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OK I dragged home a metal datacenter cabinet(29"x32"x72") to use for a general purpose printer enclosure. It has a vented rear door and a smoked plexiglass front door. Both side panels are solid and removable. It is also vented on top. In the DC you can put a 4x4 fan rig to pull air up through the cab if needed. This is open. I will need to cover it. I imagine putting in 2 or 3 shelves. The topmost for the printer and RPi Repetier Server, RPi cam server taking up 2/3rds of top of cabinet. One below that for tools, power/surge protector and other stuff. Then one below that or just the bottom of the cabinet to store spools and other misc stuff.

I would appreciate some input on this. What should I not do? What should I do that I dont have listed?

Here are the plans:

1. Install some lighting mounted in the cabinet. I have some 12v potted LEDs. I figure I can run these off the printer itself with a plugin style disconnect if I need to move printer around. These lights will be hard mounted and stay in cabinet.
2. Arduino running a temp sensor tied to exhaust fan in top to maintain a set temp. A smoke/fire sensor on Arduino in top of cabinet. The Arduino will also control an optically isolated relay that can cut power to the entire cab based on smoke/fire sensor or other inputs.
3. RPi Repetier server. Already running this.
4. RPi Repetier Cam host. Have camera. Just need to set this up. Not sure if I can tie the two together into main Repetier server interface. I think you can.
5. Block the upper vents. Air drawn in by exhaust fan will come from lower vents. Lower vents are below level of printer shelf.
6. ?

Ideally enclosure temp should be able to reach 90 degs for optimal printing of PC.

For practical purposes 50 is good enough for us. And by that i mean without modifying the printer. There are some posts about this. Read GenericDefaults posts.


I think i have a setup similar to yours. I.e everything is inside an ikea cabinet.

If i were you i would try to make one of those filament boxes up top. Where filament is kept sealed and dehumidified. Then small strands coming down to the printer.

Try to insulate around and on top of the printer.

Raspberry pi might enjoy being below printer because it would be cooler.

The electronics bay of my printer is cooled by a peltier device. Probably over engineered, but i wanted extra heat in the cabin so the inefficiency of the peltier works in my advantage.

Leave some space fora power supply below the printer if you want to upgrade later on.

Too big is not good for an enclosure. It becomes a shitbox where you pile crap.