Timelapse for Prusa

Timelapse for Prusa (T4P) is a utility that uses a Raspberry Pi with a camera to capture images during a print and construct a timelapse. It can optionally email you the timelapse video, as well as upload images to Prusa Connect so you can monitor progress in the app.

T4P runs as a service on your Raspberry Pi. To protect your privacy, all processing is local. Once configured, it uses the local PrusaLink API to automatically detect the start and finish of prints. All timelapse videos are stored locally in a directory of your choosing.

You may optionally configure T4P to upload still frames to Prusa Connect during a print, enabling you to monitor its progress in the Prusa app. Also, you may optionally configure it to email the timelapse video to you when the print completes.

T4P is lightweight, and should run on any Raspberry Pi from the Zero 2 up.

Requirements

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi (any model, tested on Pi Zero 2)
• Pi Camera Module (tested on Arducam Module 3)
• Prusa printer with PrusaLink enabled

Software

• Raspberry Pi OS (tested on Lite)

Optional services

• Mail account
• Prusa Connect

Setup

1. Enable PrusaLink on the printer:

   • LCD Menu → Settings → Network → PrusaLink (Enable)

2. Get Prusa API keys:

   • Log into Prusa Connect
   • Go to Settings → API keys
   • Copy both keys

3. Find your printer's IP:

   • LCD Menu → Settings → Network → Show IP
   • Printer and Raspberry Pi must be on the same network

4. ssh into your Pi, clone this repo, and run:

   ./setup.sh

5. Follow steps 1-8. Once complete, T4P will run unattended.

Configuration

Key .env settings:

Variable	Default	Description
PRUSA_PRINTER_HOST	-	Printer IP/hostname (required)
PRUSA_API_KEY	-	PrusaLink API key (required)
CAPTURE_INTERVAL_SECONDS	15	Seconds between captures
POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS	10	API polling frequency
IMAGE_WIDTH / IMAGE_HEIGHT	1920x1080	Capture resolution
CAMERA_ROTATION	0	Camera rotation (0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees)
VIDEO_FPS	10	Output video frame rate
VIDEO_QUALITY	28	CRF value (0-51, lower=better)
VIDEO_BATCH_SIZE	30	Frames per batch for memory-efficient processing
PRINTS_DIR_NAME	prints	Output directory name (in home folder)
SMTP_SERVER / SMTP_PORT	-	Optional: Send timelapse via email
SMTP_USERNAME / SMTP_PASSWORD	-	Leave empty for no auth
EMAIL_FROM / EMAIL_TO	-	Sender and recipient of emails
RPICAM_EXTRA_PARAMS	-	Optional: Extra rpicam-still parameters
PRUSA_CONNECT_CAMERA_TOKEN	-	Optional: Live monitoring token
PRUSA_CONNECT_CAMERA_FINGERPRINT	-	Optional: Camera fingerprint

Prusa Connect Live Monitoring (Optional)

Enable live snapshots on Prusa Connect website:

1. Visit https://connect.prusa3d.com → Add Camera
2. Copy the token to PRUSA_CONNECT_CAMERA_TOKEN
3. Generate fingerprint: uuidgen → Set as PRUSA_CONNECT_CAMERA_FINGERPRINT
4. Each captured frame is uploaded to Prusa Connect for live viewing
5. If CAMERA_ROTATION is set, images are automatically rotated before upload

Email timelapse videos (Optional)

Send videos by email when complete:

1. Configure SMTP_SERVER and SMTP_PORT, at minimum
2. Configure EMAIL_FROM (the sender) and EMAIL_TO (the recipient)
3. If your mail server requires authentication, configure SMTP_USERNAME and SMTP_PASSWORD

File Organization

Timelapse videos are stored in ~/prints/ (configurable via PRINTS_DIR_NAME) with the following structure:

~/prints/
├── 2026-01-03-14-30_MyPrintName.mp4
├── 2026-01-04-09-15_AnotherPrint.mp4

Images are captured to temporary subdirectories during printing, then automatically deleted after video creation to save space.

Tips and tricks

Choosing a Raspberry Pi and camera

T4P should work with anything that can run Raspberry Pi OS. It was developed for the ultra-low-power Raspberry Pi Zero 2, and the Arducam v3 module. Anything more powerful than this should work too.

Check your dependencies

Use setup.sh to install your dependencies, and then check to make sure they're working.

Verify the camera is working

Some cameras require additional setup. For example, here's how to configure the Arducam v3.

Instructions for Arducam v3 on Raspberry Pi OS Lite (Trixie)

Ensure you install the ribbon cable correctly: Black side up, pins toward the board.

1. Install Raspberry Pi OS Lite on your Pi Zero 2

2. Log in and upgrade everything:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

3. Install the headless version of rpicam:

   sudo apt install rpicam-apps-lite

4. Check if the camera was detected:

   rpicam-hello --list-cameras

   You should see this:

   0 : imx708 [4608x2592 10-bit RGGB] (/base/soc/i2c0mux/i2c@1/imx708@1a)
   Modes: 'SRGGB10_CSI2P' : 1536x864 [120.13 fps - (768, 432)/3072x1728 crop]
   2304x1296 [56.03 fps - (0, 0)/4608x2592 crop]
   4608x2592 [14.35 fps - (0, 0)/4608x2592 crop]

5. Capture a test image:

   rpicam-still --immediate -o test.jpg

Getting the focus right

Because the print bed moves so quickly, autofocus probably won't work very well. By default, T4P assumes a focal length of about 22cm - the distance from the X axis motor to the center of the print bed, assuming you mount it like this.

If you mount your camera somewhere else, measure the distance in centimeters from the lens to the center of the print bed. Run setup.sh, choose Configure focus distance, and enter your measurement.

There are many other rpicam parameters available, you may need to experiment based upon your camera and mountpoint.

In setup.sh, choose Capture and email current camera view to test your settings.

Use an app password with Gmail

Use App Passwords, not your login password.

Make sure all required variables are set

Check that .env file is in the same directory as the script. Verify all required variables are set.

Video attachment too large

If emails are correctly configured but aren't sending, you may be exceeding the maximum attachment size for your provider. Some email providers limit attachment size (typically 25MB). Reduce VIDEO_FPS or increase VIDEO_QUALITY (higher number = lower quality/smaller file).

Memory optimization (especially Pi Zero 2 W)

For prints with many photos, high-resolution captures, or both, the Pi Zero 2's 512MB RAM can be strained during video creation. T4P automatically uses batch processing to minimize memory usage:

• Below VIDEO_BATCH_SIZE frames: Single-pass encoding (fastest)
• Above VIDEO_BATCH_SIZE frames: Batch processing (creates small video segments, then concatenates)

For example, if you are capturing at FHD (1920x1080) and VIDEO_BATCH_SIZE is set to 30, ffmpeg will consume roughly 70% of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W's system memory when assembling timelapse video segments.

If you still experience crashes, reduce VIDEO_BATCH_SIZE or IMAGE_WIDTH / IMAGE_HEIGHT in .env.

Lower batch sizes use less memory but take longer to encode.

Credits

While this project is an original work, it was inspired by the excellent ideas in Prusa Connect Cam.

License

This project is licensed under Apache License 2.0.