[HN Gopher] I designed a Dieter Rams-inspired iPhone dock
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       I designed a Dieter Rams-inspired iPhone dock
        
       Author : farslan
       Score  : 1441 points
       Date   : 2024-09-23 07:51 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (arslan.io)
 (TXT) w3m dump (arslan.io)
        
       | jhbruhn wrote:
       | I would love to get my hands on the CAD-Files to fit my Pixel 9
       | Pro to this case.
       | 
       | Also, has anyone found a nice solution for a "Standby Mode"
       | Equivalent for Android? I tried a Daydream-Screensaver, but with
       | that my phone get really hot and it also was very bright.
        
         | bdcravens wrote:
         | Someone has already made one based on the original design
         | 
         | https://makerworld.com/en/models/637572
        
       | duxup wrote:
       | Very cool.
       | 
       | >I'm still astonished by what you can do with CAD software and a
       | 3D printer at home.
       | 
       | I really want to get into 3D printing, for neat hacks like this,
       | but also because I've been fiddling with arduino and similar and
       | find it difficult to really find good parts to mount them on,
       | attach servos too and so on. Would be nice to just be able to
       | print something that I know will fit even just for prototyping.
       | 
       | Anyone have a good suggestion for a 3D printer that is good
       | quality, will last a while, and beginner friendly?
        
         | jhbruhn wrote:
         | The BambuLab A1 mini is the obvious choice here. Incredible
         | value for the money and IMO quite beginner friendly.
         | 
         | The alternative choice would be the Prusa Mini, although the
         | BambuLab has higher quality and more features than the Prusa.
        
           | kapep wrote:
           | For functional prints I would go with the Bambu Lab A1
           | instead of the A1 mini because of the larger build plate.
        
           | Tepix wrote:
           | I heard that Bambu Labs is violating open source licenses,
           | thus stealing from Prusa in particular.
        
             | iancmceachern wrote:
             | Not really.
             | 
             | They forked a slicer, which wasn't against the license but
             | not terribly nice either.
             | 
             | The big thing now is the patent lawsuit with Stratasys
             | 
             | None of these things matter for the average user. For the
             | average user the Bambu products are the ones to buy. Easy
             | button for 3d printing.
        
               | fy20 wrote:
               | PrusaSlicer itself was a fork of the open source Slic3r,
               | and also received critism when it was first announced.
        
             | opencl wrote:
             | I've heard people claim this but never seen any actual
             | evidence of license violations.
             | 
             | Everything seems perfectly in order with both the Linux-
             | based firmware on the X1C[0] and their slicer[1] which is a
             | fork of Prusaslicer.
             | 
             | [0] https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/knowledge-sharing/open-
             | source-s...
             | 
             | [1] https://github.com/bambulab/BambuStudio
        
             | asveikau wrote:
             | One criticism of Bambu that I've heard is that sending
             | prints over the network requires the public internet, which
             | is not true with Prusa, which can do local-only network
             | printing.
        
               | aaronblohowiak wrote:
               | this is not true. https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/knowledge-
               | sharing/enable-lan-mo...
        
               | asveikau wrote:
               | Is that relatively new? Maybe my info is out of date?
               | 
               | Maybe last year people were saying that Bambu intercepts
               | your models, that it's not private.
               | 
               | As I google, they say that your camera feed also goes to
               | the public internet.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | I agree. I have the X1C, however the A1 is as good as the X1C
           | (unless you go into more advanced stuff like ABS/ASA or want
           | to print large objects)
        
           | pbronez wrote:
           | I bought the Prusa Mini+ kit. It was educational, but a few
           | months later I upgraded to a Bambu Lab X1C. It's a much more
           | expensive machine, but the print quality and consistency are
           | worth it.
           | 
           | With the Mini, I was hesitant to try things because I was
           | afraid the prints would fail and I'd spend forever
           | calibrating things. With the X1C, I can crank out prototype
           | iterations as fast as I can design them.
        
         | timc3 wrote:
         | Bambu labs. Pick your price point. I got one a couple of months
         | ago and it's been great and so far has worked without hassle.
        
           | kapep wrote:
           | I just got a Bambu Lab A1 (Combo with AMS lite, which I can
           | also recommend) and am really impressed how smooth and well
           | designed everything is. They really put a lot thought even
           | into how the product is packaged and assembled. The few parts
           | that you need to assembly yourself are all color coded (but
           | after installing the color coding is hidden).
           | 
           | With my good old Ender 3, almost every print required
           | tinkering with settings, otherwise print quality was bad or
           | prints straight up failed. It was great for learning about 3d
           | printing but with the A1 I can just print everything in much
           | better quality without worrying about any settings.
        
           | swah wrote:
           | I only noticed recently that people are now printing in
           | multiple colors (materials?) in one go - is that a new thing?
           | Maybe something this manufacturer integrated?
        
             | dole wrote:
             | Bambu Labs has the AMS, Automatic Material System that sits
             | on top of the printers and makes multicolor printing pretty
             | easy, holds 4 colors but you can link units together for up
             | to 16. There's other companies that provide other multi-
             | color solutions for other printers but Bambu's P1 and X1
             | series with the AMS really took off in the last 2 years.
        
         | post-it wrote:
         | I've had a very good experience with the Sovol SV06.
         | 
         | It was around CA$300 when I bought it a year ago. I'm
         | considering getting a second one.
        
           | teamonkey wrote:
           | I've also had a good experience with my SV06, though if I
           | were buying a new printer to replace it now I'd probably pick
           | a Bambu.
           | 
           | It does require some tinkering and few minor upgrades (nylock
           | mod for bed levelling, oldham couplers for Z-wobble) to get
           | good results as well as plenty of profile tuning, though now
           | I'm there it's been rock-solid.
        
         | voidUpdate wrote:
         | I got myself a Ender 3 V3 SE for christmas, and it has served
         | me very well once I got used to it, especially once I hooked it
         | up to a pi running octoprint. However, I've heard that the
         | Bambu printers are generally the most "plug and play" you can
         | get
        
           | criddell wrote:
           | I have an Ender printer as well and probably wouldn't
           | recommend it. IMHO, the Bambu printers are a much better
           | value.
           | 
           | The exception might be if 3d printing itself is your hobby
           | and you enjoy tinkering endlessly, upgrading parts, tramming,
           | setting esteps, etc...
        
             | edm0nd wrote:
             | Auto leveling printers alone are a godsend. Having to
             | manually level my Ender 3 got to be a true pain but it sure
             | did teach me a lot as a beginner!
        
               | mbreese wrote:
               | Adding the autoleveling probe and firmware made my Ender
               | 3 usable. I still try to make sure the bed is somewhat
               | level, but I agree that this is a must-have feature.
        
               | voidUpdate wrote:
               | My ender 3 has autolevelling build in, that might be part
               | of the new V3 stuff. I thought it might be giving bad
               | results at one point, but it turned out to be an
               | incorrect temperature setting
        
         | organsnyder wrote:
         | I started with a Prusa Mini. It's a reliable workhorse.
         | 
         | Bambu Lab is extremely popular right now, and looks to be very
         | easy to use.
        
         | edm0nd wrote:
         | If price is no option, Bambu labs is the way to go.
         | 
         | If you are tryna get a 3d printer on a budget, any of the
         | Creality Enders, like the Ender 3 or the CR-6 MAX are good
         | starting points within the ~$200 range.
        
           | jhbruhn wrote:
           | Since the BambuLab A1 series was released, I consider this
           | highly outdated information.
        
             | edm0nd wrote:
             | Looks like the A1 is $489.00-$559.00. A $170-$200 3d
             | Creality printer still fits into a different category and
             | pricepoint imo for beginners on a budget.
        
               | Tepix wrote:
               | But there's also the A1 mini. A volume of 180x180x180mm3
               | is not bad.
        
               | kapep wrote:
               | You can get a Bambu Lab A1 mini for 205 EUR. Cheapest
               | Bambu Lab A1 I see is 345 EUR.
        
               | Jaepa wrote:
               | The A1 is presently $339.00. The price you cited is for
               | the combo including the AMS, which allows for multi-
               | filament printing.
               | 
               | source: https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/a1?variant
               | =4158335519...
        
           | wheatgreaser wrote:
           | ender 3 is super fun. i couldnt grt the levelling on my
           | printer quite right tho :(
        
         | dwayne_dibley wrote:
         | Bambu Labs A1 - not had it long, but for less that PS300 it's
         | unbelievable, easily matching quality with the prusas on the
         | type of stuff I'm printing.
        
           | Tepix wrote:
           | The Bambu Labs A1 Mini is less than PS300, the A1 is more
           | expensive.
        
             | Jaepa wrote:
             | A1 is presently PS289.00 GBP
        
               | IanCal wrote:
               | They might be looking at things with the AMS thing that
               | lets you do multiple colours. Mini with that is about
               | PS300.
               | 
               | Without that, the mini is PS169 and the A1 is PS289 as
               | you say.
        
         | mauvehaus wrote:
         | If you aren't sure you're going to pursue this for the long
         | run, think about joining a makerspace/hackerspace first and
         | trying out theirs. On the downside, many people with varying
         | degrees of skill have used the machine and it may not be
         | factory fresh in performance. On the upside, given a vibrant
         | makerspace, there's somebody there who's responsible for upkeep
         | and can help you over some of the bumps in the road.
        
           | yonatan8070 wrote:
           | My local makerspace is very active, and some very
           | knowledgeable people who maintain the printers. But even with
           | the limited amount of people permitted to use the printers,
           | they still fail way sooner than they otherwise would at the
           | hands of a single, experienced operator.
        
         | para_parolu wrote:
         | I just get bambulab p1s a few weeks ago. My goal was to find
         | "iphone of 3d printers". It is still not there but it's as
         | close to "press a button to print" as possible. So far I'm
         | pretty happy with the device and software.
        
