Pandora 2 should be designed to take advantage of 3D printing

[Mr_Loon]

As mentioned in this post in my P2 concept thread I believe that it would make good sense to design the case of the P2 with the huge potential of 3D Printing in mind.

As this idea is equally applicable to the P2 whether it is a modular mini laptop or follows a broadly conventional mini laptop design like a P1 it deserves a separate topic IMHO.

Here is how it would work :

The base section of the P2 should be designed so that customers with specific usage requirements (or who are just interested in adding a bit of a personal touch) can have a purpose built base made for them. Or make one themselves if they own a 3D printer.

In terms of the P1 design, by base section, I do not mean the entire lower section of the unit, merely the plastic casing on the bottom of the unit.

To attach the custom base, the standard base would be removed and the custom base would be attached in its place.

The custom base would then be attached to the rest of the unit by some simple & effective method (e.g. screws, clips etc.)

The ports (SDXC / USB3 / Headphones / Video out etc.) on the base of the unit should be available attached to a standard header which could be easily incorporated into alternative bases. Alternative / additional headers could also be produced perhaps including things like 4 X USB3 ports, Midi in / out, full size line in / out, etc. for recording artists etc.

The following types of base unit could be created :

Ergonomic

Small as possible

Rugged

Musicians unit

Multiple USB (internal & external)

Highly decorative

etc.

Open Pandora GmbH (or whoever makes P2) could hold a database of user submitted designs and would make this freely available & would of course provide a starter design which incorporated the connection mechanism used to connect the base to the rest of the unit.

Any general thoughts or specific suggestions of different base designs / port headers would be much appreciated.

 

[hedwards]

I'm not sure this makes any sense. We're nowhere near the point where 3D printing can handle these sorts of tolerances and on top of that, you lose the economy of scale necessary to keep the price down for the production of the case moulds in the first place.

 

[bismuthdrummer]

Well, we're talking about the Pandora 2, so it's not that far off in theory. I'm skeptical this should be a concern at all. I don't see 3D printers in stores, I don't own one, and I don't know anyone that owns one. I suppose you could make a similar argument about the Pandora, but at least it doesn't cost thousands of dollars (yet).

If 3D printing is really worth what you pay for it (and the work required in designs), then there shouldn't be any design considerations necessary for the Pandora, barring the one requirement that its case can be replaced. OPT just releases the CAD file or what-have-you to the community, and people evolve and revolutionize based off of it.

 

[hedwards]

Well, we're talking about the Pandora 2, so it's not that far off in theory. I'm skeptical this should be a concern at all. I don't see 3D printers in stores, I don't own one, and I don't know anyone that owns one. I suppose you could make a similar argument about the Pandora, but at least it doesn't cost thousands of dollars (yet).

If 3D printing is really worth what you pay for it (and the work required in designs), then there shouldn't be any design considerations necessary for the Pandora, barring the one requirement that its case can be replaced. OPT just releases the CAD file or what-have-you to the community, and people evolve and revolutionize based off of it.

Fair point the P2 is probably 8 years out at this point, which could be enough time for 3D printing to become a viable option.

 

[Mr_Loon]

We're nowhere near the point where 3D printing can handle these sorts of tolerances.

This is just plain wrong, have a look here and

https://www.youtube.com/embed/adm72GaaCJ8?feature=oembed


There are a few major design considerations that should be taken into account, as you rightly say the base of the case should be easy to replace but things like the battery & stylus holder placement & the way the ports (USB3, SDXC, HDMI, Audio) are arranged / attached to the PCB should also be taken into account.

 

[hedwards]

Mr. Loon, you're joking right? The sandbeast is kind of cool, but you care to guess how much time he spent refining the parts?

And you completely missed the point, if OPT is already doing molds for mass production cases, you save just about zero by permitting people to make their own cases.Sure it's cool, and they could probably sell bare boards, but the cost of the molds doesn't decrease just because you want fewer cases.

And no, it's not a viable option, do you actually know anybody who owns a 3D printer? Maybe in 8 years there will be enough of these 3d printers out there to make it worthwhile. Given that the Pandora isn't and never will be open hardware, I'm not sure why they would give their case designs away

 

[Mr_Loon]

Mr. Loon, you're joking right? The sandbeast is kind of cool, but you care to guess how much time he spent refining the parts?

The sandbeast is very cool. Good to know that we agree on something   


I'm 100% serious, the sandbeast was chosen as an example to show that the 'tolerances' are very much there if precision engineering is required. As for the time involved, that shows the beauty of 3D printing, it only takes the designer to make the design freely available for public use or for sale and then if you want one you can make one or have one made for you.


The case for the Raspberry Pi was chosen as an example to show that custom printed cases for electronic goods are currently achievable, available & affordable.

And you completely missed the point, if OPT is already doing molds for mass production cases, you save just about zero by permitting people to make their own cases.Sure it's cool, and they could probably sell bare boards, but the cost of the molds doesn't decrease just because you want fewer cases.

I'm sorry but you have missed the point. The point is that if Pandora 2 was designed to take advantage of 3D printing it would generate sales not save money on the production process.


Think of the following scenarios :


A recording artist sees Pandora 2 and thinks 'I'd buy one of those is it had built in Midi ports & full size (1/4 inch) Audio in / out'


A warehouse manager sees Pandora 2 and thinks 'I'd buy one hundred of those if they had a built in bar code scanner'


A user with large hands sees Pandora 2 and thinks 'I'd buy one of those if it had an ergonomic grip to eliminate hand cramping'


etc.


All of the above desires could easily be achieved with custom built bases, 3D printing makes this possible for small / single unit production runs.

And no, it's not a viable option, do you actually know anybody who owns a 3D printer? Maybe in 8 years there will be enough of these 3d printers out there to make it worthwhile. Given that the Pandora isn't and never will be open hardware, I'm not sure why they would give their case designs away

It is a viable option, you would submit your design to a bespoke 3D printing service, like shapeways & have them make it for you.


From the original post : 'In terms of the P1 design, by base section, I do not mean the entire lower section of the unit, merely the plastic casing on the bottom of the unit. To attach the custom base, the standard base would be removed and the custom base would be attached in its place.'


I'm not talking about opening up the entire case design just the bit that would attach to the bottom of the unit. To make it easy for people to incorporate it into their custom design.


My personal prediction is that within a couple of years we will start to see 3D printing services available on the high streets of large towns, there will be loads of online suppliers of bespoke 3D printed goods & that prices will fall & output quality will improve.

_______________________________

The general thought behind this post & the P2 modular mini laptop concept is to think of things that will make P2 stand out from the crowd of cheap, but increasingly powerful, chinese handhelds & the linux smartphone + ICP2 alternative.

 

[Drammurt]

It would be nice if the original 3D drawings would be available at launch of the P2. That would make it a lot easier for modders to create and share custom cases. Otherwise ppl have to measure the device and redesign it, before they can make their own custom cases. I think too that 3D Printing will be a revolution in the next 10 years and that there will be local shops where you can print your designs. The P2 might benefit from the extra publicity that extraordinary designs generate.