K2 (non pro/Plus) - AI Chamber Camera replacement / upgrade

[MrTheDecoy]

so, I brought a K2 Base model directly from Creality(uk). there was an option for the AI chamber Camera so i added that thinking it was a upgrade camera.

I have not been able to find out what the difference is between the built in vs the AI camera.

I cannot find any instructions, tutorials or videos of how to replace / remove the camera (it is a lot different from the Plus)
it may well be similar to the Pro (Service Tutorial K2 Pro Time-lapse Camera Replacement) looking at this video.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Creality are pushing this AI Chamber Camera as a “add on” purchase to the base K2 when in reality its just a replacement to the one the K2 comes with and not an upgrade. Given there is no details of how the cameras differ (if at all) and the amount of work striping my brand new printer apart. My question is

Is it worth it? Does someone know the benefit of “upgrading” this camera. or if my above theory is correct.

Thanks

Decoy.

[gozmon]

@MrTheDecoy The Camera in the video is radically different from the camera in the Creality wiki. I’m waiting for a print to finish so I can see which one I have.

Amazon sells an “official Creality upgrade” camera. I couldn’t find specs on the original camera and limited specs on the upgrade camera, but Amazon’s AI had a lot to say. I’m not sure how much I trust Rufis (amazon’s AI) It mostly spits out sales hype, but it was the most informative thing I found:

how is it different from the camera that comes with a creality k2?

The Creality K2 Pro/K2 AI Camera is an upgrade accessory that provides enhanced capabilities compared to the built-in camera on the standard Creality K2:

Standard K2 Built-in Camera:

• 720p resolution at 30 frames per second

• Basic monitoring functionality

• Standard AI detection capabilities

This Upgrade Camera:

• 1080p HD resolution - significantly sharper image quality

• Enhanced AI detection for better spaghetti failure recognition and foreign object detection

• Advanced time-lapse filming with automatic video generation

• Real-time remote monitoring via Creality Cloud

• Easy installation through reserved interface

The main advantages are the higher resolution (1080p vs 720p) and improved AI detection algorithms for more reliable print monitoring. This accessory is designed to replace or supplement the standard chamber camera for users who want better image quality and more advanced monitoring features.

[MrTheDecoy]

Thanks for the reply and info @gozmon

I got this camera directly from Creality when i got the K2 - Chamber AI Camera for K2/K2 Pro

As you can see there is zero information on this camera on Creality’s site.

I did contact Creality via the online chat to explain this situation and request a return and refund, the response was it needs to be sorted via email and they gave me a ticket number and that was it. I have not received an email as of yet, So I doubt it go anywhere with them.

As for the enhanced AI, The camera itself will not have any “AI” functions. it will be software based on the controller. I believe the “Enhanced AI” is due to the camera feeding higher resolution picture to the controller thereby giving the detection algorithm (what Creality are calling AI) more data and a higher chance to detect issues.

The stock camera does time lapse already and has real time monitoring via the app and Creality Print - both working fine.

example - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-1zqWi4ilkhVtdHvU5089dMZJ914Ktuc/view?usp=sharing

so it comes down to if the one you linked is actually different to the one I got from them directly.

As I believe they are just going to ignore my request to return it (Not legal in the UK - breaks consumer rights) I may try to install it to see if there are any differences.

I will give them a week, I have a support ticket number so they could just be slow responding.

Also to note - I asked CoPilot and got very much the same response to yours from amazons AI.
I also put the pics of the lables on the box into copilot and it told me that the part description translates to “Connector Head – Right Front Fog Lamp” … sounds about right.

I will post back here updates and the final conclusion to this.

Decoy

Pics of the camera box.

[gozmon]

Oh yea, must be an upgrade ‘cause mine didn’t come with fog lamps!

[Wes_Parton]

Did you ever find out anything definitive? Is the factory one 720 and this updated it to 1080? Did you install it?

