Picamera Photography Rig for a 120 LED Diffused Dome Light for Macro and Reflective Objects

prusaprinters

I needed a way for a Picamera to take pictures of highly reflective surfaces.  Conventional lighting created too much glare, so I went with a different solution; a microscope light.  This item is available at this link: https://www.microscope.com/120-led-diffused-dome-ring-light-esd-safe.htmlThe microscope light allows very precise adjustments to brightness and the LEDs are distributed behind the white diffuser material on the light's interior.  This creates a very soft, white light that works well for reflective surfaces. However, I needed a way to marry the Picamera with the light and lift the light above the photographic subject. Here is a fully assembled version (FYI, this rig was originally built to roll and capture dice rolls for some statistical testing, so the version pictured has a solenoid mount in the center I removed from the included .stl since I assume most people would prefer a flat surface)Assembly is straightforward;Connect the ribbon cable to the Picamera. Mount your Picamera to the “'Picamera Mount” disk with a couple of nylon screws and nuts. The mount assembly then fits into the microscope mount at the top of the light. Tighten the screws to hold it all in place. Insert the microscope light into the “Dome Light Connector” I split this part out of the models in case someone needed a way to raise or lower the height. You can print different heights of connectors to raise or lower the light without  printing the microscope light base again for different applications.Place the "Dome Light Connector" with the camera and light into the base with legs. The “X” shaped “Support Base” that holds all the legs in place is optional. I needed it as a solenoid was bouncing the entire unit and it was the only way to keep it stable. If you are just photgraphing stationary items, you may not need it.