Made Printables and Youtube Post!

Spent some time crafting and editing a printable post and Youtube videos! Super exciting to ship a project I spent so long on! My YouTube short is inspired from NoamA's my TMJ pen dev log videos!

Created Tripod Feet & Working on Github README

Today, I spent some time working on wrapping up the project - I started writing an absolute BANGER Github README, and I also created feet for the tripod. The feet should help a lot in stability of the tripod. This project will be open sourced, so people can customize all they want!

Revising the Design

As I said in the last journal, the connection near the top of the leg was too weak (unexpected bending), so I removed some "slits" towards the top of the leg. This should prevent weird bending and improve general stability.

Manufacture and Assembly of first version

I was able to print out and assemble the tripod for the first time! Had to play around with slicer settings and assembly went decently smooth. Used m5 connectors to connect the phone clamp and the tripod. The legs are a bit loose, so I need to reduce the “slits” towards the top of the leg. Also, the aluminum wire slides around, which is annoying, but it still works.

Used TinkerCAD to create phone mount

I used TinkerCAD (I know, sounds weird since I am always using Fusion) to combine a phone mount and the tripod. TinkerCAD, off of personal experience, is a lot better at handling STLs and simple procedures. I was able to quickly combine my two models, and now it's time to print!

Created New Leg Base

Today, I made a new leg mounting base that uses m3 nuts instead of headset inserts. This iteration is slightly simpler (and with better CAD practices) like using circular patterns instead of manually modeling each bore.

Assembled the Tripod Legs

This was definitely harder than I expected. I wasn’t able to cut the thick aluminum craft wires at first with scissors or flush cutters. I later used a heavy duty wire cutter, and that worked. The strategy is to cut in a circle (like a beaver gnawing away at a tree) until the wire breaks. This will make a clean cut (if you try to cut it all in one go, the cut will be untidy)

It finally works! TPU sleeves fit in alu-wire!

After a bunch of tweaking in CAD and slicer settings, I finally got the TPU leg sleeve to slide onto the Aluminum craft wire! Now, all I need to do is cut the wire into good lengths and make the camera mount, and we’lol have a final product!

3D print failure :(

I made some revisions in CAD and sent it out to print in TPU. Nozzle clogged, probably due to bad filament. Only half of the model came out. I guess I’ll need to spend an hour or so fixing my printer :(

CAD brush up and slice + third print

I 3D printed (sliced and printed with Prusa Slicer) the new leg sleeve design, and it’s safe to say that we are one step closer to the final product! The new sleeve is definitely stronger and more flexible than the previous iterations! The only downside I can think of is that the aluminum wire is partly exposed, which depending on your opinion, may be less aesthetically pleasing. I still wasn’t able to get the sleeve onto the wire - I’ll simply increase the tolerance in the next iteration. Super stoked!

New Leg CAD design

So a major problem with the previous design was the TPU being both inflexible and flimsy (this would be a tradeoff in a standard design). So, I added these cutouts along the TPU sleeve, which should in theory help with flexibility. This will also allow me to increase the wall thickness, without sacrificing flexibility. I also increased the size of the hole (increased tolerance), as well as optimized the model for 3D printing (horizantal bridges, instead of a circular bridge).

CAD brush up and slice + second print

Today, I 3D printed out the new iteration of the tripod leg made out of TPU. The thinner walls definitely helped with flexibility, but it feels really weak and flimsy. In addition, the aluminum wire (5mm diameter) is having trouble being fully inserted. Will need to improve on this design!

CAD Work

Made a plethora of updates in CAD
New appearances:

• Created a mounting system that will use heat set inserts for a modular mount. I aim for this to be compatible with phones, cameras, GoPros etc.

• The Tripod will use 3 legs (circular pattern)
  Model updates/revisions:

• Added m5 mounting holes on the "ends" of the legs. This is for potentially mounting the tripod on aluminum extrusion.

• Reduced Wall thickness of TPU sleeve

• Added Chamfers and improved sagging by deleting circular overhangs.

CAD brush up and slice + first print

Made some small changes to the CAD model: added m3 mounting holes for the soon-to-be tripod. Definitely a nice print. Printed with Prusa Slicer and factory Prusa i3 mk3s+. The TPU came out fine, but it is really stiff (walls need to be a bit thinner). In addition, the hole sagged, so it is very hard to fit a 5mm aluminum wire in. Will need to make the changes in the next iteration!

Created first TPU leg sleeve mockup CAD

In this work session, I created the first version of the TPU leg. It is currently in a very basic form. Essentially, the TPU will form a sleeve around the Aluminum craft wire. I'm not sure if the TPU is too thick - we'll need to print it out to test it!

Inspiration and Research (and material acquisition)

I was scrolling through reddit and I came across an inspiring post where the OP used TPU and Aluminum wire. The OP created many cool projects like tripods, helping-hands, and other cool contraptions. The process incorporated pausing the print and embedding aluminum wire in the TPU print. I am thinking of expanding on this idea:

• Create slots so that aluminum wire doesn't need to be added in the middle of a print pause
• Create useful mounts, adaptable and modular This project seems to have died down on the internet, so I am seeking to bring it back to life!

And I also researched and bought the materials:
95A TPU (already had)
5mm diameter aluminum craft wire
I have all of these supplies, so we should be ready to go!