Anet A8 Power Supply Cover W\LCD Power Meter

myminifactory

I've been searching for a power supply cover since the day I bought this amazing 3D printer because I dislike exposed contacts and lack of a main power switch. Meanwhile, I decided to add something to monitor power consumption when printing, mainly just for fun! At first, I purchased a DC power meter but since power in DC is well beyond 10A, I had to buy a bulky DC power meter which wouldn't fit the tiny space under the power supply. Also, I was thinking about using all three pairs of DC outputs so measuring that way isn't possible. Then, I found a cheap AC power meter from China that was perfect, but due to size it won't fit again under the power supply. The only solution was to design my own power supply cover. I took inspiration from many other projects here on Thingiverse and added mine as a remix of those. Thanks for your great work guys! This is the cool 'n' cheap power meter I used, I paid about 7 dollars for it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/222200638853?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT. I also used an IEC socket with a lighted button, found at a local electronic fair but you can find on ebay easily. In the next section, I'll try to show you how to wire them up. PLEASE NOTE: I have the first version of the Anet's power supply, marked 250w. I believe the 240w has the same size so it would be okay too, but probably not on the 180w version (if it exists). A small video showing the LCD and some other mods I have (OctoPrint and relay board in action) is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwHwLKdr_Z0. Check out all my Anet A8 projects: Anet A8 Prusa i3 Simple filament guide (Horizontal) https://www.myminifactory.com/object/28415; Rpi camera bed mount for Anet A8 https://www.myminifactory.com/object/28416; Anet A8 Y Axis Cable Chain v2 https://www.myminifactory.com/object/28417; Anet A8 hotbed thermal insulation https://www.myminifactory.com/object/28418; Anet A8 Power supply cover w/LCD power meter https://www.myminifactory.com/object/28419. Even if Simplify3D creates supports under the diagonal part under the display, I discovered that this isn't really needed. The only support needed is the one on the left side, where the cable from the Z-axis motor will go through. You need to place supports manually there, at least with Simplify3D. Look at the screenshot I uploaded to better understand.