Are you diving into the world of IoT projects and finding yourself wrestling with project box compatibility? Like many makers, I started my IoT journey with platforms like particle.io, eager to build devices for environmental monitoring and home automation. The coding and electronics assembly were engaging, but I quickly hit a wall: finding the right enclosure to house my creations. This led me to explore 3D printing as a solution, specifically for creating 3d Print Box adapters, and it revolutionized my approach to IoT project enclosures.
The Frustration of Off-the-Shelf Project Boxes
Initially, I sought readily available project boxes, prioritizing waterproof options for outdoor deployments. The SparkFun Big Red Box seemed like a viable choice – reasonably priced and water-resistant. However, a recurring problem emerged across various project boxes: mounting hole incompatibility. Protoboards, breakout boards, and microcontrollers all seemed to have different mounting patterns, creating a frustrating mismatch with standard project box standoffs. Even with the Adafruit FeatherWing standard simplifying board integration, direct mounting into project boxes remained a challenge.
3D Printing: Crafting Custom Adapter Plates for Project Boxes
After extensive research and deliberation, I invested in a Prusa MK3S 3D printer. Assembling the kit was a rewarding learning experience, and soon I was printing existing designs with ease. However, the real breakthrough came when I started learning Fusion360 to design my own custom parts. My first 3D printing endeavor for IoT was creating a protoboard adapter plate. The goal was to seamlessly mount a FeatherWing Tripler protoboard inside the Big Red Box. This 3d print box adapter needed to bridge the gap between the box’s mounting points and the specific requirements of my electronics. Beyond just mounting, I wanted integrated features to secure components like LiPo batteries and antennas, ensuring a clean and robust enclosure. Parametric design was key, allowing for easy adjustments for future projects and different box sizes.
The attached .stl file represents the culmination of numerous design iterations. While board dimensions and mounting hole specifications are publicly available, translating these into a functional 3d print box adapter required careful consideration of several factors:
- Optimal Plate Thickness: 2mm proved to be sufficient, providing rigidity without excessive material use or print time.
- Standoff Height: 8mm standoffs offered adequate clearance for components mounted on the FeatherWing Tripler.
- Versatile Mounting Design: The design sketch included various mounting positions, allowing flexibility for different board configurations.
- Hardware Compatibility: M2.5 screws are ideal for Particle and Adafruit boards, while some protoboards may require M3 screws. Fusion360’s thread tool enabled creating precisely threaded holes directly in the 3d print box adapter.
- Efficient Material Usage: Hollowing out non-essential areas minimized print time and material without compromising structural integrity.
- Integrated Component Securing: Underside walls were incorporated to cradle the LiPo battery, preventing movement, and a dedicated tunnel was added for the antenna.
While each adapter plate takes approximately 6 hours to print (a time that can be optimized with adjusted settings), the material cost is minimal – around $1.44 in PLA filament and negligible electricity. This specific design is tailored for the Big Red Box, but the parametric approach makes it readily adaptable to virtually any project case, effectively turning any box into a custom 3d print box solution. This capability has significantly expanded my options for creating polished and functional IoT devices.
3D printed adapter plate inside a red project box, showcasing a Particle Boron and FeatherWing Tripler for an IoT device. This 3d print box solution demonstrates organized electronics enclosure.The Future: 3D Printed Project Boxes
Creating 3d print box adapters is just the beginning. My next step is exploring the design and 3D printing of entire project cases on demand. This promises to further reduce costs and offer complete customization, opening up even more possibilities for innovative IoT device enclosures.
