3D Printer Spool Scale

thingiverse

I recently completed a Filament Spool Scale project that integrates a Strain-Gauge sensor into a spool holder. By connecting this spool holder/strain-gauge to an Arduino NANO microcontroller (and small LCD display), you can have continuous display of filament weight and remaining length values on a 4-line LCD screen. This feature really helps prevent filament run-outs, allowing you to easily verify if you have enough filament onboard before starting a long print. The STL files provided are for a printer frame-mounted spool holder with the built-in strain-gauge load cell. I wrote an article on this project for Nuts and Volts Magazine, which appeared in the 2019 issue 4. For complete technical details on this project, click here: https://www.nutsvolts.com/magazine/article/build-a-3d-printer-filament-scale Even if you don't read the entire article, full documentation including parts list, design and build notes, additional STL files, and Arduino source code is available by clicking on the "DOWNLOAD" button found on the first page of the Nuts & Volts article. 11-16-2020 UPDATE: Instead of visiting the Nuts & Volts website for the article, you can retrieve all documentation including firmware, assembly documents, STL files for the scale arm, and STL files for a sloped panel mount by visiting my GITHUB repository at https://github.com/Ed-EE-Eng/Spool_Scale_Project The STL and assembly document files can be easily found in the GITHUB file folder called "extra". Happy Weighting! Happy Printing!