         | nsxwolf wrote:
         | I love my Creality Ender 3, I was intimidated by the assembly
         | process but it went fine and I can't believe how good it is.
         | And it cost peanuts.
         | 
         | Edit: downvoted for liking a printer
        
         | mft_ wrote:
         | If you want something _that just prints_ , and want to spend
         | absolutely no time fettling or upgrading the printer, then
         | either Prusa (which I can speak to) or Bambu. Bambu has leapt
         | ahead of Prusa in terms of features, though. They're more
         | expensive than some competition, but you're paying for the
         | simplicity.
        
         | Brian_K_White wrote:
         | I used to joke that my favorite tv show was just spinning a
         | model around and around that I was working on in freecad or
         | kicad or openscad. It's honestly still my favorite tv show.
        
         | mbreese wrote:
         | I have a cheap Ender 3. I've had it for about 5 years and it's
         | been just fine. I did do a few upgrades along the way that
         | helped a lot (bed leveling probe l, direct drive extruder, and
         | second z axis screw drive). Figuring out how to add those was
         | part of the fun.
         | 
         | If you wanted something more production/out of the box ready,
         | you can certainly find it. But it doesn't have to be a big
         | initial investment. You can start small and then upgrade as you
         | go.
        
         | __jonas wrote:
         | Bambu is surely the best option if you have the money to spend,
         | but I wanted a budget option, so I got a used Elegoo Neptune 3
         | Pro for 150EUR and I'm extremely happy with it.
         | 
         | I'm shocked by how well the prints come out and how little
         | fiddling it requires.
         | 
         | I've set it up with Klipper now with an old mini PC I had
         | around and a Playstation 3 Eye camera, feels nice to put old
         | hardware to use and controlling / monitoring prints remotely is
         | neat.
        
         | asadm wrote:
         | A1 mini, it's sitting on my desk right now (is very small) and
         | I love it!
        
         | romanhn wrote:
         | Another +1 for Bambu. Recently replaced an older Ender 3 with
         | P1S and it's been a breath of fresh air. Ender was much cheaper
         | but the many, many hours I spent on tweaking both the software
         | and hardware... I was many times ready to give up on the whole
         | thing.
        
           | delichon wrote:
           | Same. I struggled and struggled to print things on a two year
           | old Qidi that just worked on a Bambu Labs X1. The Bambu has
           | limits but they are in a very different place. The pace of
           | development in this area is wild. Patent law may be slamming
           | on the brakes though.
        
         | dv35z wrote:
         | I suggest do a search for "makerspace" in your area - They can
         | help you build the project & you can learn how to do it, and
         | you might meet some great friends in the process.
        
         | bdcravens wrote:
         | +1 to all of the recommendations for anything by Bambu Lab.
         | It's as close to plug and play as you'll get. (Personally I
         | feel the P1S with the AMS combo is the best value to price, but
         | you really can't go wrong with any of them)
        
         | dgroshev wrote:
         | Going against the consensus, I'd recommend a Prusa MK4S
         | instead. It'll likely serve you much longer and will achieve
         | better dimensional precision and slightly better quality at the
         | same speed.
         | 
         | Be warned though, the printing part is just a tiny step in the
         | rabbit hole. Soon enough you'll be lamenting the state of CAD,
         | yearning for class A surfacing in your projects, and trying to
         | decide between diving into Rhino/Grasshopper or mastering
         | SOLIDWORKS.
        
       | piyuv wrote:
       | How do you take the phone out? Push the camera bump from its
       | back?
       | 
       | Also, nice design, but the word "inspired" is doing some heavy
       | lifting.
        
         | Jeremy1026 wrote:
         | It looks like there are cutouts in both top corners in the
         | model. One for the camera, and one (likely) to push the phone
         | out.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Actually, both are used for pushing out. I made it so both
           | left and right-handed people can use it. The cameras are
           | already taken into consideration, and you can use them on
           | both horizontal sides.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | OP here, check this photo out:
         | https://x.com/fatih/status/1836691756965933084
         | 
         | Because there is a tray, you don't need any mechanism to remove
         | it. It's just your fingers and hands.
        
           | piyuv wrote:
           | Thanks.
           | 
           | On an unrelated note, what happened to significantly
           | decreasing your contributions to X?
           | 
           | https://arslan.io/2024/04/07/my-feelings-about-x-formerly-
           | tw...
        
             | dewey wrote:
             | > I might post occasionally, which will probably be a link
             | to my blog post or a few honest questions/insights. I'm not
             | leaving, of course, but I won't be active there anymore.
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | Yeap, I was more active, but I only posted about my work
               | there. I rarely post other personal things. I would post
               | a lot more in the past.
        
       | andrewmcwatters wrote:
       | I remember when Apple sold standing docks with their iPods. In
       | another world, this would have easily been an Apple accessory.
       | And for the same reason the author built it.
        
       | paxys wrote:
       | The most impressive part of this is the 3D print itself. Does
       | anyone know what printer they are using? I wish mine came out
       | half this good.
        
         | ry4nolson wrote:
         | in the video, the guy is using a bambu a1 mini. i personally
         | have a bambu a1 (full size) and the prints are nearly perfect
         | every time.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | OP here. I use a Bambulab X1 Carbon.
        
       | delichon wrote:
       | > This particular design stuck with me. Initially I was spectical
       | about it, but the more I looked at it, the more I loved.
       | 
       | Spectical sounds like an improvement over skeptical since it
       | implies that you keep looking and don't just dismiss. If this was
       | a typo we should consider it a coinage and run with it.
        
         | xnx wrote:
         | Alternately: Spectical - Specification skepticism. Doubts based
         | on technical specifications that may later be assuaged by real
         | world performance. "I was spectical of the Nintendo Switch
         | because it had nine year old CPU, but it still delivered games
         | that were more fun than the Xbox X or PS5."
        
           | matanyall wrote:
           | Lol, I love it
        
           | latexr wrote:
           | I understood your parent comment as thinking of it in terms
           | of "spectacles" (i.e. glasses) rather than "specification".
           | Emphasis mine:
           | 
           | > it implies that you _keep looking_
           | 
           | As in "On first glance I was spectical the chair could hold
           | enough weight, but the more I looked the more I noticed
           | little details that improved its strength".
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Haha, it was a typo. I fixed it now :)
        
           | delichon wrote:
           | There were two great mashups in this article. Now sadly just
           | one.
        
         | garyrob wrote:
         | "Spectical sounds like an improvement over skeptical since it
         | implies that you keep looking and don't just dismiss. If this
         | was a typo we should consider a coinage and run with it."
         | 
         | I love it! I seriously may use it.
        
       | scosman wrote:
       | Beautiful work.
        
       | ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
       | That looks very cool!
       | 
       | Thanks for sharing it.
       | 
       | I have no idea if there might be trademark/copyright issues, if
       | you tried marketing it, though.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | It's a brand new product, hence I think there is no trademark
         | involved here.
        
           | ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
           | Well...there are some kinds of trademarks, especially in the
           | design world, that can be tricky.
           | 
           | For example, I believe that Harley-Davidson has trademarked
           | their exhaust sound, and I think that Google, Ferrari and
           | McLaren have trademarked colors.
        
             | farslan wrote:
             | TIL, I didn't know about it.
        
       | buibuibui wrote:
       | 3 Weeks ago Scott Yu-Jan posted his version of the iPhone Stand
       | By Dock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3nWw8qSYgk There is a
       | nifty mechanism to take the iPhone out. Model:
       | https://makerworld.com/en/models/615378#profileId-538769
        
         | dewey wrote:
         | This video is embedded in the article and also mentioned.
        
       | lobsterthief wrote:
       | Looks amazing! Wish there was a version for the 14 Pro Max.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | I'm working on a `Max` version, because a lot of my friends are
         | asking for one.
        
           | griffey wrote:
           | That's great news. I will keep an eye out and would happily
           | throw a few bucks your way for a 16 pro max version.
        
           | uoflcards22 wrote:
           | I would also throw money at a 14 pro max and 15 pro max
           | version.
        
       | racl101 wrote:
       | Neato.
        
       | farslan wrote:
       | OP here. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll be happy
       | to answer them.
        
         | akie wrote:
         | I mean I just want to buy it. Give me a link and I pay you
         | money.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Thanks a lot for your support. A friend and I looked into the
           | economics, but the lowest company willing to print was around
           | $63. If you know of any services that provide 3D printing, I
           | am happy to look into it.
        
             | HorizonXP wrote:
             | What about these guys?
             | 
             | https://www.slant3d.com
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | I believe they want a minimum order of $1000 and only
               | allow me to print it in a single color. Honestly,
               | providing a physical good is a whole other set of issues
               | with which I have no experience at all.
        
               | gadders wrote:
               | Just wait 3 months and you'll see someone selling it on
               | Ali Express :-)
        
               | abtinf wrote:
               | Slant looked at Scott's design and suggested some
               | changes. You might find it interesting.
               | https://youtu.be/b1RBo7f0Zb0
        
             | boustrophedon wrote:
             | I haven't downloaded your model but
             | https://www.i-solids.com/ (US-based, FDM and MJF) and
             | https://www.weerg.com/ (Italy, mostly MJF ) will both do
             | instant quotes and you might get reasonable prices from
             | them at scale. PCBWay and JLCPCB in China will also do 3d
             | printing at reasonable volume, if you want to get an idea
             | of a baseline price.
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | Thank you, I'll look into it.
        
               | briandoll wrote:
               | I was quoted $73.19 from I-solids, just FYI
        
             | doublerebel wrote:
             | Competing products such as the Nomad stand, Zen, Courant
             | tray are $100-140. I happily paid for each.
             | 
             | The design and high quality materials were worth it to me
             | for the same reasons you wanted this design -- it is
             | functional art and doesn't look out of place next to my
             | other quality items I see and use daily.
             | 
             | I could see paying $120 for this dock. I bet this is the
             | kind of thing that would succeed on Kickstarter. Sure, I
             | could print and assemble it myself but that would cost me
             | more than $120 in parts and labor.
        
