScreen (install.sh --uninstall, which re-enables the services the installer recorded) or disable the HelixScreen service before re-enabling S99start_app.

Platform Hooks

Platform hooks are in config/platform/hooks-k1.sh. Key behaviors:

Stock UI Shutdown

The stock K1 UI is managed by /etc/init.d/S99start_app, which launches display-server, Monitor, master-server, and other processes. The hooks:

1. Stop S99start_app via its init script
2. chmod a-x the init script to prevent reboot respawn (reversible)
3. Kill only the lingering framebuffer contenders (Monitor first, then display-server)

Only display-server, Monitor and boot_display contend for the framebuffer. The backend servers (master-server, app-server, web-server) are what Creality Print and the Creality Cloud app talk to, so the hooks spare them and the installer deploys /etc/init.d/S99creality-backend (config/creality-backend.init in the repo) to start the trio at boot (#1468). Monitor dies before display-server because it is a watchdog that respawns display-server. Uninstall removes the backend init script and re-enables S99start_app, so the whole stock stack returns.

SSH Safety

Critical: S99start_app also manages dropbear (SSH) on stock firmware. Disabling it would kill SSH on next reboot. The hooks detect this and:

1. Check if dropbear is running after disabling S99start_app
2. If not, start dropbear directly
3. Create /etc/init.d/S50dropbear for future boot persistence

Cache Directory

Sets HELIX_CACHE_DIR=/usr/data/helixscreen/cache since /usr/data/ is the writable partition.

Display Backend

HelixScreen renders directly to /dev/fb0. The framebuffer is 480x800 portrait (virtual size 480x1600 for double-buffering). Software rotation to landscape yields an effective resolution of 800x480.

Touch Input

HelixScreen uses evdev and auto-detects the capacitive touch controller. Running as root (default) avoids permission issues on /dev/input/event*.

Auto-Detection

HelixScreen auto-detects K1 printers using heuristics from config/printer_database.json:

Heuristic	Confidence	Description
Hostname contains k1	80	Unique to K1 series
Hostname contains creality	60	Brand indicator
Chamber fan object	75	K1-exclusive feature
Chamber temp sensor	70	Enclosed printer signature
CoreXY kinematics	40	Common in several printers
Build volume ~220mm	50	K1/K1C standard
Build volume ~300mm	70	K1 Max
AI camera object	60	K1 Max distinctive

Print Start Profile

All K1 models use the creality_k1 print start profile:

{
  "macro_name": "START_PRINT",
  "pre_start_gcode": "PRINT_PREPARED"
}

Klipper Configuration

Stock Objects

# Motion
[printer] kinematics: corexy, max_velocity: 1000, max_accel: 20000
[stepper_x], [stepper_y], [stepper_z]
[tmc2209 stepper_x], [tmc2209 stepper_y], [tmc2209 stepper_z]

# Heating
[extruder], [heater_bed]
[heater_generic chamber_heater]  # K1 Max only

# Temperature Sensors
[temperature_sensor mcu_temp], [temperature_sensor chamber_temp]

# Fans
[fan], [fan_generic fan0], [fan_generic fan1], [fan_generic fan2]
[heater_fan hotend_fan]

# Probing & Calibration
[prtouch_v2]   # Pressure-based leveling
[bed_mesh]
[adxl345]
[input_shaper]

Moonraker port: 7125 (direct). No multi-extruder or toolchanger support — K1 series are single-extruder only.

CFS (optional upgrade)

K1, K1C, and K1 Max can run Creality’s official CFS upgrade. When installed, the upgrade firmware (≥ v2.3.5.33) publishes a box Klipper object and a non-prefixed BOX_* macro set — different from the K2 stock firmware’s CR_BOX_* primitives. HelixScreen detects the K1 dialect via PrinterDetector::is_creality_k1() at backend construction and emits the K1 macros (BOX_EXTRUDE_MATERIAL TNN=…, BOX_EXTRUDER_EXTRUDE TNN=…, BOX_MATERIAL_FLUSH (bare — it takes LEN/VELOCITY/TEMP, never TNN), BOX_CUT_MATERIAL, BOX_RETRUDE_MATERIAL, BOX_NOZZLE_CLEAN, BOX_GO_TO_EXTRUDE_POS, BOX_MOVE_TO_SAFE_POS). See FILAMENT_BACKEND_CFS.md § CFS for the full dialect table.

Community open-source K1 firmwares (Guilouz, Simple AF, Guppy Mod) do not bundle the CFS macros — the upgrade firmware ships separately from Creality. Without the upgrade installed, no box object is published and the CFS backend stays disabled.

For the firmware side — what each BOX_* command actually does, the tn_data.json persistence contract, and the deferred-failure/resume traps that make a successful-looking gcode sequence do nothing — see CREALITY_CFS_K1_INTERNALS.md. Read it before changing anything the CFS backend emits on K1.

Known Limitations

Memory

• 256 MB RAM — Most constrained platform. Moonraker + Klipper + HelixScreen is tight. Monitor memory usage carefully.

Architecture

• MIPS32r2 — Unusual ISA. Cross-compilation requires MIPS toolchain. No NEON SIMD (ARM-specific). MIPS SIMD (MSA) available but unused.
• NaN2008 ABI — The K1’s glibc uses NaN2008 encoding. Dynamic builds must use -mnan=2008 -mfp64 or linking will fail at runtime.

Display

• 480x800 portrait — Same panel as K2 series. Requires software rotation to 800x480 landscape.

Firmware

• Moonraker required — Stock firmware has no Moonraker. Users must install community firmware first.
• K1C 2025 revision — Some newer K1C units removed the root access option from the settings menu. Community workarounds exist but are not widely adopted.

Related Resources

• pellcorp/creality — Simple AF firmware (recommended for HelixScreen)
• Guilouz/Creality-K1-and-K1-Max — Helper Script & Wiki
• ballaswag/creality_k1_klipper_mod — Guppy Mod
• ballaswag/guppyscreen — GuppyScreen (LVGL touch UI, proves MIPS fbdev works)
• ballaswag/k1-discovery — Hardware reverse engineering docs
• CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper — Official Klipper source
• K1 Series Research — Detailed hardware and software research
• K1 vs K2 Community Comparison — Ecosystem differences
• User Setup Guide — End-user installation walkthrough