I am learning how to use settings in YAPP_Templatev3.scad, I have include set to YAPPgenerator_v3.scad (downloaded 27 Jan 2024)

I have the following settings:
showSideBySide = true
viewport is set to view from above

I am observing some unexpected behaviour when I change the padding around the PCB
Increasing value of PCB "padding front" increase padding at back and left, but does not increases padding at front ?
Increasing value of PCB "padding back" increases padding at front, but does not increase padding at back ?
Increasing value of PCB "padding right" has correct result.
Increasing value of PCB "padding left" increases padding at right, but does not increase padding at left ?
The unexpected movements of the PCB also causes lid switch cutouts and other related PCB artifacts to move to incorrect positions in the lid

Can you check and see if you can replicate this behaviour?
Are there other settings I need to enable first ?

I think the behaviour lies in YAPPgenerator_v3.scad,
function getPCB_X(pcbName="Main")
lines 4497, 4498 and 4502 all reference 'paddingFront', is this correct?
should line 4497 be 'paddingBack' ?
should line 4498 be 'paddingLeft' ?
should line 4502 be 'paddingRight' ?

Regards

The snapJoins use the yappCoordBox default origin. It would be helpful if we could specify the snapjoins relative to the yappCoordPCB origin (via a new arg).

Otherwise, I'm curious to see what the alternative solution is.

The box' corners (connections between sides of the cube) are weak structural connections and on top are weakened additionally from the outside fillets (the round corners).
To increase strength of box, please add (optional) fillets to all corners on inside of the box.

It seems these functions were recently renamed; need to update docs, readme, blog post, etc

Your script is incredible.

I would like to fasten my boxes together by putting a machine screw in from the base, through a board standoff, through the board, and threaded into the matching lid standoff (which can already be programmed to have a hole in it.)

I don't mind threading the the lid standoff with a tap (or heat-setting a metal threaded bushing), so no threads need be programmed.

The base should have some sort of recess for the screw head. A simple cone would be a good start, though that might be problematic for pan head screws (but fixable with some hand work).

I have successfully created both lid and base standoffs with holes in them, but the base hole does not pass all the way through the base. Of course, I can fix this by hand with a drill.

I've tried hacking away at v20 of your library, but I'm not good enough at openscad to get the hole to pass all the way through
the base.

Thanks again for a great script.

The pcb stand holes and the lid/base ridge are both super tight for me. Will likely get better when I go back to my .4 nozzle, but I couldn't really figure out a way to add a little bit of extra play on those dimensions.

boxMounts doesn't generate anything now. Tried against version 2024-0-17 and they work but not with the newest version.

I've been designing a PCB with KiCad and I've been finding it handy to make a footprint out of a proposed YAPP box in order to sanity check it and make sure everything's where I think it is. For a 2d footprint, I've found that adding

projection(cut=true) translate([0,0,-8])

just before the YAPPgenerate(); will give me a 2d drawing I can export to a DXF and import directly into KiCad. Adjust the z value in order to define what z level to make the projection through.

But what if you want to add a 3d model to the footprint? Well, KiCad requires a STEP file and a WRL file for its 3d models and OpenSCAD doesn't support that. The recommendation I've found for turning an OpenSCAD document into STEP/WRL files is to use FreeCad as an intermediary. I've attempted some simple OpenSCAD example documents in FreeCad and they work fine, but I've pretty much had no luck importing an YAPP model into FreeCad. At best I get a dozen or so primitive objects imported and hundreds of lines of DXF import error messages. I've tried both the built-in OpenSCAD importer and the "Alternate" importer that's a plugin (which claims to support more native OpenSCAD directives).

Before I throw more time into trying to get this working, I was wondering if anybody had already found a set of import preferences and plugins that work acceptably for this purpose. Thanks!

Following what's in Git and GitBook it's not mentioned that you need include <YAPP_Box-3.0.1/YAPPgenerator_v3.scad> at the top of the file and YAPPgenerate(); at the bottom. Only by reading the blog post did I infer those details.

