From the Loftsmith Workshop

Retro mini TV case for 2.8-5 in Pi/ESP32 screens with knobs

Gives a small Pi or ESP32 screen a home that looks like an old tabletop TV. The screen drops into a recessed window, two ridged knobs sit on the side panel, and a pair of rabbit-ear antennas stick up top. Set your screen's size and thickness to fit.

10 parts · 101 g · 146 × 68 × 148 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Small coral retro TV case with a screen window, two round knobs, a speaker grille and two antennas
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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

  • body · PLA · Face down on the bed (front face is the first layer)

    146 x 87 x 38 mm at defaults, about 54 g and 77 min. No supports: the screen lip, knob holes, grille slots and bezel grooves are all on the bed face, and the tapered back leans in at no more than about 37 degrees.

  • back panel · PLA · Outer face down, locating lip up

    Vent slots, cable notch and countersunk holes for three M2.5 screws. About 24 g, 36 min.

  • stand · PLA · As modelled, pocket up

    Low open frame with a 1.5 mm pocket the body drops into. About 16 g, 25 min. Optional (Low stand toggle).

  • screen clamp 1 · PLA · Flat, rounded face up

    Swing clamp, M2.5 x 6 screw into an insert.

  • screen clamp 2 · PLA · Flat, rounded face up
  • screen clamp 3 · PLA · Flat, rounded face up
  • screen clamp 4 · PLA · Flat, rounded face up
  • channel knob · PLA · Back face down, pointer bar up

    20 mm fluted knob with a D-bore for a 6 mm EC11 shaft.

  • volume knob · PLA · Back face down, pointer bar up

    Same as the channel knob; only printed when Knobs is set to 2.

  • antenna · PLA · Flat on its face

    Rabbit ears with a peg that pushes into the top slot. Optional (Rabbit-ear antenna toggle).

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
2 walls (page default); 3 walls if you want stronger insert bosses
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
PLA. All ten parts at 2 walls/15%: about 105 g and 3 h 6 min (body about 54 g, 77 min). At 3 walls/15%: about 130 g and 3 h 49 min. Every part fits a 180 mm bed at the defaults; the 5 in Touch Display 2 choice makes the body 204 mm wide and needs a 256 mm bed. Two colours: brick red body and back pa

Hardware

  • 7 × M2.5 heat-set insert (3.6 mm hole, 4.5 mm long) · 4 in the screen clamp bosses, 3 in the back corner bosses
  • 4 × M2.5 x 6 mm pan or button head screw · Screen clamps
  • 3 × M2.5 x 8 mm countersunk screw · Back panel
  • 2 × EC11 rotary encoder, 6 mm D-shaft, 15-20 mm shaft, at least 5 mm of threaded bushing, with nut and washer · One per knob; bare encoders (KY-040 boards were not checked)
  • Small round speaker, 28 mm at default (20-40 mm slider) · Held in its ring with a few dots of hot glue
  • Screen: 3.5 in HDMI LCD (MPI3508) at default, or CYD 2.8 in, Pi Touch Display 2, or a measured custom screen
  • Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (default board choice), Pi Zero, or none for an ESP32 CYD
  • Power lead about 4 mm thick, slim or right-angle plug recommended · Exits through the 5.6 mm notch at the bottom of the back panel

Assembly

  1. Press seven M2.5 heat-set inserts into the body: four into the screen clamp bosses beside the pocket and three into the back corner bosses.
  2. From inside, push each EC11 encoder's bushing through its 7.4 mm hole, then fit the washer and nut on the front and tighten. Clip off the encoder's small anti-rotation tab, or rely on the nut.
  3. Set the speaker into its ring behind the grille and fix it with a few dots of hot glue.
  4. Lay the screen face down into the pocket between the four corner locators. Swing the four clamps over its edges and tighten the M2.5 x 6 screws snug, not hard, because they press on the screen's edge.
  5. Plug the Pi onto the screen the way the display maker describes, and run the power lead down to the bottom of the case.
  6. Drop the lead into the notch in the back panel, seat the panel's lip in the back opening and fit three M2.5 x 8 countersunk screws.
  7. Push the knobs onto the D-shafts, press the antenna peg into the top slot (a drop of glue if it is loose) and set the TV into its stand.

Good to know

  • Checked in the Loftsmith engine only; not printed or tested. Print a test of the screen pocket and one knob before the full body.
  • Screen presets use published outlines: 3.5 in HDMI is 85.5 x 56.2 mm (MPI3508 V1.2 board) with a 73.44 x 48.96 mm picture; CYD is 86 x 50 mm; Touch Display 2 is 143.5 x 91.5 mm used sideways. Measure your screen and use Custom if it differs.
  • The presets assume the picture is centred on the outline. On many CYD boards it is not, so measure and set the picture offset sliders.
  • The Pi Touch Display 2 does not work with Pi Zero boards; use an HDMI or SPI screen with a Zero. The 5 in version needs a 256 mm bed.
  • Designed around bare EC11 encoders with a 15-20 mm D-shaft and at least 5 mm of thread; KY-040 boards are larger and were not checked.
  • The Pi is held by the display's header as in the maker's stack, not by standoffs in the case; the board bay is a 20 mm deep envelope estimate.
  • Screen masses for the CYD and Touch Display 2 are estimates used only for the tip check. Without the stand the default build tips past 17 degrees; on the stand, past 28 degrees.
  • PLA softens near 55 °C, so keep the case out of direct sun. The vents are passive and nothing here checks how warm a Pi 4 or 5 runs inside.
I printed this Remix

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