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Messages - Quietleaf

18
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
I got the remaining pieces in today. Overall, the fit is pretty good, and everything works. I made a couple of minor tweaks to the models on Shapeways to make it all a little easier:

1. Made the screw mounts on the bezel a little smaller to make it compatible with existing cupholder sleeves (and made the corresponding holes in the sleeve smaller).

2. Enlarged the screw hole at the back of the sleeve (for mounting the pin holder) to make it easier to put a screw in.

3. Added a little tab to retain the spring on its holding pin to keep it from coming off (for the existing model, just use a spring that is a little tight or add a drop of glue to hold it on).

4. Moved the pin holes on the tray down 0.5mm to try to make it compatible with existing arm pieces.

5. Widened the wedge-shaped guide at the top of the sleeve by 2mm for a better fit with the small guide pins at the top of the tray.

6. Pulled the retention hooks on the inner guide pieces in by 0.5mm for a tighter fit.

7. Rounded two edges on the bezel mounting points to make it compatible with existing sleeves.

One thing I noticed is that since the spring is off-center, it causes the tray to turn just a little, as seen here with the bezel. I'm not sure yet what to do here, but a washer on one the bezel's mounting pins should correct it, I think.

Edit: Change #6 might straighten out the tray when it's under tension.

Edit: Here is a pic with an existing sleeve. I scrounged up a couple of aluminum PC screws and trimmed the bezel with a Swiss Army knife for changes #1 and #7 above, and put it all together. I'm very happy with the fit; it's nearly perfect.
19
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
Can you post a high-res pic, preferably showing the screw cover as well? That would show me the relative size. Measurements in mm would be great too.
21
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
Unfortunately I can only model pieces I have :(

I don't even have the upscale door trim, but I have one each of the '86 and '87 screw cover pieces.
22
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
I made this in about an hour. It's up on Shapeways, for anyone interested, and the model is downloadable as usual...
24
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
It turns out I still didn't have the bezel correct, but now I'm certain that it is. This is what I get for not modeling all parts and performing a virtual test fit. I'm confident enough that I've made all the models available on Shapeways for either download or purchase (they're pricey, I know...feel free to try a reprap or something else). Anyway, it looks good now, and I double-checked the tray travel to make sure that the bezel allows enough room for it to be pushed in.
25
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
For myself, I only want one set, and I don't mind eating some extra cost to get the design right. Once it's done, it's done. What you do with the models is up to you :D
26
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
I got a few more pieces and they were close enough that I made the revised models available on Shapeways. The only piece I have left to model is the sleeve itself. I made some mistakes on my bezel model so I'm waiting for the revised one to arrive in the mail before I can sign off on it. The tray, support arm, pin holder, and inner guides are all A-ok, though.

The inner guides take thin metal strips as springs; the idea is that they push up on the tray sides to give some tension. Just about anything a little stiff will do, though. In this pic I gave clear plastic strips cut from plastic packaging a try and they work fine.
27
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
Quote from: Cougars 2 go;420220
I just realized you are sending files out to Shapeways.  I'll have to go check them out to see what the limits are.

I plan to make them separately available for download, but I didn't want to do that until I can verify that everything is correct. Once I have a complete cupholder from Shapeways using all printed parts I can be sure of that. I'll make the ones that I've verified so far public on their site.

I just finished the internal left and right guide pieces and ordered a set. I altered the design in an attempt to make it more robust. The last part to model is the sleeve itself, which won't be cheap to print.
30
Lounge / Messing around with 3D printing
Black parts are ABS from the original JDM piece, white parts are 3D printed :D

The black sleeve is actually 3 pieces, and there is also a bottom cup support not shown here, but I might model the bezel next, which is basically a stock lighter panel with a cutout for the cupholder face. It's really worth modeling, because getting the cutout right on my original one was the biggest pain in the whole process. I also might model a single-piece sleeve+bezel, but I'll have to think about that. It would solve a lot of problems, though -- maybe towards the end. The sleeve itself needs to be a little different for our cars: to let the cup support clear the console lip (so it can drop down into the storage area), the tray must come out an extra 1/2". The simple solution was to cut out part of the sleeve so the tray stops can come farther out. When I model the sleeve I'll build that change in. Needless to say, this cupholder only works for column shift cars.

The metal guide pin is basically an aluminum or steel  wood screw with the last 1/4" ground down to a smooth pin. I have no idea where we would acquire those, but it's a necessary part.

The white pieces need some minor finishing for smooth operation, mainly due to the manufacturing process. I had to clean out the pin guide channel a little with a precision screwdriver, and gently smooth the inner circle of the white pin holder so it spins freely (very important for smooth operation).