We love seeing hardware get repurposed into cool things, but it seems like more often than not, people are using vintage hardware. Today, we've got something cool put together by maker Ben Makes Everything, as they're known by over at YouTube, who is using something a little more modern in their upcycling project. Ben has created a robotic camera system using components salvaged from an old, unused Creality Ender 3.
According to Ben, he had a couple of goals in mind when developing this project. He knew the Ender 3 had extremely precise stepper motors that could be used for something cinematic. The idea ultimately became to create a robotic camera rig that could be used to both record video and work as a 3D scanner that can create models using photogrammetry.
The printer has four motors total to take advantage of. These are used to control the X, Y, and Z movements and adjust the position of the extruder. In Ben's project, one of them is used to rotate a turntable, one handles the tilt of the camera, and the last two control the physical position of the camera in relation to the turntable. The camera can be moved up and down as well as forward and back.
As with any upcycling project, it's always good to see as much of the hardware repurposed as possible, and that definitely seems to be the case here. Much of the frame has been used, and practically all of the electronics are integrated into the camera rig, as well. In addition to the steppers, Ben makes use of the screen and original controller board.
The Creality 3 runs Marlin firmware, which is open source. This makes it a useful platform to keep around, as it not only can operate the motors for 3D printing but can also be programmed to control Ben's camera system. Ben explains that the robot still interprets G-code files like a 3D printer for movement. These are created using a custom Python script.
Ben's creation is really impressive and shows how a bit of creativity can revitalize aging hardware into a useful tool. The video he shared not only demonstrates the final project in action but also his journey in creating it. If you've got an old 3D printer and are thinking about a new one, you should check out our list of best 3D printers to see what's leading the market.
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