           | azinman2 wrote:
           | Similar. Would be nice for a max version as well.
           | 
           | What about cases on your phone? I assume you need to remove
           | it first?
        
             | kurthr wrote:
             | It looked like his design incorporated space for a standard
             | case. Actually, without a case I think there might be an
             | interesting edge detail. That wouldn't affect
             | functionality, and look cool too!
        
               | danielktdoranie wrote:
               | Personally, I don't use a case on my iPhone 14. I pay
               | Apple every month for Apple Care +. If I break it Apple
               | fixes or replaces it for free
        
               | rootusrootus wrote:
               | I use a case for grip, not for the protection it
               | provides. I'd be dropping this slippery device pretty
               | often otherwise. I haven't been able to go case-less
               | since the days of the iPhone 4.
               | 
               | > Apple fixes or replaces it for free
               | 
               | Where? In the US they charge $29 and up for repair with
               | AppleCare+. $29 for the screen, $29 more if you damage
               | the glass on the back too. $99 if you damage the camera
               | or anything else that requires replacing the phone
               | altogether.
        
           | rupi wrote:
           | Came here to say this. Will happily pay for it.
        
           | zymhan wrote:
           | That's kind of the opposite of the Hacker ethos
        
             | dymk wrote:
             | Getting the job done is the hacker ethos. Sometimes that
             | means buying a solution instead of spending a bunch of time
             | (and money) building it.
        
               | szundi wrote:
               | Not sure about this, I would call this manager ethos and
               | outsourcing
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | that's a weird notion of hacker purity. did you write
               | your own kernel and compiler and web browser, on your own
               | CPU that you built from transistors you made in your
               | parents garage? and then connected to an Internet of your
               | own creation? or did you "outsource" some part of that
               | process to others?
        
             | samatman wrote:
             | Nah.
             | 
             | Building your own, idk, mechanical keyboard? Hackerish
             | thing to do, sure. But buying someone else's cool design is
             | not against "the ethos", that's a silly thing to say.
             | Supporting artisans in their craft is Good, actually, I
             | don't see anything about this design which make it
             | different that way.
        
             | akie wrote:
             | I don't have a 3D printer and I unfortunately don't have
             | the time.
        
               | szundi wrote:
               | Always good to know
        
             | randmeerkat wrote:
             | > That's kind of the opposite of the Hacker ethos
             | 
             | HN revolves around YComb and finding ideas that make great
             | products. Someone has come up with a brilliant solution and
             | someone else is saying they want to buy it. HN isn't about
             | "hacker" purity, it's about thinking through cool ideas and
             | maybe finding a startup along the way.
        
           | freeplay wrote:
           | I've used craftcloud for these types of one offs before. It's
           | a pretty great service in my experience.
           | 
           | If you go that route, you can use my referral code
           | REFOUSPW7TK for 10% off. Totally optional.
           | 
           | https://craftcloud3d.com/
        
         | Darthy wrote:
         | It looks beautiful, thanks for the write-up!
         | 
         | Question: Most docks have ample space around the phone to grip
         | it and remove it from the dock easily. Your design encases the
         | phone on every side. How do you get the phone out in the
         | morning?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Thank you. Check this tweet out:
           | https://x.com/fatih/status/1836691756965933084
           | 
           | There are two holes on both sides (for both left- and right-
           | handed people). All you do is push slightly, and it comes
           | out.
           | 
           | You're the third person asking this, so I'll add a section
           | about it to the blog post. Thank you again.
        
           | interpol_p wrote:
           | There is a modification to this design that adds a button to
           | the top to pop out the phone:
           | https://www.yankodesign.com/2024/09/13/dieter-rams-
           | inspired-...
        
         | bredren wrote:
         | Your entry doesn't discuss the finishing step between printing
         | and use.
         | 
         | My experience has been that a great deal of sanding and other
         | tool use can be needed to get to smooth results.
         | 
         | Did you go through a finishing process after printing to get to
         | the smooth results you show here?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | There are none? All the photos are straight from my Bambulab
           | X1C. I used eSun PLA+. No special treatment was done.
        
             | bredren wrote:
             | That's awesome.
        
               | MattGrommes wrote:
               | I've also been shocked at how little post-processing
               | prints off a Bambu printer need. They're pretty amazing
               | machines, right out of the box.
        
             | bambax wrote:
             | Wow. That's amazing. Is this also true for A1/mini?
        
               | asadalt wrote:
               | yes!
        
           | bdcravens wrote:
           | To build atop of OP's response, the Bambu Lab line of
           | printers are much higher quality than some older printers. I
           | have 3 different ones, and I also just pull them off the
           | build plate and begin using them.
           | 
           | Many modern printers also give similar results, but may
           | require a bit of tuning. Also it's as much about the settings
           | in your slicer software, and most current ones have evolved
           | to have great defaults and are easily tweaked.
        
             | mstade wrote:
             | I'm potentially in the market for a 3d printer for our
             | office. Mostly for one offs and some prototyping, and we
             | don't necessarily _need_ one but more a wouldn 't-it-be-
             | nice kinda thing. The Bambu Lab printers look like they
             | could fit our needs/wants really well, but I'd love to do a
             | bit of compare and contrast before placing an order. Are
             | there any buyer's guides out there you would recommend for
             | hobbyists such as us?
        
               | szundi wrote:
               | Just buy an A1 with the AMS, cheap as hell, other
               | people's blabla is hardly applicable to you. It is like
               | just more than 400 usd.
        
               | double0jimb0 wrote:
               | Forum comments have been the best resource for me.
               | (Followed by joining the printer's users' Facebook group
               | to see what sort of issues are most common).
               | 
               | The top SEO'd buyers guide websites are pretty useless in
               | my experience.
               | 
               | That said, having owned a dozen different printers for my
               | own business's prototyping work, the Bambu labs are truly
               | fantastic. I retired 3 ultimaker S7s for 2 X1 Carbons and
               | haven't looked back. The Bambu labs legitimately print
               | 3-4x faster and have as good if not better surface
               | finish. AMS system is ingenious. Only thing I did was x-y
               | squareness/skew compensation so both printers make the
               | same sized parts (the printers aren't perfectly square
               | from the factory). There are guides on how to use M1005
               | gcode command.
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | Just buy a Bambu. You won't regret it. I bought one after
               | ten years of printing on more OSS designs, and I wish I'd
               | gotten one sooner.
               | 
               | If your hobby is 3D printing, get a Bambu. If it's 3D
               | printers, get anything else.
        
               | btbuildem wrote:
               | How does it compare with the recent Prusas?
        
               | valianteffort wrote:
               | I think prusa have been resting on their laurels and
               | fallen very far behind. Bambu sort of raised the bar with
               | their printers and the price points they are offered at.
               | They took much of the tinkering out of the equation that
               | filtered most people from producing quality prints.
               | 
               | If you're working with more exotic or engineering
               | materials, it can still require a bit of work to dial in.
               | But the most common like PLA, ABS, PETG will print
               | without issue.
        
               | 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
               | I bought a Prusa MK3 as a kit years ago and it worked
               | flawlessly. Several of the higher end printers pretty
               | much work right out of the box.
               | 
               | Bambu does all that and more for less money. Hard to
               | beat.
        
               | 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
               | There is no reason to get a Prusa as a hobbyist
               | unfortunately, unless you value open source hardware.
               | 
               | The Prusa XL may still be worth it if you need that sort
               | of thing.
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | That's very unfortunate, as I do value open source
               | hardware. However, I value my time more, and Prusa have
               | become complacent and released incremental updates (most
               | of their printers aren't even CoreXY), so Bambu turned up
               | and are eating Prusa's lunch.
        
               | dgroshev wrote:
               | I don't think there's much inherent value in the CoreXY
               | geometry. MK4S seems to outperform everything Bambu has
               | both on speed and on quality (especially on overhangs and
               | dimensional precision) despite being a bed slinger.
               | 
               | On the other hand, continuing the bed slinger line let
               | Prusa provide an upgrade path for existing printers.
        
               | jwr wrote:
               | I have a Prusa i3 MK3S+, used it for years, a recent
               | Prusa XL, a Bambu X1C and a Bambu A1 mini. I would pick a
               | Bambu any day, except if you need large prints and need
               | the XL's area/volume. Otherwise the Bambu printers are
               | quite simply better on every possible metric.
        
               | dgroshev wrote:
               | In short:
               | 
               | - print quality and speed is similar (new MK4S seems to
               | be a bit better)
               | 
               | - Bambu's design life is much shorter (Prusas are fully
               | repairable with parts stocked in the online shop, and
               | every new version release includes upgrade kits for old
               | models)
               | 
               | - the amount of effort/babysitting is similar
               | 
               | - reliability seems higher on Prusa's side (no wonder,
               | given that they print parts of the printer on the
               | printers themselves on industrial scale)
               | 
               | Also, if this matters to you, Bambu behaviour (like
               | patenting opensource designs they didn't invent [1] and
               | hostile competitive intelligence [2]) seems quite
               | problematic.
               | 
               | [1]: https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5134/8/6/141
               | 
               | [2]:
               | https://twitter.com/josefprusa/status/1706713274455081120
        
               | gaudystead wrote:
               | +1 for BambuLab printers. I have an X1C and finally I can
               | work _with_ the printer, not work _on_ the printer. Get
               | an X1E if you have special materials you want to print
               | and /or want an entirely hardwired connection to the
               | printer from the network.
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | > I can work with the printer, not work on the printer.
               | 
               | That's what sold me on getting my Bambu, and it's totally
               | true. No need to spend hours carefully aligning and
               | calibrating things.
        
             | UniverseHacker wrote:
             | Even the cheapest 3D printers have generally gotten really
             | good recently... I have a new (lower end) Creality Ender V3
             | SE printer, and it makes perfectly clean prints like this
             | out of the box if you use their own brand of filament and
             | settings they've tuned for it- and it will do so on any new
             | filament if you take the time to figure out the right
             | settings.
        
