Vega - The LED-lit Christmas Star

thingiverse

With Special Tools 3D-Printable Xmas Star we honor winners of The Nobel Prize in Physics 2014, Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura who revolutionized energy efficiency. We pay tribute to their work that brought efficient LED lights, HD TVs and smartphones into our lives. Without it, today's tech landscape would be vastly different. We designed the 3D-files for Special Tools 3D-Printable Xmas Star to enclose a standard LED light strip available at most hardware stores. Modular Five-Tip Star Features Five identical star tips that come together in a modular design Short segments of 1.75mm filament keep parts intact, no glue needed! Cooling airflow through carefully placed ventilation holes keeps your prints running smoothly Wall-mount included for horizontal or vertical attachment to suit any space Wall-mount allows cable rotation adjustment to align star parallel to wall or window. STL-Files We provide the star tips as follows: Single tip: Xmas_Star_Tips_v04.stl Build plate for Replicator 2 (4 tips in one print): Xmas-Star_Buildplate-Replicator2-4pcs.stl Build plate size 200x200mm (3 tips in one print): Xmas-Star_Buildplate-RepRap-s200x200mm-3pcs.stl Joint assembly view: Xmas-Star_Assembly_Joint.stl Fully assembled star with five tips: Xmas-Star_FullAssembly.stl Mount for hanging star on horizontal surface: Horizontal_Wallmount.STL Mount for hanging star on vertical surface: Vertical_Wallmount.STL Demonstration of wall mount positions and assembly: Wallmount_Assembly.stl DISCLAIMER We successfully used this design with low-power LED strips indoors, following standard safety precautions. Check your LED light source manual for instructions. PRINT SETTINGS Recommended settings are: Use clear PLA plastic filament for optimal visibility. Three shells or perimeters will provide strength. Rough resolution at 0.3 or 0.4mm decreases print time significantly. No infill required. Support structures turned off. Top section closed automatically via "bridging". These settings work exclusively with filament-based FFF-3D-printers. VIDEO View this video tutorial: [insert link] TUTORIAL Steps 1. 3D-print all parts using the recommended print settings 2. Print one tip at a time or use the supplied build plates for easier assembly. Use any color PLA plastic if you prefer to change the hue of your star 4. Arrange all five 3D-printed tips on a flat surface, same as during printing 5. Verify male-female joints are correctly aligned and fit together snuggly 6. Insert the loose end of LED strip through the first tip, all the way out at other end. 7. While still separate, continue threading the strip through each segment until you return to the starting tip. This will be your star's top anchor point. 8. Connect two segments and ensure joint fits securely then thread in left-over filament 9. Bend and snap it off once inserted completely 10. Repeat this for remaining parts until entire star is assembled DO NOT cut filaments with knife – instead bend to break. 11. Use the preferred cable attachment from the included mounts and hang the star accordingly. 12. Let star rest undisturbed, allowing cable to settle into its final position 13. Slowly twist the rotational part of wall-mount until the star lies parallel to your desired surface Don't remove the protective film covering LED strip yet, as it makes strips easy to slide through the star