Open Colorimeter hardware design update
Here we describe the designs for a 3D printed enclosure for our new Open Colorimeter. This standalone, portable colorimeter is suitable for lab and field measurements. We expect to have a limited number available in our Online Store soon. If you are interested, sign-up to our Colorimeter notification form below so you don't miss product notifications and other offers!
FreeCAD Designs
We have been using FreeCAD for 3D hardware designs as described in this previous Newsletter. In this project we used the KiCad StepUp workbench to import a 3D model of the Sensor and LED PCBs from KiCad and the A2plus Workbench to create an assembly of the complete enclosure. We also used a 3D model of the PyBadge made available at Adafruit CAD Parts on github.
Enclosure components
The enclosure consists of two components - a base and cover.
Base: 3D printed part which includes two sections for i) mounting the battery and PyBadge and ii) mounting the cuvette holder. There are cutouts for cables and for access to the PyBadge's on/off switch and USB connector.
The cover shown below has cut outs for the PyBadge's display, buttons, LEDs, and sensors. In addition there are holes for the mounting screws in each corner.
Assembly Images
The FreeCAD A2plus Workbench was used to create an assembly of the complete Open Colorimeter.
Parts
- 3D printed base and cover (described above)
- 3D printed cuvette holder (plus light-blocking cap)
- Adafruit PyBadge
- Colorimeter electronics: Light Sensor board & IO Rodeo LED board
- Battery and hardware (nuts, screws and rubber feet) not shown
Below is an exploded view of all the components (minus battery).