Best Web cams for "The Spaghetti Detective" and Octolapse footage?

1

Are you using a webcam or Raspberry Pi cam to monitor your prints or just do fun time lapse footage for your friends?

What do you use and what do you consider to be the best for your gear?

I have setup an OctoPi using The Speghetti Detective plugin, and a Raspberry Pi Camera v2 to monitor my prints jobs well I am in another room. Because the RPi v2 cam is a fixed focal lense it has to be far away from my print bed to be fully focused. Was looking at changing it up but wondered what USB webcam would be of greater quality to use.

Let me know your thoughts and if you have any question regarding what I have mentioned here please ask away.

2

Wyze cam works great.

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i have recently used my dslr (nikon d5600) connected over usb to shoot with octolapse. I followed this guide to set it up, after getting octolapse to work first. turns out great results.

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I dont have anything to add to this, but will be getting into octoprint in the near future and am glad to now be aware of the set focal point with the pi camera.

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I had to adjust the focal on Rasberry Cam was way better after
I have mine mounted on the X axis stepper and moves up with the gantry. I have not tried time lapse yet.

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I do believe it is just the Raspberry Pi v2 that is fixed… the v1 can be focused manually.

Read of someone actual breaking the glue that holds it focus aperture in place but I thing I try out the HQ Camera before I do that.

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Lots of videos and tutorials online for the Octoprint and the creator, Gina Häußge, will help sometimes too.
There is a Discord channel were the people are very nice and will help you out too.

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Looks like I stand corrected. Or at least for my camera as it already moved freely. I did not have to slice the glue as mentioned by Bryson_Jack. Here is his Thingiverse to use on the v2.

I am printing it this afternoon and will let you know how it goes.

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I’ve actually never had a chance to use the octoprint, seems like alot of people are using it to stop the spaghetti bowl

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Yeah The Spaghetti Detective works pretty good from the video I saw. I run both but have never had the pleasure of a bowl! lol OctoPrint is so convenient as there is no need for the old SD/MicroSD Card to transfer files.

  • OctoPrint can run on an old pc with Windows, macOS, Linux - possible hundreds of dollars in gear. but hey if you got it laying around go for it!

  • OctoPi is a distribution for the RaspberryPi - $100 tops! You set it up pretty quick and forget it!