[MrTheDecoy]

Hi Wes

I am still in communications with Creality and have asked for spec’s and differences between them twice now with zero comment from them.

its taking time as i have been very unwell and could not respond to the emails right away.

I have found no evidence to suggest otherwise. so it is now my opinion that the cameras are exactly the same and the “Chamber AI Camera” they sell as a “accessory” is actually a direct spare part replacement for the one the K2 comes with.

I am unable to return the camera I purchased due to time restriction Creality have imposed upon the return process due to me being unwell.

so, my plan is. when I am better i will remove the camera in the K2 and compare the two physically to see the difference. If i can get to the circuit board without breaking anything I will compare component differences also. I have been an electro-mechanical engineer all my working life so I should be able to do this without breaking things… so long as I can see it.

The page for the camera on Creality’s website - Chamber AI Camera for K2/K2 Pro

there is even a typo on the 3 lines of info they have for the camera.

For now, I highly recommend that people avoid buying the Chamber AI Camera “accessory” until we can get clear information as to if it is a “accessory” upgrade or just a spare part.

When I have further information I will post here. whatever the outcome.

Hope this helps.

Decoy

EDIT: Also note the three feature points listed of the camera (red outline). The Camera that the K2 comes with does this already.

[Wes_Parton]

Wow, crazy that you can’t get a simple question answered. Thanks for the quick follow up though. I’m actually having issues even getting Timelapse to work on mine at all so didn’t know if this was the problem or not. I also saw a Timelapse someone else posted from a base k2 and the video they shared was only 720. Have you saved any of your time lapse videos to check the resolution? Feel better mate!

[MrTheDecoy]

Wes.

Here is a link to a poop chute i designed and printed when i first got the K2. yes its 720.

1761319716.mp4

also to enable time lapse on the K2 ..

go to Settings → General → Camera → Enable time‑lapse photography.

I then view and download them via the device view in Creality print

Hope that helps.

Decoy

EDIT: forgot to link the vid :P… brain dont work hardly at all now.

[Wes_Parton]

Thanks, so I will be curious to know if that accessory actually upgraded to 1080 which would seem to be worth while. I’m only using cloud for now but will have to check those settings for sure.

[MrTheDecoy]

Wes

I have had communications (emails) with Creality about the return of the camera.

Due to my current health issues I will be unable to return it in the time frame they set and may not be able to return it in any extended time frame they arrange.

So, If i end up keeping the camera (highly likely at this point) i will fit it when I can and report the results and link sample vids from it here.

Sorry I cannot say when this will be. It depends on my health.

I will update here when I get more info.

Decoy

[MrTheDecoy]

UPDATE:

Creality finally answered my questions about the Spec of the Chamber AI Camera found in the Accessory section on the Creality UK shop.

This is the response I got from them.

(hers the link in that email if anyone needs or is interested to see https://youtu.be/QraYH3lJs4c)

So, my suspicions were correct - this is a spare part and NOT a accessory.

That means it is being Miss-sold and miss-represented (in the UK)

I have returned it for a refund.

On the K2 comparison sheet on Creality’s website (K2 Pro Combo | K2 Series 3D Printers - Creality) it specifies the cameras on the K2 and K2 pro are 720p

Interestingly the camera on the K2 Plus is 1080. I looked at the replacement vid for the K2 Plus and its a different fitting to the K2 / K2 Pro. Link if anyones interested.. Replace K2 Plus Chamber AI Camera | Creality Wiki

Note the camera on the K2 plus comes as a PCB the Camera on the K2 /K2 pro comes with a plastic shroud and attached to a metal bracket. I can also confirm the PCBs are different between these two types of camera.
((side note / random thought – if you could fit the K2 Plus camera into the K2/K2 pro would it then work at 1080 or is it limited in the printers firmware…..))

My conclusion to all this.

