Patternflow

# Patternflow Case

3D-printable enclosure for the Patternflow LED synthesizer. Folders are named by **printer bed size** — find the folder that fits your printer.

> **These cases fit the v3 board — both v3.9 and v3.0.** The two revisions share an identical outline and mounting-hole pattern (v3.9 only removed the USB-C footprint), so either drops into the same enclosure. If you built (or are building) a v2.x board, use [`legacy_v2/`](legacy_v2/) — the v3 board is a different size and the two generations are **not** interchangeable.

> 🖨️ **Bambu printer? One-click path:** the case is on **[MakerWorld](https://makerworld.com/ko/models/3072492-patternflow-open-source-led-synthesizer-case#profileId-3459015)** with tuned print profiles — open in Bambu Studio and print. The same project ships in this repo as [`patternflow_v3.3mf`](bed_256mm/patternflow_v3.3mf) (4 pre-arranged plates, settings included). The STLs below are for everyone else.

## Which folder do I print?

| Your printer bed | Print | Design | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| **256 mm** (Bambu P1S / X1C / A1 class) | [`bed_256mm/encloser.stl`](bed_256mm/) | The snap-fit design split for a 256 mm bed — body frame, back panels, and LED-panel mount in one STL | ✅ Standard option, ~10 h total |
| **~330 mm+** (Bambu H2S-class) | [`bed_330mm/encloser.stl`](bed_330mm/) | The one-piece original — body, closing part, and LED-panel mount in one STL, no bonding at all. Also has a **USB pass-through to the DevKit and a cable exit slot** (data only — see below) | ✅ Main design ([#113](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/113)) |

**Whichever body you print, also print [`knobs/knobs_20mm.stl`](knobs/) — required for every build.** Knobs go in **black**, everything else in **white**; run the knob plate as its own print job. (15 mm-shaft encoders → `knobs_15mm.stl`; 15 mm and 20 mm shafts are functionally identical, and the [BOM](../bom/)'s reference part, PEC11R-4220F-S0024, is 20 mm.)

## `bed_330mm/` — one-piece snap-fit

The original mass-production-oriented design: a single-piece body plus a snap-fit closing part, wall-mount hanger hole included. No bonding step at all. Does **not** fit a 256 mm bed.

**`encloser.stl`** — everything in one STL (body, closing part, LED-panel mount), all **white** PLA; knobs from [`knobs/`](knobs/) in black. Same design as the print-&-assembly-verified 256 mm kit, just uncut.

**Wired access to the DevKit (330 mm only).** Two openings the 256 mm variant doesn't have yet: a **pass-through between the power-bank bay and the ESP32**, so a USB-C lead reaches the DevKit's own port with the case shut — that's for wired features like MIDI and OSC, and for flashing — and a **cable exit slot below the battery compartment**, so a cable leaves the enclosure instead of being pinched under the back panel.

> ⚠️ **The DevKit port is for data, not power.** Power enters at `J4`, the screw terminal, on every build — see [BUILD_GUIDE §2](../../BUILD_GUIDE.md#2-power-input--use-the-screw-terminal). Never run the panel's supply through the DevKit's USB port.

## `bed_256mm/` — the standard build

**`patternflow_v3.3mf`** is the Bambu Studio project for this kit — four pre-arranged plates with the print settings below, the same file the MakerWorld listing serves. Open it and print; the STL is for every other slicer.

**`encloser.stl`** puts the whole body in one file: frame and back-panel halves plus the LED-panel mounting part, all in **white** PLA. ~10 hours total on a P1S. Print the knobs separately from [`knobs/`](knobs/), in **black**. The LED-panel mount is sized for the panel linked in the [BOM](../bom/). **Print & assembly verified** — the [assembly video](https://youtu.be/J9C9bZgkNKs) builds from this exact file.

