20SSO17-D6-ZL, © Aprilog

This was designed to replace something like the adapter shown to the right, an expensive bit of kit at the time of writing.

The one I made can hold one component with 16 or fewer pins, or several smaller components at once. I highly recommend using enameled magnet wire (rather than larger PVC-insulated wire), both for ease of assembly and appearance (I didn't, so mine looks a bit like a facehugger). Alternatively, taking this idea further and redesigning it to be made completely from PCB would be clean and cheap (now why didn't I just do that?!).

See the resemblance?

Instructions:

I printed the model at 0.1 mm layer thickness, with support material for the overhangs of the bottom half of the assembly. If copying this exactly, make sure to provide enough cooling to keep the clip from distorting while it is printed (alternatively, allow more cooling time by pausing between layers layers or printing multiples).

To secure the hinge, I inserted a piece of insulated 26 gauge wire through the holes and trimmed the excess. For the base of the adapter, I soldered two 8-pin segments of 0.1" header to a 4x8-hole piece of perf-board.

securing pin headers with a breadboard makes soldering to them a breeze

Next, I cut an SC-70 pad from a PCB in my scrap pile (for which I allowed 9.7 mm x 5.9 mm x 1.9 mm in the model) and pressed it into the print. One could have also used something like this (http://www.amazon.com/20PCS-SOP28-SSOP28-TSSOP28-Adapter/dp/B00O9YJ1US), adapting the model accordingly.

3D-printed frame, and piece of SC-70 PCB

I then glued the 3D print to the perf-board, soldered wires from the footprint to the headers, checked for continuity and shorts, and hot-glued the wires in place to keep them from moving.

Enjoy!

Designed using OpenSCAD in October 2014. Refer to its Thingiverse page for downloads and more information.

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Puzzlepiece Bluetooth Keyboard Tablet Holder

This is a flat-packing tablet-holder attachment for a bluetooth keyboard. All three pieces can be easily printed within a 120 mm x 100 mm area, and to a height of 5 mm with low percent infill. 2 small rectangles of 4 mm-thick adhesive rubber were added to the bottom of the center-piece to reduce slippage on hard-surfaces.

It was designed for use with a 2012 Nexus 7 (though it should fit many other case-less or sufficiently-thin tablets and phones), and a BATTOP Ultra-Slim Bluetooth 3.0 Wireless Keyboard, $12 on Amazon at the time of this post (if you cant find this exact one, there are several others on Amazon that appear to be the same).

Designed using OpenSCAD in September 2014. Refer to its Thingiverse page for downloads and more information.

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Desk Clamp for Articulating Desk Lamps

I bought a brand-new articulating desk lamp at a garage sale for $2, albeit missing the base, and needed a way to fasten it to my desk so that I could use it. This clamp will work with lamps with a base-shaft size of ~12-13 mm, and with desks less than 4 or 5 cm in thickness, depending on the specific fastening method used.

It was designed with a nut trap for a 1/4-20 nut, and for a 1/4-20 bolt or threaded rod. I used a socket-head cap-screw and a 1/4-20 knob I had laying around, but a knob for this could be printed quite easily. Version 2, shown here, includes a base that interlocks with the body of the clamp, and was designed for increased stability. It also includes knobs and pads (placed at the end of the bolt so that it won't bite into the bottom of the desk) for 1/4-20 hex and socket-head cap-screws (between 1.5and 2 is recommended). The newly added interlocking base and screw pad eliminated all wobble not attributable to the lamp itself, and the pieces fit together well with very minimal trimming. Enjoy!

Designed using OpenSCAD in July 2013. Refer to its Thingiverse page for downloads and more information.

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