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Maker’s Supply Kits and Parts: [Name of the kit or part]
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Does anyone know of models that have used this part? I haven’t been able to find any.
The pinout of the connector looks like a standard servo - is this correct?
What would be the recommended control mechanism? I could use Arduino but I’m trying to think of the easiest, no-solder way so that projects would be easy to assemble by end-users. Also, for easy of ordering using something like Arduino would complicate the BOM.
Regarding control, I’d be interested in mechanisms that are either triggered by a button press or are just cycling.
I can imagine a lot of potential scenarios where this part could be useful but am just hoping to learn from anyone with experience!
Does anyone know of models that have used this part? I haven’t been able to find any.
There are actually zero, yes. Most likely due to the lack of compatibility with other Maker’s Supply parts. You can find stuff that uses a specific part by google searching “"PARTNUMBER" site:makerworld.com” This will pull up everything that has that part number that is on makerworld.com. It works well for me. You can also set up advanced search filters using the Google advanced search menu or other search modifiers. E.g. “"PARTNUMBER" -lamp site:makerworld.com” would pull up everything that is not a lamp but has a specific part. Pretty cool!
What would be the recommended control mechanism? I could use Arduino but I’m trying to think of the easiest, no-solder way so that projects would be easy to assemble by end-users. Also, for easy of ordering using something like Arduino would complicate the BOM.
Yes. There is currently no way to easily integrate them with other Maker’s Supply components. I’m hoping for a micro controller of some sort soon that will let us do this.
Regarding control, I’d be interested in mechanisms that are either triggered by a button press or are just cycling.
That could in theory be accomplished with the same type of receiver as a model airplane.
They appear to be used sometimes in model airplanes, for example to adjust the wings. They can be controlled using a standard airplane RC receiver system or an Arduino. This video shows a similar actuator being controlled using an Arduino and a relay.
Recently, I’ve been using the COB LED lights in multiple projects and have found them versatile and convenient. Below, I wanted to share answers to some of the questions I had before using these parts.
Q: What is the diameter of the LED strips? A: The store listing indicates that all three sizes (300, 200 & 100mm) are 1mm in diameter. In practice, I find that that the diameters are closer to:
1.9mm for the 300mm LED
1.6mm for the 200mm and 100mm LEDs
Q: How can the LEDs be attached to prints?
Within a tube: for applications without significant movement, I’ve found this to be a stable method. In the GIF below, I had run the LEDs through a tube and had a small cross-bar over the top. Bending the strip over this bar provided plenty of tension for a stable hold.
Inset within a channel: when mounting the strips to a surface, I use a Boolean operation to create a channel with a lip that holds the LED in place. Given the rubbery coating, I’ve found that this can create a strong hold. I use these measurements (also included as an STL) for the Boolean object and extrude it into the shape I need:
This example STL includes channels for both a 300mm and 200mm LED with a pass-through for the PCB to stay hidden in the back. The diameter of the channels is just enough to hold the full length of the LED for each size.
Magnets: Although I haven’t tried this myself, other users have mentioned using magnets and self-tapping screws such as in this post.
Q: How flexible are the LED strips?
A: I haven’t stressed the components enough to bring them to the point of failure but have bent them to 20 degrees without any issues. Similarly I’ve wrapped them around a cylinder with a diameter of 7mm without causing any failure. Mechanical pencil for scale:
The flexibility of the strips I can allow for them to be placed in tight quarters where wiring could be difficult. Thin this example I’m feeding them through a channel at a 90 degree angle so that all of the wiring can remain contained within a separate space.
Q: Is light emitted evenly around the surface of the strip? A: The actual LEDs all face a single direction but the rubber material diffuses the light. I don’t have a way to measure this accurately but would estimate that the back side is around 75% the brightness of the front.
Because the light is diffused, I find that these LEDs can be a good solution for providing light across a large area vs. using several smaller, directional lights. In this example a single LED is providing light behind many small windows on two sides of an object:
Q: Are these suitable for moving parts? A: Maybe but in my use cases, I have needed to be cautious of any movement of the LED strip or wires leading to it. At first I thought there was a short in the SH 1.0 wires I was using but have seen the same flickering behavior across multiple wires, power distribution boards and potentiometers.
Thank you for this information! That is extreme helpfull my friend!
Bambu should state this at their shop site in the category of the makers supply. This way more people will take notice of that helpfull task!