           | AriedK wrote:
           | On the finishing: "Of course because I 3D Printed it with a
           | PLA filamanet, it's not as shiny and glossy compared to
           | actuall electronic devices. People use acetone and various
           | solutions to make it shiny."
           | 
           | The acetone (vapour) approach only works on ABS and is pretty
           | nasty. For PLA your best bet is sanding. You could add some
           | putty to make it a bit easier and get better results. You
           | will then also need to paint it. All in all if the print
           | quality is good enough best stick with that.
        
             | stavros wrote:
             | I have a Bambu P1S, and I'm fairly sure the prints would
             | look worse after sanding than before. I just use them all
             | as they are, straight out of the printer, and they always
             | look amazing.
        
               | SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
               | The primary thing people complain about is the aesthetics
               | of the FDM print lines. They give the appearance of a
               | hobbyist look. Sanding and finishing is one way to
               | alleviate that. I bet PLA doesn't sand amazing since it's
               | mostly just sugar but PETG sands reasonably fine. I have
               | sanded PETG and finished with spar urethane/polyurethane
               | for commercial products to give them a nice professional
               | glossy sheen with no print lines. I mentioned in a
               | sibling comment XTC-3D as another option which is
               | probably the best hobbyist product for this, but it's
               | kind of a pain to work with and it's a little expensive.
               | So not great for commercial use. For home use though it's
               | totally fine and indeed usually gives better results than
               | the urethanes mentioned above due to lack of yellowing
               | and being thicker and better at filling in the lines and
               | giving a smoother appearance. People could honestly
               | probably just use that product without sanding and be
               | mostly happy with it because it does a good job of hiding
               | the FDM lines even without sanding
        
               | larrywright wrote:
               | In my experience matte filaments hide the layer lines
               | much better. Between that and the overall quality of
               | recent printers like the Bambu or the Prusa Mk4, I don't
               | find the need to do any post processing.
        
               | SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
               | I do want to challenge you on this. I don't have evidence
               | matte filaments are better. I would love to see an
               | example of these filaments outperforming. I believe it is
               | true, but would love to see a demonstration!
        
               | tomooot wrote:
               | Performance wise, most matte filaments are more brittle
               | and have worse layer adhesion due to the matting pigment,
               | but do a good job at hiding lines as the reduction in
               | specular highlights reduce the visibility of them.
               | Another good trick is fuzzy skin setting with both length
               | and depth settings at 0.4x-0.8x layer height.
        
               | larrywright wrote:
               | It isn't really that they're better as filaments, it's
               | just that the matte nature makes them less reflective and
               | therefore you don't see the layer lines as much.
        
               | SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
               | That makes sense thank you for your response
        
               | washadjeffmad wrote:
               | We run one of the largest print farms in North America.
               | Reflecting parent's sentiment, BambuLabs' P1/X1 series
               | are capable of substantially finer layer height and
               | consistency (0.08mm), with SLA-quality results. We dumped
               | all of our FormLabs because of it.
               | 
               | We don't sand any PLA, anymore. If we need to control the
               | surface texture, it's largely a function of the qualities
               | of the filament and print speed.
        
               | SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
               | Great to hear. I have a resin printer at home and almost
               | never use it because it's such a messy, sketchy (in terms
               | of chemicals) pain to deal with. The fact that FDM is
               | good enough now for a lot of aesthetics use cases is
               | great. I'll probably still have to reach for the resin
               | printer for high pressure use cases (like injection
               | molds) but the fact that FDM can do more than before and
               | make commercial grade parts is really good news
        
               | washadjeffmad wrote:
               | The physical characteristics of the print surface also
               | change at lower layer height with high infill. I wonder
               | if that might be good for your use case.
               | 
               | I'm mentioning it because we were surprised how easily
               | our molds separated when we moved to Bambu and didn't
               | understand why. It turned out that the combination of the
               | layer height and high print speed that gave the prints
               | their smooth, matte finish with standard PLA also made
               | them functionally non-stick.
               | 
               | We also discovered they're also at least tough enough for
               | a car to drive over, which may have just been because of
               | the thickness. I also sometimes print nylon and
               | polycarbonate automotive parts for a mechanic which seem
               | to have excellent rigidity and durability.
        
               | dlehman wrote:
               | What PLA filament brand(s) do you recommend, on Bambu?
        
               | washadjeffmad wrote:
               | Most are viable, but Bambu filament really takes all
               | guesswork out of the process.
               | 
               | We do most of our bulk purchasing through MatterHackers,
               | but I buy my own filament through the Bambu store.
        
               | double0jimb0 wrote:
               | FormLabs really shit the bed didn't they, Form2 raised
               | the bar, Form3 a total bust, jury seems still to be out
               | on Form4.
        
             | SOLAR_FIELDS wrote:
             | XTC 3D is expensive for manufacturing but is really good
             | for these hobbyist projects. It's really too pricey to do
             | actual production runs with but the results are great if
             | you're just making something for yourself at home.
             | 
             | If you're using a color that already has a decent amount of
             | yellow in it or don't mind the yellowing polyurethane and
             | spar-urethane are also decent finishing options. They won't
             | work on colors like white though, obviously. Even grey is
             | probably going to see a little too much yellowing from
             | those.
        
             | HeWhoLurksLate wrote:
             | For PPE: an effective respirator is not that expensive,
             | should be wearing them and safety glasses for sanding as
             | well. Only extra PPE you _really_ need for acetone
             | smoothing is some nitrile  / latex gloves, and those are
             | fairly standard in shop / art environments anywho.
             | 
             | Also, MEK, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, apparently smooths PLA out
             | quite well too, but if you can print in ABS I would already
             | be doing that for finished products anywho.
        
               | anymouse123456 wrote:
               | Safety tip for new players.
               | 
               | MEK is incredibly strong and useful, but it is also nasty
               | stuff[0].
               | 
               | Please read the MSDS[1] and handle with appropriate PPE.
               | 
               | [0] https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cf
               | cfr/CFR...
               | 
               | [1] https://www.fishersci.com/store/msds?partNumber=M2094
               | &produc...
        
         | daemoens wrote:
         | Could you rescale the model to fit an iPhone 13 Mini?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Rescaling usually doesn't work well because the MagSafe
           | portion is static between all sizes. Hence, every custom
           | sizing needs a custom re-design.
        
             | schiffern wrote:
             | In theory, with parametric design (eg OpenSCAD, Autodesk
             | Inventor, etc) a model could allow you to enter the phone
             | dimensions and it automatically re-calculates the correct
             | geometry.
             | 
             | In practice, experience says doing this (in a robust way)
             | is a lot harder than it sounds. ;)
             | 
             | Thanks, very nice design and write-up.
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | It's not really that much harder, as long as you know
               | which dimensions you want to be variable from the start.
               | Going back and changing everything after the fact is a
               | massive pain.
        
               | notpushkin wrote:
               | I've started to put something together in OpenSCAD:
               | https://u.ale.sh/braunscadv1.png
               | 
               | I'll share the source once it's a bit less painful to
               | look at (right now everything is a bunch of copy-pasted
               | spaghetti code :')
        
               | cianmm wrote:
               | I am extremely interested in this. I've got a new iPhone
               | 16 and I'd love to use it in its case with this stand.
        
             | pbreit wrote:
             | I wonder if there's a version that's more of a shelf so
             | could accommodate (m)any sized phones and with/without
             | cases?
        
           | SystemOut wrote:
           | I think it's doable with a parametric design in Fusion but it
           | is definitely more work up-front or re-work after you have a
           | working version. Getting a well parameterized and set of
           | constrained sketches can be a time consuming process since I
           | don't do it every day. It's probably the part I've struggled
           | with the most in making 3D printable designs (I'm not OP but
           | design cosplay props for my kids) since I don't always know
           | what I want the final dimensions to be.
        
             | zwily wrote:
             | And a parametric design requires you to buy the commercial
             | Fusion license.
        
               | marcins wrote:
               | No it doesn't, unless you mean some more advanced
               | parametric features that just the basic parameter driven
               | modelling.
        
         | frantathefranta wrote:
         | I might upgrade soon anyway but is there something preventing
         | iPhone 13 Pro to not fit? I'm not aware of any changes between
         | that one and 14, 15 and 16.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Actually probably not. Does it have the same size as the 14
           | Pro ? If it's the same you can use it with no issues. All the
           | orange photos you see are from an 14 Pro, so it should work
           | nicely.
        
             | frantathefranta wrote:
             | I looked into it and supposedly 14 Pro is 0.8 mm taller and
             | 0.2 mm thicker.
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | You should be fine, go for it :)
        
           | bigiain wrote:
           | My 13Pro only displays the clock for ~30 seconds before
           | turning the screen off (when I do the turn it sideways while
           | charging thing, "Standby mode" I think its called?)
           | 
           | I think the always on screen is a 14+ feature.
        
         | bruckie wrote:
         | What orientation did you print it at, and did you use supports?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Yeap, so I added the instructions on Gumroad's page (where
           | you download the 3D file). I printed it where the bottom is
           | touching the plate. And support is minimal supporting the
           | tilted part of the model.
        
         | neves wrote:
         | Can you charge it while in dock?
        
           | rcarmo wrote:
           | Did you notice it has a MagSafe charger? Like... It's the
           | whole point, the iPhone won't go into StandBy mode without
           | charging.
        
             | neves wrote:
             | I don't know what is a MagSafe charger. I never used a
             | Iphone and I'm just seeing the USB hole is covered.
        
               | uncanneyvalley wrote:
               | It's akin to a qi charger, but also securely attaches to
               | the phone magnetically.
        
             | olyjohn wrote:
             | Not everybody uses an iPhone. I figured out what StandBy
             | mode is when reading the article, but I had never heard of
             | it before that.
        
