Timelapse Trigger for Ender 3

thingiverse

I see a lot of people making beautiful timelapses using octoprint, However I don´t own a Raspberry Pi and the prices are outrageous so a cheaper and simpler solution was due. Therefore I designed this thing to suit my needs. I am not going full depth in the timelapse procedure. There are a lot of people on the web that does a far better job than me explaining that. I designed this timelapse trigger to work with my Satsana Head Remix and Ender 3. You´ll use the original X axis belt tensioner mechanism, however youll need a tad bit longer screw to replace the original one. Since you landed on this page I assume you are a tinkerer, so you´ll be able to assembly it with basic instructions. Materials needed. - PLA (great opportunity to use leftover pieces) - 1 x M4 screw (I used M4 x 18mm) - Microswitch (doesn't really matter which type, get the one you have access to) - P2 connector (female) - Connectors (optional) - Wire to wire the microswitch and P2 connector - 2 x M2.5 Screw - Remote trigger extension cord (to connect remote trigger and camera), instructions below. - You´ll need a small 3d printed block to cover the gap between the Satsana head and the microswitch. In my case a 8x8x8 cube did the job (white thingy glued to the head). I advise in measuring your gap (since not all microswitches are the same) and print as needed. To measure the distance Home Y and then park the head at 235mm and measure the distance between the head and the microswitch activation point. Print accordingly. If you don´t have a extension cord you´ll also need - P2 connector (male) - P1 connector (male) (or the one according to your camera) OBS: This trigger works for the Canon 80D (I tested it myself) and it should work with any camera that uses a P1 connector as remote trigger interface. Check if your camera has the same wiring scheme in order to make it work. To make the extension cord is pretty straightforward, just solder some wires following the pinout diagram (don´t bother about focus as it is not needed for this project just shutter release). Solder the microswitch and P2 connector following the same logic as you did for the extension cord. Assembly of the whole thing is pretty obvius looking at the pictures, just note that you´ll need to install the bracket and then install the microswitch. Once assembled connect the cable in the trigger and the camera and you have yourself a trigger. You´ll need to modify the gcode in order to make the "ghost" timelapse happen. If you are using Cura just add a timelapse script and you are good to go. I do not know how to make it work in other slicers.