Hi, after a couple months printing with my P1S, I would definitely like to light up the interior more as the pre installed light just isn’t bright enough. The LED strip that is supported by Bambu for the P1S would come out to be $25 with shipping.
Could I just order any 5V usb LED strip of lights? I am just wondering if any light strip labeled”5V” will work with the included usb port in the printer. Or should I just go with the ones listed below?
Thank you!
This simple answer is; aboslutely yes, all USB LEDs are compatible.
While on that subject, unless you are in a rush to give away your money and spend 2X for a less than stellar product, just do a search on printables for a whole list of LED solutions.
I had to create one last year solely because I was dissatisfied with the solutions that existed as most produced too much glare. I ended up taking the concept and creating and indirect lighting hood.
However, the operative word here is USB COB LED. COB stands for Circuit On Board. Here’s the search term on Amazon. All of these have the ability to be cut to length just using either a household scissor or utility knife.
In my situation, the p1s in a room not otherwise used much, I have a cheap angle poise type lamp, shining through the lid of p1s, controlled by a wireless socket. It also lights up the room enough to navigate to the printer.
I’ll tell you what I would NOT suggest. BigTreeTech just came out with the “Panda Lux” for the X1C/P1S that plugs in to the same connector that the Bambu factory bar plugs in to. It’s only $9.99 but I can tell you it’s about as dim as the stock lighting. Olias is right on the money with his suggestion. Edited out the part about pulling 24V from the AMS cable, it’s always worked for me but I just saw that Bambu recommends against it.
I have read somewhere that the reason BL made the light dim is so that it would not interfere with the lidar, a simple programmable switch should have solved that problem though, I have seen some videos on the Panda Lux and the people who installed them seemed satisfied with the amount of light, I made lights for my enclosed Ender 5 Plus machines and ended up chopping off LED’s one by one until I got the right amount of light that did not wash out the camera image, I also had to print diffusers, what I found was that there is a very fine line between too much light power and not enough, combine that with the light that won’t interfere with the lidar and you have a very difficult task.
I saw one DIY video where this kit came with its own power supply and a remote control so that the light could be fine-tuned for the camera image and the lidar.
This is the solution I shall be using, I was quite interested in the Panda Lux, however, there seems to be some confusion about whether it can be used alongside the existing light on the X1 Carbon.
BQ put out a video where they advised not to use the original light alongside the Panda Lux, this was regarding the P1 though, in the case of the X1 Carbon they supply a small connector board that includes sockets for both lights.
In conclusion, I think I shall wait until it is confirmed if both lights can be used with the X1C before purchasing either product.
The people who were happy with the light level might have the original ones BTT put out. It’s my understanding that Bambu informed them that the socket for the factory light bar couldn’t handle more than 0.3A so they had to change them to what they are selling now. The “after” pictures on the Panda Lux page are definitely not what mine look like now. I’ve been running bright Cobb light strips in mine for over a year, and selling them in a riser on Etsy for a while and they have never interfered with the lidar. I just wasn’t happy with the fact I couldn’t control them from the app. I’m about to put a box on the back of the printer with a tiny relay that the factory light connector will turn on and off to control the cobb light strips. That way I’ll have bright light and not over tax the factory light socket.
Ah, now I understand the differences in opinions on the Panda Lux.
I agree with you, a relay is the best solution as you pointed out it will work with the software, I was kicking myself when I wrote the reply as I haven’t even tried the lights I made for my Ender 5 + machines, those are powered from a USB charger or the Orange Pi’s I have installed for Klipper and Octoprint, should they be suitable for my X1C I will control them with a relay as I have a few kicking around/
i have the panda touch connected to the usb port in the P1S and was thinking of getting some extra lights to see inside better could i connect them to the usb port with the Panda hub in the usb slot
Thanks for clarifying that. It is very easy to add a USB hub to the device which would then allow you to use the USB port for power. Standard USB is 5VDC at 1amp. That’s 5watts. So long as you don’t draw more than 5 watts, you’ll be fine. How do you measure that you might ask? With one of these.
