LightRider

thingiverse

Project LightRider is a Raspberry Pi-driven LED chaser light system for the K8200 print bed, controlled by OctoPrint events and Python scripting. It features standalone runner mode with button-controlled demo mode and developable sequences. The hardware layout is also included. Check out the related YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRhgaWbLEP4. The project is a remix of http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:155262, which has been enhanced with more lights and M3 screws for mounting the LED ring. The ring has been redesigned to accommodate 12 LEDs and a screw-capable M3x16mm mount. Controlling 12 high-powered LEDs (5500MCD, 14mA per LED) through Raspberry Pi GPIOs initially posed a challenge, requiring the use of bias resistors and Darlington Arrays for transistor control. The prefboard buffers 14 GPIO pins (3.3V) to 5V, includes 12x 150Ohm resistors, and 2x 300(2x150)Ohm resistors. One GPIO (pin 26, 3.3V OUT) is used without a Darlington Array as a single LED controller with a bias resistor. Two buttons are connected to I2C, which already has a 1.8kOhm pull-up resistor, eliminating the need for additional resistors for button control. The project uses onboard LEDs for OctoPrint server and printer status updates (e.g., Server Startup, Printer Connected) and the two buttons for controlling chaser light sequences. The Python code can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/thomaskneisel/LightRider. The project aims to achieve various targets, including learning useful electronics, controlling something with a self-written program using a Raspberry Pi microcontroller, and integrating with OctoPrint for hardware control. It also utilizes two hardware buttons for on/off functionality and sequence control. The open-source print design is based on a remix of http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:155262, and the code is written in Python.