3D-Printed Objects

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

How did your second print work out?

If you're interested in taking on the Quadra 950 bezels, I relocated a reference design:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Bezel-Mac-Quadra-900-950-1-x-4-for-Optical-Drive-upgrade/371848025731

It's butt ugly, but  .  .  .

 

[Swolfington]

The second print worked out pretty well! it snapped into place very snugly. Bad news is, i got the curve/shape of the machine wrong, so the part i made protrudes like a mm or so . Due to the software I used to model the part (DesignSpark Mechanical; it's "free", but it's also a chopped down version of an existing piece of software, and as such is missing a bunch of very basic, pretty critical tools. I would not recommend using it) fixing that is going to be pretty laborious, so I am looking into other options. 

I'll think about grabbing that 900 bezel part off ebay though. 5 bucks isn't too bad! I just have to convince my wife . Without the actual machine though there is still going to be a lot of guess work for different drive types.

 

[ArmorAlley]

The second print worked out pretty well! it snapped into place very snugly. Bad news is, i got the curve/shape of the machine wrong, so the part i made protrudes like a mm or so . Due to the software I used to model the part (DesignSpark Mechanical; it's "free", but it's also a chopped down version of an existing piece of software, and as such is missing a bunch of very basic, pretty critical tools. I would not recommend using it) fixing that is going to be pretty laborious, so I am looking into other options. 

I'll think about grabbing that 900 bezel part off ebay though. 5 bucks isn't too bad! I just have to convince my wife . Without the actual machine though there is still going to be a lot of guess work for different drive types.

Hi Swolfington,

 I have that optical drive bezel and I'll send it to you, if you will use it. I'll also help with testing, if you like. I have a Q950 that can be used.

all the best,

aa

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

On that note, where are you located? Pretty sure I've got unbroken bezels for both machines that you could use for reference. I snagged an extra FDD bezel for the Quadra 950 with plans to convert it to a Zip bezel a la 6400. Printing one would be better.

Printing scale models of some Macs would be a wonderful project. A teensie tiny TAM with raspberry filling, scaled down LCD and a speaker in the Sub would be a great 3D project even if it weren't perfect. Has anyone looked into converting/integrating existing 3D imaging surfaces models into CAD? There are a models of all kinds of Macs out there for sale. Can't find one in a hurry, I'll post one later.

Meanwhile, some great reference pics for another project showed up on eBay recently:

 

[Swolfington]

@ArmorAlley and @Trash80toHP_Mini Thanks for the offers! I'm in California (silicon valley-ish). Let me get back up and running now that I've switched cad software before I start taking your hard earned bezels, hehe. My big concern (now that I've spent enough time working with the stuff I *do* have in front of me) for the Q950 bezels is it's still going to require some guesswork on getting the slots lined up with the drives just right, without having the matching hardware to mate it to. I can definitely give it a shot though.

If you don't need the precision, using a scanned model as a basis for something like a raspberry-pi is entirely doable, even outside of cad/solid modelling. Though doing a proper cad design would probably be beneficial in the long run. I don't believe there is an automated way to turn a regular triangulated mesh into a solid model, but I know there are workflows for doing it by hand. 

My dad actually has those exact MacII feet! I'll ask him if he still has them around. 

Here are the pictures from the last print - I was so so close with that curve! Such a bummer that it's been such a pain to correct. I can post the .STL if anyone is interested in printing it though. It probably serves the purpose well enough, but it's definitely not quite right. It's also the wrong color..Does anyone know if there is a paint color that matches the classic beige plastic? 

 

[Swolfington]

Switched to Fusion 360, much better software. 

I spent some time today learning it and remodeled the whole part. Not bad for my first try! I'm printing it now, and if all goes well I will post the .stl for all to enjoy shortly.

 

[Swolfington]

"shortly."

meanwhile, one week later..

I think i'm close enough to call it quits now. I have attached the .STLs for the cd-rom drive (815-1690.stl), the eject button (815-1690_eject.stl), and the empty bay bezels (815-1189.stl)

I sliced these using Simplify3d, at .2mm layer height with 1mm automatically generated supports. The supports are definitely needed, and If you're using different slicing software your mileage may vary.

I oriented the parts thusly:



for the cd-rom bezel, I have it sat up right as it would sit normally in real life. It actually consume less material for supports if it's printed upside down, but the finish on the lower lip indentation suffers pretty badly since that will all be built upon support structures.



The empty bay bezel I print upside down, since it doesn't have any fancy features that might be negatively affected by support material. 



The cd-rom eject button I printed like this, which is probably not really ideal in the long run since the layer structure is more likely to cause a break somewhere along the body, but printed any other way caused issues with regard to support materials and the diameters of the holes coming out correctly. Depending on how dialed in your printer is, you might want to print this in a different orientation.

And, of course, here are the real-life results:

I'm feeling pretty good on the overall shape/functionality! its not quite 100% but I could keep messing with it forever, so I'm calling it. Gonna move on to the floppy bezel, then do a zip and/or jazz. or if anyone has any specific requests (cause all I needed personally were a bunch of cd rom and blank bezels) I'm up for that!

