DIY Arduino Based Pi Printing Machine

Hello people in this instructables i will show you how i made this Arduino based pi printing machine that can print pi on your favorite cookies or can be used as a stamp also in printing to your paper.

The intention behind this project is very simple.

Spreading the value of pi wherever i go because pi rules the world, If you didn't know about pi it is an infinite number that relates to our universe.

This is a very interesting topic and if you get time do a research on that magic invention! So i wanted to contribute something from my side to this invention so i made this pi printer.

If you people build this whoever sees your project will ask about your creation so you can tell the motive behind the project that you made.

So with these being told let me tell you what this project actually does.

This is a 3d printed pi printing machine that can seal the shape of pi on your dough or if you are using for other purposes like for example pi stamp on your card you can use this.

I have made the mechanism to stamp pi using the 3d printed parts.

There is a control button(we makers call it as rotary encoder) with which you can increase or decrease the number of pi that you want to print.

To make everything simple i have used oled that shows all the statuses real time with which you can see what's going on.

Powered by usb and run by Arduino uno this project is really fun to build and most importantly you get to learn a lot of things that could be the circuit building, programming or the 3d printing.

I recommend you to build this so that you take advantage of learning in interactive way, I have given all the building of this project in detailed steps so anybody could build this.

There is a working video given in the end that you can refer to check for its working.

Gather these materials first so that you can build the project in a very less time.

Arduino Uno from amzon

128*32 OLED Display

Rotary Encoder

Cardboard Sheet

Jumper Cables

Micro Servo

3D Printer

TinkerCad (if you want to modify design)

PLA Filament

Cura Slicer

Hot Glue

Super Glue

Arduino IDE and Programming Cable

Dough or paper where you want the pi

These are affiliate links and upon qualifying sales i may receive a small percent of sale at no extra cost to you.

To begin with i made the parts for this device using Tinkercad application.

I have made all the design after several trial and errors so unless you want to make a totally different model you can proceed with modifying my STL.

I suggest to simply use my files and print the models, all of the parts are tested for its flawless working.

There are total of 3 parts i would like to differentiate here, The frame, pi with stamp and then the slider mechanism for the servo.

If you want to have a bigger pi you can increase the length and breadth of the base and there is no need to increase the thickness.

Since many of them try to build my project i will take outmost care when i design the parts that involves working mechanism

Who try to make this should have 100% success rate and that is the main motto of sharing my project to you all since you matter the most :)

Import the Stl onto cura slicer or any other slicer that you have, i would recommend printing the parts in 2 or 3 splits.

You can follow the settings that I'm using here, make sure the infill is atleast 30% and no rafts and supports are selected.

I will then begin to print one by one, i chose different color filaments and you can do the same also.

Choice of color is your choice and then proceed to printing them, I will start with the big part for this project that will be the frame or the oled and mechanism holder i would say.

After this you can print the pi and the stamp, These are 2 separate parts and later we can assemble them to make it work like a stamp.

Now the most important part is the slider mechanism that will be installed on the micro servo.

Here we have total 3 parts, Gear, Slider and the servo holder and these are easy to print and install.

Start by connecting the servo to the frame you can use the super glue for this and after it is dry insert the sider.

Make sure to check for the initial servo position before you install the gear on the servo shaft.

Manually slide the slider and gear to check if there are no any hard surfaces on the area.

Printing all these will take some time and after printing there is no need to do any post processing work as the models will come out great from the printer after printing.

As you can see from the image my frame had some web like structure that was because my filament was exposed to moisture that led this to happen but you will not see this if your filament is free from moisture.

Try out different color combinations to explore your creativity and when the printer is doing its job you can proceed to work on the circuit building part.

Circuit is simple for this project i will break down the circuit into steps so that you will understand much better.

There are 3 parts in total, OLED, Servo and the Rotary encoder and from all these components connect the gnd to gnd and the Vcc of OLED will be connect to 3.3v Pin.

