Ender 5 Control Box Remix

thingiverse

I was fed up with the lack of any cable management on the Ender 5. I searched for a better solution and discovered the Ender 5 Control Box Bracket by rgrugan. I printed these out and installed them, and they worked great. However, I still had the problem of wanting to include my Raspberry pi and EZABL control box inside the original enclosure. I realized that there was not enough room, and I would be cutting holes in the metal. So, I decided to scrap the enclosure and start from scratch. I came up with a 1/4 hardboard panel (the same material that pegboard is made of) as the mount for my mods. I spray painted it and it looks fantastic. I printed the mounts for the mainboard and raspberry pi, the power supply mods. I arranged everything, marked and drilled holes for mounting. It took a couple of tries to get the arrangement just right (get plenty of hardboard - it's cheap). Many of my cables were now much too long. Instead of modifying them, I found a set to modify without destroying the originals, the Creality 3D Printer X Y Z Axis Stepper Motor and Limited Switch Endstop Cable for Cr-10 CR-10S CR-10 Mini (Pack of 3) on Amazon for $13. After trial and error, I discovered that the best way to modify the cables was to get a set of JNC connectors, the IZOKEE 460pcs JST Connector Kit $10 on Amazon. I also purchased the correct crimper for these terminals, the IWISS SN-01BM Ratchet Crimper. It's available on Amazon for $23. As you can tell by now, I'm a little crazy about cable management... I cut the connectors off of the mainboard side, the 4 pin motor connectors and the 2 pin end stops. I used a continuity checker to check the pinout of each cable. I also sleeved the cables after cutting to length using PET Expandable Braided Sleeving and heat shrink. The last big challenge was the control panel. Amazon had the answer - new connectors to make your own cable, available for $10, the Pro 50-Pack 2X5 10P 2.54mm Dual Rows. Now, for Ribbon Cable - 10 Wire (15ft), I found it on Amazon for $7. I know this is probably more than a normal person would do, but it's easier than building and modifying cars and less expensive. The cable mods could be skipped, and simply bundle the extra cable in the back of the mount. It's surprising how much the cable management improves with moving the electronics and having new access to the wiring.