Tronxy X5S Controller Display and electronics Box
Tronxy X5S Controller Display and electronics Box
3D
Published 2020-09-03T21:45:19+00:00
Having a bit of an upgrade fest on my Tronxy X5S, one of the things that I wanted to tidy up was the quantity of electric string adorning the machine. I've upgraded the original controller to an SKR 1.3 and also wanted to use Octoprint. The separate screen controller, Mainboard and the Raspberry Pi was going to need housing somewhere, as well as cooling with the switch to TMC 2208 drivers.
The design concept was it needed to fit on the front of the machine to give clear access to the controller but not protrude significantly as I am planning to enclose the printer at some point in the future. The only projection from this design is the control know which I plan to let project through a drilled hole in the door of the enclosure to enable operation from outside.
The case utilises a 2050 axial flow fan to draw cooling air into the case through the five inlet ports at the lower edge of the case. These direct the air across the Stepper driver heat sinks ensuring they get maximum airflow. The Raspberry Pi sits in front of the fan and the circulating air should ensure it remains cooled too. I recommend fitting heat sinks to the Pi processors and regulator chips to prevent auto-throttling.
I intend to mount a PiCam on the bed carriage where there's a couple of screw holes conveniently unused for the cable chain on the rear of the printer. To this end, there is a small slot in the base for the PiCam ribbon cable to exit.
The V3.1 box has been on the printer for around 150 hours of printing with no evidence of overheating of the TMC drivers or the Raspberry Pi. I had to ramp up the ref voltage for the 4988 extruder driver for 0.72 to 0.85 to alleviate some skipping issues and its now running quite happily.
Update. 11 Apr 2020. Folks, Having a bit of a practical issue keeping the door closed on this. The magnet and washer are just not up to the job in my case anyway. I've redesigned the box (V3.2) and the lid (V3.1) to accommodate a screw fastening using an M3 x 16mm cap head screw and M3 nut. I've also shifted the aperture for the control knob 1mm down and 0.5mm to the right to align better with the control board dimensions. I've left the earlier versions on here just in case anyone prefers the magnetic closure option.
Update. 13May2020: This has been running without a hitch for a couple of months now so I'm taking off the "Work in Progress" status. Please feel free to feedback any comments and I'll update if necessary.
Print Settings
Printer:
Anycubic Predator
Resolution:
0.2mm
Infill:
30%
Filament_brand:
Sunlu
Filament_color:
Blue
Filament_material:
PLA+
Notes:
The prototypes currently printed are not the best quality as far as surface finish goes. The Predator hasn't been dialled in particularly well and is not without a few teething issues, However, the prints are relatively accurate so I'm pretty confident of the dimensional accuracy so far. The first prototype I printed were without supports and whilst they printed successfully, the poor bridging and overhang capability of the Predator meant the backs of the hinges and the captive nut recesses got a bit ugly. Subsequent prints were completed with supports everywhere and came out looking a lot better. I'll probably print a final version in blue PETG to match the rest of the printers upgrades.
Post-Printing
Parts List
You will need the following items to complete this project, listed below: 1. M4 x 6mm Cap Head Screw, Box Mounting screws. (3 off). Note. 8mm will work but will require a couple of washers to ensure no bottoming out 2. M4 "T" Nuts, Box Mounting. (3 off). 3. M4 x 40mm Cap Head Screw, Hinge Pins (2 off). 4. M3 x 30mm Cap Head Screws, Fan mounting. (4 off). 5. M3 x 12mm Cap Head Screw, Control screen mounting. (4 off). 6. M3 x 10mm Cap Head Screw, Buck converter mounting. (2 off). 7. M3 x 8mm Cap head Screw, SKR mounting. (4 off). 8. M3 Nuts. (14 off). 9. M2 x 6mm Cap Head Screw, Raspberry Pi Mounting. (3 off) 10. Raspberry Pi 3B or better (1 off) 11. 12 Volt USB 3 Amp Buck Converter. (1 off). Link https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0755992ZV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 12. Small Fan MOSFET (1 off if required). Link https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000675631988.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7c244c4dYo67m9 13. Short USB cable. (1 off). Link. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FQGWBYQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 14. 2050 Axial Flow fan (1 off). Link https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06W2N73RX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I've had some mixed success with the fan MOSFETS and many won't work if you're using the signal pin output from the X or Y Max endstop plug. The ones that don't seem to work have an opto isolator on the board and there seems to be insufficient signal to turn on the FET. The one listed above is a more simple affair and works fine but make sure you don't cross your wires or you might kill your output pin on the SKR.
Assembly Instructions
1. First thing I'd recommend is to pull all the captive nuts into place in the base of the case. Use an M3 screw and a washer through from the inside and then pull the nut into place, using the screw. Once all captive nuts are fitted, Ensure the tapped threaded holes are clear by screwing the appropriate size screw into them, taking care not to drive the screw beyond the bottom and damaging the case. 2. Fit the SKR board first, followed by the MOSFET and Buck converter as applicable. 3. Fit the control screen to the lid using the screws and nuts listed in the Parts list, followed by the Raspberry Pi. 4. Fit the lid to the box using the M3 x 40mm screws. Tighten sufficiently to ensure the lid closes smoothly without binding. 5. Fit the box to the printer frame using the M4 screws and T nuts. The screw holes in the case for the upright mounting positions are countersunk but if no countersunk screws are available, use cap heads and a washer. The box mounts from the inside of the frame and the vertical fasteners locate in the rear slot of the right hand 2040 upright. 6. Fit the fan and connect either to the MOSFET if being used as a firmware controlled Control board cooler or to a 12Volt source that is live when the control board is powered on. Ensure fan is fitted to exhaust air from the box to outside. 7. Make all necessary electrical connections. I secured the buck converter USB power cable for the Pi using a small P clip fitted to one of the control board securing screws. This takes the sideways strain from the little socket on the Pi when opening up the case.
| Date published | 03/09/2020 |