I see that recently on Elektroda it is fashionable to make your own projects and 3D prints, so I will also share my construction - especially as it is practical and works well in my workshop.
It is a box-organiser for 50 strips of resistors, capacitors or other SMD 0805 elements. Each strip can be max 85mm long (i.e. 20 elements - kits of SMD 0805 elements are often sold in such quantities).
The design was made in FreeCAD and printed on an Anet A8.
FreeCAD design and print-ready STL files attached.
What dimensions does this have? 20 pieces is a bit small in my opinion, it would be nice to be able to put 5 of these strips in one compartment. Very interesting idea.
20 pieces is a bit low in my opinion, it would be nice to be able to put 5 such strips in one compartment.
the whole box is 146.4 x 89 x 11.9 mm
Each compartment has internal dimensions of 85 x 9.5 x 2 mm
Surely this is about the most common item values? Several strips in one compartment is, in my opinion, not a good idea (the problem of pulling and inserting, and the much larger dimensions of the box). I would suggest for the most "fashionable" elements to allocate several compartments next to each other. The other option is to keep the 'excess' items elsewhere and refill the organiser as necessary.
A super idea for me. Finally something I could use and would be happy to purchase (as I don't own a printer and buying and learning to print for one box is probably still overkill). I don't know how the use of this organiser works out in practice but it looks encouraging.
Personally, I use the solution of stringing strips of resistors/capacitors on wire, signed by value and arranged in order. A colleague, for example, has a set of small sealed tubes/vials in a special rack in which he keeps such parts loose. Unfortunately, my solution, although probably more practical, is completely unsightly, and his, due to the fact that these vials have already slipped out of the organiser a few times, probably less practical (because putting them back in order is probably a bit of an hour).
If I had to make a suggestion I would lengthen the space for 25 items and increase the number of available compartments. Maybe making something like a sandwich on a common hinge made up of 3-4 such trays.
Certainly, however, the idea seems to be a hit and if the author's colleague wants to turn his not stupid idea into some kind of money I would advise him to hurry up, because it may turn out that in just a few months' time the slanted manufacturers will be producing it.
if the Author's colleague wants to turn his not stupid idea into some money I would advise to hurry up, because it may turn out that in a few months it will be already in a few months that oblique manufacturers will produce it.
If this is the case, apart from the patent battle, I see little possibility of a fight. Because, apart from a good idea, which is itself blandly unprotected, the execution is technically very simple, so copying it does not require any particular finesse either.
In general, a very good idea, much better than cardboard or cardboard with tapes, I have a given dimension glued with tape, but it is a rather sensitive solution - the elements spill out when damaged.
As a colleague pointed out earlier - it seems to me a much better patent to make compartments for the pieces plucked from the strip. You could fit more of them in the same capacity; and home applications are unlikely to use automatic assembly, anyway, if not from a piece of strip with 20 pieces....
Overall a cool idea, but for using a 3D printer and refining its handling. In practice I don't think it would be more convenient than individual pieces in separate compartments. On Ali-expres, by the way, there are similar ones to the ones I'm writing about. With lots of small cuboidal compartments under a common snap-on lid.
Steryd3 wrote:
if the author's colleague wants to turn his not stupid idea into some money I would advise him to hurry up, because it may turn out that in a few months' time oblique manufacturers will be producing it.
If this is the case, I see little possibility of a fight other than a patent battle. Because apart from a good idea, which itself is not protected in any way, the manufacturing is technically very simple, so copying it does not require any particular finesse.
Patent protection in China does not actually work. Although I am not an expert on this, it has occurred to me what filing a patent looks like, how long it takes and how much it costs. Also, as far as I know, a patent is not valid worldwide, but territorially. I don't even know whether it is a patent or an industrial design... some expert would have to say.
Getting back to the point... in such races, it is first come, first served. The whole advantage in such situations usually lies in releasing a product and making money on it before the foreigners even realise that something like this can be sold.
There are well over a billion of them and I am sure that even a few representatives of this nation are watching this forum and are able to pick up better ideas to make money out of them.
Only the colleague is rather not interested in export to China With such a patent or industrial design you can possibly fight for the local market, but it is still a battle with windmills Generally, it is rather pointless and, as you write, you have to make money before someone picks it up, or then fight with a good distribution network, because a bigger player will always sell something there with other purchases of his visitors.
Thank you all for your positive feedback.
I do not intend to commercialise the idea or make money on it. The product was created for my own use and since it turned out well, I am sharing it with you. And if someone puts it into production, one - I will be very pleased, two - it will be to the benefit of all of us, because it will be cheaper and more accessible
To be honest, I like the idea, but do 3D printer projects where you just have to design a drawing on the computer deserve to be called DiY? Every now and then some prints appear just like on the Majserko portal.... and are highly rated by readers, which surprises me a lot because of the negligible effort involved. I'm getting a bit appalled by this, and wondering what happened to the old electrode. Overall a plus for the idea, but not for the execution because it was not the author who made the organiser itself, but the 3D printer. I could just as well take a piece of board, mill out the grooves, and I will also have an organiser, but I will do it myself, not the printer. Will I get applause for this?
It seems to me that the serious users of elektroda don't look at DiY projects at all anymore, and especially don't display their projects, because the level and the section has gone completely to the dogs. Soon we will be bragging about who bought what (and we are already doing it slowly, but in the articles section).
I came back to the electrode after 9 years, and I am simply shocked.
I ask the moderators not to delete the post. It is a statement that might reach the author, as well as the readers, and slowly start to heal the section. There is also no shortage of constructive suggestions, so the post should stay.
does a 3D printer project in which you just have to design a drawing on a computer deserve to be called DiY?