As the camera is exactly the same as the one that comes with the K2 and K2 pro there is no point in purchasing it unless you have to replace yours. If that happens, good luck as the procedure looks like a nightmare.

so, It seems I have answered my own question in this thread and as a bonus found out Creality are using underhanded tactics to sell you unnecessary products, and as a super bonus extra found out Crealitys “Support” is, well, lets just call it difficult to be polite.

Hope this has helped people.

Regards

Decoy

[MrTheDecoy]

gozmon

Tag’d you for the update above if your interested

[MrTheDecoy]

Wes_Parton

Tag’d you for the update above if your interested

[Wes_Parton]

Interesting, at least you got an answer and glad they are at least accepting the return. Thanks!

[Serj]

Hello. I have K2 PRO and was wondering if I can replace current stock camera with one from K2 Plus to get 1080p quality.

Here is my research:
Comparison: K2 Pro Combo | K2 Series 3D Printers - Creality

K2 has 720p no AI
K2 Pro has 720p with AI
K2 Plus has 1080p with AI

Official one says nothing about resolution: Chamber AI Camera for K2/K2 Pro (doesn’t have one for K2 Plus though). But it says there is same AI camera for K2\K2 Pro which makes me think AI is not in the camera (which is obvious)

Amazon lot from the link above says 1080p in lot name “Creality K2 Pro/ K2 AI Camera, Official Upgrades Chamber 1080P Al Camera Accessory, Clear Image, AI Detection, Time-laspe Filming K2 Combo/ K2 Pro Combo 3D Printers“. But we know that K2\K2 Pro has 720p only. So it’s either a mistake or really enhanced version (maybe Plus one in the Pro body)

Let’s compare official videos to see the PCBs:
K2 Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QraYH3lJs4c
K2 Plus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF5ZPh21dvI

I’m not sure why K2 Pro video has camera body disassembling while all K2\K2 Pro cameral lots shows full black body image and makes me think that it should be just build-in part without touching the PCB.
First look says that it’s same board with same metal radiator but different mount type:

Closer look says PCB are bit different:

So I was not sure if I can make a replacement for enhancement.

I was not able to find closer photos for K2 Pro PCB inside the body.
But connectors seem to be different:

PCB number ST0-9613V2. I have found another lot on Aliexpress with number STO-9613V3 though

So the questions is: do you think it’s possible to replace K2\K2 Pro PCB with K2 Plus PCB to get 1080p resolution?

[Serj]

Official upgrade kit here Amazon.com: Creality K2 Pro/ K2 AI Camera, Official Upgrades Chamber 1080P Al Camera Accessory, Clear Image, AI Detection, Time-laspe Filming K2 Combo/ K2 Pro Combo 3D Printers : Industrial & Scientific shows the cable as well which makes me think that connector is different.

[MrTheDecoy]

Hello @Serj

what we know.

1. The plus camera is 1080 - creality specs
2. The plus camera is a different PCB - photos
3. My K2 has what creality call AI - its off by default (and may be like this on other versions of the K2). I turned mine on and with the stock camera and it does detect when a print goes wrong and pauses the printer with a message. - I know this as I have had it happen.
4. Creality is actively selling the AI Camera for the K2 as a Upgrade when it is in fact the exact same camera the printer comes with - Creality confirmed this to me in email (screenshot in above post in this thread)

What I suspect

1. The firmware must be different or have different setting coded in between the cameras - 720 video stream output vs 1080
2. What Creality call AI - any kind of surveillance / security / monitoring cameras can setup areas on the video stream (from the camera) to watch for changes and take actions when one is detected. ie recognise a cat walking across camera and ignore it vs a human. However this is done on the control system the camera plugs into and not the camera as its quite compute heavy and it would make the cameras a lot more expensive.
3. For the 1080 camera to work on the 720 native printers - the firmware on these printers will need to be capable of receiving and processing the 1080 stream from the camera - if it cannot - it will either not work or just process a 720 portion of that stream and ignore the rest.
4. I suspect the K2 Plus has 1080 over 720 camera due to the increased size of the build volume, The same resolution with more area to cover could quite easily miss things. Lack of detail in further away areas.