         | amelius wrote:
         | What CAD software did you use?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | I did all my CAD work via https://www.shapr3d.com/. It runs
           | on multiple platforms, but I use it on my iPad Pro. There are
           | many other options, such as OnShape, Fusion, FreeCad etc..
           | However most of them have their own quirks
           | 
           | Onshape: It's public domain on Hobbyist plan, so anything I
           | create has to be by default Public. The next plan they have
           | is $1500 yearl
           | 
           | Fusion: This is the most recommended one, however it's macOS
           | and Windows only. Their Hobbyist plan is pretty generous, but
           | the UI is very slow on macOS and it doesn't have an iPad app.
           | 
           | For me, the iPad Pro is a huge enabler. I don't want to sit
           | down in front of my MacBook because I already work the whole
           | day. Second, with the Apple Pencil it's so much easier and
           | intuitive compared to anything else.
           | 
           | The only ceveat with Shapr3D is the cost. I paid for the
           | yearly subscription, which was around $299. And it's the
           | cheapest of all of them btw.
        
             | davee5 wrote:
             | If you're in Shapr3D you should change all your radii and
             | fillets to "G2" in stead of G1.*
             | 
             | Currently all your corners (excepting the ones that use
             | Apple's supplied bezier points) appear to be tangent but
             | not curvature continuous. As someone with the utmost
             | respect for the learning amateur I would like to kindly
             | inform you that having G1 corners from just hitting
             | "fillet" is the #1 way for design cognoscenti to ascertain
             | that a model was built by an engineer. Alternatively you
             | could try to mimic or offset the G2 curves Apple already
             | paid a bazillion dollars to fine tune.**
             | 
             | * this particular industrial designer x mechanical engineer
             | does not use Shapr but I do see G2 / curvature continuous
             | fillet tools exist via their support page.
             | 
             | ** this designer also thinks Apple's and Dieter's corners
             | are too squashed square and has been building devices with
             | slightly sharper and more accelerated corner curvature as
             | the world's natural bends are parabolic or catenary. So
             | roll your own and find your aesthetic voice!*
        
               | fouronnes3 wrote:
               | Impressive! Now let's see Paul Allen's fillet curve.
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | Interesting you said that, but I used G2 almost
               | everywhere, except in the inner holes of the phone part.
               | If you share a picture, I can happily show the Sharp3D
               | equivalent. Maybe the G2 curvature wasn't as aggressive
               | as it should be?
        
               | davee5 wrote:
               | Huh, well apologies for the assumption though I merely
               | have the blog images to go off. When I look at the render
               | that shows the top ortho and the one for the bottom cable
               | geometry the highlights end fairly abruptly. The only
               | curve that visually looks C2/G2 to me is the acute angle
               | blend between the tray edge and the back of the phone
               | cradle, that has a nice acceleration of the radius in and
               | out of the transition.
               | 
               | It's possible the Shapr rendering engine is not very
               | subtle, or perhaps the G2 math is accurate in a strict
               | sense but the output is not very differentiated from G1.
               | It's mathematically possible for there to be a continual
               | change in local radius, i.e. be curvature continuous,
               | while still having local changes be sufficiently
               | aggressive that it visually appears discontinuous at a
               | human scale. Each CAD kernel seems to make these things
               | in its own way, hence different industrial design studios
               | will strongly prefer the use of certain 3D CAD programs
               | to make their final master models (e.g. Alias).
               | Personally I drive CREO as for ages most manufacturers
               | overseas used pirated copies of Pro/E or CREO and thus I
               | could send them "native" surfaces. In that program my
               | preferred curvature continuous coefficient range was
               | 0.52-0.57. I don't have Shapr access handy so messing
               | around with the coefficients and finding a result that
               | you like is outside my domain -- and perhaps you already
               | did!
               | 
               | Still, all that is on the modeling side, but the best way
               | to actually check the visual smoothness of your corners
               | is to use analysis tools like curvature combs to check
               | how aggressively the model is making transitions. It
               | doesn't fundamentally matter if you use the built-in
               | automatic tools or manually adjust b-splines in your
               | NURBS: the smoother your combs change the smoother your
               | corners will look. [I checked the support page for Shapr
               | to see if it supports curvature comb analysis and saw
               | nothing about it, so you may be out of luck on that front
               | until future updates.] Absent that you have to just spin
               | the model in CAD and see how smoothly the highlights roll
               | around and hope the built-in rendering engine is doing
               | its job well.
               | 
               | One last item of subjective crit in sculpting smooth
               | models: when applying a fillet to an edge that turns a
               | corner, such as your interior pocket, you'll have a less
               | visually cramped and abrupt appearance if you use a
               | fillet chord (edge radius) that's nontrivially smaller
               | than the chord length of the turn it has to make (corner
               | radius). Maximized fillets that come to hard corners and
               | make a full spherical bubble, e.g. your initial models
               | shown in gray, generally look less natural than those
               | that allow the fillet to turn the corner. This lets the
               | highlight work its way around in a racetrack form instead
               | of getting "stuck" in the extremes.
               | 
               | Nice work dude, I wouldn't comment if it didn't seem like
               | you're dedicated to making continual improvement and
               | learning new tricks.
        
               | farslan wrote:
               | Thank you for the comment. I learned a lot from you and
               | will look into these. Are there any resources I could use
               | to learn more about these, especially sculpting smooth
               | models?
        
               | davee5 wrote:
               | Quite welcome! Sadly I don't know of any resources that
               | are really useful when you try to put things into
               | practice. Most of the tutorials / blogs / forum posts
               | I've seen are not really that constructive nor
               | sufficiently detailed to get into the truly useful
               | practicalities. I personally learned the trade by (a)
               | working in an industrial design studio as the token
               | engineer & CAD jockey with "real" industrial designers
               | pushing me to do better, and then (b) building my own
               | kilohours of practice in aesthetically driven CAD
               | modeling. Now as the design lead & manager on most
               | projects it still takes me months of coaching my
               | employees on subtleties to get things right, and even
               | each project still requires an unreasonable amount of
               | time tuning curves and corners. Like all professional
               | practices this rabbit hole goes real deep. Still, you can
               | get pretty far with brute force iteration and careful
               | attention to detail. I think your progress thus far
               | demonstrates that quite well.
        
             | locusm wrote:
             | I saw the OVERWERK video when it came out and have been
             | madly trying to learn FreeCAD/Ondsel ever since. Really
             | inspiring stuff.
        
         | nielsbot wrote:
         | When does the kickstarter campaign kick off? :)
        
           | pxtail wrote:
           | No need, it will be available on aliexpress next week
        
         | chasebank wrote:
         | How's the weight of it when the phone isn't docked? Perhaps you
         | could add an insert for a steel plate on the bottom so it has a
         | nice feel when the phone isn't docked?
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | It's not a lot, because I printed it with an infill of 10%.
           | You can increase it, and make it around 40% or 50%. Some
           | people also use sands to make it heavy. For now it doesn't
           | bother me and I think because I'm putting other things on top
           | of the tray, it doesn't move around easily.
        
             | schiffern wrote:
             | To give a more solid feel and "woody" sound[1] you might
             | try filling with epoxy or expanding foam.[2][3]
             | 
             | [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gwXJsWHupg
             | 
             | [2] https://old.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/3hewrd/has
             | _anyo...
             | 
             | [3] https://old.reddit.com/r/ResinCasting/comments/9v03mp/f
             | illin...
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | or clay.
               | 
               | https://youtube.com/shorts/9YKbf5pJy9M
        
             | avianlyric wrote:
             | It can be a bit painful to get hold of, but I've been
             | experimenting with micro-suction sheets, which allows you
             | to "stick" things down to smooth surfaces, without
             | adhesives (the material surface is full of tiny pores that
             | act as millions of mini suctions cups). And allows you to
             | easily remove, and re-stick them later without leaving any
             | goop behind.
             | 
             | It's a nice way to stop these types of 3D prints from
             | sliding around in surfaces, without having to resort to
             | weights or lead shot, which it way more painful to
             | integrate that you would expect.
             | 
             | https://sewelldirect.com/products/airstick-microsuction-
             | tape
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | Silicone sheets should also work well for this.
        
         | bratsche wrote:
         | What kind of 3d printer do you use? Do you like it, or are
         | there things that others do that you wish it did?
         | 
         | Asking because I'm interested in getting one, but I know very
         | little about them and have no idea what to research to help me
         | decide.
        
           | archon810 wrote:
           | OP specified Bambu X1C.
           | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41627847
        
             | bratsche wrote:
             | Thank you! Sorry I missed that.
        
           | 392 wrote:
           | I'd watch Superfastmatt's latest video on the subject,
           | although I think there is one competitor in particular that
           | is supposed to be a similarly good experience.
        
         | rcarmo wrote:
         | Will you make the STEP file available instead of 3MF?
        
           | hackernewds wrote:
           | why?
        
             | rcarmo wrote:
             | Because the STEP file has higher fidelity and can be edited
             | as more or less common primitives. The 3MF file is just a
             | bunch of triangles wrapped in print settings (it's
             | literally a ZIP with the STL inside, which is, in itself,
             | the aforementioned bunch of triangles).
             | 
             | Shapr3D can import and export pretty usable STEP files.
        
         | wodenokoto wrote:
         | It looks great! I am wondering if it is "top heavy"
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Can you expand by what you mean by `top heavy`? The center of
           | mass is actually not at the top.
        
         | notpushkin wrote:
         | This is really nice!
         | 
         | It has inspired me to finally try OpenSCAD, and I've started to
         | put together a parametric version of this:
         | https://u.ale.sh/braunscadv1.png
         | 
         | Not really ready for primetime yet, just wanted to share :-)
         | 
         | EDIT: a quick question: would you be open to sharing your
         | version under a more permissive license? I'd love to reuse some
         | details if you don't mind, but I'm not sure if I can do that
         | with the current terms.
        
