Powerbox

thingiverse

I created a custom enclosure for my Anet A8 printer, inspired by projects on Thingiverse. The goal was to add functionality while maintaining a sleek design. This enclosure is designed to fit on the right side of the printer and provides several features: 1. OctoPi control: You can now control your printer via OctoPrint directly from the enclosure. 2. Four-channel relay module: This allows you to switch various devices or lights connected to the board, giving you more flexibility in your printing environment. 3. Power consumption monitoring: The enclosure includes a power meter that displays real-time readings of voltage, current, and power consumption. To achieve this, I used an Elegoo 4-channel DC relay module with optocouplers for Arduino and other popular platforms. This board is easy to find online by searching for "Elegoo 4 Kanal DC 5V Relaismodul mit Optokoppler". For the power meter, I searched for "AC 80-260V LCD Digital 20A Volt Watt Power Meter Ammeter Voltmeter". You can find these devices on online marketplaces. I'm using two relays to switch both power lines of my Anet A8, while the other two are dedicated to controlling different LEDs. The wiring is straightforward; if you're unsure, it's your responsibility to ensure proper connections. To configure OctoPrint for this setup, I modified the config.yaml file. Here are the specific changes: system: actions: - action: printer on command: gpio write 21 0; gpio write 22 0 name: Printer On - action: printer off command: gpio write 21 1; gpio write 22 1 name: Printer Off - action: Light On command: gpio write 09 0 name: Light On - action: Light Off command: gpio write 09 1 name: Light Off - action: Print Light On command: gpio write 08 0 name: Print Light On - action: Print Light Off command: gpio write 08 1 name: Print Light Off