RPi and camera support for Printrbot Simple Maker's Kit (1405) version 2

thingiverse

The Printrbot Simple Maker's Kit is a wonderful small 3D printer with loads of potential. Octoprint has a special distribution for the Raspberry Pi called OctoPi which allows one to load STL parts, print and make time lapse videos via local network and free your computer from the burden of being attached to the printer for while it's printring. To mount parts to the printer more securely I made some supports that attach to the existing screws on the printer, the screws are long enough to hold the supports and still reach the nuts. The support for the RPi is for the model B, not the more recent B+. The stock RPi camera cable isn't long enough so I ordered a longer one from DealExtreme (although it needs to be modified). The camera has its focus set to infinity by default you need to break the glue inside it by rotating the lens a little bit to adjust the focus as needed, otherwise you'll get a very blurry image. Since the Printrbot USB port is so close to the RPi USB port I also ordered a tiny micro-USB cable. To complete the set I added a USB Wi-Fi dongle on the RPi so I can control it wirelessly from anywhere in the house from any device. The camera can be oriented and since the version 1 is now attached on the print bed making videos much better. The cable management has also been improved with, again, parts that use the existing screws to hold them securely in place. To improve the field of view of the camera, which is quite close to the part, I used a cheap camera lens for smartphones. It's not required, but does improve a little bit. It also holds the camera in place making the M2 screws and nuts unnecessary. Here's an example of what can be recorded with this setup.