Display Enclosure for Mounting Makerbase Mini12864 to Anet A8 Plus

This is an adapted version of JATMN's “MKS MINI12864 V3 (Front Style) Enclosure” for use on the Anet A8 Plus.

After scouring the 3D model sites looking for a decent display enclosure/mount for attaching the Makerbase mini12864 V3 neopixel display to my Anet A8 Plus, I decided on JATMN's design.  I think JATMN's design is the most attractive and practical enclosure for this type of display.

I wanted to mount the display on the left side upper 20x40 extrusion in the same position I'd mounted the stock Anet A8 Plus display both for familiarity and consistency with my other printers which allows me to use the included ribbon cables for connecting it to the mainboard.

Most of the changes I made were to the base portion of JATMN's model.  I corrected the position of the lower right screw hole and combined JATMN's base model with the base I attached the original display with.

I wasn't pleased with the overwhelming intensity of the LED's for the encoder wheel so I attempted to subdue it by boxing the light in around the switch, yet the light still permeated the face around the encoder through the Indigo PLA I had first printed it in.  I then reprinted it in Amazon Basics black PLA and the light no-longer bleeds through.

Additionally, I opened the bezel on the left side by .5mm as the left edge of the display in my case was partially obscured when viewing it head on.  I also added extensions to the screw holes on the face to increase the rigidity of the assembled unit and opened up the SD card slot by .5mm  to remove interference that was causing the “read only” tab of my SD cards to engage upon insertion.  Having printed this model in black whilst all my other printed upgrades and add-ons are in Indigo, the display looked a little out of place so I made a one piece Anet label that could be printed in indigo and glued to the face.  I just wanted the display to appear as though it belonged with the printer.

If I decide to keep this display on my Anet A8 Plus, I'll probably make one last change, adding cutouts for 3mm nuts to the screw holes in the base so that the face will attach more solidly than by threading directly into the plastic.

While I really like JATMN's design for this display, I'm not at all a fan of this display.  I thought that the faster MKS Robin 32 bit mainboard I just installed would abate the sluggishness of a serially connected display which was my biggest gripe with the stock A8 Plus display, but I was mistaken.  This display, in this configuration, is every bit as painfully slow as the stock display was on the 8 bit board.  I'll probably replace the mini12864 with a direct connected Ender 3 display which may be less attractive, but is massively more responsive, especially while scrolling through the great many models I keep stored my SD cards.  If you're using Klipper, of course it wouldn't matter, the displays performance, or even its presence, but I keep all my printers unconnected and stand-alone running Marlin.  There's no compelling reason for me not to adapt to new technologies, I just take comfort in familiarity.

I had purchased two of this display, one for my A8 Plus, and one for my classic A8.  I really liked how these displays looked in the advertisements and they were a less expensive alternative to the Ender display, but their performance is rubbish… :(