View attachment 815-1690.stl

View attachment 815-1690_eject.stl

View attachment 815-1189.stl

 

[ArmorAlley]

Hi,

 I took out my Beige G3 tower to see the bezels. There is a zip-specific bezel but what is missing is a 2.5 inch bay bezel. I have to use the floppy bay at the top for my MO drive.

 The bezels for the G3 tower I would love to see are:

 1. bezels that can accommodate 2.5" drives (and card-readers and front-facing ports etc);

 2. the upper bezel with bays for 5.25" & 2.5" devices;

 3. a bezel that can accommodate the SD card from an IDE-to-SD card adaptor.

4. a bezel that can accommodate a double height drive(like the big MO drives).

ta,

aa

 

[FacnyFreddy]

Seeing this on the 9500 *almost* makes me regret dumping mine on Fleabay a few years back. 1.5GB of RAM and SCSI2IDE bridge adapter for both CD and hard drive made this a very useable machine until 10.4 came out.  (I could never get it stable with the hacks... and 10.4 was required by Office 2008. Even though Office 2004 was what I used for work)

 

[FacnyFreddy]

What I would really love is a 3D printed face plate for more modern IDE slot loading DVD drives (i.e. pre-SATA Macbook Pro) for the Lombard/Pismo.

That would be my Holy Grail right now.

I'm still researching how to make a 3D printed battery for NiMH AA cells to work in my 5300cs and cse. I tested a setup using 2500mah enloop cells and they outlast the remaining working battery pack I have by 2:1 (and they are leak proof and don't drain dead in a week on the shelf)

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Yo, maniac! Could you post your vHack of that stubby 840AV peripherals tower?

That double height bezel would work for the bottom section and doing it as a swingout door would make room for all sorts of modern I/O junk. Front bezel surround could be made from Ponoko'd plexi parts if it'd be too large to have printed. The case would be a simple sheet metal or plexi fab.

An 8-10" standalone external SCSI box or one done just tall enough to house a Micro-Quadra board vertically in the sidecar would be perfect.

An expansion box penthouse atop a TowerMac would be killer. That one would have standard height bezels all the way up.

 

[Bunsen]

You mean Danamania's Quadra 805?


 

See also:  Mac IIbx, Quadra 400, and the Quadra-ish SCSI tower.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Yep, thanks, B. But split the difference so the height matches the width of a 475/605 PCB so it fits vertically in the sidecar of her Quadra 805. Printing the side panels w/feets seems a bit much tho.

Dunno what readily available printer would have that capacity. but if done in clear and back painted it'd be the Bombe as a standalone. How large can pieces be printed at a service bureau? Done with flat sides and sitting atop an 840AV if it could match the height of a 9500 would be nice in a display or as the base of. 

 

[Daniël]

I know this has been requested before, but by the sheer need for them, can anyone do the gears for the Compact Mac floppy drive ejection mechanism? I thankfully don't need them myself, but I do know people who do, and it would be a relief if they were available so that in case I somehow do break mine (my drives are lubed, but still), I can at least replace them. I know someone on either eBay or Shapeways (can't remember) offers some, but I think he had a fairly high mark up on them. I suspect the average (semi-)affordable 3D printer isn't going to do the small gears well, but then the 3D models could still be printed by services like SW without the high mark up.

 

[BadGoldEagle]

I really dig the Quadra 400 concept. With a 3D printer, an intel NUC and Basilisk II it should be possible to built a real prototype.

 

[ArmorAlley]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned it, but you could put in a Raspberry Pi, run mini vMac on it and call it 'Apple Pi'.

It would fit very nicely, along with room for an SSD or two inside Danamania's Q400.

 

[BadGoldEagle]

The real challenge though would be the floppy drive. Apparently Basilisk for Windows recognises USB floppy drives (that's awesome) but I think there would be no way to automatically eject the disk. Except if we somehow manage to intercept the "eject" command and then build some sort of device that would push the little tab on the  front of USB floppy drive to eject the floppy.... It's actually not too crazy of an idea. LOL

 

[Daniël]

The real challenge though would be the floppy drive. Apparently Basilisk for Windows recognises USB floppy drives (that's awesome) but I think there would be no way to automatically eject the disk. Except if we somehow manage to intercept the "eject" command and then build some sort of device that would push the little tab on the  front of USB floppy drive to eject the floppy.... It's actually not too crazy of an idea. LOL

With a script, a motor and a gearbox, that shouldn't be impossible to do with a RPi.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

If the aesthetics of just deleting the paperclip hole for the real deal and moving it to interface with the USB FDD button's location are objectionable, there's a more simple solution:

A button on the back, an FDD button actuating lever at the front and a pushrod in between would suit this barbarian just fine.  :lol:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Just found this in my still "unattached" attachments, somebody might like to play around with it:



Sorry if I've posted it before  .  .  .  tired  .  .  .  :mellow: