Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
board's Eagle file can be used to obtain the exact dimensions of the
board, which becomes the minimum dimension of the enclosure and
forms the cavity. Keeping with the building theme, the enclosure pro-
file was chosen to match the board dimensions, with a wall thickness of
2 mm or roughly 1/16 inch. This wall thickness allows for a rigid part,
but permits some minor flexibility that will be utilized later in the
design process.
Several iterations were made to enable the removal of the board from
the enclosure, while still accessing the switch. The first iteration of the
design had two full-length tabs on the top and bottom of the enclosure
to hold the circuit board. However, with a full tab, the switch on the
board would not allow the board to tilt into place. A modified route
was then taken in the second iteration in which snap-fit features were
used on the inner side walls of the enclosure. These lofted extrusions
on each wall of the enclosure allow the board to slip over it and be re-
tained. However, the snap-fit features were still too tight to get the cir-
cuit board in and out. Thus part of the bottom tab was removed so the
board could slide into place.
Figure 6.6
contains three images of the iteration process, moving
from the initial model to the final model. The files to print this enclos-
ure for the Blinky Buildings kit are provided at
www.bit.ly/blinkybuild-
