I decided to drop the idea of making the GoFlight 166 enclosure match the dimensions of the Saitek switch panels. Too much negative space and I wanted to mount it on a different part of a portable cockpit stand I use (This is a tricked out GT Omega Racing Wheel Stand). The end result turned out well but needed a revision to add a mounting hole and a recess so it would fit flush against a new Virpil desk mount. The finished project is shown below.
In part 1 we used Fusion 360 Sketches to re-create the Radio Panel to get used to the tools. To build the enclosure we could have just used the outer dimensions.
To organise the project in Fusion 360 we should create a separate "component" each part. We created one called "Case" and started with a simple rectangle in a sketch from the side view, making it the side profile we want our box to be. Then "E" command to extrude it along the correct axis. The result was a volume that was just slightly larger than the Radio Panel object. Then we used a modify to subtract our Part 1 PCB/Radio Panel from the solid box.
Hiding our Panel object and adjusting the interior wall.
Looks about right to me. Time to print this thing and see what we have. Fusion 360 will export the selected object as the appropriate "STL" (stereo lithography) format. Curiously the format AVOIDED by the new Microsoft 3D Paint software.....seriously, what IS the point of that? Mini rant; If you have Windows 10 Creators Edition, one of the new creative toys they released is a really neat 3D paint doodle program. And the ONE format you can't export happens to be the most common format used in 3D printing. Now here's the kicker, Microsoft 3D Paint has the capability to support STL files, but they turned it off to promote use of a more obscure format. Thanks for nothing Microsoft.
Where were we? Fusion 360, right click the object we want to save as STL and choose ...
"Save as STL" which gives us a file to use, but before we can print it, we have to turn it into commands a 3D printer can use. This is the job of a "slicer" because it slices a 3D object into layers. The simplest one to use for the Prusa i3 Mk2 is a work in progress tool called "PrusaControl" It covers the basic settings you need and for this project we can keep it simple.
I did do something I hadn't tried before, and that's setting the "Infil" to hollow. What is infil? Solid parts would take a HUGE amount of time and material to print, slicers have algorithms to create packing material using various patterns, typically the density is a percentage value and add a lot of strength (and weight, and time) to prints. But for this I wanted a quick print and didn't need much support. Also I was low on plastic filament and too lazy to swap it out for a new reel. Hollow infil it is.
And once sliced, we take the resulting gcode file and magically send it to the printer (no longer using SD Card transfer but now using Octoprint running on a RaspberryPI 3 so it's all done via local wifi and a web browser, best quality of life 3D printer upgrade you can make).
And our first print for this project came out great. OK some cooling marks on one side (due to the direction of the 3D printer's cooling fan).
A quick test fit....
Yeah that worked first time. A tight fit but perfect, won't even need the securing screws on the face plate.
What I didn't do as I was in a hurry to see if this would even print and fit, was add holes for the USB cable and any mounting holes. So our next revision would be to add these, I wanted to make it fit the stand a better and bolt it to the side of the VPC desk mount.
I added the hole at the back for the USB cable, and some additional side wall on the left to support an 8 mm bolt and washer.
Let's print....
Filament used xtrudr PLA NX2 1.75mm (Amazon link), printed at standard Prusa PLA temperatures (210 degrees, with the bed at 55 degrees). I love this stuff.
This GoFlight panel has been flopping around my assorted hardware box for years because it didn't have a place to live. GoFlight is a US company consequently shipping costs effectively double the cost of the official boxes. And we tend to hit by import charges too. Really wasn't worth it, till now.
Bane of my life, the TrackIR Pro Clip, can I make a better one? Would be hard to make one worse.
Fusion 360 Project File http://a360.co/2zRxNmC
In part 1 we used Fusion 360 Sketches to re-create the Radio Panel to get used to the tools. To build the enclosure we could have just used the outer dimensions.
To organise the project in Fusion 360 we should create a separate "component" each part. We created one called "Case" and started with a simple rectangle in a sketch from the side view, making it the side profile we want our box to be. Then "E" command to extrude it along the correct axis. The result was a volume that was just slightly larger than the Radio Panel object. Then we used a modify to subtract our Part 1 PCB/Radio Panel from the solid box.
Hiding our Panel object and adjusting the interior wall.
Looks about right to me. Time to print this thing and see what we have. Fusion 360 will export the selected object as the appropriate "STL" (stereo lithography) format. Curiously the format AVOIDED by the new Microsoft 3D Paint software.....seriously, what IS the point of that? Mini rant; If you have Windows 10 Creators Edition, one of the new creative toys they released is a really neat 3D paint doodle program. And the ONE format you can't export happens to be the most common format used in 3D printing. Now here's the kicker, Microsoft 3D Paint has the capability to support STL files, but they turned it off to promote use of a more obscure format. Thanks for nothing Microsoft.
Where were we? Fusion 360, right click the object we want to save as STL and choose ...
 |
| Can't do this in Microsoft 3D Paint |
"Save as STL" which gives us a file to use, but before we can print it, we have to turn it into commands a 3D printer can use. This is the job of a "slicer" because it slices a 3D object into layers. The simplest one to use for the Prusa i3 Mk2 is a work in progress tool called "PrusaControl" It covers the basic settings you need and for this project we can keep it simple.
I did do something I hadn't tried before, and that's setting the "Infil" to hollow. What is infil? Solid parts would take a HUGE amount of time and material to print, slicers have algorithms to create packing material using various patterns, typically the density is a percentage value and add a lot of strength (and weight, and time) to prints. But for this I wanted a quick print and didn't need much support. Also I was low on plastic filament and too lazy to swap it out for a new reel. Hollow infil it is.
And once sliced, we take the resulting gcode file and magically send it to the printer (no longer using SD Card transfer but now using Octoprint running on a RaspberryPI 3 so it's all done via local wifi and a web browser, best quality of life 3D printer upgrade you can make).
And our first print for this project came out great. OK some cooling marks on one side (due to the direction of the 3D printer's cooling fan).
A quick test fit....
Yeah that worked first time. A tight fit but perfect, won't even need the securing screws on the face plate.
What I didn't do as I was in a hurry to see if this would even print and fit, was add holes for the USB cable and any mounting holes. So our next revision would be to add these, I wanted to make it fit the stand a better and bolt it to the side of the VPC desk mount.
I added the hole at the back for the USB cable, and some additional side wall on the left to support an 8 mm bolt and washer.
Let's print....
Summary
Using some nice satin finish black PLA for this version. You can see the cavity of the enclosure, which gets covered using 3D printer magic. It made it lightweight and hollow sounding. Future prints will have the wall thickness increased.Filament used xtrudr PLA NX2 1.75mm (Amazon link), printed at standard Prusa PLA temperatures (210 degrees, with the bed at 55 degrees). I love this stuff.
This GoFlight panel has been flopping around my assorted hardware box for years because it didn't have a place to live. GoFlight is a US company consequently shipping costs effectively double the cost of the official boxes. And we tend to hit by import charges too. Really wasn't worth it, till now.
Next Project.....
Bane of my life, the TrackIR Pro Clip, can I make a better one? Would be hard to make one worse.
Download Links
Fusion 360 Project File http://a360.co/2zRxNmC
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