Introduction: 3D Printed DIY Mouse

Mouse is a commoditized product available for clay inexpensive toll these days (Amazon Basics mouse $5). And then why would you want a DO-IT-YOURSELF mouse. Well, I wanted to explore 3D printing and how it can be used for making something that is useful on an everyday basis. Mouse is a perfect object which permit me do exactly that, since it has good amount of mechanical design involved.

The procedure involved making a circuit board consisting of a micro-controller and optical sensors, making a case for the mouse and making sure the PCB and the click buttons mate well with the body of the mouse. I volition keep this tutorial postal service focussed on the making of the case: how I went about making paper sketches for the example and made the instance with help of mechanical designers through multiple iterations.

Pace ane: Paper Sketch of the Case

Every project starts with an idea and ideas represented visually tin exist non only be used for reflecting on your thought procedure but tin can aide in communicating your idea to others with ease. Hence I fabricated a rough newspaper sketch of the model equally the offset step.

Step 2: CAD Modeling Using ProtoDnD (protodnd.com)

Given my modest noesis on CAD modeling tools, I wanted to effort making this model myself. Although I had tried a number of modeling tools (Autodesk Inventor, Rhinoceros, Sketchup), my associate with the tools was not sufficient to make something that looks and works similar a mouse. The translation from a paper sketch to digital model was not like shooting fish in a barrel. This is when I came across a blueprint service community chosen ProtoDnD, http://protodnd.com. I decided to hire an already trained CAD modeler and get the model fabricated efficiently, and then that I tin can spend my fourth dimension on residue of the things.

Step 3: Design Process

As soon as I provided the outset newspaper sketch 1 of the designers for ProtoDnD asked me for the dimensions. I put together a PCB which had 3 constraints on the design of the case:

  1. a window for the optical sensor and
  2. pods for screwing the PCB to the base of operations of the mouse and
  3. a solid mating had to exist ensured between the two switches on the PCB and the buttons on the instance.

Once I made the PCB with 4 holes at he corner and zeroed in the optical sensor and switches used as mouse buttons, I revised the film with my measurements. I added the dimensions on the image already uploaded through ProtoDnD's web interface .

Footstep iv: Start: Output Model From Designer

I finally received the a model from the designer on ProtoDnD and this is what information technology looked like. What is shown above is the concluding output from the designer. When the designer uploaded a beginning version of the model, i realized it might be useful to have a hole for bringing out the debug and programming interface for the micro-controller on-board. I conveyed this to the designer by annotating the STL model directly on ProtoDnD'south web interface as seen in the 4th prototype.

Pace 5: Existent Stuff: 3D Press

I finally printed the mouse in a Objet 3D printer.

The mouse was finally fitted with the PCB. To become the positioning of the sensor and buttons right, it took two iteration. And finally I had a beautiful 3D printed mouse. Yippee !!

If yous want to know more about the project electronics and components, I would be more than than happy to share. Transport me a message if you would similar to know more nigh this project.

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