RPI Zero 2W Case to Arm Adapter

This model was remixed by me in order to adapt the RPI Zero 2W case assembly (used as OctoPrint) to a flexible arm.
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updated December 28, 2024

Description

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Introduction

When I discovered OctoPrint and it's awesome features I immediately thought that I definitely need it for my printer. 

Initially I was running it on an old phone but that didn't work out very well for me.

So the next best thing (and available at that time) was a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.

Yes, it does not have ethernet and this bothers me of course, but not enough to get a overpowered RPI 4 or 5 just for this task.

RPI and Camera Assembly

Having decided on the hardware, I needed a way to slap a camera to this bad boy.

The camera was needed to monitor my prints or at least take a peek and try very hard to understand whether the print is going fine or not.

My camera has a field of view which is not very suitable for this application.

 

Unfortunately, the camera is installed and I can not take it apart to show here what NOT to use for this purpose. Maybe I will buy a better suitable camera and install it going forward and will update this post.

 

To make the RPI and the camera one assembly, I used this nice case found on thingiverse.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5141358

For a good bit of time it was just sitting on the shelf with the printer and I was using it for OctoPrint only as the camera was not usable since the assembly was not attached to the printer and pointed to the bed. 

Recently I have finally decided to attach it to the printer and point in the right direction. 

 

Mounting To The Printer Frame

To attach the assembly to the aluminum frame I used this screwless mount.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4530202

It is nice that it does not need any additional hardware, but it is not as sturdy as I would like it to be. Anyway, it will work if the assembly will not be mounted/unmounted very often.

To connect the mount to the case assembly and raise it a little higher, I used this nice modular mounting system.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2194278

 

My Very Small Contribution

I needed a way to connect the arm to the case assembly, so I remixed one arm link for this purpose.

It is not very pretty, but it does the job. 

[Edit]

So the initial model didn't look very good and symmetrical, thus I had to revisit and remake it.

 

The top and bottom links are friction fitted to the main link.

The model was made in Onshape, therefore feel free to modify and beautify this ugly beast if you want. :)

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/c2c767a11867688d906bd36a/w/28e02e9ce648b0fe0937ea2c/e/8ab8a978cc58a403df3cf6e2?renderMode=0&uiState=676dac0a8a5afc68ba2f9920

 

Print Settings

No specific settings needed.

I printed everything in PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer height. It works just fine.

 

The top and bottom pieces have 3 variations of tolerance (0.1mm, 0.15mm and 0.2mm). This is the clearance between the part and the main link.

Please note that the tolerance between the rectangular and the case assembly does not change.

 

Also, the parts may need to be reoriented when you will slice them, so please don't forget to do it.

Everything can be printed without any support when correctly oriented.

Tags



Model origin

The author remixed this model.

Modular Mounting System
by HeyVye (thingiverse.com)
 

Differences of the remix compared to the original

I remixed one arm link and adapted it to hold my RPI Zero 2W case.

License