My big idea around this project was being able to keep all my devices charging and in one place. I found cable management annoying, so I wanted to have them fixed in one place. Additionally, I wanted 3D printing experience as this is something I want to pursue as a hobby in the future.
I was in the most part inspired to make this project by the announcement of Apple's upcoming wireless charging dock. Knowing that it would be a while off, I decided to make my own by researching the dimensions of the charger and the phone. I also wanted it to be in the shape of an apple.
Initially, I wanted this dock to support an Apple Watch and Airpods, however I soon realized that this would be nearly impossible due to the size of the dock required. I also realized that I could have this dock focus on wireless charging, so that I could simply drop my devices and not have to worry about them. Therefore, after a failed first iteration, I decided to make it a phone only dock. I also had to enlarge the phone dimensions, and the dock dimensions, as well as the space for the micro usb wire. I then used Slic3r to print the dock in multiple pieces on the bed. I then was able to glue the piece together.
I learned that printing beds are much smaller than I expected! I think that in a future iteration I would have spent more time on fitting the extraneous devices onto the dock. I would have also liked to have found a way to do the whole device in one piece. I felt that the initial idea of the triple device dock was exciting, and in theory viable. However, perhaps I should have anticipated the hardware limitations and reflected those in the final design.
You can upload files of up to 20MB using this form.
