3.2 The Beelink base plate
This gauge screws to the PC's two M3 inserts and bends 5 mm up the front face. The bend turns a hole test into a set-back test as well: if the holes are right but the set-back is wrong, the lip either presses on the front face or leaves a gap.
Design
| Name | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Insert spacing | 34.1 mm | The photo with the rule |
| Insert set-back | 5.4 mm | Front face to the insert centres |
| Holes | 3.4 mm | M3 clearance, ISO 273 medium |
| Plate | 80 × 15 × 2 mm | Clears the front pads by 3.5 mm each side |
| Lip | 5 mm up the front face, 0.2 mm off it | Stays below the front panel at about 9.4 mm |
Two choices worth noting:
- Sharp inside corner, round outside. The case's front-bottom edge has an unknown radius. A sharp inside corner clears any radius; an inside fillet could hit a smaller one. The outside is a 2 mm arc on the inside corner, so the wall stays 2 mm all the way round.
- Little slack on purpose. With M3 screws in 3.4 mm holes the plate can shift about 0.2 mm each way. The hand value of 34.6 mm is 0.5 mm off 34.1 mm, more than the holes allow. If the photo value is wrong, the second screw will not start, and the gauge says so.
The check places the gauge on the PC model's STEP: no overlap, the plate touches the base, the lip stands 0.20 mm off the front face, and each hole centre equals the model's insert centre.
Result
Printed in red, sent by the agent, 35 layers, flat on the bed throughout.
On the PC, the holes were slightly off, both ways:
- Brass showed on the inner side of both holes, so the inserts sit further apart than 34.1 mm, as the hand value of 34.6 mm suggested.
- Brass also showed on the front-edge side, so the inserts probably sit further back than 5.4 mm.
The photo method got close but not close enough for a fit. Callipers will set the final values in the PC model's Params sheet, and every holder will take them from there.