From the Loftsmith Workshop

Dual breadboard base for ESP32 with power bank bay

Gives your ESP32 project a proper home so the breadboard stops sliding around the desk. Two breadboards sit in ribbed trays, with a bay beside them for a power bank and an orange bar to carry it all. Set the pin-row spacing and the power bank size to match your own parts.

3 parts · 130 g · 176 × 163 × 30 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Grey tray with ribbed sides, small compartments, a power bank bay and an orange bar across the top
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • base · PLA · Upright as modelled, flat bottom on the bed

    175.6 x 163.3 x 30 mm at the defaults; about 119 g and 2 h 41 min at 2 walls/15%. No supports: the cells under the boards and the dock trench are open at the top. PLA is fine because it stays on a desk and the loads are small.

  • centre spine · PLA · Flat side down

    165.2 x 18.3 x 5 mm bar at the defaults; about 9 g and 16 min. Its width is the computed gap minus 0.1 mm. Print it in the accent colour (orange in the picture).

  • bank gate · PLA · Lying flat on its big face

    70 x 9.9 x 2.4 mm bar; about 2 g and 6 min. Printing it flat keeps its bending stress along the layers. Print it in the accent colour too.

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
2
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
All three parts at 2 walls and 15% infill: about 134 g and 3 h 10 min (engine estimate on the Bambu A1). For stiffer rims use 3 walls and 15%: about 178 g and 4 h 11 min. The base fits a 180 mm bed (A1 mini) at the default sizes (175.6 x 163.3 mm). The longest power bank (bankL 115) makes it 178.3 m

Hardware

  • 2 × 830-point MB-102 breadboard · Pull the power-rail strip off the long side that faces the centre spine. Measure the board width without that strip and the distance from the cut edge to the first hole row, then set the sliders.
  • ESP32 DevKit (or any dev board with 0.9, 1.0 or 1.1 in pin rows) · Straddles the orange centre spine.
  • USB-C power bank · Up to 115 x 72 x 28 mm. The USB-C port should sit roughly centred on one end. A bank with a low-current or always-on mode is best.
  • USB-C PD trigger board, about 26 x 14 mm · Sits in the dock pocket with its USB-C input facing the lead.
  • Short USB-C to USB-C lead (10-15 cm) · Runs from the bank's port to the trigger. Coil any spare length in the dock trench.
  • 2 × M2 x 6 screw with M2 washer · Self-tap into the 1.7 mm holes. The washers clamp the trigger board's edges, so the board needs no mounting holes.
  • 4 × Self-adhesive rubber foot, 10 mm · Go in the 10.5 mm recesses under the corners.
  • 2 × Jumper wires · From the trigger's output to the outer power rail of the back breadboard, through the notch in the rim.

Assembly

  1. Measure your breadboards with the inner rail strip removed: length, width, and the distance from the cut edge to the first hole row. Measure your power bank too. Set the sliders, then print.
  2. Stick the four rubber feet into the corner recesses under the base.
  3. Set the PD trigger board in its dock pocket with its USB-C input facing left. Clamp its edges with the two M2 screws and washers.
  4. Plug the short USB-C lead into the trigger. Lay it along the dock trench and drop its other plug into the slot behind the bay.
  5. Slide the power bank in from the front, port end first. Reach into the dock, push the plug into the bank's port, and coil any spare lead in the trench.
  6. Drop the orange gate bar into its two slots across the bay mouth.
  7. Lay the orange centre spine down the middle of the recess. Press each breadboard in beside it, cut edge (rail removed) against the spine.
  8. Plug the ESP32 across the spine. Run two jumper wires from the trigger's output through the rim notch into the back board's outer power rail.
  9. To take the bank out: lift the gate bar, unplug the lead from the dock side, then slide the bank out of the front.

Good to know

  • Many power banks switch off when the load drops below about 50 to 100 mA, and an idle ESP32 can draw less than that. Use a bank with a low-current or always-on mode, or check that yours stays on with your circuit.
  • Breadboard sizes vary by about 1.5 mm between clones. The defaults (165 x 45 mm with the rail removed, 3.5 mm from cut edge to first row) are estimates for MB-102 boards, not measurements, so measure yours. If unsure, print the spine and one board's length first as a test.
  • The pin rows only line up when both boards are pressed against the centre spine. The 0.4 mm play at the outer edges lets the dev board's pins pull them into line.
  • Over the bay, the breadboards and spine bridge between the bay walls with the bank 1 mm below. Support the board from underneath when pressing in stiff parts there.
  • The PD trigger pocket fits boards about 26 x 14 mm. Larger trigger boards will not fit without editing the dock.
  • Set the trigger to 5 V when feeding a 5 V rail or the ESP32's 5V pin. 9 V or 12 V only works if your bank offers it over USB-C PD and your circuit is rated for it.
  • The gate bar is a snug sliding fit, not a lock. Turning the base upside down can drop it out.
  • The bay assumes the bank's USB-C port is roughly centred on its end face. A port near a corner needs the lead slot widened.
  • Fits and strength are checked in the Loftsmith engine only; this design has not been printed or tested.
I printed this Remix

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