Ideally in the What You Need section of the Book and the How to program your Project Box section of the Readme these details will be added so that a newbie can copy-paste and get basic output in OpenSCAD before continuing, sort of a Hello World to ensure that things are installed correctly.

Indeed the instructions talk about putting YAPP in the libraries folder, but then the blog post tells you to include the file with a relative path, which can confuse people who aren't experts.

Thanks for this great library!

@rosenhauer,

Is it an idea to name all programs that test/demo a specific function off the YAPPgenerator the name "YAPP_Demo_<array_name>.scad" and also reflect this in the comment block at the beginning of the program.

All not needed array's should be removed from the YAPP_Demo_program so it is clear what is needed to (only) create (in this case) boxMounts.

All these YAPP_Demo programs should then be part of the repo.

Something like:

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Yet Another Parameterized Projectbox generator
//
//  This is the YAPP_Demo_boxMounts program for testing and
//  demonstrate the use of the boxMounts array.
//
//  Needs YAPPgenerator Version 3.0
//
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Why?

To give users a simple example for using the (getting more and more complex) YAPPgenerator.

configList[5] is used only here in v3.0.1:

theStandoffPinDiameter = getParamWithDefault(configList[5],standoffPinDiameter);

but theStandoffPinDiameter is not used. I guess some instances of standoffPinDiameter should be replaced with theStandoffPinDiameter.

I have come to enjoy YAPP. Now I would like to use own variables for configuration to simplify layout changes; instead of this:

pcbStands = [
                [ 7.5, pcbWidth- 3, standoffHeight, 2, 11, yappBaseOnly, yappPin] , 
                [ pcbLength-7.5, 3, standoffHeight, 2, 11, yappBaseOnly, yappPin] ,

I want to write this

sx=7.5;
sy=3;
pcbStands = [
                [ sx, pcbWidth- sy, standoffHeight, 2, 11, yappBaseOnly, yappPin] , 
                [ pcbLength-sx, sy, standoffHeight, 2, 11, yappBaseOnly, yappPin] ,

you get the idea.
But at compile time the values of own variables are unknown for computing pcbStands. Same for other YAPP declarations.
Please advise how to proceed

It would be nice to have the ability to add arbitrary inner walls e.g. for routing cables and separating high/low voltage PCBs.

• In Dutch
• In English

I'm looking for a solution to reuse my custom cutout. I need this to position the holes for the electronic connectors that are bolted on. This code generates such a cutout, however I don't know how to place it in the template.

//  Parameters:
//   Required:
//    p(0) = connector opening diameter
//    p(1) = horizontal distance between two screw openings
//    p(3) = wall thickness 
//   Optional:
//    p(4) =  count of screw openings arround connector <4>
module connector_w_screws( hole_dm, screw_dist, screw_dm, wall_thickness , screws_cnt = 4) {
    wall_thickness = wall_thickness + .01;
	translate([-(2*screw_dm + screw_dist)/2,-(2*screw_dm + screw_dist)/2,-wall_thickness  / 2 ])
    {
        difference() {
            plate_l = screw_dm + screw_dist ;
            cube( [plate_l,  plate_l, wall_thickness  ]);   // base plate   
            
            translate( [plate_l/2, plate_l/2, -0.01] )                 
            cylinder( d = hole_dm, h = wall_thickness  + 0.02); // connector opening
           
            trans_screw = [
                [screw_dm/2, screw_dm/2, -.01], 
                [screw_dm/2 + screw_dist, screw_dm/2 + screw_dist, -.01], 
                [screw_dm/2 + screw_dist, screw_dm/2, -0.01], 
                [screw_dm/2, screw_dm/2 + screw_dist, -0.01]
            ];
            // screws openings:
            for (i=[0:screws_cnt-1])
            {
                translate(trans_screw[i] )
                cylinder( d = screw_dm, h = wall_thickness  + .02);
            }         
        }
    }
}
connector_w_screws( 24, 26, 4, 1.8);

When using the connectors feature, some slicers like Prusa or AnkerMake will run "split to objects/parts" to separate out parts for printing, but the radius'd rings inside the connectors will drop to the bed instead of staying merged with the bottom of the case.

