@rpcyan, anyone else who is interested…
I worked on this a bit over the last couple of evenings after work and came up with a few prototypes to see what fit best… Around version set 11 I found something close to what I was looking for that didn’t hit the print head or cause other issues, sharing for others.
It’s kind of surprising just how much “expansion” is added to measurements when you 3D print. Maybe it’s my print settings, but something that needs to be 3.0mm needed to be set to 2.65mm in the CAD design in order to fit properly after printing.
I normally use OpenSCAD, but needed more than it could offer for quick solutions so I hacked a few prototypes out in TinkerCAD, also posted a STL with all the models on PrintsDepot.net. This is Release Rev 1 of the ones I liked the best.
I’ve been prototyping with High Speed PLA+ for now, I will use PETG for better durability in the long run. Here are just a few “almost” tests I made along the way, excluding the failed prints
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After the above “discoveries” I decided the stock mount was not really so feasible here, just could not get the mirroring and angles right, not to mention I needed to figure out a bracket to hold the camera in. Maybe in the future I can work on it a bit more, but it’s low on the list. The middle side mount, I liked and wanted it to work, but the tolerances for hitting the print head were just so tight, so it was out as well, I can see why Sovol chose the mount they did
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Sooo between the top, middle, and stock mounts, the top won out… The mount is up high, has plenty of room for the USB camera and it’s cable, and uses a "ball joint” to “clip” in and allow for movement.
I mounted the Kobra 3 Camera using a slot in the front top rail and secured it using a M3x8mm hex screw I had from a kit I had laying around, the camera is not going anywhere. Amazon Link to the hex kit.
Rushing here, no pictures of each along the way, only showing what worked and the placement chosen.
Note, I am using the “shorter” mount of the two top mount brackets in the photo below.
What my two cameras show on my Sovol Zero currently. Left is Stock, Right is the new top mounted view.
The TinkerCAD and STL on PrintsDepot.net link have the Sovol Zero stock camera mount mixed with the Kobra camera mount, clearly it needs more work, a custom mid rail side mount, two top rail mounts short and long, a back cover, and three different camera mounts for the top and side mounts.
I’m still working on making more adjustments and improving the design. Also I need to find some cable ties that “twist” into the rails to manage the cameras USB cable across the top rail to the right side where it will eventually end up. I also need to get to that Lighting Upgrade Project @Liberty4Ever did for the Sovol Zero, the camera being up high does not do so well with the light levels. But it’s better than a dangling camera at least
…
Cheers,
-Mike
P.S. I had to re-upload to the Prints Depot site, this is the new link, updated above as well: https://www.printsdepot.net/models/209



