My Magnetic Battery Box/Stand Design for M+

OhulahanBass
OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro
edited September 6 in Maschine

I am on my third iteration of this. Currently I am using sheet of steel taped to the bottom of M+ and neodymium magnets to attach, 3D Printed case that fits a 100W Cuktech battery and a modded USB C to 15V barrel cable for a truely untethered power platform for M+. Here it is:

It is the classic 2 angle design I typically go with, one angle low and one slightly higher.

Any suggestions? No plans for commerce; happily share STL files.

Comments

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro
    edited September 6

    The next iteration will have a window to power the Cuktech on. It goes into power save mode if the current is not drawn, and you need to press a button to activate it. I have tried larger designs, but they were a pain to pack in carry-ons. I also tried using the screws under Maschine, but that method was annoying and only worked for a single angle. I recently designed around the Cuktech because it allows a thinner tube for the case/stand.

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,827 Expert
    edited September 6

    neodymium magnets to attach

    Just be careful with strong magnets near electronics and storage media!

    Cuktech […] goes into power save mode if the current is not drawn

    Very cool!

    Aside from the magnetic attachment (which would make me a bit nervous) this looks like a simple and easy to use solution. Great product design!

    PS: How many hours does the M+ run off that battery?

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro
    edited September 6

    The mags are not that powerful but I may swap for bigger ones. The M+ storage is solid state so there is no magnetic worries, think about all the mag stuff in phones now and they have way less Al shielding them.

    Worrying about magnets and storage is like telling me you had a computer in the 90s-00s without telling me you had a computer in the 90s-00s ;-) We old bruh.


    I will have to measure the run time on the Cuktech.

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro

    I tested the run time with the Cuktech, which was ~4.5 hours. I used a few different project for the test running at around 50% CPU.

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,827 Expert

    Thanks for testing. Seems to be rather good for a battery small enough to fit into the stand cavity. 😎

  • D-One
    D-One Moderator Posts: 3,579 mod

    Cool. Is it a 2 part print glued together?

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro

    There is no glue; it fits so snugly around the batt that friction is the glue. I got some tiny neodymiums that I was going to use for extra adhesion in the corners on the plane where the two halves meet.

    You put the bat in the right half, plug in the cable, push it out the vent on the left side, and then smush the halves together. We got a hurricane coming for us, so I won't be able to print the next iteration until next week, but if I decide it is as far as I go I'll post the STL and parts list so anyone here with a printer can make it.

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro

    Here is the latest, still needs joining mags and a hole to restart the batt out of power save mode.

  • BIF
    BIF Member Posts: 987 Guru

    I like it. But I would prefer a wedge shape for myself…without magnets. I'd rather have it friction-fit around the case of the Maschine, and as a wedge, it wouldn't tend to fall off (or have the Maschine fall off of it).

    Of course, I'm a bad one to try to please! That's because I prefer to use a laptop stand (PLUS a wedge, for a sharper angle) to raise the Maschine absurdly higher off the desk and closer to my face.

    But I love seeing this kind of inventiveness. Keep going, man!

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro

    By wedge, do you mean sandwiched between two wood end cheeks? I built one of those with a slot to slide my MacBook underneath the Maschine back before M+.

    The idea here was to meet a need I had a couple of weeks ago: I needed an easy-to-pack system that fit into a carry-on-sized backpack for a camping trip I was going on with some musician buddies. The purple one worked great, but I want one more iteration for future travel. The slender tube that quickly connects to the Maschine is super easy to pack when space is limited. Two pitches are available, but probably not step enough for your application.

  • D-One
    D-One Moderator Posts: 3,579 mod

    Oohhh friction fit! Are you using fuzzy skin? Maybe its the angle of the pic or something but I can't see any layer lines

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro
    edited September 13

    That filiament has carbon fiber in it which gives it a heathered look and distorts the lines. Also, Im using Bambu Labs X1 which is a rather nice printer and does a great job even at low resolutions like this.

    I don't know what Fuzzy skin is, the tube fits it like a glove so there is a bit of friction, thats all.

  • D-One
    D-One Moderator Posts: 3,579 mod

    Ohhh, I see…. Looks great!

    I have the Bambu Lab A1, not as fancy but pretty close in print quality, I'll eventually give carbon fiber a try. Fuzzy skin is a print setting that sort of wiggles the nozzle as it prints the outer walls giving things a textured appearance.

  • OhulahanBass
    OhulahanBass Member Posts: 187 Pro

    Oh, nice! Bambu Labs is legit. It's taking me a while to get to the next iteration so if anyone wants to print their own here is bill of materials and the most recent STL:

    Cuktech

    USB-C to 15V Barrel (these are long for the application, I'd shorten the cable if you can solder)

    Foam Pads

    Magnets

    Nickel Strips (this is the only link I have not tested; it should work with the current design, but I'm not sure how well. I used some scrap steel I had in the shop. It was a bit thicker and a different material, so different levels of atraction.)

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