NEMA (extruder) motor rotation indicator (Prusa MK2(S)/MK2.5/MK3/MMU2)

thingiverse

I always like to stay on top of what's going on with my printers. Sometimes I wonder what movement the extruder motor is making (extruding, retracting, slow, fast, etc.), which isn't always clear on the Prusa i3 MK2 / MK2S / MK2.5 / MK3. So, I designed an indicator that you can magnetically snap onto the axis of the NEMA extruder stepper motor. Just print the design, glue a small magnet to it with some super glue (let it dry), and snap it on the motor (make sure to attach the magnet to the raised side). These prints take only a few minutes. For fun, I also designed a "Dutch Windmill" version. For the purists: unfortunately, the extruder motor rotates clockwise when extruding, unlike original Dutch windmills which turn counter-clockwise :-). I also added a version with smileys. Feel free to create your own design and don't forget to share it! I've uploaded six versions: - Indicator for an 8x3mm Magnet - Windmill for an 8x3mm Magnet - Smiley for an 8x3mm Magnet - Lightning for an 8x3mm Magnet - Indicator for a 6x3mm Magnet** - "Turbine" version for an 8x3mm Magnet (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2802136) **Note that the 6 mm magnet version isn't successful for me (it rotates, but slips too much). I'm leaving the design available since maybe it works for someone else, but my recommendation is to use the versions with 8x3mm magnets. Mikolas Zuza from Prusa Research has also written an article about this indicator / visualizer on Prusa's website: https://www.prusaprinters.org/visualize-extruder-motor-movements/ Edit 06-02-2018: In the comments below, Insanity682 pointed out that he posted a magnetic attachable extruder indicator before me - of which I was not aware (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2285254), so credits to him. Following this notification, I found that Tinkerer did something similar in 2013 already https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:119000), so kudos to them as well. Maybe there are even more! Anyway, credits to whoever deserves it; I just hope people like it. https://youtu.be/YSM4HN9qsq4 https://youtu.be/cpXcXe8jRyE https://youtu.be/R37Sh5CsHQE Neodymium Magnets are easy to find, for example here: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/Hot-Sales-N52-Super-Strong-Cylinder-Disc-Magnets-8-x-3mm-Rare-Earth-Neodymium/263071072275?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=562071935207&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Update 13-01-2019: You can also attach them to the Prusa MMU2 stepper motors