Hardware Required¶
Complete bill of materials for building a SpoolBuddy station. Total cost: $100-150.
1. Display - Elecrow CrowPanel Advance 7.0"¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$50-60 |
| Display | 7.0" IPS LCD, 800x480 |
| Touch | Capacitive (GT911) |
| MCU | ESP32-S3 (built-in) |
| Power | USB-C 5V |
Purchase:
Important
Make sure you choose the Advance (AI) version, not the basic HMI version!
Why this display?
- Built-in ESP32-S3
- Plenty of GPIO pins for peripherals
- High-quality IPS touchscreen
- USB-C power and programming
2. Raspberry Pi Pico¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$4-6 |
| CPU | Dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ @ 133MHz |
| RAM | 264KB |
| Interface | USB, SPI, I2C, UART |
| Purpose | NFC reader controller |
Purchase:
Pico W Alternative
The Pico W (with WiFi) also works if you have one available.
3. Scale ADC - SparkFun Qwiic NAU7802¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$15-25 |
| ADC | 24-bit |
| Interface | I2C (Qwiic) |
| Address | 0x2A |
Purchase:
4. Load Cell - 5kg Single Point¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$5-10 |
| Capacity | 5kg |
| Type | Single-point bar |
| Output | 4-wire (E+, E-, A+, A-) |
Purchase:
- eBay
- Search "5kg load cell" on Amazon/AliExpress
Tip
5kg is ideal for filament spools. Higher capacity (10kg) cells have lower resolution per gram.
5. NFC Reader - PN5180¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$10-15 |
| Chip | NXP PN5180 |
| Interface | SPI |
| Protocols | ISO 14443A/B, ISO 15693 |
Purchase:
- LaskaKit
- Search "PN5180 NFC" on AliExpress
RC522 Won't Work!
The cheaper RC522 reader does NOT support ISO 15693 and won't work with Bambu Lab tags!
6. Wire - 22AWG Silicone Stranded¶
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$10-15 (kit) |
| Gauge | 22 AWG |
| Type | Silicone stranded |
| Colors | Multiple (for color-coding) |
Purchase:
7. Mounting Hardware¶
| Item | Quantity | Size | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIN 912 Cylinder Screws | 4 | M4x25 | Load cell mounting |
Purchase:
Summary Table¶
| # | Component | Price | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elecrow CrowPanel 7.0" Advance | $50-60 | |
| 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico | $4-6 | |
| 3 | SparkFun Qwiic NAU7802 | $15-25 | |
| 4 | Load Cell 5kg | $5-10 | |
| 5 | PN5180 NFC Reader | $10-15 | |
| 6 | 22AWG Silicone Wire | $10-15 | |
| 7 | M4x25 Screws (4x) | $2-5 | |
| Total | $96-136 |
Before You Buy¶
- Verify the display version - Must be CrowPanel Advance (AI) version
- Check PN5180 antenna - Get the module with built-in antenna
- Load cell capacity - 5kg recommended
- Shipping times - Some items from China take 2-4 weeks