Makerbot Replicator 2 Backplate

August 26, 2013
Description
I am still trying to understand the Black Art of 3D printing. One thing that I have noticed is the build cabinet temperature makes a huge difference to the flatness of a PLA print. So I have been keeping it at 28-35C and getting great results. Looking for something to make I decided to modify the rear name plate on the build platform to incorporate a digital thermometer. The unit I am using can be found on EBay for A$4-5 and is sold as a fish tank thermometer. Hope someone else finds it useful.
I found that the original design could get in the way of the gantry when you were leveling the build plate. I have reworked the whole back plate to help this problem. Tilting the LCD backwards also make it easier to read.
I use sailfish on my Makerbot so the bed leveling script is different (you move the head by hand) to the standard Makerbot script that moves the print head to preset positions. I believe that this may still cause some issues, please test your setup with this in mind. Normal print operations will not be affected by this back plate.