MPSM bezel for relocated encoder by ocieward

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

You can modify your Monoprice Select Mini to swap the position of the LCD and the rotary encoder. This moves the encoder wheel to the left, outside of the path of the Y-axis bed. This makes it much easier to reach the encoder during a print, for changing temperature, or pausing for a filament color change, or whatever.
The process is simple:
Remove the knob, then LCD and encoder bezel (there are two screws under the knob that must be removed as well).
Take the plastic part that supports the LCD and encoder from the rear.
Notice how the cables pass through a slot in that part.
Cut a new slot on that part on the opposite side (like a mirror image of the current cable slot). This is so that you can insert the LCD rotated 180 degrees, which will require the new slot to allow the cables to pass.
Notice that the foam pads that back up the LCD are not all the same thickness. Rearrange them so that the LCD sits level in it's new rotated position.
UPDATE: forgot to mention you also have to cut your front panel. There is currently a rectangle for the LCD and a circle for the encoder. You need to cut the encoder side out to make a big rectangle. See photo...
Here's the catch - The LCD is not symmetric. The active area is biased towards the end away from the ribbon cable. This means that when you flip it all over in the new position, the stock bezel will hide part of the active area and will expose some inactive area.
The solution is to print my new bezel, which shifts the LCD window slightly towards the encoder to line up with the LCD's active area.
Caveat: I have printed this part but have not yet fired up my printer (still disassembled, as I am doing a LOT of mods at once).
I see no reason why this bezel would not line up perfectly, but if it doesn't, please feel free to modify and remix. I have included STEP and native Solidworks files along with the STL for full edit-ability.
I printed the bezel in the photos on my company's $20k Stratasys printer, which is why it looks rather crappy. Once I have my Mini up and running and re-calibrated, I will print a new version that looks nicer :)
And Yes, that is a Monoprice Mini in the photos - I am in the middle of a full teardown and rebuild, including the orange paint, extended bed, and Titan Extruder.
Also, I did not try this myself, but you might want to print the bezel face down if you have a glass bed, for a smooth finish on the front surface. The edges have a 1.5mmx45deg chamfer, so they should print cleanly without support when face down (and obviously no support when face-up).
Enjoy!