Layer synchronized time-lapse using a cell phone
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I use an old cell phone running Open Camera to monitor prints. Open Camera has a built in intervalometer function. As the pictures are snapped at specified time intervals, Google Photos backs the images up to the web, as soon as they are snapped, where I can view them to check print progress. After the print is done, I can use the image sequence to make a conventional time lapse video.
I have a new technique that snaps the pictures at each layer change, after the extruder has been moved away from the print. It uses a bluetooth camera shutter button to trigger the camera. All I do is mount the bluetooth button on the printer where the button will get bumped whenever I send the extruder to Y=150 using custom gcode that runs after every layer change.
Here's a sample: layer synchronized time lapse on UMMD
I need to tweak the extruder retract/unretract a bit to fix the blobbing that occurs at the start of new layers, but the trigger mechanism seems to be working reliably.
More: https://drmrehorst.blogspot.com/2020/04/fancy-no-hack-layer-synchronized-time.html
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Fantastic!
This whole topic reminds me of the PERL motto: TIMTOWTDI (tim-tau-dee) (There Is More Than One Way To Do It).