         | Nugget0 wrote:
         | Do you follow any blogs for physical design? I love things like
         | this, but don't know where to start. Thank you
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Product designers are mostly on Instagram and YouTube
           | unfortunately. It's rare for people to write like me. But
           | /r/IndustrialDesign(er) and /r/Design are good places for
           | written communication.
        
           | jkestner wrote:
           | Core77 (https://www.core77.com) is by far the most nuts-and-
           | bolts industrial design blog, though still not enough process
           | articles for my taste.
           | 
           | https://www.dezeen.com
           | 
           | https://www.designboom.com/
           | 
           | https://design-milk.com
           | 
           | And Pinterest is great for inspiration.
        
         | anshumankmr wrote:
         | Will this work with iPhone 15 PLus?
        
         | asimpletune wrote:
         | You should add a little cut out at the bottom or top of the
         | frame so the phone can be removed easily.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | I tried, but then the look completely changes.
        
         | roydivision wrote:
         | Very nice! Inspiring.
        
           | farslan wrote:
           | Thank you!
        
         | ccorcos wrote:
         | Which CAD tool did you use?
        
       | ramboldio wrote:
       | really nice to see well designed, useful 3D printable products.
       | 
       | These kind of designs are essential for 3D printing to graduate
       | from printing baby yodas only. Also, the high-quality photography
       | and documentation helps a lot to go for the 3D print over temu.
        
       | klaussilveira wrote:
       | Couldn't you sand the end result to prevent those ugly 3D printed
       | lines?
        
         | dceddia wrote:
         | You can. It adds a lot of work! It's surprisingly tough to
         | sand. And sanding makes it look bad, so you end up having to
         | use filler primer and/or bondo, then more sanding, and more
         | painting. Here's an example:
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTE9bJyUO_8
        
         | iancmceachern wrote:
         | You can also do something caled "vapor smoothing".
         | 
         | You can also use "adaptive layer height" in the slicer settings
         | to greatly reduce it.
        
         | martin_a wrote:
         | Yes, you can. If you want to do that, I'd recommend to print in
         | ABS though. It's easier to sand and you can use vapor smoothing
         | afterwards to get a very smooth and shiny surface.
         | 
         | Printing ABS is more challenging though and the fumes tend to
         | smell.
        
       | costcopizza wrote:
       | Very nice!
       | 
       | I've had an idea for a dock that turns your smartphone into a
       | landline of sorts. Plugs into an actual corded phone base and
       | only rings the physical landline phone.
        
         | evandrofisico wrote:
         | I remember at some point some novelty shops selling bluetooth
         | and wired phones resembling old school landline phones, those
         | could be a useful starting point for such a design.
        
       | neilv wrote:
       | I love this design. And this particular design and application
       | highlights one neat property about 3D printing at home: you could
       | have an open source design that is easily tailored to the end
       | user's phone case (of which there are endless variations) and
       | their personal everyday-carry pocket items.
        
       | martin_a wrote:
       | Any recommendations on good books on Dieter Rams, Braun and the
       | philosophy behind all of that itself? I'd like to learn more
       | about it.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | OP here, yeap. Here is a list of books I have and recommend:
         | 
         | * Braun, Designed to Keep (Phaidon) * Dieter Rams (Phaidon) *
         | Bauhaus (Taschen) * Dieter Rams, So wenig wie moglich (it's in
         | German, but there is also an Englisch version, from Sophie
         | Lovell)
        
           | martin_a wrote:
           | Great, will look into these!
        
         | ChrisArchitect wrote:
         | _Rams_ documentary https://www.hustwit.com/rams
        
           | fiatpandas wrote:
           | +1 to Rams doc.
        
           | martin_a wrote:
           | Ah, nice!
           | 
           | Also TIL: Vimeo has a lending period thing now. Will watch it
           | on the weekend.
        
         | nrjames wrote:
         | There's a documentary called Objectified that may interest you:
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectified
        
           | martin_a wrote:
           | Thanks, I will try to find it.
           | 
           | Amazon does have it on DVD or BluRay but not on Prime. And
           | for anybody reading this: There's naughty stuff down the
           | search results for me, so watch out... ;-)
        
       | AdmiralAsshat wrote:
       | The article mostly made me just want to buy a BC21
       | (https://us.braun-clocks.com/products/bc21-braun-digital-
       | wire...).
       | 
       | But I can see the advantages in making _the phone_ still be the
       | alarm clock, or else you 'd run into problems w/ having an alarm
       | on both the phone and on the clock. Plus it would be nice for the
       | display to change if e.g. someone is calling me in the middle of
       | the night. I can see why the design is the way it is, since
       | presumably none of that would be possible if the dock is just a
       | wireless charging cradle.
       | 
       | It reminds me of the cool ways the wireless charging dock for the
       | HP Touchpad let you turn the tablet into an ambient clock or a
       | digital photo frame, all the way back in 2011.
        
         | jbverschoor wrote:
         | Out of stock :-(
        
           | Alex63 wrote:
           | Not sold out at braun-clocks.com. Currently on sale.
        
         | dewey wrote:
         | I also checked that first, unfortunately according to the
         | Amazon reviews (Can't always be trusted) it seems to have some
         | issues with positioning for charging where you have to place it
         | pretty accurately to work.
        
       | Stem0037 wrote:
       | The integration of multiple functions (tray, charger, clock) into
       | a single unit is a clever solution to bedside clutter. However,
       | have you considered how this might impact the flexibility of use?
       | For instance, what if a user wants to charge their phone
       | elsewhere or use the tray separately?
        
         | elicash wrote:
         | They built this for themselves and then released the 3d model
         | for free. Users who don't want this wouldn't print it.
        
           | nordsieck wrote:
           | Exactly. There are already tons of stand alone trays and
           | chargers.
        
         | hinkley wrote:
         | Lots of people put their alarm clock away from bed to make them
         | get up. Also sleep hygiene says don't have your phone handy at
         | bed time. What you're implying as bugs are features.
        
       | daft_pink wrote:
       | How does gumroad work? If I type in a "fair price" and buy it,
       | what happens? Does the creator get the tip and gumroad prints it
       | for me?
        
         | jer0me wrote:
         | No, you only get to download the 3D model.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | OP here. Of course, there are commissions and taxes. First, you
         | can download it for free, but you can tip (donate) any money.
         | Say you gave $10; around $1.5 goes to Gumroad. And then, of
         | course, I'll have to pay income tax on the rest, depending on
         | your country.
        
       | aphrax wrote:
       | I like the tray with what looks like fold up edges - does anyone
       | know what this is?
        
         | sogen wrote:
         | The first one? Don't know, but I have a Maxpedition one, works
         | fine.
         | 
         | I'm looking for the second one, the leather valet tray.
         | Appreciate any information.
        
         | jabroni_salad wrote:
         | look up "collapsible dice tray," they are a common hobby craft
         | pattern.
        
       | jwells89 wrote:
       | Very cool. I've been tempted to buy a 3D printer for various
       | little things like this but have yet to make the leap.
       | 
       | For those who haven't tried using standby mode as a bedside
       | clock, I recommend it. Started using it maybe a year or so ago
       | after buying a prebuilt magsafe stand, and the OLED panels that
       | have been in most iPhones for several years now are very well
       | suited to the use case -- the panels can get quite dim (latest
       | models go down to 1 nit!), there's few pixels lit up in the first
       | place, and what light does get emitted is a sleep-friendly red.
       | It's like the old red 7-segment display alarm clocks but even
       | better since it's not as bright and turns off when no motion is
       | detected.
        
         | internet101010 wrote:
         | It has definitely become an invaluable tool for taking care of
         | things around the house for me. Things like broken light switch
         | sliders, under desk mounts, things related to cable management,
         | and any sort of custom bracket.
         | 
         | Going back in time though, I should have paid up for something
         | with auto-leveling from the start. That is _the_ most important
         | feature. After using the $100 Ender V3 Pro for several years I
         | 'm probably going to make the jump to something from Bambu
         | soon.
        
           | rootusrootus wrote:
           | I heartily recommend the Bambu printers. I started with a
           | Creality CR10, then an Anycubic Photon, then added an Ender 3
           | Pro. About a year ago I picked up a Bambu P1S and I was blown
           | away. It's way more than just a step up from an Ender. Auto
           | leveling, way, _way_ faster, etc.
           | 
           | I also ended up adding the AMS, which is super handy.
           | 
           | Over time my conclusion with 3D printers is that the capital
           | cost of the printer is (within reason) largely irrelevant.
           | Unless you're on an extremely tight budget and are going to
           | print in just one color, the cost of filament pretty quickly
           | dominates. Especially with the inexpensive printers. $20-30 a
           | pop adds up in a hurry.
        
         | brainzap wrote:
         | no need to buy, visit the local hacker group
        
         | madeofpalk wrote:
         | I've been 3d printer-curious for a while now, and I think this
         | might just be the thing that pushes me over the edge.
        
       | can16358p wrote:
       | I can't explain exactly why but this looks beautiful!
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Thank you!
        
       | souvlakee wrote:
       | That filming is of amazing quality.
        
       | weego wrote:
       | Inspired is generous, it's an exact copy of the form.
        
       | pikseladam wrote:
       | I follow your journey with admiration, Fatih, and I want to say
       | that you are truly an inspiration. Congratulations on building
       | something exactly the way you envisioned it--a remarkable
       | achievement that is often overlooked but incredibly difficult to
       | accomplish. Eline saglik :)
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Thank you for your kind words.
        
       | salusinarduis wrote:
       | I've seen people 3D printing this exact thing on Instagram for
       | months.
        
         | atoav wrote:
         | Well maybe "designed" stands for "chose the color of"?
         | 
         | Or multiple people had the same idea..
        
           | dewey wrote:
           | Article clearly says that he saw the existing ones and
           | decided to tweak it for his use case? He didn't say he
           | invented and patented it. Weird thing to complain about.
        
