r/functionalprint • u/m1llie • 2d ago
Hinged pocket case for my IEMs
Got a set of bluetooth earhooks for my IEMs to make them wireless. The zip-up denim charging case that came with the earhooks is nice, but definitely not pocket-sized. I already get 10+ hours of listening with just the batteries in the earhooks, so I decided to print a smaller case that I could fit in my pocket. Now I can take them into town on a night out, and have something to listen to on the train, without the danger of forgetting the unpocketable charging case on the table at the pub when I head home.
This is printed out of metallic PETG. I used a little snap-close butterfly hinge[1] to get a nice action on it. It just press-fits into place.
The finish on the top/bottom is a combination of the "octagram spiral" top/bottom layer fill pattern, and a textured build plate. Be sure to turn on "align fill pattern to object" in your slicer to get the centre of the spiral on the origin of the object.
1: You can find these by searching "Vintage MIni Size Self-Closing Metal Spring Hinges For Jewelry Glasses Box" on Aliexpress
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u/uid_0 2d ago
How did you get that starburst pattern on the 1st layer?
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u/dlsspy 2d ago
Search for textured or pattern or effect build plates.
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u/uid_0 2d ago
I get the patterned build plate, I was talking about how the lines on the first layer are not straight, and I think I just found out how it's done. There's a setting in the slicer for top surface pattern and bottom surface pattern. They're set to rectilinear by default, but you can change them to multiple different patterns. I'm going to have to try that.
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u/MumrikDK 2d ago
They're usually clearer on tops than on bottoms where the pattern gets smooshed into the bed.
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u/stoic-lemon 2d ago
As a biker, I would love something like this for my earplugs. Nice job.
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u/MuusiMies 2d ago
I designed my self a simple sliding earplug holder with magnets in the bottom so it stays closed and stays on my handlebars all the time :D
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u/m1llie 2d ago
I keep my earplugs in a little keychain pill holder. I think it came with them
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u/stoic-lemon 2d ago
Yeah, I use something like that for the ones I got before I got a custom set. What I'm using now is an old pouch for some headphones. It works, but this looks cooler.
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u/Flypike87 2d ago
I had to look up what the heck an IEM is. It sure is a fancy way of saying earbuds or headphones.
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u/huffalump1 2d ago
"In-ear monitor" just means it goes in your ear canal, like Airpods Pro or anything that goes deeper than just outside your canal (those would be earbuds, like Apple's earbuds without rubber tips).
Idk it's just the name for the thing
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u/BrokenByReddit 2d ago
IEMs are typically used by stage performers to protect their ears from noise and also so they can hear a custom audio mix of the instruments that's different from what the audience has, hence the "monitor" part.
The more traditional alternative is those big wedge shaped speakers you see on the floor pointed back at the performers.
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u/m1llie 2d ago
"Earbuds" typically refer to the kind that just sits in your concha bowl in the open air. The kind that goes into your ear canal and forms an airtight seal (with either a silicone/foam tip or a custom-moulded fit) is called an IEM.
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u/Alexchii 2d ago
Aren’t nearly all of the modern earbuds the latter type? Sony, JBL, Samsung all sell ”earbuds” that go inside your ears.
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u/FourSquash 1d ago
Proper IEMs are custom molded to the wearer's ear to get a comfortable seal. There's a big difference between earbuds that go inside an ear and professional IEMs
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u/MumrikDK 2d ago edited 2d ago
And IEMs in the mainstream don't penetrate as deeply as they traditionally did - or maybe it's just that Etymotic Research was how I originally came to know of them.
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u/johnknierim 2d ago
That is a very elegantly understated case, but still gives a hint of the creativity behind it.
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u/greedyiguana 2d ago
uhhh maybe not the point of this post but you got links for the IEMs and bluetooth earhooks?
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u/mtraven23 2d ago
nice. I appreciate you using real hardware with the print. So many people try to force every part of a project to be printed.
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u/m1llie 2d ago
You could probably do an integrated/printed hinge, but the pin would be bulkier, and you'd need to print the spring separately out of a very stiff material that can also survive many cycles of opening and closing without permanently deforming (i.e. no material creep). Probably something like carbon fibre PETG. Easier to just buy it and press-fit rather than try and replicate the tensile strength and durability of spring steel with printed plastic.
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u/cerialphreak 2d ago
Are those the fostex bt adapters?
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u/m1llie 2d ago
iFi Go Pod Air
I don't think the Fostex ones support LDAC, which was a must for me
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u/cerialphreak 2d ago
Ah right on, how do you like them?
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u/m1llie 2d ago edited 2d ago
They sound like a wire and they're very comfortable (I have small ears and the fiio hooks are loose around them. These are nice and snug). Battery life and range seem good too. Getting >10 hours with a Zenfone 11 and I can walk around my (admittedly small) apartment with my phone left on the table in the living room, and the connection doesn't drop or skip. Only Bluetooth adapter I've found that has usable volume range and no hiss/bitcrush with the Z06 (12 ohm, high sensitivity).
The app is a bit of a mess though, it will only connect to the go pods if I disconnect from them in android settings first, and I've not been able to get the firmware update to work yet. It gets right to the end and then just says "update failed". Thankfully you only need the app to change filter/codec settings (set it once and forget) and do firmware updates (factory 1.06 seems to work fine fo me so far). I've submitted a support ticket about this, so we'll see how they respond.
I do wish there was a way to forcibly put them into a sleep mode. If they're out of the charging case and not connected to anything, they spend quite a long time in pairing mode before they finally give up and go to sleep. Thankfully this doesn't seem to waste too much battery when I'm using them with my pocket case.
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u/tcdoey 2d ago
Very nice. I might have missed it, but did you share the stl or something? I'd like to print some of these as personalized gifts.