Ender3 weight sensor (load cell) side spool support

thingiverse

This design is for an Ender 3 side spool mount with a twist - it incorporates a weight sensor. With the Octoprint plugin "Filament Scale," you can monitor how much filament remains in real-time and with precision from the Octoprint web interface. To assemble this design, print the two STL parts. Then, locate two M5 machine screws and two M4 machine screws. I found mine in my Ender 3 spare screws leftover from its construction, so you won't need to purchase any additional hardware. To link the printed support to the stock spool holder, reuse the stock screws and nuts - specifically the rectangular 10x10 extrusion nuts. You'll also need a weight sensor, known as a load cell. I sourced mine from this website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32958628401.html. The 5kg load cell comes with an HX711 AD module. Mount all components together and connect the load cell to the HX711 module. Then, attach the HX711 module to your Raspberry Pi. Note that you'll need to refer to these instructions: https://tutorials-raspberrypi.com/digital-raspberry-pi-scale-weight-sensor-hx711/. However, be aware that the GPIO pin configuration for the CLK and DTA pins (+5v and GND are correct) differs from what's described. Connect the CLK and DTA pins to GPIO 20 and 21. For reference, see this page: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/usage/gpio/. Once you've completed these steps, navigate to the Filament Scale plugin in Octoprint. It will inform you whether your connection is secure or not. If it's good, tare the scale, place a known weight on it, and save the calibration. Then, weigh an empty spool to determine its current weight, which will be displayed live on your Octoprint page. Edit: I've been informed that the Filament Scale plugin may not be available in the Octoprint updater repository. However, you can download it from GitHub here: https://github.com/dieki-n/OctoPrint-Filament-Scale. Alternatively, input this URL into the plugin manager to install it: https://github.com/dieki-n/OctoPrint-Filament-scale/archive/master.zip