3D-Printed Flight Controls Use Magnets for Enhanced Flight Simulator 2020 Experience

We have seen quite a few DIY joystick designs that use Hall effect sensors, but [Akaki]’s controller designs (YouTube video, embedded below) really make the most of 3D printing to avoid the need for any other type of fabrication. He’s been busy using them to enhance his Microsoft Flight Simulator …read more

Continue reading 3D-Printed Flight Controls Use Magnets for Enhanced Flight Simulator 2020 Experience

100% Printed Flashlight: Conductive Filament and Melted-in Leads

Conductive filament isn’t an ideal electrical conductor, but it’s a 3D-printable one and that’s what makes [Hercemer]’s 3D-printed flashlight using conductive filament work. Every part of the flashlight is printed except for the 9 volt battery and LEDs. Electrically speaking, the flashlight is a small number of LEDs connected in …read more

Continue reading 100% Printed Flashlight: Conductive Filament and Melted-in Leads

Monitor Not VESA-Compliant? It Is Now!

Some monitors lack the holes on the back that make them VESA-compliant, so mounting them on a monitor arm can be a non-starter. To handle this, [Patrick Hallek] designed and 3D printed these adapter arms to make flat monitors mount to VESA hardware whether they want to or not.

How …read more

Continue reading Monitor Not VESA-Compliant? It Is Now!

Automating Mini Blinds the Rental-Friendly Way

[Chris Mullins] wanted to automate opening and closing the slats of mini blinds in his apartment, and came up with a system to do it as a fun project. Manually opening and closing the slats means twisting a rod. Seems straightforward to automate that, but as usual when having to …read more

Continue reading Automating Mini Blinds the Rental-Friendly Way

Robotic Arm Sports Industrial Design, 3D-Printed Cycloidal Gears

[Petar Crnjak]’s Faze4 is a open source robotic arm with 3D printable parts, inspired in part by the design of industrial robot arms. In particular, [Petar] aimed to hide wiring and cables inside the arm as much as possible, and the results look great! Just watch it move in the …read more

Continue reading Robotic Arm Sports Industrial Design, 3D-Printed Cycloidal Gears

A High Torque Gearbox You Can Print At Home

Typically, when we think of 3D printed parts, we think of unique parts with complex geometries that would be hard to fabricate with other techniques. Strength is rarely the first thing that comes to mind, due to the limitations of thermoplastics and the problem of delamination between layers. However, with …read more

Continue reading A High Torque Gearbox You Can Print At Home

Folding Raspberry Pi Enclosure Prints in One Piece, No Screws in Sight

[jcprintnplay] has challenged himself to making Raspberry Pi cases in different ways, and his Fold-a-Pi enclosure tries for a “less is more” approach while also leveraging the strong points of 3D printing. The enclosure prints as a single piece in about 3 hours, and requires no additional hardware whatsoever.

The …read more

Continue reading Folding Raspberry Pi Enclosure Prints in One Piece, No Screws in Sight

3D Printable Kinematic Couplings, Ready To Use

Time may bring change, but kinematic couplings don’t. This handy kinematic couplings resource by [nickw] was for a design contest a few years ago, but what’s great is that it includes ready-to-use models intended for 3D printing, complete with a bill of materials (and McMaster-Carr part numbers) for hardware. The …read more

Continue reading 3D Printable Kinematic Couplings, Ready To Use

Concentric Rings Keep this Calendar Perpetually Up to Date

The variety of ways that people find to show the passage of time never ceases to amaze us. Just when you think you’ve seen them all, someone comes up with something new and unusual, like the concentric rings of this automated perpetual calendar.

What we really like about the design …read more

Continue reading Concentric Rings Keep this Calendar Perpetually Up to Date