Documentation

The MakerBot Mixtape Kit Assembly Instructions

If you don't own a MakerBot Mixtape Kit yet, you can get one here! If you have a pre-assembled MakerBot Mixtape, skip down to the MakerBot Mixtape Use Instructions.

Parts

• 1.1
• 1.2

1.1 Kit Parts

Electronics module x 1
USB/charger cable x 1

1.2 Printed Parts

Body x 1
Front plate x 1
Back plate x 1
Front pin x 2
Back pin x 2
Buttons x 1

Assembling your MakerBot Mixtape

• 2.1
• 2.2
• 2.3
• 2.4
• 2.5
• 2.6
• 2.7
• 2.8
• 2.9

Trim excess plastic from the body

Take the body piece and carefully tear off the round supports at the bottom. Check the headphone jack area for extra plastic and, if you see any, remove that, too. 2.1

Snap in the back plate

Turn the body to side B and press the back plate in at both sides until it clicks. 2.2 The back plate is the one that says "MakerBot."

Add the Electronics Module

Turn the body to side A. Making sure the buttons -- the five shiny spots one one side of the module -- are facing towards you, insert the electronics module into the tape by angling the headphone jack into the hole at the bottom of the body piece. 2.3 Once you have that lined up, it will be easy to push the top end of the module into the tape, too. 2.4

Add the front plate

Take the buttons and insert them into the corresponding holes in the front plate. 2.5 They should fit right in and stay there. Then snap the front plate into side A. 2.6

Add the back pins

Add a back pin through each hole in the back plate. 2.7 The back pins are larger than the front ones, and have a small round hole on the inside. They also have a cutout area that should line up with the sides of the electronics module.

Add the front pins

The front pins have cutouts just like the back pins. Line them up the same way and push them in. 2.8 The back pins will snap into the front pins to hold the whole Mixtape together.

Disassembling your Mixtape

If you ever need to take your Mixtape apart -- to swap in different-colored plates, for example -- all you need to do is snap out the pins. From the back, place the tip of a small flathead screwdriver against the inside edge of one of the front pins. 2.9 Push slowly on the screwdriver until the pin comes free from the front plate. Then do the same thing on the other side. Once both front pins are out, everything else will come apart easily.

That's it! Your Mixtape is fully assembled. Now it's time to load it up with some music.

MakerBot Mixtape Use

• 3.1
• 3.2

If you don’t own a MakerBot Mixtape yet, you can get one here!

Take your USB cable and plug it into your computer. Then plug the other end into the audio jack at the bottom of the Mixtape. If you’re on a Mac, make extra sure you plug the USB connector into the computer before you plug the audio end into the Mixtape. 3.1

Your Mixtape will show up as a drive called "MAKERBOT," and inside it you'll find a music folder. Drag in your MP3s -- we've given you one track to start with, but there's lots of room for more! Only MP3 files will work; other kinds of files will have to be converted. Add track numbers to the beginning of each file name to make sure your tracks play in order -- otherwise the Mixtape will play them alphabetically. Then eject the Mixtape drive and replace the USB cable with your headphones. Mac users should note that if you don’t physically unplug the Mixtape quickly after ejecting it, your computer could reconnect to it.

Hit the › button to play, or to pause. 3.2 Hold it down to go back to the first track. The « and » buttons let you navigate between tracks, but they also control the volume: hold down » to raise the volume and hold down « to lower it.