Designing 3-D cases: vDrive & Q68
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:37 pm
Dear QL Community...my first topic so bear with me.
Though I have found the vDrive to be perfect SD card interface for the QL (say so long to those mechanical microdrives and those disappointed 2nd and 3rd passes that lead to that "bad or changed medium" message) I didn't like it's bulky design. I realize it was done this way to mount into exiting external cases but I was looking for something a bit more streamlined. Maybe have it look more like a miniature floppy drive similar to the SD2IEC that you can get from The Future was 8-bit for the Commodore 64 -- though obviously bigger (I don't own a C64 but keep seeing them pop on on retro sites).
So I did a mod on the vDrive, taking the raised 6-pin socket off the main board and replacing it with a normal one. Note that if you stack two 6-pin sockets you basically get the old configuration back and can still mount it into an original case as was designed (so it's easily reversible if you want to give it a go). I now want to design a case for it in black with the QL theme and textures. Any recommendation of software to use for the modeling? I have access to lots of 3-d printers but haven't designed my own model.
Note that I plan to make the case flippable so that either you can sit it next to the QL or have it up-side-down on top of it (the accompanying ribbon cable is just the right length to do that). So the plan is to have tiny rubber feet (and indention for each) on both sides. In case this is confusing, I've included some pictures.
If I'm successful I want to then design a more QL looking case (again black with QL theme and texture) for the Q68 that I just ordered, one that doesn't have a plate you screw into each side but forms a complete plastic shell around it and the screws either are non-existent or come from underneath and maybe has some writing on the top that says Q68 in the Sinclair font -- dunno yet, need to think about what it should look like. The dimensions aren't right to create a miniature QL since it would look just like a fat compressed system but I might give it a go :-/ Again, thinking of the C64 mini that also came out. So the vDrive case will be my first crack at learning how to do 3-D printed models and that should be pretty straight forward. I know there is a vDrive original QL case design already out there (I have the STL files) and I can look to that for inspiration.
But software help will be appreciated since I've not done this. Is there web-based stuff? Is there freeware software for Windows 7? What have people used that have created QL stuff? If I get them to come out well I will share the model files so anyone can print them if they like.
Here are some pics...the first two are of the vDrive mod and the last shows you how it sits neatly on top of the old microdrives...albeit up-side-down. I may mod it again with cables instead of 6-pin connectors so I can have it right-side-up on top of the microdrives (and up-side-down sitting next to it) -- i.e. put the daughter board on the other side of the main board but right-side-up. Any feedback to help me make up my mind would also be wlecomel as I'm on the fence on what the best configuration would be. I also recommend the vDrive if you haven't gotten it, even if you use the QBIDE interface for solid state drives.
Though I have found the vDrive to be perfect SD card interface for the QL (say so long to those mechanical microdrives and those disappointed 2nd and 3rd passes that lead to that "bad or changed medium" message) I didn't like it's bulky design. I realize it was done this way to mount into exiting external cases but I was looking for something a bit more streamlined. Maybe have it look more like a miniature floppy drive similar to the SD2IEC that you can get from The Future was 8-bit for the Commodore 64 -- though obviously bigger (I don't own a C64 but keep seeing them pop on on retro sites).
So I did a mod on the vDrive, taking the raised 6-pin socket off the main board and replacing it with a normal one. Note that if you stack two 6-pin sockets you basically get the old configuration back and can still mount it into an original case as was designed (so it's easily reversible if you want to give it a go). I now want to design a case for it in black with the QL theme and textures. Any recommendation of software to use for the modeling? I have access to lots of 3-d printers but haven't designed my own model.
Note that I plan to make the case flippable so that either you can sit it next to the QL or have it up-side-down on top of it (the accompanying ribbon cable is just the right length to do that). So the plan is to have tiny rubber feet (and indention for each) on both sides. In case this is confusing, I've included some pictures.
If I'm successful I want to then design a more QL looking case (again black with QL theme and texture) for the Q68 that I just ordered, one that doesn't have a plate you screw into each side but forms a complete plastic shell around it and the screws either are non-existent or come from underneath and maybe has some writing on the top that says Q68 in the Sinclair font -- dunno yet, need to think about what it should look like. The dimensions aren't right to create a miniature QL since it would look just like a fat compressed system but I might give it a go :-/ Again, thinking of the C64 mini that also came out. So the vDrive case will be my first crack at learning how to do 3-D printed models and that should be pretty straight forward. I know there is a vDrive original QL case design already out there (I have the STL files) and I can look to that for inspiration.
But software help will be appreciated since I've not done this. Is there web-based stuff? Is there freeware software for Windows 7? What have people used that have created QL stuff? If I get them to come out well I will share the model files so anyone can print them if they like.
Here are some pics...the first two are of the vDrive mod and the last shows you how it sits neatly on top of the old microdrives...albeit up-side-down. I may mod it again with cables instead of 6-pin connectors so I can have it right-side-up on top of the microdrives (and up-side-down sitting next to it) -- i.e. put the daughter board on the other side of the main board but right-side-up. Any feedback to help me make up my mind would also be wlecomel as I'm on the fence on what the best configuration would be. I also recommend the vDrive if you haven't gotten it, even if you use the QBIDE interface for solid state drives.