Theoretically exporting them all as one mesh would help with this, though I'm not deep into YAPP enough to know the details. I just know this is the only feature I encounter this issue with. Cura and MatterControl don't seem to have this problem either.

No Issue but a big public THANK YOU Willem for this project. It's super helpful, saves tremendous amount of time and works like a charm :)

I'm never that happy with how the rounded edges in the first few layers turn on, for the edges along a face touching the print bed. It would be awesome if there was an option to only round the vertical edges, and not round the printbed edges.

The proper way to use a Git repository is to only have a single version of the project in the repo at one time. Versions should be tracked by tagging them using GitHub Releases.

If you want to continue to support historical versions (e.g., you have v1.9.0, but you want to release a small improvement called v1.9.1), you should use branches for each of those lineages (e.g., a v1.9 branch, which tracks all patch releases forwards). This is how projects like OSGeo's projects (e.g., QGIS) work, and is rather standard.

Let me know if you'd like any more guidance getting this setup!

In v1.6, the default for standoffHeight is 3.0 mm. For a board I've got, I needed to change that to 4.0 mm. I found that the case does not fit together snugly after that. The pin hole legs are touching the PCB surface, but there is still a gap of (eyeballing) about 1 mm before the snap-fit tabs can engage. Without the PCB inside, the case does close perfectly. It also closed perfectly in an earlier iteration that used the default standoffHeight.

I'm doing some experiments now to see if faking the PCB thickness by an extra 1 mm will work around this.

I wanted to track this down and send you a PR, but the calculations look a bit complicated. I thought maybe you could find the problem much faster than I could (or would be able to confidently tell me that I'm wrong).

[ERROR: Assertion '(ridgeHeight >= (wallThickness * 1.8))' failed: "ridgeHeight < 1.8 times wallThickness: no SnapJoins possible" in file ../../OpenSCAD/libraries/YAPPgenerator_v3.scad, line 1041]

Please change 1.8 to 1.3 ... (or make it a constant so user can adjust for his printer)

Maybe you can move "Helper Functions" (like shapes, masks, Ridge Extension) to the end of the YAPPgenerator and base functions (like cutouts, pcbStands snapJoins) to the beginning..

Issue

Jonatan Liljedahl says:

Is there any way to change the pin height? I want to mount some parts almost flush to the lid, for example a display. But changing the standoff height makes the pin go through the lid.

Hi,

The following code gets an error when I render it:
ERROR: The given mesh is not closed! Unable to convert to CGAL_Nef_Polyhedron.
What do I do wrong ?
Thanks.

include <../YAPPgenerator_v3.scad>

printBaseShell        = true;
printLidShell         = true;
printSwitchExtenders  = true;
showSideBySide=true;

baseWallHeight      = 25; 
lidWallHeight       = 10;

paddingBack        = 40;

pcbLength           = 91; // Front to back
pcbWidth            = 50; // Side to side
pcbThickness        = 1.5;

standoffHeight = 3;
standoffDiameter = 5;
standoffPinDiameter  = 2;
standoffHoleSlack=0;


pcbStands = [
   [5, 5, yappBaseOnly, yappHole ],
   [5, pcbWidth - 5, yappBaseOnly, yappHole],
   [62, 5,yappBaseOnly, yappHole],
   [62, pcbWidth - 5, 2, yappBaseOnly, yappHole],
];

cutoutsFront =  
[
    [3,pcbThickness,0,0,3,yappCircle, yappCoordPCB],
    [40,pcbThickness,0,0,3,yappCircle, yappCoordPCB],
];

cutoutsLeft =  
[
    [34, pcbThickness, 10, 10, 0, yappRectangle, yappCoordPCB],
    [8, 8, 0, 0, 3, yappCircle, yappCoordBoxInside ],
    [28, 8, 0, 0, 3, yappCircle, yappCoordBoxInside ]
];

areation = 10;

cutoutsBack =  
[
    [15, baseWallHeight - 15, 20, 3, 0, yappRectangle, yappCoordBoxInside],

];

cutoutsLid = [
    [22,42,0,0,4,yappCircle, yappCoordPCB],
];

snapJoins   =   
[
    [10, 5, yappLeft, yappRight, yappSymmetric]
   ,[10, 5, yappFront, yappBack, yappSymmetric]
];



