A ghost light, dedicated to the A1 recall notice asking for an immediate cease of use.

In my line of work in live events, I get to spend a large portion of my career inside theatres across the world. Coming back to work post-COVID-19 I learnt of a tradition that involved the ‘Ghost Light’. It is the act of leaving a single light bulb switched on while the theatre turns pitch black with everything powered down. While primarily used for safety, for the superstitious, this light represented more. To some, it was for ghosts to have light to perform their shows. To me, it was the promise of coming back and re-opening the theatre once more.

This ghost light will be my final print on the A1 until my heatbed replacement arrives in the coming months. I will turn this light on and leave it on with the promise to return. May it bring ease to the ghosts of printing past and bring luck to future adhesive prints.

PLEASE READ

This project involves the electrical wiring of Mains Power. Electricity Kills. The following must be done by a licensed electrician or similarly qualified personnel. By continuing with the project you agree to accept all liability onto yourself.

Hardware:

Materials a minimal. I got all of my materials from Bunnings (down under Home Depot) for under $20 AUD

• 240V Lamp Housing (wall mount or suspension kit both work)
• Low-wattage light bulb
• Power cable - I'm not going to list how to make your own mains cable from scratch, a qualified person will know how. This cable was stripped from an old Ikea light.

The charming element of a ghost light is the size reality that is a small 10-watt globe trying to illuminate a massive building capable of fitting thousands. To mimic this I opted for these 2-watt bulbs in hopes that it doesn't illuminate my office but it just sheds light on the printer and the space around it.

As mentioned before - both anchor and suspension bulb kits work with this mount. The difference is one has a bottom screw cap and the other does not.

Printing:

I have uploaded two models of this ghost light.

V1 - This model requires some modifications to some of the hardware housing and is only possible with tiny bulbs.

V2 - This model may require some modifications (depending on your hardware choice) and does not include transparent housing. This option is suited for light bulbs 5-watt plus and is one filament print.

Both models are assembled the same. Take this picture below as an example. We have the top and bottom mount prints sit in between the screw housing from the hardware kit.

Note from the author:

You may be noticing some printing failures towards the top of the cage. I believe this is due to my printer struggling with this certain height measurement. It may be due to the support while printing but ultimately unsure because I cannot test it on another printer. Below is a photo of the slicer which shows the model not displaying these deformities. If the community prints this model please let me know your feedback and updates will be made if required.

Modification:

Depending on the hardware chosen for both models, modifications may be required.

V1 & V2 - The bottom mount has a total height of 40mm. With my hardware, the bottom cap was 30mm long and I knew the power cable below was going to poke out the hole. I cut it in half.

V1 - The light bulb defuser sits between the top mount cage and the plastic bulb housing. My housing plastic had a tampered angle and grew too wide the longer the piece went on. I cut it in half to fit nicely.

V2 - The top mount cage in V2 has a covering of 18mm. If you wish to keep the athletics the same and remove all visible plastic I would trip lower. You may also find the taller the piece the wider it gets therefore you may need to cut the housing down for it to screw securely

Construction

• Starting at the bottom, secure your power lead to the screw terminals. Don't forget your order of operations, cable through the hole, and any coverings through the cable before attaching the screw.

• Once power is attached, feed the bulb connection into the hole exposing the thread out the top. Remember to leave some slack for cable tension (relateable).

• Follow the GIF below for the final steps
• V2 just required the cage to be attached and secured by the top screw housing from the hardware kit.
• V1 requires the same steps as V2 with the added light bulb defuser. Simply push with low pressure into position in between the outside rim and inside top screw housing. If you are struggling to seat the diffused bulb - check the dimensions fit with the top screw cap. This is where some modifications may be required.

All Done!

Congratulations and best wishes for the future prints of your A1 printer. Printing has been new to me since Christmas 23' and I can't wait to get back at it.