EleksMaker EleksLaser Pimoroni Pibow mount

thingiverse

EleksMaker EleksLaser Pimoroni Pibow mount =================================== Like many users of these machines, I run LaserWeb on a Raspberry Pi to control it. To neatly mount the Raspberry Pi, I slipped some spare t-slot nuts into the rear rail and designed this simple flat plate to hold my Pimoroni Pibow case to them. The Pibow attaches to the plate using existing nylon bolts/nuts, its purposeful thinness is enough. It doesn't need to be very strong. This design is for a Raspberry Pi 2B; it might not work with later Pibow cases. **You can also power the Pi directly off the controller, but be aware this has safety concerns from here on out.** **Powering the Pi from the controller means everything turns on/off with one switch, but with the Pi shut down, the laser will fire. The fire risk can be reduced, but it requires modifying the controller. The lack of 'failing safe' with no USB connection on the EleksMana controller is a major safety worry** I wired the Raspberry Pi to run off the 'Bluetooth' port on the EleksMana controller. The controller has a 5V regulator for running servos and so on, which provides enough current to run a Raspberry Pi 2B. It may not be enough for later models. Connect a wire from the top two 'Bluetooth' pins on the EleksMana SE controller to a 5V and Gnd connection on the Raspberry Pi GPIO header. If you want more protection for the Pi, cut down a micro-USB cable and connect it to the controller instead. **You still need to make another modification to make this less unsafe. If you don't, be aware that when you shut down the Raspberry Pi (for example so you can power everything off without risking trashing the Pi SD card), the GRBL controller powers off and the laser will fire. If you do this modification, it reduces risk but be aware doing this is at your own risk** To reduce this risky behavior, solder a 1K resistor between D11 on the Arduino Nano clone and ground. See the photo for guidance, but make sure you check your modification with a multimeter. This provides enough of a pull-down that without the controller booted, the laser only partially fires, similar to a test fire.