Auxiliary Lighting for A1

This may not be the most elegant solution but it works–very well.

Here’s a pic of the installation in a darkened room sans flash:

Here’s a screen capture of the print in progress using a very dark matte green filament:

Follow this link for the lamps used.

Obtaining useful lighting where it is actually needed is very difficult due to the design of the machine. I’ve experimented with all sorts of placement for this lighting and an arrangement similar to what you see in the first pic is the best I can achieve.

In my personal opinion the available kits that amount to a strip of COB leds attached to the bottom of the horizontal X-axis rail is beyond worthless because it has zero chance of directing light where it is actually required.

If you clamp to the top horizontal bar that connects the Z-axis uprights be certain to put it far enough away from the edge to prevent interference with the X-axis brackets when the printhead is at the maximum height above the build surface. The clamp used to secure the lamp is just thick enough to interfere.

Unfortunately the lamps do not lend themselves to simple automation (say via a remotely controlled power outlet for both them and the printer) because they must be manually reset after power is removed.

I bought one of these. Very easy to fit and it comes on with the original light so you can turn it on/off with the phone app as well.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007545715971.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.152.516e1802qoISue

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