The Vcc of rotary encoder and the servo will be connected to the 5v pin on the uno board.

On the OLED module we have Scl and Sda and this will be connected to A5 and A4 pin on the board.

Servo signal pin will be connect to D9 on the Arduino.

Rotary encoder pins will be connect as follows Clk to D2, Dt to D3 and the Sw to D4

After this is complete you can simply connect uno to computer and open IDE.

Copy and paste the below code into your IDE, before uploading check if the required libraries are installed.

If you dont have any libraries installed, just search on github and install the zip libraries inside the ide.

If everything is right proceed with uploading the program.

You can also further simplify this circuit using services from JLCPCB they also provide 3d printing services with fast shipping.

Ordering PCBs from them is very easy and affordable and they provide fast delivery too.

If you want to track all your orders in one place, you can check out their new JLCONE application for both desktop and mobile devices, avail free shipping and great discount if you sign up from my link

After you upload the program the oled will show the message and now you can verify if the circuit is working fine.

Just rotate the knob on the encoder and select the number of pi and when you press ok the servo should move as per the given selection.

After the circuit is tested for its working we can fuse the electronics with the 3d printed parts and set it up on a piece of board so that everything looks organized.

The 3d printed frame will hold 3 parts, Display, Encoder and then the main mechanism also.

I will start by inserting the OLED wires to the side of the frame and then fix the oled on the give slot, be little careful while doing this step.

Secure the edges with glue and then the jumper cables can be connected to uno again.

There are total 3 slots on the back of the frame that you can use to organize the wires so that the cables remain hidden.

Next this frame has to be held stood on the board, You can use super glue here, the base was designed to have a great support when laid flat.

You can see that i have used a frame to hold the uno, this is just a box with one slot to hold the uno board this part was recycled from my old project.

I will then place the rotary encoder and with the help of hot glue i will connect the encoder board base with the frame, Note that i have given a dedicated slot for this part.

This is small portion of the assembly now i will be placing the main mechanism for this project and will see that in the next step.

This is the part where the pi comes to life and we have to build it with care so that our quality of pi will be in its standards!

I will start by pasting the pi stamp part on the base of slider mechanism part.

You can scratch the base if you want to if you feel that the part surface is too smooth, Center it and glue and allow to dry for some time so that the alignment remains same.

The gears fits so well so that there is no need of any screws to secure it to the shaft of servo, if you have any fitting issue use the generic screws that comes with the servo

This will complete the mechanism setup part, Now this part has to be glued near the display.

I will be using super glue so that we have good strength throughout, Add few drops on the frame and place this part and press hold until this dries up completely.

I found that the display module needed some enhancement so i printed a simple frame in white color and placed on the surface.

At this phase we are almost done with the build part and now you can adjust the extra jumper cables, Use hot glue to couple them.

I have glued them to the base of the frame so that it remains hidden.

Using this is very exciting part and i cant wait to test this project out, Start by preparing a dough! you can simply use clay also.

Connect the uno to USB i will be powering this project using the power bank.

As soon you connect the cable you can see a message on the display and now with the help of rotary encoder you can select the number of pi you want.

I have set the limit to 4 and this can be increased also, Just change the number on the program and you are good to go.

Now after you select the number of pi you wish to see you can press ok, just press the center button on the encoder and now the selected number of pi will begin to print.

Place the clay under the bed and you can see the pi on it and after this is done the stamp goes back and you can take out the part.

You can also use stamp pad and press the stamp on paper for unlimited number of pi.

Well this was all about making this pi printer machine, I wish to see your build in the i made it section.

If you have anything to ask on this project ask in the comments, Have a cool build.

If you think you missed to catch something in the build step you can consider watching this full build tutorial that will answer all of your questions.

Also you can check the video for the printing of pi where most of them might have curiosity.

This was all about building this project, If you have any questions ask in the comments, Thank you for making it till here. Have a great build.