The P1S camera is so bad that I got the idea to set up my own . I printed out a flexible camera mount and used a spare ring camera and the video is fantastic. I can access the camera from anywhere in the world to check on and record a print.
Nice concept. Please share the parts you used and any photos of how you put it together.
Nice! I thought the built in cam was a low quality webcam at least. Not a timelapse cam literally watching a live timelapse. People say it’s fine for just checking it’s printing you’re not going to save a print. Yeah I’d rather watch a video of the printing anyway either way this way or that way. So I’m trying to adapt a new camera either Ring or Kasa. My problem is I have the AMS sitting on top and can’t look through there removing the top. I’ll probably poke a hole in the side.
Looking something better than built-in camera, too.
Just as idea- try to print AMS raiser and attach the camera bracket to it.
Nice modification.
I agree, a AMS raiser/Camera combination would be a good idea.
I’m thinking about repurposing an old Ring camera as a chamber camera for a 3D printer (for example a P1S). The idea would be to open the camera and only place the actual camera module inside the print chamber.
The rough concept would be something like this:
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Open the Ring camera and remove the outer housing
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Extract the camera module (sensor + lens + IR LEDs)
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Keep the main board with WiFi and power supply outside the chamber
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Leave the original flex cable between camera module and main board intact (do not extend it)
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Mount only the small camera head inside the chamber, for example near the top frame or side wall
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Place the rest of the electronics outside the chamber where temperatures are lower
Important things to consider:
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do not extend the flex cable
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avoid placing the camera directly above the hotend or heated bed
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position the IR LEDs so they don’t reflect directly off the glass door
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seal the cable pass-through properly
The Ring camera would still run normally over WiFi, only the camera head would sit inside the printer.
Just wondering if anyone has tried something like this before or has experience with chamber temperatures and Ring cameras.
Oh boy, this could be a topic for several posts and a category unto its own. It’s a bit of a pet project of mine, not just for printer monitoring.
I’ve done something like this many times, but not with a Ring camera. In fact, it became another hobby for me while I was trying to build a space-optimized series of cameras for my P1. I started out using trail cameras that I salvaged electronics from, then purchased parts from Amazon to suit the application.
While I understand the appeal of repurposing a Ring camera, it is a costly way to accomplish something that also keeps you locked into the Ring ecosystem. This is just my personal preference, but when friends ask me about technology in general, I discourage closed ecosystems and favor open architecture. Why is that important? One word: choice.
If you’re willing to put in the effort, it is actually pretty easy to do. I would recommend a less expensive, more flexible, and more robust route - using one of the many ESP32 platforms that support cameras. There are dozens of projects on Printables with models and how-to guides:
Here is a YouTube search that leads to scores of examples and step-by-step builds, many using 3D printer enclosures and linking to Printables and Hackaday tutorials. The ESP32 is one of the easiest platforms to implement. I have also experimented with Raspberry ■■■ using open-source projects like MotionEye to build night-vision critter cams with motion detection.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=esp32+camera+web+server
For a printer cam, here are some components I have already tested. For the price of one Ring cam, you can buy enough parts to build several cameras.
ESP32 platform that I used. There are others, but this is one of the cheapest - about $17 for three units and $27 for six.
Then you’ll need to choose your camera. Here is one that I used with night-vision capability, although there are far too many options to list individually.
Cabling
You’ll also want ribbon cable kits so you can extend the camera to whatever length you need.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OV5647+cable
An even better shortcut
Last year I started watching Amazon for sales on surveillance cameras. One thing I discovered is that you can sometimes buy a cheap Tapo camera for under $15 during promotions. I bought four of them for about $60 total and used the internal parts for a different projects.
The drawback is that the camera is mounted on a PCB, so the overall assembly is larger compared to an ESP32 with a small remote camera on a cable. Still, it worked well for projects where I needed multiple camera angles in tight spaces without spending much.
For example, I had a rodent problem and needed several monitoring points in crawl spaces. The Tapo cameras became my go-to solution. I simply designed mounts in CAD to match the geometry I needed and placed the cameras where required.
Another option I could imagine is using old/used GoPros from the open market; as far as I know, GoPros aren’t tied to any specific Oko system, and they’re also incredibly small.
I’m fond of Eufy cams. They’re cheap, have good optics and sensors, they support RTSP video and work fine with open source DVR software. Once configured for your local network, you can then cut them off from the Internet at the firewall. And you can buy one for less than an Esp32 board and camera.