Please do. Would be appreciated to have a view on how it works out over time.
When I printed the AMS Riser v2 back then, I naturally installed a better light source straight away. I just plugged in the maximum instead of the supplied light so as not to run the risk of somehow overloading the board. The light was great, nice and bright. But since then I’ve always had problems with the filament calibration. It was probably too bright and the sensor could no longer recognise the reflection of the filament.
After a week I bought the Pandalux. It’s also noticeably brighter than stock, but doesn’t confuse the sensor when calibrating. This was the best middle way for me, I didn’t want to have to do without the calibration function all the time (with shiny filaments).
The best solution would probably be to supply the light with an external power source, leave the standard light plugged in for calibration, and activate and deactivate the additional light as soon as this is complete.
And as I’m writing this, it occurs to me that this could be realised via HomeAssistant. I hadn’t yet set this up for the printer when I tried the light.
I must have just got work for the weekend
The LED strip around my AMS Riser v2 has not been an issue for the rare times I use auto-calibration. I prefer to calibrate once for the profile and save print time on each print thereafter, but I do use it sometimes with a new filament when I am in a hurry.
But if you do have a calibration problem from excessive light, there is a simple solution. If you turn off the light when the X1C is idle, it will remain off until the actual print begins - after the auto-calibration is complete.
Alright I got a major update!
The LR7843 modules arrived and I got one installed!
Before I start, I should mention that I haven’t had problems with the few times I’ve printed so far with the new lights. Like I said, I got the “higher density” stuff so it’s very bright!
After playing around and learning how the LR7843 modules work, I worked on installing one.
I used my already installed wiring and connected everything up to the LR7843 module. I really should have done a better job installing it, but I have it wedged on top of the power supply cover behind the poop chute. It’s all plastic so it should™ be fine.
(You can see the module through the clear poop chute plastic)
For it being in the back, I had to run sing “signal” wires up to the connector for the original Light. It was a bit difficult, but I got it done.
As you can see, I also removed the original light in the process. I have it as a spare but I cut the cable to connect to my new wires so I would need to order a new one if I want to use the original light. Although, this is really the only permanent modification to the printer, and even at that, it’s very easy to replace.
And continently, I left in the barrel jack that came with the new LED Strip, so it’s super easy to take the Riser off with the strip attached.
After getting everything installed, it all works!
(Low Quality) Video of it doing the thing on OneDrive
I can control it from the screen, app, Orcaslicer, etc…
Here’s a before and after…
Some notes:
- It was mostly easy, aside from a few (mostly) self-inflected difficulties, a major one is that crappy wire I used to go from the power supply to the isolator module. It’s 16 AWG which is kind of over-kill but it cheap AliExpress silicone wire, and it’s super slippery and I was able to pull it out of the module with a solid tug no matter how tight I made it. Mixed with it just being wedged between the poop chute, I should have had like double sticky foam pad or something to stick the isolator module down
- If you connect to the original light, the cable that goes between the AP board to the light has super tiny wire, and can be a little difficult to deal with and strip.
- I personally have not had any problems with it affecting calibration or anything. I ran a couple of prints after the final install with everything turned on and had no problems.
- I’m not using a relay, just running the lights directly off the LR7843 module. I don’t think this would cause any issues, and the module seems to handle the ~500mA fine. I literally just though that I can feel it through the little hole in the back of the chamber and it doesn’t feel warm at all and thermal imaging confirms this. (It said about 40ºC, what I could barely read of it)
- The LED Strip came with the female barrel connector on it, so I wasn’t able to put the cable through any of the holes in the frame so I had to run it in-front of the frame. The printhead does get close enough to crush the cable, but it seems that it only stays towards the left in the back of the printer, so if you keep the cable towards the right in-front of the frame, it’ll be fine.
- So far, I have only printed PLA with the lid open, so most of the heat from the printer and LED just leaves the printer, but I could definitely see the sticky on the LED strip failing with the lid closed printing ABS/ASA or other high(er) temp stuff.
- Electrical tape does not stick to PLA (lol). I tried to use electrical tape to stick the cable end of the LED strip to help take some stress off the quite weak sticky on the LED strip. I’ll probably find something else to try and stick the cable on better
- Of course, you don’t have to go as far as I did. The Riser V2 has a hole in the back to pass a cable through a cable for lights, and it’s not too hard to manually (un)plug the lights if you only partially do it like I did originally. (Have the barrel go straight to the power supply so it’s always on and just manually (un)plug it to turn it On/Off)
- It shouldn’t have to be said, but even with the minimal permanent modification done, this still most certainly voids your warranty. As well as be careful around electronics, especially the power supply as it has exposed high voltage (make sure your printer is turned-off and unplugged!), and high temperatures if you use shrink-wrap and soldering. Do this at your own risk.
Timelapse with Old Light
Timelapse with New Lighting
I think it looks really cool and enjoyed learning more of how my printer works, and I know how to replace many parts and stuff now. As well as finding out about those LR7843 modules, I’m pretty young and love learning about electronics and all the different boards/modules you can get, and those opto-isolator modules I will definitely be using in the future.
I’m sure there’s stuff I missed so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.
tl;dr Through a lot of messing with my printer and routing cabling, I got fancy a Fancy LED Strip installed using the printers original Power Supply and Chamber Light control.