07Portfolio
An enclosure for a Pi Zero 2 W with an LTE modem
A 3D-printable enclosure for four boards: a Pi Zero 2 W, a backup power supply (UPS), a terminal block and a 4G modem. Every dimension is a parameter in a script. The design is ready to print but has not been printed yet.
By the numbers
- Outer dimensions
- 74 × 92 × 46 mm
- Boards inside
- 4
- Antenna connectors
- 3
Problem
Pi Zero add-on boards compete for the same space: both the UPS and the 4G modem want to connect from underneath through pogo pins, the UPS battery sits between the boards, and on top of that come three antennas, a SIM card and wires from the car’s harness. Some dimensions had to be taken from the manufacturers’ photos and drawings, because the available 3D models were incomplete or showed a different board revision.
Approach
The UPS goes under the Pi and powers it through pogo pins, the terminal block sits on top, and the modem stands next to the stack, connected with a micro-USB OTG cable with right-angle plugs. All the geometry lives in one CadQuery script with every dimension as a parameter; a second script assembles the model with the boards in Blender and renders the previews. The walls have openings for the charging socket, the microSD card, the SIM card, three SMA connectors and the UPS switch, and slots route the wires from both rows of terminals. Ventilation sits above the modem and the SoC and in the floor under the modem.
Outcome
The design is ready to print: base and lid as STL and STEP, plus a prepared file for the printer. I have not printed the enclosure yet. Outer dimensions: 74.3 × 91.8 × 46.4 mm. The work showed that the modem briefly draws up to 2 A while the backup supply delivers about 1.8 A, so the documentation recommends LTE-only mode and an extra capacitor next to the modem. The Pico 2 W board is meant to replace this setup eventually, and its 3D model will feed the next version of the enclosure.