Creality Ender 3 hotend LED Spotlight

thingiverse

If you're using an Ender 3 and notice that the area under the extruder is now darker due to having a top light bar, you'll realize right away that illuminating the first layers with a webcam requires some additional lighting. You'll need: a) A Cree LED rated at 1 watt https://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Real-Full-Watt-CREE-1W-3W-High-Power-LED-lamp-Bulb-Diodes-SMD-110-120LM-LE/253704813250 b) A lens for the LED: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-45-60-90-120-led-Lens-for-1W-3W-5W-Hight-Power-LED-with-White-Black-holder/222893962428 c) A small buck converter: https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-pcs-Ultra-Small-DC-DC-Step-Down-3A-Adjustable-Buck-Converter-Replace-LM2596/253063733425 d) An on-off switch: https://www.ebay.com/itm/20-Pcs-DC-30V-1A-Black-Off-On-Mini-Push-Button-Switch-for-Electric-Torch/382183202665?epid=2155309477 The assembly consists of: LED ring -> lens -> Cree LED -> buck converter -> buck mount. The lens is pressed into the housing, as is the on-off switch. The mount can be removed; however, if a tight fit on the rail is needed, a shim has been provided. Someone may improve upon the design to achieve both a tight fit and removability. The supports for the buck converter mount require 10% fill and 0.9 xy distance. The buck converter can handle up to 17V input voltage, so if you have a 12V LED bar, it can be powered from there. The LED voltage should be set to 3.2V max. It's been set at 2.8V because it was too bright. There is no problem with the Cree LED getting hot since it doesn't touch PLA anywhere.