Parametric Feather Case

An OpenSCAD enclosure generator for the Adafruit ESP32 Feather V2, stacked FeatherWings, an optional protected 18650 pack, and an optional 1/4-20 camera mount. It produces a body, removable lid, OLED button plungers, and fit calibration coupons.

Interactive Ruby wizard

The HighLine wizard asks the project-specific questions, saves the answers in YAML, and builds a self-contained case directory with OpenSCAD source, STL and/or 3MF geometry, and rendered previews.

Install the Ruby dependency into this repository:

bundle install

Then run:

bundle exec bin/feather-case

The menu can create a case, reopen one for dimensional tuning after a test print, or rebuild an existing case. Generated definitions live under cases/<name>/; exports, previews, revision history, and vendor/bundle are ignored by Git.

OpenSCAD and Blender must be available on PATH. On Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install openscad blender

Set OPENSCAD=/path/to/openscad or BLENDER=/path/to/blender when either program is installed elsewhere. The wizard checks both tools before replacing an existing package.

Each generated directory contains a dependency-free build.rb. After copying that directory to another Ubuntu machine, run ruby build.rb to reproduce its exports and previews. The saved generator source is used by default so a fine-tuning pass cannot silently pick up later geometry changes.

OpenSCAD's 3MF output contains portable model geometry. It does not contain a Bambu printer, filament, plate, or process profile; select those settings after opening the files in Bambu Studio.

The design targets support-free FDM printing with a 0.6 mm nozzle. PLA and PETG are suitable for general use; ASA is the preferred starting material for outdoor exposure. The enclosure is not weather-sealed.

Reference geometry

All dimensions are millimetres. Board coordinates come from Adafruit's source files:

The board origin is its USB edge at (0, 0). The case uses X from the USB wall toward the rear, Y from the plain side toward the battery/JST side, and Z up from the exterior bottom.

Generate parts

Open feather_case.scad in OpenSCAD and use the Customizer, or override values from the command line:

# Generic one-Wing case
openscad -o body.stl -D 'part="body"' feather_case.scad
openscad -o lid.stl -D 'part="lid"' feather_case.scad

# Three-Wing GPS case with battery and camera mount
openscad -o gps-body.stl \
  -D 'part="body"' \
  -D 'top_profile="gps"' \
  -D 'wing_count=3' \
  -D 'battery_enabled=true' \
  -D 'tripod_insert_enabled=true' \
  feather_case.scad
openscad -o gps-lid.stl \
  -D 'part="lid"' \
  -D 'top_profile="gps"' \
  -D 'wing_count=3' \
  -D 'battery_enabled=true' \
  -D 'tripod_insert_enabled=true' \
  feather_case.scad

# 128x64 OLED lid and all four captive buttons
openscad -o oled-lid.stl \
  -D 'part="lid"' \
  -D 'top_profile="oled128x64"' \
  -D 'button_reset=true' \
  feather_case.scad
openscad -o oled-buttons.stl \
  -D 'part="buttons"' \
  -D 'top_profile="oled128x64"' \
  -D 'button_reset=true' \
  feather_case.scad

The standard stack height is wing_count * wing_pitch. Set stack_height_override to the measured distance from the Feather PCB top to the top FeatherWing PCB when using unusual headers. It takes precedence over the computed height.

Custom wire egress

extra_cutouts accepts any number of entries:

// [face, shape, u, z, width, height, radius]
extra_cutouts = [
    ["left",  "circle",    35, 10, 8,  8, 4],
    ["rear",  "roundrect", 20, 12, 14, 7, 2],
    ["right", "slot",      28, 15, 18, 5, 2.5]
];

Faces are front, rear, left, and right. For front/rear faces, u is the global Y coordinate; for left/right faces it is global X. The Z value is the opening centre. Shapes are circle, rect, roundrect, and slot. Cutouts that enter the floor or lid-lip keepout raise an assertion instead of silently weakening those features.

Calibration

Heat-set insert holes vary significantly by insert brand, filament, nozzle, temperature, and printer calibration. Treat the supplied values as starting points.

Export and print part="insert_coupon" in the intended material.
Test both M2.5 and 1/4-20 inserts in the five stepped holes.
Set m25_insert_hole_diameter and tripod_insert_hole_diameter to the best coupon values.
Print part="switch_coupon" and choose the best hole for the actual DMWD switch batch.
Print part="fit_coupon" and tune fit_clearance before committing to the complete lid and body.

For ASA, tune dimensional compensation with coupons rather than applying an assumed global shrink percentage. Start with four or more walls, good chamber temperature control, and the same extrusion settings intended for the case.

Assembly

Heat-set the optional 1/4-20 insert from inside the case. Its threaded opening faces the exterior bottom.
Heat-set four M2.5 inserts into the board standoffs.
Fasten the ESP32 Feather V2, then install the stacking headers and Wings.
For battery builds, place the protected 69 x 18 mm pack in the cradle, route its lead through the partition notch, and mount the latching switch in the battery-side wall.
Heat-set the four lid inserts downward into the corner bosses.
For OLED builds, insert each enabled printed plunger through the lid from the inside. The elongated flange stays in the internal recess.
Engage the lid rim and fasten four standard M2.5 socket-head screws into the 2.5 mm-deep counterbores.

Confirm the USB plug, switch, battery, insert, and lid fits without force before leaving a lithium-ion battery installed. The battery cradle is intended for Adafruit's protected pack, not an unprotected loose cell.

6.2 KiB Raw Blame History