Self-watering Seed Starter Lids for 127mm starters

This is a watering lid for my 127mm self-watering seed starters (links below).  It will work with any 127mm seed starter trays as well.  This completes the set of self-watering seed starting models I've been working on for this gardening season.

 

The 1.5mm hole in the bottom of the watering cup was what I settled on to maximize drainage, but minimize the flow rate.  With smaller diameters (down to 0.5mm was tested), the cup wouldn't fully empty most of the time.  If one would like a smaller or larger hole, I've included the STEP and STL files for modifications to be made.

 

This setup is part of a larger series of designs I made for your plant starting adventure.

• Small self-watering starters to begin your initial starts can be found here: Small Starter Units
• V2 Larger self-watering starters (stackable!) to transfer your small starts can be found here: Large Stacking Starter Units
• V1 Larger self-watering starters (non-stacking) to transfer your small starts can be found here: Large Starter Units
• Large single pot to finish your mature starts before moving to beds can be found here: Large Single Units
• Single and double-wide trays that fit small, large, and largest seed starter units can be found here: Watering Trays
• Giant double-double wide tray that fits small, large, and largest seed starter units can be found here: Double-Double Watering Tray
• Tools for seed depth setting in both Imperial and Metric units can be found here: Seed Depth Gauges
• Tools for spacing planting locations across garden beds can be found here: Seed Spacer Planting Tool

Two print profiles are provided, each with two plates.  The first plate has the lid itself, and the second plate has the bottom lip only.  That plate can be used to make your own transparency test if you wish to change any of the print settings in the profiles.  Both profiles are for transparent PETG.  NOTE: the “slow” profile is using Bambu Labs' suggested printer and filament settings for the “best” transparency.  It is SLOW (19 hours on an X1C).  The “fast” profile is the best compromise I could come up with for good transparency and not take forever (~9 hours).  I've included side-by-side photos of both full lids and also the transparency tests for visual comparisons.  Both let plenty of light through though, so pick your poison.

 

I did attempt to make a functional print profile using transparent PC, but the thin walls caused the model to warp and twist in ways I couldn't correct.  So I highly recommend PETG.  The actual filament I used is added to the parts list below.

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