I am making a very simple handheld game with Arduino. It is basically gonna be a "Simon Says" game, with 3 LEDs and 3 buttons.
The shape of the handheld would be similar to what older gamepads used to look like (NES/SNES, etc.)
My current problem - I don't know what to make the case of, since I don't have a 3D printer I am kind of lost.
Which material should I use? Which will be easy to use with the limited tools that I got?
I want the case to be lightweight, water resistant (not waterproof, but not made of cardboard) and relatively easy to work with.
I saw some plastic-looking posterboard in Office Works, which I may use for this unless someone comes up with a better option. As I already said - I don't have too many tools, I am limited to scissors/exacto-knife/etc.
Many of the component suppliers offer ranges of plastic cases in many different shapes. This is the option I would choose.
If you really want to make something yourself I suggest you use sheet polystyrene (Plasticard) that is readily available from model shops in various thicknesses. There are also many structural shapes such as angles that could be used for reinforcement. And it can all be glued together with polystyrene cement.
If you want to make several of them you could carve a mould from wood and make the shape from GRP. Messy and a horrible smell - but versatile.
And you can buy packs of stuff for making rubber moulds and two-pack resin that you pour into the mould for the finished product. Again you need to make an original shape (maybe from wood) from which to make the rubber mould.
I second the Plasticard suggestion - as I teenager I used to scratch-build military vehicle models, and if you use proper solvent cement (and let it completely dry!) and an adequate thickness of card laminated, you can carve and sand the stuff to a remarkable finish.
Robin2:
If you really want to make something yourself I suggest you use sheet polystyrene (Plasticard) that is readily available from model shops in various thicknesses. There are also many structural shapes such as angles that could be used for reinforcement. And it can all be glued together with polystyrene cement.
Thanks! I am only planning to make one unit (it is mostly for learning arduino, but I still want to be able to show something for it)
I looked into various cases but unfortunately none of them have the right shape, so I guess I'll be going with the second option.
AWOL:
I second the Plasticard suggestion - as I teenager I used to scratch-build military vehicle models, and if you use proper solvent cement (and let it completely dry!) and an adequate thickness of card laminated, you can carve and sand the stuff to a remarkable finish.
Yep, the Plasticard seems like a really good solution for this, do you reckon I can cut it with exacto-knife? Also, how tough is it, will I be ok with 1-1.5mm thick sheets?
A craft knife is ok up to about 1mm/40 thou, but a knife will leave a ridge around the edge that you'll need to take off with emery paper or a file if you want to laminate.
Plasticard used to be sold in thicknesses of multiples 1/1000s of an inch, aka "thou".
40 thou sheet is a tiny bit thicker than 1mm.
(Very old joke: A guy goes for a job at a joiners (carpenters).
The owner asked him why he left his previous job.
"I was fifteen thou out, and they asked me to leave", replies the candidate
"Oh", says the boss, "we don't work to that kind of accuracy here. Where did you work?"
"Barclays Bank" replies the candidate.)
The bank manager was in the final stages of hiring a cashier and was down to two final applicants -- one of which would get the job.
The first one interviewed was from a small college in upstate New York. A nice young man, but a bit timid.
Then he called for the second man, "Jim Johnson!" Up stepped a burly young man who seemed quite sure of himself. "He looks like he can take care of any situation," thought the manager, and decided, there and then, to hire him.
He turned to the first applicant and told him he could go and they would let him know.
Turning to Johnson, he said, "Now Jim, I like the way you carry yourself -- that's an important asset for the job as cashier. However, you must be precise. I noticed you did not fill out the place on the application where we asked for your formal education."
Jim looked a little confused so the manager said, "Where did you get your financial education?"
"Oh," replied Jim -- "Yale."
"That's very good ... excellent. You're hired!"
"Now that you're working for us, what do you prefer to be called?"
Jim answered "I don't care... Yim... or Mr. Yonson."
If you want to get it perfect, 3dhubs offers low quality 3d printing at a low cost, and shapeways offers high quality 3d printing at a moderate to high price.
I would 3d print the "face" and then hack together the back of it...
At shapeways it cost me $125us to print something 13" x 6" x 2" it was a face of a control panel..
It would have costed around 50 on 3d hubs but I didn't like the quality I got in a smaller print.
Thanks again everybody! (Sorry, I did not get the first joke)
I'll stop by my local hobby shop today and grab some Plasticard sheets.
Qdeathstar:
If you want to get it perfect, 3dhubs offers low quality 3d printing at a low cost, and shapeways offers high quality 3d printing at a moderate to high price.
I would 3d print the "face" and then hack together the back of it...
At shapeways it cost me $125us to print something 13" x 6" x 2" it was a face of a control panel..
It would have costed around 50 on 3d hubs but I didn't like the quality I got in a smaller print.
I really don't want this to get more expensive then $20. But thanks for suggestion anyway, might use one of those options in the future.
