So a friend asked me to print a case for this cool project. Easy peasy, yeah?
Sometimes open source stuff can be an undocumented headache though, and this one had some road bumps for sure.
For starters, the entire manual was in Czach. There was an English "README" so that threw me off for a while. The Youtube video from the maker is also in English...and doesn't mention the manual. See how I got lost here? :P
Anyway, the manual is now translated and uploaded in a .zip here.
After that was done...I see the info on 3D printing is scant, to say the least:
- there is no info on print settings at all
- there are only 2 .scad models, neither are the primary case
- other than that, there is only a Cura .3mf file
Fortunately (and this is really cool), Cura .3mf files can export individual part STLs - pretty neat! I stupidly did a 6 hour print of everything first though, and they mostly failed.
There are fillets where the case meets the bed, and this is never ideal for good print adhesion. I opted to update the models for easier printing:
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Imported everything into TinkerCAD as you see above. The tolerances were also unecessarily tight, and even with my highly calibrated dimensional accuracy settings, the case would not snap shut.
This is a bug that will happen when tolerances are too tight and walls are too thick, so there is no "give" in the plastic.
I reduced the highest Z edges in the Main Case B model (my naming scheme) to be 0.5mm away from the edge. Now everything fits nicely, if a little loose. And that is ideal! Because there are 2x bulky nuts to keep this thing tightly closed anyway.
I "squared" the base of each model, removing the fillets. This makes for a slightly less ergonomic design at the gain of much easier printability.
After that, I needed to fix the buttons. The original prints didn't fit at all. I changed tolerances, increased Z-height (so your finger can press them more easily), and combined them with a connecting arm - always a good idea with multiple buttons. I updated Main Case A to fit this new arm as well.
print supports are needed for the threaded ends of Main Case A and Main Case B
Fortunately, the screw on tip and back nut pieces work fine as-is, just make sure you print them one at a time. The tip might fill in the top hole a bit too easily, so poke it through if needbe. I may upload a model with a wider opening later (again, tolerances too tight here).
Print Instructions:
Make sure to print Main Case A and B with supports! Use my provided STLs here.
(no other parts need supports)
Print the main case with your favorite standard PLA settings (200c nozzle / 60c bed roughly and 50mm/s speed / 30mm/s first layer).
Buttons should be printed very slow, same temp settings. I went with 10mm/s. Still only a 9 minute print on a regular old bed slinger.
The back nut and screw on tip can be printed with regular settings, but I reduced speed down to 30mm/s just to be safe. This gives extra cooling time for those threads to come out great, since they have slight overhangs.
No need to print the OLED bracket or ground wire holder pieces - they aren't useful imho (more on that later)
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(there is also the nut and the other half of the case to print - these are just some reference pictures)
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