LED Sticks: A Modular, Low Power, LED Light System for 3D Printers #LightItUp

thingiverse

As a frequent printer who rarely gets sleep, I've always resorted to using my cell phone's light to examine my prints while working through the night. It was so annoying that I came up with a basic LED driver powered by a wall outlet, providing visible light while printing. As my designs evolved, I finally settled on having a main driver unit (clipped onto the top left, printed in brown) with multiple clip-on LED "sticks" that can be stuck to any edge of 3D printers. I had my circuit fabricated and began prototyping. The current design allows up to 8 Modular LED sticks, requiring only a small resistor change. Bendable cables were used for wiring the LEDs, and they're covered with clear cable protectors to withstand rough handling while looking stylish. As you can see in the pictures, these aren't ordinary LEDs – they're designed for back-lighting and aesthetic purposes. I'll soon post a link where I bought them. The kapton tape used to secure the LED onto the stick allows users to select any colored tape for their desired light tone. Kapton tape has a semi-orange color, producing a "warm" white instead of bright white. BSI gap-filler secures wire leads onto the stick with a firm, super glue-like hold. Using a caliper, I made precise measurements to ensure that the clips won't interfere with the printing process. So far, there are no issues! The LED driver PCB is shown in the last picture with a basic description; please let me know if you have questions. I'll be posting the schematic and parts list soon. Lastly, you'll find three .stl files: the driver case and two different LED stick sizes (regular and "Jumbo"). They're very basic designs for quick printing and use. I designed this project to grow; feel free to message me if you're interested in the LED driver unit – I have plenty available.