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Enclosure Design

We need printable cases for the SpoolSense scanner. If you have CAD skills, your contribution would be a huge help to the community.

Designs Needed

Standalone Scanner Case (ESP32-WROOM + PN5180)

  • Wall or desk mount
  • Flat NFC placement area on top (PN5180 antenna close to surface)
  • USB port accessible for power
  • Optional cutouts for 16x2 LCD and keypad

Standalone Scanner Case (ESP32-S3-Zero + PN5180)

  • Same requirements, smaller footprint
  • No LCD cutout needed (S3 + LCD is uncommon)

Standalone Scanner Case (ESP32-WROOM + PN532)

  • Similar to PN5180 case but sized for PN532 module

BoxTurtle AFC Lane Mount

  • Bracket or tray that positions the NFC antenna alongside a BoxTurtle lane
  • Antenna should face the spool tag position when a spool is loaded
  • Must not interfere with filament path

Design Guidelines

  • Material: PLA or PETG, 0.2mm layer height, 15-20% infill
  • Antenna placement: NFC reader antenna as close to the scanning surface as possible. Avoid thick plastic layers between the antenna and the tag.
  • Mounting: Consider both desk-standing and wall-mount options
  • Access: USB port must be accessible. Consider a slot rather than a hole for easy cable insertion.
  • Ventilation: The ESP32 runs warm. A few vent slots are helpful.

How to Submit

Enclosure designs live in the usermods/ directory of the scanner repo.

  1. Fork spoolsense_scanner
  2. Create a directory under usermods/ (e.g., usermods/my_enclosure/)
  3. Include:
    • STL files (oriented for printing)
    • STEP file (for remixing)
    • Photos of the printed result if possible
    • A README.md with print settings and assembly notes
  4. Open a PR targeting main

Each contributor owns and maintains their mod. See the usermods README and existing Community Mods for examples.

Or if you prefer, open an issue with photos and download links.