Headphone Holder

Intention

Most music listeners will be all too familiar with the impossible and monstrous headphone tangle that happens wherever you try to quickly stash your headphones. As a headset engineer and amateur audiophile, trying to easily store not one, but up to 10 headphones in constant use is a struggle. 

 Enter: The headphone stand! Having a convenient, orderly, tangle-free storage space for my headphones is a necessity for both my work and my sanity. This stand needs to be able to hold up to 10 headphones of varying types and sizes, and must be able to charge my wireless headphones while they rest. 

Research and Context

I went through many iterations for my headphone holder. Initially, the argument design was caught between having a stand-alone support (almost tree-like), and a stand that fits on the cubby-like spaces lining my walls. I knew that I would need to hold up to 10 headphones (8 over/on ear, 2 in-ear), and it would be a great added bonus to have the ability to charge those headphones while they rested. Additionally, the design had to be stable with any number of headphones on it, and would hopefully be able to accommodate even more. 

As a mechanical engineer, it was a personal challenge to also create something that as aesthetically appealing (and that didn't look like it was thrown together with some duct tape last-minute). This holder needed to be both functional AND fashionably appropriate for my apartment. 

Sketches

For my sketches, I wanted to take into account both the potential ideas I had and the realistic constraints. I knew the headphones were about 8inches in diameter, and would need an apparatus that would fit nicely. 

Prototypes:

As pictured below, I tried several iterations of my idea, torn between a tree-like structure (pictured in sketches above and in CAD below), a glorified shower rod, and a 3-D head. 

Decisions, Decisions

Ultimately, although it was not the most visually appealing, I decided to go for the "glorified shower rod" design. It was the most stable, fit perfectly in my existing apartment, and held all the headphones I could need without risk of falling over. 

CAD drawing

Below are 4 CAD perspectives of my final product, with an open cross-section to view the inside of the connecting bar.

Pictures

Results and Discussion

Overall, I'm very happy with my headphone holder. My design came out almost exactly as planned, and my headphones have been happily living there ever since. I've always been used to SolidWorks so learning Fusion 360 was a quick, albeit slightly irritating process of re-learning commands and operations in another envoinrment. 

Practically, it's extremely functional, and aesthetically it's... ok. It's a very functional black box. In the future, I'd like to aim for a more fluidly shaped holder that has some artistic connection or significance with the object being stored. However, the bottom of the apparatus was intentionally made clear so a future LED strip could be inserted inside for a unique illuminating effect, and I plan on pursuing that in my free time. 

I had a wonderful time in the digitool class, thanks to professor Larson and Hajin for all of the help!