SKR PRO Case Advice

So, I need a case and I can’t find one for the Lowrider 2 and SKR Pro. I have found some 3d printer cases that might work… but… eh.


I designed a super mini Peli-ish case.
Features needed:

  1. to hold a SKR Pro board (Does anyone have a better model of this?)
  2. many of these boxes have the turbine fan to blow over the drivers.
  3. Wanted an eStop button in there. That sucker is huge!!! what a waste of room but if i can wire it, worth it!
  4. I had a ton of room in this box so I added a rpi 4 area. I also have more room in the upper left side. What should I put up there that will be a good fit for CNC noobs that would be the best fit for the LR2 slightly modded build?
  5. I would like to put some type of wire management in the middle.
  6. most important! needs to be able to print on a Prusa i3 mk3 sized printer. because of Limited room.

    I was going to put one of those BTT UPS boards for 12v. BUT it takes an endstop slot and I don’t have any more of those. I thought it would be awesome to have the LR2 remember where it left off after a power outage. but no.

    I also didn’t want to poke a million holes in my Y plate. I used the existing 5/16" bolts. I didn’t buy my bolts from V1 and it was easier to find the 3" bolts vs 2.75". Which means i have more room to bolt feet too. I did make the feet 2mm thick so it might work on the regular bolt??? However, this case was designed so someone that does want to pop holes can do it without using the feet. :grin:

    I don’t know what to do with the TFT screen??? My thought is to have the screen on a cord. Trying to see the screen way down there is a problem. Trying to move with the screen is a problem. what are your thoughts?

This is just a concept work right now. Suggestions for the most basic things are the most welcome! maybe a few upgrade items?? I am thinking about anyone needing a case for a SKR Pro that is building for the first time. But it has expansions for typical or most useful things in the future.

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Not my design but I used this one it’s working great for me and I have the skr1.2

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It’s my understanding that you hit a limit with how long the cables to the screen can be. I’d look at building a “lid” that could hold the screen at an angle that made it easy to read.

Honestly, if I were to pull anything out of the case it would be the e-Stop. When the s**t is hitting the fan you don’t want to have to hit a moving target to make it stop. My e-Stop is in the main AC power in line that feeds the DC power supply and the router relay, so it stops everything, no questions asked.

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I am in progress building an enclosure for another larger board (grbl 6pack) that has a lot of the features you are looking at, except it is not printed:

I was going to print originally, but the 7” screen and my anet a8 precludes that. If you have another Cnc to cut you could do the same… or just duct tape things together to cut with your lr then assemble it all when done.

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Could pass as an old timey am radio! Looks vintage… in a good way.

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Here is some photos of my TFT35 E3 V3 case. I borrowed heavily from some of the designs on Thingverse and tweeked it to suit my needs. Using the stock cables the TFT screen needs to be mounted close to the SKR board. I have about 6" of Z travel and find that’s about the maximum. The mounting bracket for the screen enclosure is just a friction fit into the top of the Z tube.

Part of the problem of finding open source designs of electronics enclosures for the Lowrider is the variety of boards available. Even the dimensional requirements of the different Bigtree boards and screens vary considerably.

If you want extra room inside the SKR enclosure for future expansion projects, cable/wire management and power supply (high voltage wiring?) why not look at an off the shelf, UL approved, ABS electrical junction panel.



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Paul, first off, very nice machine! The setup looks great and I really like how you have your screen stuck in one of the z axis pipes! Plus I love the Ryno Gray color!!! Infact, I am trying to make exactly what you have made. just like that!

The problem with Junction panels is pre configured sizes. Ideally, i want my case to be half the size it is (your size) but how do I attach that to my machine? I am not trying to build a real control panel but something that will hold a few 3d printer logic items. I can make it thin and small and print worthy. Then post it on Thingiverse and let everyone make their own versions.

Truly I wanted to print something from Thingiverse and be done. I just don’t have time for anything in my life with a tiny person’s schedule! :sleepy:
BUT I started designing a case about a month ago. It was super simple, only holding the SKR Pro. I built it around the only crummy SKR Pro CAD model i found. Which meant my CAD design was kind of crummy too. I printed what I call a Hanger version of the case. just to see if the ports from the CAD model were the same as my board. Which the answer was no, not at all! Being a Solidworks Designer, I decided I was going to start over from scratch and make a very nice “CAD file”. Either it be a simple case or complex case!

I went on the this Forum looking at cases. The V1 ramps case is strictly for the logic board. But everyone else has modded machines! Currently I do not want to Mod anything but get my machine working as Ryan planned it out. BUT someday I would like to do Mods too. I would like to do the most basic mods. The kind of mods that are small but effective. I kind of already did some. Because there is no way to attach endstops without those TT endstop mounts. I also did “Some Old Guy’s” Screw protectors. I don’t have a vacuum on my carriage and dust gets everywhere. But they are small enough mods that it doesn’t affect anything really.

So, this Post was supposed to be a two fold post. What simple mods would you do to your SKR Pro and what cases do you like? Or what would you change about this case if you wanted one on your machine?
Which users have answered including yourself! Put the screen on the case because the wire is not long enough or has SD problems. You said, hey the wire is long enough look at mine. That is wonderful feedback to me in both cases! PUN
Many people including myself want an eStop button! I don’t really care if the button is moving with the machine as long as it has one. It is way harder to hit a toggle switch or unplug the cord. On my machine the power block is on the ground and it has a barrow connector to the SKR Pro. Which I love and hate. If something goes wrong it is super easy to disconnect that barrow connector but the machine has also pulled is own plug a few times. :joy: :sob:
It seems like every modded machine has a rPi on it. I have a rPi Zero on my Prusa 3d printer and my home made 3d printer has a rpi 3 b+ on it. Which I haven’t done OctoPi in a while but it’s there when I get back into it.

