Back cover cutting pattern + reinforcing corners for more strength.

[TheHighNibble]

Folks,

thanks for all the discussion and ideas around improving the mounting of the aluminium lid to the clear acrylic back cover.

For example https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/imsai8080esp/Fs-yw8xKgw0

This has motivated me to release the attached SVG file for people with access to a laser cutter or acrylic cutting service.

The file includes outlines for:

• the whole back cover (a fraction under 429 x 172 mm - so fits within a 600 x 300 bed)
• 8 reinforcing pieces (inspired by Thomas Ganter's 3D printable parts)
• The pieces are in pairs for each corner. 
• The pieces for the 2 bottom nuts/corners are different to the pieces for the 2 top nuts/corners owning to the different locations of the nuts.
• Each pair has in "inside" piece and and "outside" piece
• The "outside" piece for the corner nearest the ESP32-PICO-KIT is modified to avoid the space for the USB connector.

Thanks goes also to John Kennedy for testing out the design (so quickly too!).

I won't be able to supply these reinforcing pieces (or include them in the kit for the foreseeable future) as in the current conditions I don't have access to a laser cutter or acrylic cutting service myself.

So I provide the SVG files here for people to serve themselves as best they can.

In my experience the best adhesive to use is acrylic cement (but this has hard to buy in small quantities). 

Super Glue will work (structurally) but runs the risk of clouding the acrylic and looking messy, but John's experience wasn't at all bad with Super Glue.

*** NOTE *** John also found that you have to capture the nut in-place BEFORE you glue the second piece of acrylic for any given corner. ie. if the acrylic is all glued down then you can't get the nut in after-the-fact.

[John Kennedy]

As a “thank you” to the community in these crazy days, I’ve some good news.

I’ve enough acrylic that I can cut maybe half a dozen sets and post them off to US addresses if my post office is still open.. let me know if you want a set.

I can’t tell you what the color will be in advance, as I’ve a random set of scrap plastic left and can’t easily get more.

Email me at johntk...@gmail.com 

-john

[Thomas Ganter]

Am Mittwoch, 1. April 2020 05:34:12 UTC+2 schrieb TheHighNibble:

*** NOTE *** John also found that you have to capture the nut in-place BEFORE you glue the second piece of acrylic for any given corner. ie. if the acrylic is all glued down then you can't get the nut in after-the-fact.

Yep – sorry, forgot to mention that.

Cool design!

[curt mayer]

I'm good.  I printed some up.  Nice.  No pesky hole aligning etc.

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[John Kennedy]

[TheHighNibble]

John, what's the model and the bed size of your laser?

[John Kennedy]

It’s the basic model GlowForge. It will cut 11 by 20 inches
Pros: build quality and accuracy
Cons: crappy web only interface

[Randy E (OoMOR)]

John,

If you still have one available, I would like to be added to the list. I will send the email now.

Thanks, Randy

On Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 8:55:44 PM UTC-7, John Kennedy wrote:

[John Kennedy]

You got the last one Randy, until the plastics shop opens again.

I managed to squeeze 7 kits out of the sheets of acrylic I had in my scrap pile (optimizations in the packing algorithm etc etc).

Look for an envelope in the mail sometime soon..