Printer Lights
I'm getting tired of not being able to see very well during prints, so I'm fiddling with adding lights. I've got some paint stirrer sticks that should make good supports, and I printed a couple of parts I can screw to the side of the bin shelf to support lights:
Next up, I want to figure out the best way to mount a length of aluminum angle where I'll stick the LED strip. I want it to be able to rotate so I can pick the best angle for lighting up the printer.
For the next part, I gave organic supports a try and they worked well to print the large overhangs this piece has:
Once the supports are snapped off (which was easy), the piece can go on the end of the sliding stick
Finally, I need a way to run a length of aluminum angle extrusion across the two sides above the printer and allow it to rotate to adjust the light angle:
The holes allow the wires to be inserted from the side.
Next up: Get this much assembled and figure out how long to cut the slides and aluminum. I'll probably also want to make a press fit clip to put on each side of the aluminum to prevent the light from sliding back and forth.
Got everything cut to length and assembled with super glue. Initial test using a 12V wall wart I had laying around:
Plenty of light now! But I had to wedge the angle in position, otherwise it flops over. So I need to design some clips to push fit on the aluminum and press on the inside of the mount to provide enough friction to keep things from flopping no matter what angle I rotate the light. One clip on each side will also keep the light from sliding back and forth.
Designed and printed a clip (inspired by my Solidoodle 2 Nozzle Cleaner from back in 2013) to grab the aluminum and press on the inside of the mount:
Printed a mirror image for the left side, and once both clips are pushed against the side of the mount, there is indeed enough friction to hold the light at any angle and keep it from sliding back and forth, but I can still rotate it.
I want to think about getting power from the MK4 itself next so the lights come on when I turn on the MK4. I'll want a connector on whatever cable I add so I can easily unplug the printer from the wires when I want to move it. I've got a 24V to 12V buck converter I was planning to use for this when I build an enclosure, but I might as well use it now and worry about the enclosure later.
While I was doing tests for my extruder problems and had the printer on the workbench, I went ahead and hooked up a short cable to the incoming 24V power for the heat bed on the buddy board:
I can easily disconnect the inline plug if I need to move the printer. When plugged in, the 24V power goes up to a 24V to 12V buck converter on the side of the filament bin shelf:
So now I don't need a separate wall wart, and the lights come on when the printer is turned on. (I did sacrifice a length of cable from an old wall wart to get a nice molded barrel connector to plug into the light.)
Update: The gadgets to try to keep the lights from rotating don't work very well, I finally gave up and just squirted some hot glue on the knurled cylinders to fix them in position.
Also the connector I tried to crimp on the wire didn't work very well either, so I replaced it with a more reliable connector just outside the buddy board box and the long wire leading to the buck converter (the new one is soldered).