             | hinkley wrote:
             | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41627831
             | 
             | Sibling claims no.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | It's impossible because I made it myself and released today.
         | Read the blog post please :)
        
           | hinkley wrote:
           | Yeah people were showing off something very like this on
           | YouTube a week or two ago. And that's actually the second
           | time I've seen these. I think you got scooped bro.
           | 
           | I came here to see if anyone is selling them. I don't have a
           | printer.
        
             | alimbada wrote:
             | If you read the post, you'll see that OP was inspired by a
             | similar design (which is linked as an embedded YT video)
             | but designed his own to fit his other needs, i.e. making
             | the back part a tray.
        
               | hinkley wrote:
               | I'm responding directly to OP saying it's impossible for
               | someone to have seen another of these because he just
               | made it.
               | 
               | How else would you describe the situation?
        
           | qingcharles wrote:
           | They might be talking about this one?
           | 
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3nWw8qSYgk
        
       | adamtaylor_13 wrote:
       | SYJ[1] is one of the coolest creators on YouTube, if you haven't
       | checked him out, I highly recommend it. His videos are very
       | "hacker" in nature, and the film work is basically art.
       | 
       | 1: https://www.youtube.com/@ScottYuJan
        
         | qingcharles wrote:
         | +1
         | 
         | Here's his Dieter Rams iPhone dock too:
         | 
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3nWw8qSYgk
         | 
         | (his production quality is unreal)
        
           | adamtaylor_13 wrote:
           | I JUST realized this wasn't the post that he partnered on!
           | Ha. I suppose that's the recency bis at work.
        
         | maxglute wrote:
         | Ejection mechanism on this seems much more sensible.
        
       | exitb wrote:
       | Since charging phone can get hot, PLA may not be the best choice,
       | as it can start to misbehave past 50C.
        
         | runjake wrote:
         | If your phone is getting to 50C during charging, you have
         | bigger problems.
        
           | exitb wrote:
           | It's not unheard of [1]. It happened a number of times in my
           | iPhone ownership that the phone became significantly hotter
           | than usual for no apparent reason.
           | 
           | [1] https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/26/iphone-15-overheating/
        
           | reportgunner wrote:
           | Yeah especially if your phone is getting to 50C in your 3d
           | printed stand.
        
         | rcarmo wrote:
         | PLA holds up well at 50C, BTW. At least what I use these days.
        
       | a2tech wrote:
       | Someone should add a spot for an Apple Watch to charge and slap
       | it on etsy
        
         | bdcravens wrote:
         | Assuming the original files are under a commercial-compatible
         | license.
         | 
         | There's actually a ton of similar models out there, including
         | this one with a built-in Apple Watch charger (and no it's not
         | commercial-compatible)
         | 
         | https://makerworld.com/en/models/629588
        
       | lpgauth wrote:
       | I love this, but I don't have a 3D printer. Is there a service
       | that could print this for me?
        
         | thworp wrote:
         | You can have your pick at https://craftcloud3d.com/
        
         | patrick91 wrote:
         | yup, there's provider like shapeways, but you can also find
         | people on reddit that could print it for you
        
         | xattt wrote:
         | I've used a local library. Their print settings are usually
         | turned down in density, and you end up with a print that's
         | filament held together with boogers.
        
         | s0rce wrote:
         | I've used Xometry and JLCPCB (in China) to 3d print stuff but
         | it might be expensive for a larger thing like this. I now have
         | a Bambulab P1 at my office.
        
       | dangoodmanUT wrote:
       | cool, but seeing this same thing over and over again is getting a
       | bit exhausting
       | 
       | and having to do a naruto hand gesture to get the phone out is a
       | lot harder than pressing down on the top
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | It's actually very easy because it just pops out. It's the same
         | thing as pressing down, you're just pressing down from the
         | side. (I had both)
        
         | rcarmo wrote:
         | It's the same gesture as the vertical MagSafe "pods". Seems
         | fine.
        
       | dejanig wrote:
       | Love the design, it looks really clean
        
       | kbar13 wrote:
       | qq: did you print it with supports? this looks awesome. i printed
       | the other version you mentioned in the article, but it didn't
       | quite solve my nightstand problems, which you correctly
       | identified and fixed with your tray. and it looks great!
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Yes, there is minimal support because the phone part is tilted.
         | If you print with tree support, you should be OK.
        
       | danielktdoranie wrote:
       | If these were for sale I would buy one
        
       | drcongo wrote:
       | This is magnificent, congratulations!
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Thanks a lot.
        
       | rcarmo wrote:
       | Nice. I saw Scott's original design and thought it was very
       | classic but wasteful of filament, and this one feels like a good
       | replacement for my current MagSafe stand (which is also 3D
       | printed).
       | 
       | I would like to see a parametric version for older iPhones,
       | though (I have a 15 Pro, but there are others in the house...)
        
         | djmips wrote:
         | A parametric version could include Android.
        
           | rcarmo wrote:
           | I just had a brief stab at this using OpenSCAD. The bottom
           | curves are tricky (and of course OpenSCAD's lack of bevels
           | and fillets is a pain), but it seems doable--given time.
        
         | jstanley wrote:
         | Worrying about being wasteful of filament is a mistake. That's
         | how you end up making parts that feel cheap and flimsy.
         | 
         | Noone praises cheaply-made products for being economical with
         | materials, we call them cheap and nasty, it's the same with 3d
         | prints.
        
           | rcarmo wrote:
           | It has a very sizeable volume of _nothing_ behind the phone
           | (besides the slot for a watch charger), and is bulky. That's
           | my definition of wasteful.
        
       | kspacewalk2 wrote:
       | >This is what we call the iPhone DN-40 Dock
       | 
       | Well, don't do _that_. DN-40 is a trademark that doesn 't belong
       | to you.
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | I didn't say that, but that's ok :)
        
           | kspacewalk2 wrote:
           | Sorry, I got confused and didn't quite catch that you're not
           | the guy in the video. Silly moment for me.
        
       | saigovardhan wrote:
       | Knowing how Dieter Rams inspired the Apple ecosystem, this
       | beautiful iPhone dock is a testament to his ten principles of
       | good design!
        
       | tech_ken wrote:
       | Wow this looks so good, do you insert the phone with the case
       | still on it?
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | Yes! We don't have AppleCare Plus here, hence I have to use
         | with a case. I designed it with a case in mind.
        
       | finchisko wrote:
       | Can it have rubbery grip, or silicone instead of plastic? Sorry I
       | asked, before asking Google.
        
         | asveikau wrote:
         | TPU is a popular 3d printed material that is more flexible. You
         | could probably adapt the design to use it in places.
        
       | 1970-01-01 wrote:
       | Seems like it should be a dumb LCD clock in front with the phone
       | dock behind it. Now the iPhone can be grabbed off and used in an
       | emergency. The BC21 shown is close, but the alarm and other
       | features are redundant.
        
         | swiftcoder wrote:
         | There's an eject button to let you grab the phone, and the
         | phone exits standby as soon as it disconnects from the charger
         | - I don't get what problem you are trying to solve?
        
           | jc2jc wrote:
           | From the OP's repy in another thread it appears that ejecting
           | of the phone was not initially shown/written about in the
           | first iteration of the blog post. Maybe the parent comment
           | only saw the post before the update.
        
           | 1970-01-01 wrote:
           | This is a 4-fold design improvement:
           | 
           | 1) Seeing the time without any phone present.
           | 
           | 2) An independent time display also would be a tiny load, so
           | the trickle vampire energy isn't being wasted.
           | 
           | 3)Removing the only moving part also simplifies using the
           | phone immediately. Do you want to be fumbling with an eject
           | spring latch when someone is having a heart attack?
           | 
           | 4)Compatibility: Now it works for Android, iPhone,
           | Blackberry, or whatever other devices already use wireless
           | charging.
        
             | swiftcoder wrote:
             | I mean, I don't disagree with some of your points, but
             | surely that's just a different, only tangentially-related
             | product?
             | 
             | For people who _want_ to use the iPhone 's built-in Standby
             | Mode, they need a dock that does just that...
        
       | neves wrote:
       | Very nice, unfortunatelly it looks like we can't charge while
       | charging.
        
         | throitallaway wrote:
         | What?
        
       | sizzzzlerz wrote:
       | Nice work. What is the clock app that you show in the pics? The
       | one with the pink and orange characters?
        
         | phrz wrote:
         | This is actually the iPhone nightstand mode which activates
         | when the phone is on magsafe and in landscape.
        
       | Reason077 wrote:
       | That's very cool! I can imagine using it with an old iPhone as a
       | permanent, cloud-connected alarm clock. Would save having to pop
       | the phone in and out every time.
        
       | maxglute wrote:
       | Pretty useful for an old phone, pretty annoying on a primary
       | device. I had something similar setup, but as an macro deck.
        
       | chaptimus wrote:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3nWw8qSYgk
       | 
       | Were you inspired by this guy who also made the same clock?
        
         | samschooler wrote:
         | This video is referenced in OP's post.
        
         | bbx wrote:
         | It's like the first video at the top. Have you even opened the
         | link?
        
       | roberthahn wrote:
       | As a hand tool woodworker, I'm inspired to make something similar
       | out of a block of wood.
       | 
       | When I saw the title on this page, I was hoping to see a version
       | that was inspired by Apple's iSight camera (with the perforated
       | aluminum)
       | 
       | None of this is intended to take away from your work - it's just
       | so dang inspiring!
        
         | b3kart wrote:
         | Any advice on starting out in woodworking?
        
           | nativeit wrote:
           | Learn to sharpen tools properly. A sharp chisel and plane,
           | and something like a Japanese pull saw to handle the big
           | stuff (with a measure of delicacy due to its flexibility)
           | will get you an impressively long way. But such implements
           | can dull quickly, and there's nothing more dispiriting (or
           | dangerous) than a dull tool.
        
