Creality K1C / K1 / Max Magnetic Toolhead Cover with Endoscope Slot

First of all - thanks to International_Man_of_Mystery for collab-ing on this. This model is a remix of their K1 / Max Quick Removal Magnetic Toolhead Cover v6.  Please have a look here for specifics around putting the model generally together.

This model allows for a budget 7.4mm diameter endoscope to be fitted to the toolhead of a K1C, K1 or a K1 Max. The endoscopes themselves are dirt cheap (for what you get) at a staggering £6.99 at the time of writing (17/10/2024) from Amazon. 

You'll also need 8 magnets 6mm X 3mm. I also got these from Amazon.

The print is a friction fit to the endoscope, and I've not done much printing in terms of dialling it in. MY initial and current print that I am using came up a little too tight so I've widened the opening slightly in the model I've posted. You may - or may not - find a round file handy to finesse the hole slightly. 

The original duct and fan are to be used, they can be a little tricky to get in but be patient and DO NOT press to hard otherwise you can snap the thin side frame walls of the print - I know because I've done it…. twice.

In terms of filament I used eSun's ABS+ in white. Although I may switch this to a standard ABS at a later date. Please do not print this in PLA - you will not have a good time when you try and print something on the hotter side. I've heard PETG can be ok for tool head mods… but personally I wouldn't chance it.

You may find that the focus is a bit off, although there's not much that can be (easily) done about this, but feel free to discuss ideas in the comments.

Also the frame rate isn't fantastic with mine sitting at around 4-8fps for each camera but I think this is mainly due to the USB hub bottle necking us as we'll be using the front USB port for this. Either that or it's because the hardware is a little underpowered due to us trying to squeeze much more out of it than what it was originally designed for here.

I'm unsure if non-rooted users will be able to add a camera, but if you have rooted and you have installed the “USB Camera Support” I think you should be fine. If you have no idea what I'm talking about here go and take a look at the rooting wiki by Cyril Guislain / Guilouz et al.

You will need to SSH into your printer in order to get the feed setup. This next bit can be dangerous if correct care isn't taken. By continuing you agree to take all responsibility.

Run this command WITHOUT the camera plugged into the front usb port and then WITH the camera plugged in so you can find which “/dev/videoX” your USB camera is.
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

In my case mine was: /dev/video4

Then open the usb camera service with vi/vim:
vi /etc/init.d/S50usb_camera

Press i to enter insert mode

Add the following to line 15 in the "else" case of the “if” statement (substitute /dev/videoX for your location from the above step):
/opt/bin/mjpg_streamer -b -i "/opt/lib/mjpg-streamer/input_uvc.so -d /dev/videoX -r CIF -f 30 -q 100 -softfps -dv_timings --no_dynctrl --yuv" -o "/opt/lib/mjpg-streamer/output_http.so -p 8081"

Save your changes by pressing ESC and then typing :wq to write and quit vi/vim.

Restart your system with: reboot

The stream should now be available via:
http://x.x.x.x:8081/?action=stream

Also in my case - fluidd/moonraker also seemed to pick up the device and it was made available via:  
http://x.x.x.x:4408/webcam2/?action=stream

You will need to substitute x.x.x.x for the IP address of your printer. And then you should able to add the address as a new camera in the settings → camera section in fluidd.

I think the same will be possible in mainsail, but I've not tested this, maybe someone can shed some light on this in the comments section.

Here's two vids of it in action printing a Benchy!

Good luck and feel free to hit up the comments and I'll try and reply. Also let know if you have any suggestions on getting a clearer image.

Safe x

With permission - I've edited the design to also allow for an endoscope to be pointed at the nozzle to aid in debugging issues whilst printing…. It's also pretty mesmerising to watch.