//showPCB = true;

YAPPgenerate();

@rosenhauer

yappGenerator Version="v3.0.3 (2024-03-21)";

It seems impossible to have a pcbStand on both sides if yoy also use optional params. Base is OK, lid is not. There is a small circle noted on the lid but that does not extend to de PCB.
pcbStands = [ [5, 5, yappDefault, yappDefault, 6 + 1.25, 4.1, 9, yappBoth, yappFrontLeft, yappBackRight, yappCoordPCB] ];

With only the parameters the length of the stand on the lid does not comply with the height of the connectors (which are correct)
pcbStands = [ [5, 5, yappFrontLeft, yappBackRight] ];

Future request

It would be nice if

• buttonSlack = 0.4;

can be set in the box-program.

I have a project that has a main PCB ("Logic board" with ESP32 and other circuits and connectors) and a display.

The "Logic board" would be mounted on the base and the Display would be mounted on the cover so the mount points for the "Logic" board' would need to be for example 6mm from the base and the display would need to be 3.5mm from the cover. Ideally the display would actually be flush with the inside of the cover below an opening on the cover to be able to see/touch it.

When making upgrades, it would be helpful to be able to confirm that a list of example/sample test files still compile successfully and correctly (or at least very similarly to how they did before).

I'm not sure exactly what the solution looks like, but a GitHub Workflow with many test files for this project could be very helpful as it continues to grow, to continue that the project is working in each branch/PR before it's merged.

Does anyone involved in this project know of any other OpenSCAD library/library-like projects that have this sort of testing workflow setup? Otherwise, it can't imagine it would be that hard to setup ourselves.

I do not see an "angle" parameter for "cutoutsBase" in "library/YAPPgenerator_v14.scad". Was there is reason for that?

Originally posted by @bdlightner in #5 (comment)

I'd like to have some way to surface mount my project box. Tabs / ears on n edges of the base with adjustable hole size would work well.

Really like this project. Have a very usable box in only a few iterations, thank you!

With a roundRadius of 1.0, the inside of my lid was solid rather than hollowed out. I found that a slight correction to the logic of a function solved the issue.

around line 4876 ... made less than or equal
function getMinRad(p1, wall) = (p1<=wall) ? 1 : p1 - wall;

The function probably needs a greater amount of logic where p1==wall.

BTW: really nice work done on a great library

I can reccomend following video on 3d printing electrical enclosures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ERY20MRJPo

Perhaps it might be interresting to implement the ideas in YAPP. (eg. chamfered standoffs, THT lead pocket instead of standoffs, corners,...)

I would like to have those things as on the image, which can be used for threaded inserts or just as screw hole. On the lid and/or on the base.
I want to mount box on a bicycle, so I need some reinforcement.

I tried with various svg files to put a logo on a box. There are no errors or warnings but it looks like it is simply ignored.
imagesPlane =
[
[ 10, 10, 180, -2, yappLid, "Logo_neu.svg", 0.2 ]
];
May be we should include a simple example with a working svg file.

@rosenhauer

I'm currently working on a box for a project I'm working on.

YAPPgenerator: Version="v3.0.3 (2024-03-21)";
But with showPCB = true the PCB is not displayed at the correct height.

• showPCB = true;
• standoffHeight = 4.0;
• connectors = [ [5, 5, 4, 2.5, 6 + 1.25, 4.1, 9, yappDefault, yappAllCorners, yappCoordPCB] ];

P1Reader2Eth_scad.txt

As a consequence the switch-tubes are also incorrect (to long)!

Also - future request:

I would like the Cap of the push-buttons to be a bit higher so they fall a bit deeper in the lid. With tolerances during printing sometimes the Cap is completely above the lid. No problem for a yappCircle cap but if it had a (f.i.) yappRectangle shape it can turn and then you can not push it anymore.

I'm working on a new box for the Colorlight 5A-75B board (please see udif@b03609a).

