All-In-One LED Mounting System

There are quite a few mounting options out there for LED strips. Here's my own spin on a mounting system, with the following attributes: 

• All-in-one system: mounting strips, diffusers, corners, end caps.
• Everything prints without supports. Tested with 0.4 and 0.6mm nozzles.
• Mounting strips come in different lengths, to adjust for your specific setups.
• Strips can hold LEDs from 8 to 14 mm. 
• Small nubs at the ends help guide assembly.
• Each strip has multiple attachment points for tabs to attach the strip to the enclosure top. This way you can work around existing features on your enclosure, such as filament conduits, thermometers, etc.
• Mounting tabs ("clips") simply click into the attachment points and are firmly held in place.
• Light diffusers can be printed with transparent PETG and “click” onto the mounting strips.
• Corner pieces are provided for a nicer look, including a version with a cutout hole to route the LED wire to the back of the enclosure. Mounting tabs specific to the corners help keep them in place.
• End caps (with and without a wire routing hole) included for linear configurations. Caveat: I have not used those myself.

Instructions

The focus of these instructions is on the 3D printed components. I assume you know how to get an LED strip to work, including soldering required to connect pieces by wire or attach a power jack adaptor. The example used for the walkthrough here is a square LED frame I built for four LACK v2 enclosures.

Bill of Materials

8 to 12 mm wide 12V LED strip lights, e.g., https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0998T559X

20 or 22 gauge wire, e.g., https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QTCBZ4I

Solder or wire connectors.

12V power supply. What comes with the lights, or e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GEA8PQA

If needed, 12V power jack plug adaptor, e.g., https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J1WZENK/

#8-½ pan head wood screws.  2 per mounting strip and 1 per corner, so in a typical setup with two strips per side, that's 20 screws.

Black PETG for the mounting strips. I've used Prusament and Overture. Transparent PETG for the diffusers.  I've tried Overture and IEAMEI with good results. 

Prep Work

• Take the lid off your enclosure. Use tape measure to determine how long each side of the LED mount needs to be. Measure distances from sides, front, and rear of lid. Be mindful and work around existing obstacles such as filament guides or doorstops, or relocate those. I used tape measure and carpenter’s triangles to sketch the outline of where the rear edges of the mounting strips were going to go.
• Note that the upper rear corners of the LACK v2 enclosure have a triangular protrusion that may get in the way. Also allow space for the mounting tabs, which extend 12 mm beyond the rear edge of the mounting strips.
• Each side is likely to be longer than what fits on the print bed of your printer. Break each side up into two parts if needed. For my LACK enclosures, I ended up with 2 x 160 mm strips and diffusers in each, front and back, and 1x 230 and 1x 180 mm strips and diffusers on each of the left and right sides. I use the excellent “Pocket Doors” by @drakka01, so I have less lateral clearance than what you get with the stock enclosure.

Printing the Parts

• Print the parts you need: mounting strips and diffusers as measured out, two mounting clips per strip, corners, one corner mounting clip per corner. Use black PETG or other blocking color for the strips, transparent PETG for the diffusers. No supports needed if printed as oriented in the 3mf files. I used 0.2mm layer height, 2 perimeters, 15% gyroid infill. Don't futz with the settings to make the diffusers truly translucent. They're diffusers after all, and standard settings worked great.
• Do a test fit to make sure that diffusers snap properly onto the mounting strips. When you look down the length of a mounting strip, you see two grooves to hold the diffusers. One groove has a shorter inner ridge, compared to the other.  
• Slide one side of the diffuser from the front into the groove with the longer inner ridge.

• With careful force, push the other side of the diffuser across the short ridge until it clicks in place.

• You should be able to easily slide the diffuser sideways off the mounting strip.

Assembly

• Insert mounting tabs into the appropriate attachment points in the back of the mounting strips. There are many holes per strip, to allow you to work around any obstacles. 
• Tabs and clips are asymmetrical and fit only one way. This ensures the proper orientation of the mounting strip once attached to the enclosure, to allow for the diffusers to be clipped on.

• Press the corner clips into the corner parts. They may require some force to go in. I also provide a simpler version with a pin instead of a clip that works just as well. 
• Position the first strip, and drill holes for the screws. I start by inserting and loosely tightening one screw, then before drilling the second hole measure again the distance from the edge of the enclosure.

• Position the next strip next to the first, using the small nubs at the end of the strips to help position them. Again, before drilling holes, measure distance from edge of enclosure. Do that for all sides. 

• Measure out the proper length of the LED strip required, allowing for some slack in the corner. Trim at one of the copper cut points.
• If no plug is connected to the LED strip, solder a 20 or gauge wire to the copper points and use shrink-wrap tubing to protect it. I usually test at this point that connecting it to power will make the LED light up.
• Peel the protective paper off the back of the LED strip and attach the sticky side to the groove in the mounting strip, leaving some slack in the corners. Go around the whole frame. At this point, test again to make sure the LED strip didn’t get damaged.

• Slide diffusers into the groove closer to the lid. 

• Push other side of the diffuser over the top ridge until it clicks in place.

• Go around the frame until all diffusers are in place. Test the LED strip again for issues.

• Slide corners over the LED strip (or wire connectors). Use corner with hole for end of the strip that has the outgoing wire.

• Secure corners with screws.

• Done! Re-install lid and connect LED to power supply.

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