Qidi X-Max 3 LED light bracket

One of the downsides of the Qidi X-Max 3 is that it is really dark inside. The single LED strip at the front is not really bright enough to illuminate the entire interior of the printer. This is most noticeable when you use Qidi's webcam to monitor prints or do time lapses. Anything past the center of the bed fades off into a dark void, and the camera often adjusts its exposure incorrectly in an attempt to compensate. People have been printing camera hoods to force the cheapo webcam to balance exposure better. However, the solution to good contrast and balance in a tiny and cheap camera is always to add more light, not less.

That's where this LED light bracket comes it. It is designed to adapt a 3 or 4 element under-cabinet lighting kit for overhead illumination. It fits neatly on top of the printer where the clear top usually goes, and you can still use the clear top for heated enclosure prints. The lighting kit has quick disconnect cables, so you can easily remove the frame from the printer when necessary. Since the LED fixtures sit securely in a frame on top of the printer, you don't have to worry about the adhesive on led light strips failing, sending the powered strips tumbling into an active printer. The dimmer also allows you to control lighting, if you're using a real camera for your timelapses.

I made the frame sturdy in order to support future accessories, like camera mounts, etc. 

To build this light frame, you will need:

1. About half a kilogram of filament. If you frequently print in high temperatures with the top on, you may want to choose a filament which is more suited to those temps (ASA, CF blends, etc).  I mostly use  PLA without the top on, so I went with a nice black PLA which matches the printer. 
2. 20x  M3 8mm screws
3. 16x M3 10mm screws
4. One of these 2 lighting kits. I used the 3 element version because that's what I have on hand, but you can use the 4 element version as well. The 4 element kit may be a better option, as you have more routing choices for getting the power cables out of the frame. 
    
   3 element kit:
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073J6X16H?ref=emc_s_m_5_i_atc&th=1
   
   4 element kit:
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074S4H2X9?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
    
5. Print the 4 light brackets, 2 side covers, and 2 top/bottom covers. I have provided plated versions of these parts which you can load and print without any fiddling, as well as the individual parts. Print the pieces with 10% infill and no supports.
6. 1-2 small pieces of foam to use as spacers on the top and bottom LCD arrays. This will keep the LED arrays from moving when fully assembled. The left and right arrays are snug when assembled, so spacers aren't necessary for them.  I use a folded piece of window foam, but anything which takes up the space between the LED and the top cover will work.
7. A square of double-sided tape or velcro to attach the light dimmer switch onto the side of the printer.
    

Build instructions:

1. The best way to assemble this light bracket is to do the assembly on the printer itself. First, arrange the 4 corner brackets on the printer as seen below:

2. If you are using the 3 light version of the LED kit, place the LED arrays and wires into the frame as seen below. You should be able to fold the cables for each LED strip neatly into the corners. Each corner has a cutout where the power cable can come out. In the 3 LED configuration, the power cable must come out of the bottom right corner bracket. Make sure that none of the power cables will be pinched.  

3. Place the left and right covers into place. The outside screws on these covers are M3 8mm screws. The inner screws are M3 10mm screws. Start by attaching the inner screws first. The screw heads should be perfectly flush with the top of the cover.

4. Place foam spacers on the top LED array (and the bottom array, if you are using the 4 LED kit). Attach the upper and lower covers using the remaining M3 10mm screws as show below.

5. Use M3 8mm screws to attach the side covers at the handle cutouts . These screws will protrude by about half a millimeter. Do not try to make these screws flush with the top, else you will damage the top.

6. Use the remaining M3 8mm screws to attach the outside screws on all  of the face plates. The screw heads should be fully inset when screwed in.

7. Use double-sided tape or velcro to attach the dimmer to the side of the printer. 

And, you're done! The extra light significantly improves the fidelity of the built in camera, and it also makes it obvious how much cat hair has invaded the interior of the printer. 

As you can see in the video below, even a time lapse of a print in black PLA looks decent, compared to the murky, black void that would have appeared with the original lighting. 

The top cover still fits securely on top of the light bracket, and the whole light assembly can be removed easily.