"On Air" type light when Prusa is printing
Hey!
Just got started with my MK4, and I had a goofy idea. I have a couple extra under-cabinet LED pucklights, and I'd like to build a setup where the LEDs light up when my MK4 is printing, sorta like an "on air" light. That way, I could put the pucklight outside my workshop door, and everyone could see right away if the printer is on.
No, I don't have a real need for this - I have the material on hand and thought it'd be cool.
I have my MK4 set up so it sends a notice to my phone via Telegram when it starts and finishes; is there a way i could use a similar API to turn an LED on and off?
You can send a similar message to any internet-of-things device, so this would be a straighforward project for Raspberry Pi/Pico.
Cheerio,
RE: "On Air" type light when Prusa is printing
The MK4 has an "on-air" light (that now works with serial printing (like OctoPrint)) on the bottom edge of the display. There are a couple lightpipe/diffusers on Printables (I used this one, which is a remix). Now I can easily see the status LEDs from across the room. These diffusers might be an option for you.
See my (limited) designs on:
Printables - https://www.printables.com/@Sembazuru
Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/Sembazuru/designs
RE: "On Air" type light when Prusa is printing
You can setup very easy an ESP32 with esphome and a small color sensor connected to it, and put just near/behind your LCD led coloured lights.
The light sensor will detect the status of the printer based on the colour and will communicate via WiFi with a custom app, add-ins, or even Home Assistant plugin.
Then you can use Telegram, or any mobile app, to get the status. You can even build another big LCD display with a PRINTING... sign on it on a wall to display the status.