Illumination for the Imagination Station

prusaprinters

Problem: Even though I have my enclosure lit up like Area 51, I still can't see shit directly AT the nozzle because of all the shadowing created by the extruder assembly. I was going to try out the PrinterMods.com Hotend LED Kit, and I may still at some point, but I have a bunch of loose 5mm LED's laying around so figured I'd play with that first. Also, the PrinterMods kit won't work with the MK3S+ because the hotend fan they want you to piggyback off of is 5V and their kit is 12V. I shouldn't say it won't work at all….it just won't work in the manner they intended, so you'd need to get 12 volts to the kit to work around that. (I'm not super excited about splicing power from ANYTHING at the hotend anyway, but that's another conversation.)So, rather than adding even more lighting in the enclosure itself and having it seen from the Space Station (which arguably would solve the problem), I have been tinkering around with the idea of a nozzle spotlight, and this is what I've come up with so far. It's tough to find a good attachment point and still get a piece that's minimal, doesn't interfere, easily removed during servicing and has the right geometry to get light on the work effectively.Going to run with this version for a while and see how it works.Attachment is quite easy; I just replaced the right-side print fan M3x20 with an M3x30 that puts threads out the backside of the captured nut, then I just threw a washer and nut on there to hold the light on. It's adjustable in two axes, and I didn't spend a bunch of time engineering the pin fitting between the two pieces because I planned to just glue that once I get the exact angle I like. These are the LED's I have. The piece is set up for the bevel holder linked below.AmazonSmile: DiCUNO 100Pcs (10 Colors × 10Pcs) 5MM Pre Wired 12V LED Diodes, 9.4 Inch/24CM Ultra Bright Light Emitting Diodes Assorted Color Kit Box for Circuit Science Experiment, DIY Lighting Projects : Industrial & ScientificDaierTek 20Pcs 5MM LED Lamp Holder LED Bezel Round Copper Chrome Plated Emitting Diode LED Bezel Holder - - AmazonSmile