I don’t know, It is nice to talk to people and get ideas; good and bad. To figure out what would be cool to do or think; " That idea sounded cool when i thought it but Tom gave me great insight and I will have to rethink that!". :grin: Or even better, how the heck did Tom do that!!! wicked awesome but I don’t that the same tallents!!!

I couldn’t agree more. The collaboration of great ideas from the hundreds of folks on this forum have helped me a lot building my machine.

This is my first attempt at a DIY CNC machine so I opted to keep things simple. No endstops, the physical mechanical stops work for me so far. My 3D printed case just houses the SKR board and a couple of small 12v fans. High voltage E-stop will be done separately probably with something like this:

along with a power bar to plug in the router and power supply for the Lowrider. The only future mod I would like is Z probing and eventually X and Y probing as well.

Speaking of SD problems, while testing my machine I found the TFT wiring jumpers as supplied by Bigtree to be a bit dodgy. The 4+1 “Dupont” or RC servo style connector barely engages the pins on the SKR boards JST-XH style receptacle. I bought a connector kit on Amazon and made a short adapter that uses the correct connectors together. I also did the same for the stepper motor connections too. Much more reliable connections.

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I’ve got a couple of these magnetic power switches that I used for my mobile combo table saw/router table. They work, they’re reasonably inexpensive, and they reset to off if the power is disconnected. My mobile table is wired to a singe heavy extension cord, so I don’t have to worry about the router or table saw starting up when I plug in that cord. While not an official locking “estop” these are easy to see and hit to turn things off.

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Paul, That is an awesome idea! I like the power switch off. However, I did already buy the estop and kind of want to get it working. Plus it can be bought at the V1 store with the touch plate and endstops. Because those are V1 mods, I am totally up for doing them!!!
Also, i have the Dual Endstop setup with the 5 motor individual wiring. I remember reading that I had to install endstops… but after running the machine a few times. I am not sure anything changes if I have them or not… well other than homing doesn’t work. I totally recommend getting the touch probe!!! I do multiple tool changes while cutting my cabinet doors and without this probe, it would be so so so so hard to do without it.

So, I have built the Modix 3D printer with both a milkshake and Duet 2 wifi. It’s a 2’x2’x2’ printing space. The screen is a mile away from the logic board and the SD card wont work. I had to mod the printer back to at least a 60mm cord. All of these logic boards seem to have the same problems. Which means I can’t make the LCD screen too far away from the logic board. Yours is pretty close and is doable.
Those poop dupont connectors!!!
I used to love them in my PC or 3d printers but on this machine… I do not like them, sam I am! LOL The motor, endstop, probe anything connected would pop out all the time or didn’t connect well enough. I did the exact thing you did. I replaced them with JST-XH connector. These connectors pops in and you have to tug a lot to get it back off. Well worth the pain of wiring! Especially now that I got the IWS-2820M AWG 28-20 crimpers that really work!!! :joy:


If you have a keen Eye, you will notice my endstops are not all in the right places… i fixed it.

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Where did you find that plug and play estop switch? I’ve been looking for something like that

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Busy Bee Tools - https://www.busybeetools.com/products/switch-safety-f-power-tool-120v-10a-max.html

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It doesn’t get you the removable sfety key, but I just wired the one I linked into an extension cord with a single gang steel box.

You can’t see it in these photos but there is a hole through the On button that allows you to add a locking pin.

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I have one of these on my table saw. I like that I can mount it up near the user, but not have a plug right there. I would be happy with either though.

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I still think Pauls Case and screen holder is the cleanest! I can’t find the files to print that… but I already started this case and why not!


While looking at these cases, I thought… why not have two! one case that holds the SKR Pro with wiring and then a mirrored version for whatever mod. This way someone that never mods anything will have a case that is simple.
I am going to print this and find out if it sucks! Wish me luck!!!



Sorry Tom no eStop or anything! that will be on the other box.

Curious?
What do you guys do that have a full sized 12v power supply? I have the V1 Power Brick that lays on the floor. I like it because its hard for the dust to get inside. :slight_smile:

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My MPCNC uses a sealed laptop ps “brick” for 19 vdc power for the motors and a buck converter to get 12 v for fans. But then I’m also using a CNC shield which accepts up to 35 vdc for motors.

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Tom,
I have the SKR Pro 1.2 board. I am having a space problem with the basic case. If I mount the board on the USB cable, micro socket side, against this slot in the case there is no room to insert the wires thru the terminal blocks and bend them up to the heater sensors and fan out wiring. It gets worse if you use crimp ends and heat shrink tubing. There is no room against this wall. What am I missing?
Rand

I’m not using that board, or that case, so I can’t speak to how it all fits together. The pics do make it look tight, but for a CNC you don’t need the heaters anyway.

thanks for the help - I just changed to a much larger case and then also will get better v


entilation. The board is poorly organized because even I put raw wires bent up at an angle it would still be tight against the case wall
and still not insert to the USB ports. thanks for your response
rand