In conclusion

The only way to know if the 1080 camera will work on the non Plus printers is to try it.

having said that…..

In my opinion, given all the above and taking into account the expense, time, effort and taking your printer apart.

Therefore I believe Its not worth trying it without a conclusive answer from Creality (good luck with that)

As an alternative - consider getting a small 1080 WiFi camera. Strip it to pcb / CCD and tuck it into a place in the printer that don’t interfere with the printer operation and movements. leave in the stock camera for the so called AI features that any of the cameras in any of the K2’s do once enabled in the settings.

One important thing to ask yourself is why do you need the 1080 resolution ?

I thought about this myself but come to the conclusion that as the printer is in the next room from me and I have no intentions other than reviewing the time lapse recording on problematic / failed prints. I didn’t see the point of a 1080 camera on my K2 at all.

Hope this input helps you.

Decoy.

[Serj]

Hello @MrTheDecoy
Thank you for the answer. According to the specs K2 should have no AI camera. AFAIU you have returned the AI Camera KIT because it has no any extra AI feature and just a spare part. Am I right that specs are not correct and all K2 version (K2, K2 Pro, K2 Plus) have AI Camera features?

I have enabled my one on K2 Pro on the printer screen (all AI options are on) but I had 2 failed prints and printer didn’t stop. Or maybe I was able to notice the issue before the AI.

I wanted 1080p just to have better timelapses quality.

[MrTheDecoy]

@Serj

I returned the camera as it was the exact same as the one that came with the printer -but it was sold as a upgrade and different places listed it as 1080 (incorrect) - not because the AI.

Yes - I have also had many fails that the AI on mine has not picked up on … its not great.

Just to reiterate what I have said before - The cameras do not have AI in them. What creality call AI - this is part of the Firmware of the printer.

My K2 non SE/Pro/Plus with no CFS has the AI functions in the menu and i have enabled them and it has worked a few times pausing the print for intervention when its detected issues. — when it actually works and does detect the issues.

Here is where it says on the blurb that the K2 pro has AI (picture)

It also says that the base K2 has it.

So, Yes Creality say all the K2’s have AI.

They don’t say however to what extent and just what they mean by AI.

I suspect they referring to the Print Failure Detection on the K2 Base / Plus

It looks like the Pro does a bit more and monitors the flow also.

In my opinion Creality are using the same tech to see changes in a video stream and take an action on that but have tuned it to look for specific print failure patterns like spaghetti - like CCTV cameras and baby monitors have done for years.

They are just calling it AI to get on the band wagon and make people think its a new thing - where as in reality its slightly modified old tech that has nothing to do with AI - my 15 year old NAS could do it with WiFi attached CCTV cameras and that had a dual core arm cpu at 1ghz…..

bottom line… don’t trust or rely on the AI.

I understand wanting better quality time lapse. I think its a mistake to not just put 1080 cameras in all K2’s i think its corner cutting and cheapness. maybe they got a load of old stock 720 ccd’s for cheap and just used them. Even if it increased the cost of the printer by a few pounds i think people would be a lot happier with it.

I do know they need to stop listing the Chamber AI Camera as a Upgrade (and a AI camera)

Decoy

[Serj]

@MrTheDecoy

OK, sorry. I think I have messed up the AI features.
The one I was talking about is AI Auto Flow Rate which is related to the Nozzle camera (which is absent in the K2 and may be installed I think) and has noting to do with the chamber camera.

Could you please check if you have this option in your K2?

I agree about the rest you said 100%.

Regarding 1080p chamber quality: did you open your spare camera box? I would like to know if you saw the cable there? The link in my previous post shows the cable which makes me think there is 1080p camera because “I think“ I saw different connectors on the PCBs. Cable looks promising. I have found 1080p camera PCB only as spare part for K2 plus but I’m curious if I will be able to find the cable or connector to fix it myself.