Anet A8 Centralized Wiring Enclosure

thingiverse

UPDATE: FINISH AND TESTED This project has been in development for some time now, and I'm sharing images in hopes that others can contribute ideas or improvements before I finalize the STL files. NOTICE: NO WIRING IN THIS PROJECT SHALL EXCEED 12 VOLTS DC! The purpose of this centralized wiring enclosure is to bring all carriage-print head(s) wiring into one organized place, making it easy to swap print heads or individual components without running wires to the control board. Designed with single carriage and dual extrusion in mind, this will mount in place of the LCD panel on the A8 with a single center outlet for 1/2 inch flexible automotive style conduit. This setup provides a neat, single wiring harness straight down to the carriage. In conjunction with my Anet A8 Twin Bowden Motor Mount, it should be a clean and functional arrangement. I've dubbed this enclosure "THE BOX!" The block uses 3mm bolts passed through the back as lugs for connecting up to 2 hot ends. Dupont assemblies come from Rue Mohr's "4 pin dupont interconnect." A single assembly mounted below the hotend lugs is for up to 2 thermistors. I added three additional assemblies to the right for touch sensors or other dupont style connections, modified to hold dupont connector assembles with one male on female rather than dual male junction connectors. All will accept 2-2 pin connectors except for the assembly located middle-right, which accepts a single 3 pin connector. The female assemblies should slide under the retainer and snap into place. The lid slides into a groove on top and secures with a single 3mm fastener. Lastly, you'll notice a set back on the top to allow clearance for the timing belt on my machine. I used this space for a wire chase and added hangers for this purpose.