Thermal Printer

[p25486]

I'd like to hack my adafruit thermal printer slightly. I want to remove the top bezel and shave off the lengthwise edges to get the printer to fit in a project I'm working on. Any advice on getting the bezel off? Do I just pry at it, or will it fall apart if I do?

How will the printer react if I make the print roll a little shorter? Let's assume that I can do that without causing feed issues.

Thanks,

John

[adafruit_support_bill]

I have not disassembled one, but you should be able to trim the bezel flange with a fine-toothed flush-cut saw without removing it. Just tape over the openings to keep the dust out of the works. I don't think the print-head will have a problem with a narrower roll.

[p25486]

I plan on removing the metal plate from the back too. It does not appear to act as a heat sink. The project will contain the printer, so there's no worry of exposed circuits on the box itself. The plate weighs a lot, and I'm trying to keep the weight down.

I note that there's a lot of open space on either side of the printing mechanism. if I relocate the LED and button, I could cut things down a lot more than I had planned. I'll take photos.

[p25486]

I did it. Removed the switch and LED, then I drilled holes in a line from the back (metal plate removed) to mark the paper door mechanism. Then used a fine toothed hack saw to cut off 3/8" or so on both ends. It still works, and fits fine.

I will remount the LED and switch in a diffefent way.

[p25486]

Here's images of what I did.

[p25486]

Here's the finished unit after the cut. It still works. I suppose my warranty is void.

[p25486]

Opps, forgot this one, you can see how much I cut.

[peek]

interesting, thanks for the post
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