Design perks: **two wall-mount holes**, a **snap-fit back panel**, and recesses for the LED matrix's alignment bumps — **no more nipper-trimming** the panel back (the old [#19](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/19) workaround).

### `for_other_panels/` — using a different LED panel?

`divided_v3_part1..5.stl` is an adjustable-mount variant whose **LED-panel mounting part adapts to varying bolt-hole positions** — panel suppliers drill them in different places. Print this instead of `encloser.stl` **only if** your panel is not the BOM-linked one. Print & assembly verified with a v3.0 board in [#169](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/169), including USB-C port alignment.

> ⚠️ Adjustable ≠ universal: if your panel's hole layout differs a lot, even this version may not fit. Check the mounting part against your panel before committing to the full print.

### Assembly notes (both 256 mm variants)

The full photo sequence lives in the [build guide](../../BUILD_GUIDE.md) — §4 (bond the printed halves right after printing) and §6 (panel in with `HUB-75E IN` toward the top → mounting part + screws → board in, encoder nuts from the front). Two watch-outs: the panel insertion is very tight (near-zero clearance) — work it in slowly — and bonded seams can show a hairline gap, fillable with putty or baking soda + CA.

## `legacy_v2/` — v2.x boards only

Everything that fits the v2.x board generation, kept for existing builds. **None of these fit the v3 board.** Follow the [v2 build guide](../../BUILD_GUIDE_v2.md).

| File | What |
|---|---|
| `encloser_v2.1.stl` | ✅ **Recommended v2 print** — the snap-fit design cut for the v2.1 board, every part in one STL (knobs included). Print & assembly verified. No body gluing, snap-fit back panel, two wall-mount holes, and **no LED-matrix bump trimming** ([#19](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/19) recesses built in). Assemble per the sequence in the [v3 guide §6](../../BUILD_GUIDE.md#6-case-assembly). |
| `plate_main.stl` + `plate_dividers.stl` | Classic split plates (256 mm bed, glued) — the path the [v2 guide](../../BUILD_GUIDE_v2.md) documents with full photos |
| `oneshot_v2_part1/2.stl` | One-piece snap-fit for the v2.x board (330 mm+ bed) |

(An `easyfit` plate variant existed briefly but was retired over a fit defect — [#154](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/154). It remains browsable at the [v2.1.0 tag](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/tree/v2.1.0/hardware/case).)

## Print settings

- **Printer:** Bambu P1S (default profile works as-is)
- **Nozzle:** 0.4 mm
- **Layer height:** 0.2 mm (default)
- **Supports:** Standard (regular) — *not* tree supports
- **Brim:** Off
- **Aux fan:** ~20%

## `source/`

- `patternflow_case.blend` — Blender source for every printed part. Saved with **Blender 5.2 LTS**; older Blender releases will not open it.

> **Note — downloading the .blend.** The Blender source is stored in Git LFS, so GitHub's *Code → Download ZIP* gives you a small pointer file instead of the real ~52 MB file. Download it from the [latest release assets](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/releases/latest) instead. The STL files are regular files and download fine either way.

To re-export STLs after editing:

1. Open the `.blend` in Blender.
2. Select the entire collection for one part.
3. `File → Export → Stl (.stl)`, with **Selection Only** checked.
4. Save with the matching filename in the bed-size folder.

## `legacy_lasercut/`

`patternflow_v1.svg` / `patternflow_v2.svg` — the v1-era laser-cut acrylic case drawings, from before the printed enclosure. Kept for the record; nothing current is built from them. See [`legacy_lasercut/README.md`](legacy_lasercut/README.md).

## `remixes/` — sharing a variant

Built a different enclosure — acrylic, wood, a wall plate, a case for another panel? It goes in [`remixes/`](remixes/README.md), one folder per remix with a README that carries the author, the license and what it is based on (STL and DXF files cannot carry a header, so the README is the header). The official folders above are not edited by a remix; a remix sits beside them. Work in progress is for Discord; a folder here is something that has been built at least once.