New Case Parts
Clips, slides, port covers, and battery doors; these things can get easily damaged when the plastic begins to deteriorate or go missing entirely if they’re not fully attached. Here is a list of high-quality models I’ve made to replace the common components on the 701c body.
As many of these parts are very detailed, I’ve included the settings I use below for high-resolution 3D SLA printers along with suggested resins.
Here is the current list of models available:
PCMCIA Cover with Popout
Often times the inner pop-out has been lost or discarded. This part also commonly breaks on the lower right with frequent use.
RAM Door Cover
This part may need some modification. In the 2 years of production the length of this part has changed by 1 or 2mm.
Sleep Battery Cover
This part has been re-designed to be far more robust than the original.
Floppy Disk (FDD) Port Cover
This often rips off or is discarded. Due to a design flaw, its virtually impossible to turn on the computer with the FDD plugged in and this cover open.
Printing
When printing these parts, I would recommend an SLA resin printer. These parts are very precise and have small pieces difficult to replicate with FDM printing. The following is a list of settings and considerations for printing each part.
PCMCIA Cover with Popout
First, download the STLs for the main cover and the popout and import them into your slicer of choice.
These parts take a good amount of wear and pressure from being a good positive fit in the machine. They also need to be removed before removing the hard drive, so unless you leave it off, it will take a lot of handling.
The Resin:
For the reason I use a 70/30 mix of ABS-like resin and Flexible resin. This allows for a tough part that still has enough flexibility to take pressure without snapping.
The Layout:
Print at angles
Print both the body and the pop-out at an angle to maintain detail and dimensional accuracy.
You can flip the pop-out if you find the clips aren’t printing well, but you’ll risk the inside bowing in slightly.
The Settings:
For the final products, I printed them using an 8k resin printer.
Printer: Elegoo Saturn 2 (8k)
Resin: 70% Anycubic ABS-like Resin / 30% F69 Flexible Resin
Main Body Angle: 48.74°
This will differ per printer (resolution) and layer height. Find the optimal angle using this tool.Layer Height: 25µm
Exposure Time: 5s
Bottom Exposure Time: 50s
Supports: Light - Platform Only
RAM Door & Sleep Battery Covers
First, download the STLs and import it into your slicer of choice.
You may find that you need to elongate the RAM Door cover by 1mm or so depending on your case and if you’ve stripped the paint. I’ve also found small inconsistencies with different case models over the years.
If you need to modify it, don’t just stretch the part. Try to take a cut out of the middle and stretch that part to prevent the clips and bevel from scaling.
The Resin:
For the reason I use a 70/30 mix of ABS-like resin and Flexible resin. This allows for a tough part that still has enough flexibility to take pressure without snapping.
The Layout:
Print at angles
Print both parts at the appropriate angle to maintain dimensional accuracy and a flat surface.
The Settings:
For the final products, I printed them using an 8k resin printer.
Printer: Elegoo Saturn 2 (8k)
Resin: 70% Anycubic ABS-like Resin / 30% F69 Flexible Resin
Main Body Angle: 48.74°
This will differ per printer (resolution) and layer height. Find the optimal angle using this tool.Layer Height: 25µm
Exposure Time: 5s
Bottom Exposure Time: 50s
Supports: Light - Platform Only
Floppy Disk (FDD) Port Cover
First, download the STL and import it into your slicer of choice.
This one requires a small amount of custom supports to print consistently, although I have had a few prints that were successful without the supports.
It’s incredibly easy to print unsupported its face on the build plate, with the exception of a small overhang on the piece that “clips” into the notch into the laptop. Now, this clip isn’t visible after installed, so you may not care. I’ll take you through the hard version but feel free to skip it and see how it comes out.
The Resin:
100% Black Flexible Resin
I use F69 from Resione for this part. This will allow the door to be opened and bent at extreme angles to mimic the original.
The Layout:
Custom Supports
Notice I’ve removed a raft and the Z offset. I’ve modified some thin supports to make sure the tip of the clip prints without issue.
If you choose to go the support route, remember to clip these supports after washing and before curing.
The Settings:
For the final products, I printed them using an 8k resin printer.
Printer: Elegoo Saturn 2 (8k)
Resin: 100% F69 Flexible Resin
Layer Height: 50µm
Exposure Time: 7.6s
Bottom Exposure Time: 50s
Supports: Custom
Ambient Temperature: 31°C
Important: I print all of my prints around 30° but with Flexible resins, it’s that much more important. Flexible resins are much more viscous than normal resins and need a higher temperature to “flow” appropriately. You will want to preheat the resin in your environment (enclosure, bed, room, etc.) for 30 mins. before printing.
Check back for more parts…
