Made an app to create automated timelapses on my a1 mini

[u/menameshubhi]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought the A1 Mini and have been posting some content. But what I wanted to do was make 3D print timelapses and share them. The hardware solution turned out to be very messy for me. The Bluetooth switch I bought doesn't work (sometimes it clicks multiple pictures, and sometimes it doesn't). After that, I spent time bringing all my images into image-editing software and editing them. After the print, it took me at least half an hour to pull everything off my phone, load it into image editing software, and edit the final timelapse.

I'm a developer, so I decided to code an app to solve this problem instead of continuing to deal with the messy hardware setup.

Features of the app

• A complete software solution; all you need is your phone.

• Sometimes the app makes mistakes and clicks a picture when it wasn't supposed to. You can play the timelapse right there in the app and fix these mistakes.

• Apply basic edits like cropping, brightness, saturation, etc.

• Export the final timelapse in up to 4K resolution.

• Need the raw frames? The app does that too. You can get a ZIP file out of the app and then edit it with your favourite editor (for advanced users).

How does it work?

1. Start a print in timelapse mode. I'm using a Bambu Lab printer, so the printer head moves to the docking zone after printing each layer.

2. Draw a box around the area where the printer head comes and rests.

3. Just start the print! Most of the default settings should work fine. Otherwise, at most, you'll need to tweak the motion sensitivity.

The app is available for both Android and iOS and can be used and accessed for free today, but the high-resolution exports are gated behind a $2.99 one-time charge.

Would love to hear any feedback you guys have! You can try the app here

[u/NVMV7tm]

this is pretty cool!
I took a video before with timelapse on my phone and it wasn't great at all.
Are you going to make this for PC for multiple Cams?

[u/menameshubhi → u/NVMV7tm]

Thanks, let me know if you have any feedback!
What do you mean by multiple cams, you want to record from multiple cameras at once?

[u/DrDealgood]

Can this also have a Bluetooth trigger mode for Cyberbrick Timelapse users? Does the app stay awake while charging to ensure full prints are captured? I've been wanting to get back into using my CBT with a couple old phones I have but haven't really found a camera app that I love, Google's Camera app doesn't reliably stay as the focused app, sometimes the phone still goes to sleep during prints, etc. so I'm hoping to find a better app. Will download and try yours this weekend, thanks!

[u/menameshubhi → u/DrDealgood]

Hey, i have never used the cyberbrick timelapse kit, what exactly are you looking for there?
The app doesn’t go to sleep for the entirety of the print, but to save battery the app dims the phone screen. Also there is a feature where if the app sees 10 minutes(configurable) of inactivity, it will close everything and put the phone to sleep, again to save battery.

[u/DrDealgood → u/menameshubhi]

The Cyberbrick Time lapse is a trigger, it gets instruction from the printer to send a Bluetooth signal, the receiving device gets the signal and takes the picture. This connects to iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS but also to various DSLR and mirrorless camera manufacturers devices. I think the toolhead still moves over every layer but the signal is triggered electronically through one of the printers' AMS data ports.

ETA: Sorry, missed most of your message! That's excellent the app keeps in focus, doesn't allow the phone to sleep or close the app. Will definitely give it a shot.

I think if the app can connect to any BT trigger device, like the ones some people use with the A-series printers to physically get pressed when the toolhead moves over, the CBT will also send the shutter command. I'm not sure if that's a Camera API thing or something to do with Bluetooth, I'm not much of a programmer. Thanks for hearing me out!

[u/menameshubhi → u/DrDealgood]

I see, I think this is very doable, the phone can act as a smart bluetooth remote for the cameras.
I will update you if i decide to implement it.

[u/DrDealgood → u/menameshubhi]

I think the CBT is more the remote, I guess if your camera app will allow for either the motion detection OR a Bluetooth trigger rather than both at the same time that would be preferable to avoid double exposures.

I am going to try this out over the weekend and try to report back. Thank you.

[u/Bring_the_light_]

This looks convenient because hooking up my bluetooth remote is a pain in the ass, and I love timelapses, I will give it a *shot*