Archive for May 12th, 2011

Spring Cleaning? Print Your Own DIY Kit Boxes

Customisable Electronic Device Packaging by M_G

It’s that time of the year again — the time we all declare to ourselves: “Cleaning All the Things!!” I usually get halfway through sorting through my stuff, discover cool projects I haven’t completed yet, and end up making more of a mess rather than less of one.

Well, just in time for the Season of Cleaning — to help you with both activities, organizing and finishing kits — are a number of Thingiverse items1 to help you print enclosures, boxes, compartments, and bins for anything you can imagine.

I’m particularly excited by aMESS and M_G’s Customisable Electronic Device Packaging as I can imagine that these will save me loads of time for my own projects. The new version of the Iris Box by Emmett and cyanul’s Yin and Yang Box also remind me that boxes and enclosures can be works of art in and of themselves.

Inspired by my co-worker Carlos, I've begun designing this Arduino Modular Enclosure System Stack. Eventually, I'll have a full set of stack modules for various shield heights, input devices like joysticks and buttons, and displays (LCD) and accessories (solar cells?) The walls are scored to facilitate removal, for when you want to run cables in and out
This thing brought to you by Thingiverse.com
An OpenSCAD script to generate a simple 2 part fit together packaging. Consisting of a pair of hollow rounded cuboids with alternate internal and external lips for a click together fit. Support posts with screw holes or nubs can be added to the bottom half to hold a PCB or other item in place. It can also create simple rectangular, cylindrical or conical cutouts on any face of the packaging. With this script you can easily make packaging for almost any electronic device you are working on! This looks complicated but it has saved me a huge amount of time making custom packages for people over the past few days. I will release a more advanced version in a few days with options for adding mouse ears and having cutouts not penetrate the outer face for better surface finish! Changes from previous versions: v1.5 - adjusted a few values after receiving SLA proto-types - increased height of posts - added support structures on top side - decrease diameter of support structures on top side sightly to allow for brackets at end of 40 way - decreased z clearance v1.4 - added angled lip (Cube_cone_cylinder_minkowski sum) for better mating of top and bottom parts when made via SLA/SLS etc - new more simplistic rounded cuboid module - moved around the cutout for the uUSB so that there wasn't such a thin piece of plastic above it - changed post type to nub as SLA should be able to handle the resolution - added easier control of orientation of parts relative to each other using single variable side_by_side - added axis labels to most faces and tyndall logo to bottom - added new fit type for super accurate manufacturing techniques such as SLA v1.3 - Fix cutout positions for TOP SQUARE East and BOTTOM SQUARE West side - Fix position of base of support posts on bottom half v1.2 - Fixed Inner and Outer Lip Clearance implementation - Added ability to generate support posts on bottom half of either nub or screw hole type v1.1 - ???This version was lost in a computer crash. GRRRR! - ???It implemented the ability to choose the reference point for measurements for each side - ???Let this be a lesson! - ???Back your stuff up regularly and on separate devices! v 1.0 - Ensure pcb_clearance and fit clearance is taken into account - fit type values changed - - force_fit from 0.4 to 0.2 - - hold_fit from 0.6 to 0.3 - - slide_fit from 0.8 to 0.4 - - free_fit from 1to 0.5 - add cylinder & square holes to all faces - allowed to stack or see side by side - replace 0.1s with a_bit - check holes on top & bottom sides meet properly
This thing brought to you by Thingiverse.com
I decided to revive the venerable iris box by redesigning it in OpenSCAD and making it printable with fewer parts and less assembly. It's also somewhat larger (though now the dimensions are easily adjustable with OpenSCAD), the tracks are redesigned to give more rigidity when closed, and it now opens and closes according to righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. The ring is also aesthetically redesigned and the base interior tapers down the wall thickness to give a little more internal volume.
This thing brought to you by Thingiverse.com
It's supposed to be a small box with a ying and yang lid and when you turn the rim ying and yang are supposed to move apart. i'm not really sure if it works or not.
This thing brought to you by Thingiverse.com

More boxes to follow!

Read the rest of this entry »

  1. The “box” tag tends to be best place to find these — though there are some great untagged boxes out there that would appreciate you tagging them so that they can be located! []
Tagged with , , , , , Leave a comment
 

Servicing Support Legs by pchretien

Servicing Support Legs by pchretien
Servicing Support Legs by pchretien

When I’ve needed to get into my Thing-O-Matic for upgrades, service, or just to play around with something I’ve had to lean the case back with one hand as I work with my other hand.  Pchretien’s servicing support legs are just downright brilliant.  I’ll admit to have let the Thing-O-Matic case rest on my right wrist as I peer down through the acrylic bottom while making a small change – rather than trying to hold the entire case at an angle.  That’s the robotic equivalent of holding a car hood up with the back of your neck while you peer around inside.

I have a feeling that a derivative that is mounted on the inside of the Thing-O-Matic and swivels down when you lift up the case can’t be far behind.

Most of us want to hack into our TOM and, to do so, we need to open it up. There are so many wires in there that it is difficult to completely remove the top cover. These legs are made to hold the top of the Makerbot while you are playing in it.
This thing brought to you by Thingiverse.com
Tagged with , , , , , , , , Leave a comment