#258 Configurable Cases for your Projects (Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266)

viewers ask me how I print cases for my projects in this video I will show you how you can print your own boxes with a simple and free of charge method based on what I call configurable base box Ritchie youtubers here is the guy with a Swiss accent with a new episode and fresh ideas around sensors and microcontrollers this is what we will have at the end a clickable box in this case a box for my RF link project of video number 2 for too easy to close and easy to open with the traditional prying tool cool I'll leave a link in the description if you do not have such a useful tool in your lap as usual we will focus on how you can get things done it will not at all be a CID tool training video today we will find the information to install fusion 360 and get a free of charge license for makers use my adjustable base box as a head start adjust this box to the right size and add some holes for power LEDs and other stuff I will also show you a trick on how I create perfect 3d printed holes and how I attach PCPs like an Arduino inside the box the process is straightforward and easy if you need more CID tool training you still can search for fusion 360 videos however you do not need it if you only want boxes for your project if you use another CID tool you still can use the ideas presented in this video but you have to create your own base box I use fusion 360 because I know that many of you also use it like that it is easier for us to share files as we will later see I have no particular preference for CAE software I use SolidWorks before but SolidWorks is very expensive and therefore not widely used in the maker community here is the link to get a free license for fusion 360 it is valid for one year but I recently renewed mine without significant problems the only thing is that the renewal takes a while to get activated so be patient as a first step please download the file from my link in the description and save it in a directory on your computer if you're open fusion 360 it looks like that an untitled sheet first you have to create a new project I suggest you create a new project with a name box template because in the future you can use this project as a base for all other projects now you can open the downloaded file from before this is a one-time task because now the information will be stored in your fusion 360 data you do not need the file anymore my box template consists of two parts and it already has three holes and the mount for a PCB it most probably will not fit your project but I will show you how to change it my box is mainly based on a video from Adafruit where you can see in detail how the case is built you find a link to this video in the description it is highly recommended if you want to learn fusion 360 before I saw this video I created my boxes differently I used screws as shown here this principle is okay but the posts for the screws take a lot of space and the boxes become bigger to fit the same content they also need more time to print because we want to keep this project as a template we first have to copy it to a project called RF link now we go to this project and open the object if we look at the structure of the box we see two components top and base we can hide each component if we do not want to see it most probably the dimensions of your projects are different so as a first step you have to decide the size of the box for that we open the parameters pop-up here we find the dimensions of the box if we for example change width to 30 millimeters the box becomes smaller also the base part is adjusted accordingly and look at this hole it remains centered this is the secret sauce which enables even a beginner to adapt this box fast to his needs if the dimensions are as they should be we hit okay next we have to decide which holes we need my device requires a power plug a hole for the antenna and one for the status LED the latter two on the top of the box let's first adjust the hole for the power plug I want it in the middle of the right wall of the box we measure its diameter and search for the sketch which contains the hole it is in the top component and in sketches I named it right holes press now the left mouse button and edit sketch now you see the hole and its diameter and place the width is 6 millimeters in our case but the distance is here and here have a prefix F X what does this mean it means it is based on the parameters we entered earlier a double-click shows us how the position of the circle is defined with this method the hole moves automatically to the right place the power plug will always be positioned in the center of the wall while we are here we have to talk about 3d printing holes they are never perfect in diameter the ones on the vertical sides usually are even not round this is why I create them smaller than needed six millimeters instead of seven later on we will see how they get exactly the right size next press the stop sketch button and go on to the holes on the top they are in the sketch top holes again right mouse and edit sketch let's assume you only want one led in the middle of the box we delete one hole by clicking on its circle and if it becomes blue hit the delete button now we can adjust the position of the other as we learned before you can change the holes diameter if you want to use a bigger diode and you can insert other openings also rectangles for a switch for example dimensions are added by pressing T on the keyboard next we have to find a way to mount our Arduino maker clone inside the box I mount it on the base plate using adhesive tape to make sure it does not hit the bottom and to keep the USB plug accessible I add a small razor to change it you can press the right mouse button and select edit profile sketch to change dimensions and edit feature if you want to change the height stop sketching and you are done looks pretty good ready to be printed press the make button select the part you want to print deselect this box hit OK and you get a standard STL file in the selected directory unfortunately you have to convert one component after the other at least I do not know how to convert the project as a whole I work with a simplified 3d slicer because it was the best choice when I started with 3d printing I never used another slicer since then so do not ask me which one is better this one works and it is fast because I do not want to have a cable to the printer the transfer of the STL files is done via Wi-Fi using this special SD card maybe you watch my video number 27 where I show how to use this flash err card I use the new Prusa mk3 this is an excellent printer you know why because it works no hassle I used the IKEA trick to put a selection of spools above the printer they stand on ball bearings and I can select the color I need for the job because I do not need multicolored prints I change it manually I still use cheap hairspray to create the best adhesion sometimes it is necessary and sometimes not as mentioned I just want that it works one of the best inventions is this bendable and magnetic sheet no more hassle to remove the parts Thank You Prusa and now we have our clickable box as shown before but wait we made the holes too small now another secret sauce the reamer I use it to widen the holes until the part snugly fits much better than anything else if I choose a utterly wrong diameter I sometimes also use this step drill bit and if I created the hole too big I hide it from my wife I do not want to have the usual comments about my big capabilities to measure that's all about the box making now I have to assemble the device and here it is ready for deployment I hope this video was useful or at least interesting for you if true please consider supporting the channel to secure its future existence you find the links in the description thank you bye you

Channel: Andreas Spiess

Views: 83,957

Keywords: arduino, arduino project, beginners, diy, do-it-yourself, eevblog, electronics, esp32, esp32 datasheet, esp32 project, esp32 tutorial, esp32 weather station, esp8266, esp8266 datasheet, esp8266 project, greatscott, guide, hack, hobby, how to, iot, nodemcu, project, simple, smart home, ttgo, wemos, wifi, Lorawan, Box, project case, arduino case, diy case, project box, 3d, 3d box, 3d project box, 3d project case, fusion 360

Id: lBK0UBjVrYM

Length: 10min 55sec (655 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 03 2019