Filament Scale

Like many other 3D printer users, I often find myself in a situation where I’m not sure if the spool I want to use has enough filament left to begin a print. It is a guessing game in which I too often lose. As a result, I created a scale that gives an accurate estimate of the amount of filament left on a given spool.  This Instructable describes the filament scale I developed that has the following features:

• Accurate measurement of weight up to 5 kg with units selection of grams (g), kilograms (kg), ounces (oz), or pounds (lb).
• Accurate measure of filament length based on spool weight and filament density. Length units are selectable as millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), meters (m), inches (in), feet (ft), or yards (yd).
• Extensive user interface using a color 1.8” TFT display and rotary encoder.
• Menu driven option settings.
• Displays environmental data of temperature and humidity with selectable Fahrenheit/Celsius selection.
• Database of up to 15 spools with associated ID string, empty spool weight, filament color, filament type, filament density, and filament diameter.
• Database of default filament densities with 12 built-in default densities, and 3 user definable densities.
• WiFi compatible, with built-in web page.
• Non-volatile storage of all user settings which are preserved through power cycles.
• 3D Printed enclosure and spool holder.

• 3D Printed Spool holder from https://www.youmagine.com/designs/filament-holder-and-scales
• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Side Cutters
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Small Wrench or Pliers
• Knife and/or Wire Strippers
• Small Phillips Screw Driver
• Small Files or Sand Paper
• Multimeter (optional)
• Computer with Arduino V1.8.13 or Later Software Installed
• Micro USB Cable (for HUZZAH32 programming)
• 3d Printer

The first step is to create the 3D printed parts and build the spool holder and enclosure. See the attached PDF file for details.

The second step is to wire the electronics. Details are included in the attached PDF file.

The third step is to build and upload the firmware to the scale. Note that some Arduino libraries will need to be installed. Full description is included in the attached PDF file.

The Filament Scale Instructions.pdf file contains all the detail for constructing the project, and a comprehensive user manual.

STL files can be found at:https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5164448

All files, including STL files and firmware source files can be found at: https://github.com/regnaDkciN/Filament-Scale