While designing the box, I wrote something like:

include <./library/YAPPgenerator_v13.scad>
...
pcbLength         = 143.64; // i(5.6496);
pcbWidth          = 91.69; // i(3.6);
...
holeX = (pcbLength - 135.26) / 2;
holeY1 = (pcbWidth - 81.28) / 2;
holeY2 = (pcbWidth - 60.33) / 2;
pcbStands = [
                 [            holeX, pcbWidth - holeY2, yappBoth, yappPin]         // back-left
               , [            holeX,            holeY2, yappBoth, yappPin] // back-right
               , [pcbLength - holeX, pcbWidth - holeY1, yappBoth, yappPin]         // back-left
               , [pcbLength - holeX,            holeY1, yappBoth, yappPin] // back-right
             ];

This brings tons of errors like Ignoring unknown variable 'holeX', Ignoring unknown variable 'holeY1', Ignoring unknown variable 'holeY2' pointing to the pcbStands lines above.
It also brings a bunch of undefined operation (number - undefined) but if we understand that somehow holeX , holeY1, holeY2 are somehow underfined at that point, then this secondary warning is understandable.
As this leads to non-working standoffs, I found a workaround, by assigning the 5 constants above the YAPP code:

pcbLength=0;
pcbWidth=0;
holeX=0;
holeY1=0;
holeY2=0;

include <./library/YAPPgenerator_v13.scad>
...
pcbLength         = 143.64; // i(5.6496);
pcbWidth          = 91.69; // i(3.6);
...
holeX = (pcbLength - 135.26) / 2;
holeY1 = (pcbWidth - 81.28) / 2;
holeY2 = (pcbWidth - 60.33) / 2;
pcbStands = [
                 [            holeX, pcbWidth - holeY2, yappBoth, yappPin]         // back-left
               , [            holeX,            holeY2, yappBoth, yappPin] // back-right
               , [pcbLength - holeX, pcbWidth - holeY1, yappBoth, yappPin]         // back-left
               , [pcbLength - holeX,            holeY1, yappBoth, yappPin] // back-right
             ];

The code now works, but I don't understand why was this necessary.

In addition, several new warnings on YAPPgenerator_v13 itself (I'm not giving line numbers, because my fork added a few lines for the rotated cutout code):

function getMinRad(p1, wall) = (p1<=wall) ? 1 : p1-wall;

(4 times undefined operation (number <= undefined) and 4 times undefined operation (number - undefined)) which I totally don't understand why.

                translate([shellLength-15, -15, 0])
                  linear_extrude(1) 
                    mirror(1,0,0)
                      %text("LEFT"
                            , font="Liberation Mono:style=bold"
                            , size=8
                            , direction="ltr"
                            , halign="left"
                            , valign="bottom");

I get Too many unnamed arguments supplied and Unable to convert mirror(1) parameter to a vec3 or vec2 of numbers on the mirror(1,1,0) line.

Currently, you configure which sides (base/lid) have pins and holes with these options:

//    n(a) = { <yappBoth> | yappLidOnly | yappBaseOnly }
//    n(b) = { <yappPin>, yappHole } // Baseplate support treatment

yappBoth puts the pins on the bottom, and the regular connectors on the top.

Option 1 (preferred):

I'm proposing that the section could instead be setup like this:

//    n(a) = { <yappBasePin> | yappBaseHole | yappBaseNoStand } // bottom/base support config
//    n(b) = { <yappLidHole> | yappLidPin | yappLidNoStand } // lid support config

This option allows easier configuration of the shape of the PCB stands on each side. The downside is that it's possible to configure it so that there are pins on both sides (which would prevent it from closing). It's easy to avoid doing that though.

Option 2:

Alternatively, I'm proposing that the line could be changed to:

//    n(a) = { <yappBothPinsFromBottom> | yappBothPinsFromTop | yappLidOnly | yappBaseOnly }
//    n(b) would stay roughly the same, I think

This change would prevent the user from creating pins on both the top and the bottom, but it feels way less intuitive to me.

Hi,
there are many cases where PCB will be put into rack or electric cabinet, so will be very useful to have an option to enable/disable a standard DIN Rain mount on the base.

Any possibility to add in a future release?

Many thanks.