It is not just a matter of "drawing", which is not at all that trivial, but also the idea itself and its subsequent iterations, which the Author probably had to carry out.
elektronockaut wrote:
I might as well take a piece of board, mill out the grooves, and I'll have an organiser too, but I'll do it myself and not the printer. Would I get applause for that?
I look forward to it.
elektronockaut wrote:
It seems to me that serious electrode users no longer look at DiY projects at all,
And which ones specifically are serious?
elektronockaut wrote:
I have returned to the electrode after 9 years, and I am simply shocked.
I came back after 5 years in Africa and I was also shocked.
Added after 4 [minutes]:
elektronockaut wrote:
because not the author made the organiser itself, but the 3D printer
I don't solder the boards either, my soldering iron does that, and the programs are written by the computer, I just watch.
I might as well take a piece of board, mill out the grooves, and I'll have an organizer too, but I'll do it myself and not the printer.
Following this line of reasoning - a milling machine will do it.... A 3D printer is also a tool - just like a milling machine, I would even venture that it is more complex to use (because I don't think Elektronockaut had a numerically controlled milling machine in mind).
I don't claim to have accomplished anything great, but I have done something practical and presented a working version - following the guidelines of the DIY workshop section. I think the essence of the forum is not to show the world "look how capable I am" but to share my ideas and solutions.
Maybe it is worth creating a new section covering 3D printing ?
Added after 3 [minutes]:
khoam wrote:
[...] and its subsequent iterations, which the Author probably had to carry out[...]
That's exactly right. Several prints ended up in the dustbin before the project became useful
Maybe it is worth creating a new section covering 3D prints ?
That is some idea.... In my opinion better than bragging about prints in DiY (Author forgive me), which do not really fit into DiY as a Department.
As for the milling machine vs 3D printer comparison - the printer just needs to be programmed and the print turned on. It does the rest by itself. Apparently there are also milling machines that work on the same principle, but it seems to me that Fellow Electronockaut did not have this in mind. Nevertheless, both of these ideas should stay as ideas and not as a project in DIy. Just like building a brick wall - it's no big deal to lay a few bricks - but if you had to make the bricks yourself, fire them, burn lime for mortar...?
I know - this example is not perfect, but in my opinion it represents my point of view on the Cannon.
I think that we should present things that we have made ourselves. Since the author is now able to duplicate his project with a couple of buttons on a 3D printer it will still be DiY?
At the moment, this section is mostly about 3D printing, Arduino, ESP and other ready-made stuff.... Practically zero effort so nothing to brag about or share. It would be better and more creative to have an organiser for components glued together from matchboxes because it requires a bit of work, a skilled hand and skill. This is how it used to be. I'm not going to comment any more on this because opinions are too divided, but you can actually think about new sections, and start sifting out the DiY section a bit more. I ask auror not to feel offended, because as I wrote I like the idea very much, but it is in the wrong section.
o much better and more creative would be a component organiser glued together from matchboxes because it requires a bit of work, a skilled hand and skill.
Surely designing a 3D model does not require any skill at all and it can be done by the first better person asked around town. Honestly, I'd rather see such designs than the 64th version of the power supply from electronics lab cobbled together for everyone to rave about.
Yes it requires skill and knowledge, but it's just software. You design it, put it in the printer, and go to the cinema. It does itself....
By the way, I noticed something else...
You got 5 pluses even though there isn't really any contribution here that could be useful or constructive. My contributions also don't add up to anything, but I got 2 points. Is this simply a point-scoring "fight" over who is right? I wonder if even one moderator reads this, and why they don't want to raise the level of this section by allowing such nonsense discussions.
Moderated By gulson:
3.1.9. Do not be ironic or malicious towards the other side of the discussion. Respect dissent and other opinions on the forum.
Of course it requires skill and knowledge, but it's just software. You design it, put it in the printer, and go to the cinema. It does itself....
Get a mate to invest in a printer and you'll find out for yourself how it does itself.... with cheap printers it is not so beautiful.... when you spend £15k on an Ultimaker etc it is easier but it doesn't look like that at all.
Mate I will say this you are criticising but something you have no clue about.... You do not know how much time is needed to design a case or any other element for 3D printing, including how many test prints are made, which later end up in the trash (because some nuances that are worth correcting come out in practice).
With more compiled electronics you have the same, I also sometimes make a design and pack it on a Pick & Place machine and "it does itself". Why because from a certain level probably what level a colleague would see hand soldering falls away.... well unless a colleague wants to play with a board having 10 BGA and with 500 0201 or 01005 elements....
As for the project it's nice, but unfortunately a bit small. Maybe buying components in kits (I never buy this way because I find it not very economical - you often buy values you may never use). But yes, when it comes to resistors, you usually buy 100pcs each, the same goes for smaller capacitances (larger ones, yes, you can buy less, but they are usually much more expensive).
Some values, such as 100nF, are bought in larger quantities, as 20 or 100 elements can quickly run out.
The other thing is that these strips are standardised and will fit the organiser with both larger 1206 elements and smaller ones, e.g. 0603 or 0402 etc.
However, as far as the size of the box is concerned, I realise that the size is also a compromise between the length of the print and the size of the available table....
I may print under transistors and other more expensive components that I have in sometimes short strips and that will be fine.... a plus for this....
Another thing is that on such a printer, apart from casings etc., you can also print auxiliary tools for manual soldering, e.g. such "feeders" where you can put prepared elements for assembly:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2414955
Recently on thingiverse I saw a very cool project for SMD not requiring ribbon cutting.
Link
There are quite a few of these... the problem is that it's not very convenient to store (it takes up a lot of space).... Maybe it would be suitable for more parts, but here again if I have more it won't fit and I keep it on the original spools.
With such a patent or industrial design you can possibly fight for the local market, but it is still a battle with windmills 
