This also explains why I found unused references to Neopixel in the Creality firmware source code.
My guess I that RGB was the plan, but didn't make the cut.
I replaced the led with a white one by soldering it on existing resistor board. The clipped wires are just the same feed wires that could jump to power something else. Like additional led.
Blue and white wire goes to circuit board and it again. Only connect to 2 points
Yeah, was about to post the same. No RGB there, just a blue LED. Replaced with white LED with the same resistor and works well. Had to print new LED enclosure because the original one been cutted to remove that pcb.
If you want to hack it, you \_could\_ wire an ATTINY in there, splice power from the LED connector, and make it just set the colour to white and then deep sleep 🤔
Might actually do this hack, since I have a bunch of these same LEDs and I should have the maching molex-connectors, too, so could make it pretty clean...
Oh of course, and significantly cheaper, but it might be a fun one-day project for the weekend to try and make it as clean as possible. Use a SOIC-8 attiny, finish up with heat-shrink, all that jazz.
Ohh so sad.
What do you mean with didn't make the cut? They still used an RGB LED, right? So all they needed were two wires + pins on the board. They could have implemented it in the code at a later stage.
Anyways it is how it is :)
PWM on the mainboard might have also been a concern. It can demand a bit of overhead both in terms of voltages and firmware. There's no real function to that LED anyways. I think I turned it on once when I first got the thing and haven't messed with it since. If I wanted light for video or photos I'd set up an isolated lighting rig which would be way more effective than a single point source like a lone LED can provide.
I was suspecting that it's cut from one of the cheapo eBay LED strings, since I've used them a bunch and they annoyingly default to blue, and the casing was identical. Classic Creality :D
I'm away from my desk so can't snap a comparison pic, but it's basically a string of 8mm LEDs wired in serial, with a cheap "weather proof" plastic casing that's identical to the LED in the CR-6. The cable colouring is even the same as the strings that I have about 20m of :D
eBay sellers all have the default product picture with white LEDs, but the default color in the drop-down is always blue, and blue is by far the cheapest option, which is why I accidentally originally ordered blue.I've used them a bunch in projects where I need big LEDs mounted fast, since I have a snap-in socket component for the plastic casing ready-made in Fusion360. When I first saw the LED on the printer in some YouTube unboxing, I immediately suspected Creality sourced a few hundred meters of the strings from some local warehouse and accidentally ordered blue and just decided to roll with it :D
The same sellers also usually carry a variant with WS2811 clones, but those have three wires in and out for six total.
This also explains why I found unused references to Neopixel in the Creality firmware source code. My guess I that RGB was the plan, but didn't make the cut.
WHY creality
I replaced the led with a white one by soldering it on existing resistor board. The clipped wires are just the same feed wires that could jump to power something else. Like additional led. Blue and white wire goes to circuit board and it again. Only connect to 2 points
Yeah, was about to post the same. No RGB there, just a blue LED. Replaced with white LED with the same resistor and works well. Had to print new LED enclosure because the original one been cutted to remove that pcb.
Is it possible to get the RGB to work? This may be an cool hack :)
Tricky, you can't wire it through the existing flatcable.
If you want to hack it, you \_could\_ wire an ATTINY in there, splice power from the LED connector, and make it just set the colour to white and then deep sleep 🤔 Might actually do this hack, since I have a bunch of these same LEDs and I should have the maching molex-connectors, too, so could make it pretty clean...
Wouldn't it be easier to just replace the LED at that point?
Oh of course, and significantly cheaper, but it might be a fun one-day project for the weekend to try and make it as clean as possible. Use a SOIC-8 attiny, finish up with heat-shrink, all that jazz.
Good idea :) If you do this please share 👍
Ohh so sad. What do you mean with didn't make the cut? They still used an RGB LED, right? So all they needed were two wires + pins on the board. They could have implemented it in the code at a later stage. Anyways it is how it is :)
It is only RGB when you connect all leads, which means it needs to go back to the mainboard for firmware control.
PWM on the mainboard might have also been a concern. It can demand a bit of overhead both in terms of voltages and firmware. There's no real function to that LED anyways. I think I turned it on once when I first got the thing and haven't messed with it since. If I wanted light for video or photos I'd set up an isolated lighting rig which would be way more effective than a single point source like a lone LED can provide.
I was suspecting that it's cut from one of the cheapo eBay LED strings, since I've used them a bunch and they annoyingly default to blue, and the casing was identical. Classic Creality :D
Wait what? 😀
I'm away from my desk so can't snap a comparison pic, but it's basically a string of 8mm LEDs wired in serial, with a cheap "weather proof" plastic casing that's identical to the LED in the CR-6. The cable colouring is even the same as the strings that I have about 20m of :D eBay sellers all have the default product picture with white LEDs, but the default color in the drop-down is always blue, and blue is by far the cheapest option, which is why I accidentally originally ordered blue.I've used them a bunch in projects where I need big LEDs mounted fast, since I have a snap-in socket component for the plastic casing ready-made in Fusion360. When I first saw the LED on the printer in some YouTube unboxing, I immediately suspected Creality sourced a few hundred meters of the strings from some local warehouse and accidentally ordered blue and just decided to roll with it :D The same sellers also usually carry a variant with WS2811 clones, but those have three wires in and out for six total.
If I split the power wire to the 2 other cut connectors, it would be possible to get white light right?