MakerBot Industries

I’ve been working with Lynn Hershman on some interesting projects, including a large-scale interactive installation that was shown at the Sundance film festival. The piece allows users to browse an archive of videos featuring work by contemporary women artists, using virtual flashlights that illuminate a simulated room.

I was able to use my Makerbot to make some small but critically important parts for the physical interface, parts that would have been difficult to make using any other techniques. Using the Makerbot and OpenSCAD, not only was I able to build the part (with help from friends), but I had it very, very quickly.

Wii to flashlight adapter ring

Keep reading for more details on what this little part does, and why using the Makerbot was the best option for building it.

The installation controllers are repurposed Wii controllers built into flashlight casings. Mounting the Wii electronics inside the flashlight posed a number of challenges, one of them being the need for a support structure to center the board within the flashlight, and keep it aligned. I initially used a piece of plastic, hand-cut to fit. However, it was time-consuming to cut and adjust to fit, and it wasn’t very robust. Since the flashlights have to be opened up each day to replace the batteries, this was a problem.

Finished virtual flashlights, with Wii electronics inside

Fortunately, I have a Makerbot!

Noisebridge member Dan quickly taught himself OpenSCAD within a matter of minutes, and had sketched out a simple part that would do the trick. With some slight adjustments, I soon had a disk-shaped part that fit the flashlight exactly, with little brackets to grip and support the circuit board. The part fits snugly into the barrel of the flashlight, pressing against the reflector to lock the board in place, and keeping the Wii camera perfectly centered.

Adapter ring installed in the flashlight

To me, this is one of the most exciting use cases for the Makerbot: building custom, highly specialized parts. You can’t just go to the hardware store and buy a Wii to flashlight adapter ring! Using OpenSCAD meant that the dimensions were precisely accurate – the brackets to grip the board friction fit perfectly. Moreover, I can’t think of any other fabrication technique that would deliver such a good result in such a short time. The time from idea to finished part was about two hours, including the time to learn OpenSCAD, design the piece and print it.