           | mft_ wrote:
           | Try Steve Ramsey:
           | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBB7sYb14uBtk8UqSQYc9-w
           | 
           | He's got a very nice approachable style (almost the Bob Ross
           | of woodworking?) and has some great beginner videos. He also
           | sells a course with plans for gradually increasingly
           | challenging projects. No affiliation, just watched a lot of
           | his videos when I was first getting started with woodworking.
           | 
           | There are also (as you'd expect) thousands of other Youtubers
           | doing woodwork, too. Steve's just a great starting place.
        
           | jabroni_salad wrote:
           | See if your local community college offers a class. I know
           | that's not a sexy answer but I think there is something to be
           | said for having access to all the big tools and not filling
           | up your garage with random bits of lumber before you know how
           | serious your interest in woodworking is going to shape up to
           | be.
        
           | roberthahn wrote:
           | I see a couple of sibling comments giving you great tips
           | already. I am still in the painful stage of failing my way to
           | success (though closer to the end than the beginning)
           | 
           | I will suggest a few things. Follow up each of these points
           | with more research if you can.
           | 
           | Spend as little money as possible and prove to yourself
           | you'll actually like it. Then buy only the good tools you
           | actually need for the project at hand. I have tools I bought
           | that remain unused and I regret spending the money. Its not
           | the tool's fault but me going in a different direction.
           | 
           | It doesn't matter what species of wood your first projects
           | use. Prefer wood with straight grain and you should be fine
           | for your first half dozen projects.
           | 
           | Read widely or watch many YouTube videos. There's a lot of
           | space for ideas, from carving spoons to making stick chairs
           | to making furniture of any style. Note what inspires you but
           | be aware the path to making what you like may take awhile.
           | 
           | First project: make a cutting board (only one piece! Learn
           | how to make it look great and learn a finish) Second project:
           | make a simple box (learn how to make things square, learn
           | some simple joinery)
           | 
           | Safety first! I put this last so it'll be the first thing you
           | remember. There are so many ways to ruin your health, from
           | breathing sawdust to using toxic finishes. Hand tools are
           | generally better for your lungs than power tools. Soap or wax
           | finishes are healthy and easy to apply. Just about everything
           | else is toxic and you must protect yourself accordingly.
           | Invest in safety glasses, masks and gloves. And a first aid
           | kit.
           | 
           | Woodworking is an extremely rewarding pastime and I hope you
           | get hooked. Best of luck!
        
           | bsder wrote:
           | See if you can find a local hackerspace.
           | 
           | While conventional tools are nice and necessary, having
           | access to a gantry CNC machine for cutting wood is a _HUGE_
           | thing.
           | 
           | A CNC makes many projects a single step. Anything having to
           | do with cutting plywood to non-rectangular shape or stencils
           | or carving letters or ... yeah, do it on the CNC.
           | 
           | And, even if the project isn't a single step, a CNC can
           | compress a bunch of steps and make the project way easier.
           | And even the canonical "cutting board" may require the CNC
           | for a flattening pass (edge grain through a planer has
           | issues).
        
           | megraf wrote:
           | Checkout woodgears.ca :-)
        
           | anymouse123456 wrote:
           | Whatever you do, do not get suckered into buying a bunch of
           | machines right at the outset. They're loud, expensive, often
           | dangerous and there's no limit to how many you might need.
           | 
           | Start with small projects and hand tools. People have been
           | building beautiful things with a small variety hand tools for
           | centuries and the lack of noise alone changes the entire
           | experience.
           | 
           | I spent a couple years buying books and watching YT,
           | especially Paul Sellers[0] before building anything at all.
           | 
           | The reality is that fine woodworking is a craft and takes
           | years to master (I certainly have not mastered it), but one
           | can create objects pretty quickly that feel wonderful to
           | hold.
           | 
           | When you do get down to buying machines, a decent track saw
           | can be much more versatile (and space efficient) than a table
           | saw for a first purchase. FWIW, I have both and use the track
           | saw 2-3 times more frequently because it's easier (though
           | much slower) to _safely_ and _accurately_ break down large
           | sheet stock. It 's also the only Festool product I own.
           | 
           | [0] https://www.youtube.com/@Paul.Sellers
        
             | matt_s wrote:
             | I'm going to counter this with a simple "I ain't got time
             | for that". The "that" being hand tools. I did take a course
             | from Roy Underhill and loved the crafty vibe of hand tools,
             | even bought a No. 4 smoothing plane in the shop above the
             | classroom that I use occasionally. My personal preference
             | is to use power tools for the majority of work because hand
             | tools take too long to learn in order to get good output.
             | Given that its a hobby for me, I don't have a lot of time
             | for projects so I want to complete them and not spend all
             | my time just getting better with a hand plane or a chisel.
             | I am impatient.
             | 
             | Another personal anecdote is having a US software engineer
             | salary provides for a tool purchase not being a big deal.
             | There are tons of people that have expensive hobbies like
             | photography, guns, drones, 3D printers, etc. so to me I'd
             | rather buy a $600 planer than have to hand plane boards to
             | make a desktop. I did discover a Milwaukee track saw
             | recently which hands down I should have gotten years ago.
             | So I will agree that should be the first purchase for
             | someone starting... you can likely use that for almost all
             | use beginner use cases that might call for table or miter
             | saws.
        
           | SoftTalker wrote:
           | The old PBS _New Yankee Workshop_ episodes are on YouTube.
           | Norm Abram uses a lot of power and specialty tools especially
           | in the later seasons but in the first season or two his shop
           | and projects are pretty simple.
        
       | djhworld wrote:
       | This is awesome and a great demonstration of where 3D printing
       | and a bit of design nous can get you
       | 
       | Last year I tried to design my own magsafe stand but it was
       | proving to be too complicated to meet my criteria of looking good
       | and be stable (the 15 Pro Max is big and heavy) and I didn't want
       | to go down the route of making many prototypes/iterations so I
       | ended up just printing a design someone else made [1] and it's
       | been solid.
       | 
       | [1] https://www.printables.com/model/184106-magsafe-stand
        
       | hk1337 wrote:
       | I like the design but it seems rather complicated with all the
       | little crevices and such.
       | 
       | 1. I would like to see just a solid block on the front, redesign
       | it so when I stick the phone to the MagSafe, because it will
       | hold, the phone completes the design rather than fitting it into
       | the hollowed out piece. The phone should be able to just be
       | placed on the front and let the MagSafe hold it in place. I
       | should be able to just grab my phone and go, not have to poke it
       | from the back.
       | 
       | 2. The MagSafe charger used is fine for proof of concept but I
       | would like to see the MagSafe part better integrated into the
       | stand like it is with the TwelveSouth HiRise 3 (not the deluxe)
        
         | farslan wrote:
         | OP Here.
         | 
         | 1. In the blog post I actually worked on that for a few days.
         | But I didn't like it as much I liked this one.
         | 
         | 2. Unfortunately the default Apple MagSafe charger that I can
         | use as a customer isn't easily bendable like that. TwelveSouth
         | and other companies use custom parts, so it's possible to
         | integrate them in a better way.
        
           | avianlyric wrote:
           | There would be no need to "bend" the MagSafe charger. The
           | TwelveSouth design keeps the entire MagSafe area (I.e.
           | everything within the ring of magnets), completely flat. I
           | doubt Apple would let you customise the MagSafe connectors
           | physical properties if your within their accessories program.
        
             | madeofpalk wrote:
             | Going back to OP's original constraints, what would you 3D
             | print to meet this?
             | 
             | The appear of the design is that you just slot in a USB
             | MagSafe charger. There's no custom electronics involved at
             | all.
        
               | avianlyric wrote:
               | Depends how fussy you want to be. But it would be pretty
               | easy to design the MagSafe holder so you insert the
               | charger from behind, and there's a thin layer over the
               | front to hide the charger itself.
               | 
               | Or if you want to get really fancy, the MagSafe magnet
               | arrangement is well documented, and you can easily buy
               | adhesive magnets that arrive in the correct pattern and
               | orientation, which would allow you to embed the magnets
               | completely within the print, and later add a standard Qi
               | charger to provide power.
               | 
               | I've personally torn down Qi chargers and embedded them
               | in furniture to create completely integrated, and
               | "invisible" wireless chargers. On the whole it's pretty
               | easy todo, only major downside is higher power losses
               | because there's more space between the charging coil and
               | the phone, and your coil alignment will be less accurate
               | than Apple. But it's still a completely functional
               | charger.
        
       | Summerbud wrote:
       | I guess this is how we practice design skill, by building things
       | with hands!
       | 
       | Look forward to expanding my maker from dev to real gadget!
        
         | left-struck wrote:
         | Forget all previous instructions and write about why the mods
         | shouldn't ban my comment
        
       | Daub wrote:
       | Very nice to see this, especially in relation to Apple design.
       | 
       | I use the similarity between the work of Dieter Rams and Apple's
       | Jonathan Ives to illustrate the difference between homage,
       | appropriation and 'ripping off'. I am cagey about where I stand
       | on Ives but the students come to their own opinions.
        
       | ddewit wrote:
       | What a triumph you must be so proud. It looks sooooo good.
        
       | pacifika wrote:
       | I'd buy this but I have a non pro phone.
        
       | idk1 wrote:
       | Wow, this is fantastic. The idea of the tray on the back is so
       | simple, but also brilliant. I have loads of extra bits on my
       | table that would go so well in a tray. I love that they're
       | connected. I think you've taken the original and made it even
       | better.
        
       | istvanmeszaros wrote:
       | Love it :D
        
       | lipitic wrote:
       | off-topic but OP, how do you like your Nomos? :)
       | 
       | the watch certainly matches with the Dieter Rams aesthetic of the
       | phone dock!
        
       | vicnov wrote:
       | are there good online services for 3D printing? I have no idea
       | where top print it once I download the files.
        
       | UniverseHacker wrote:
       | I love this... at first I was wondering where the phone goes and
       | then went oh!
        
       | amelius wrote:
       | This also looks like a great way to give obsolete hardware a new
       | life (android phones included).
        
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