I recently got a case for my iPhone and it’s the kind that precludes the use of the dock. I kind of like the dock concept, but instead of taking a Dremel to the existing dock, I spent a few minutes drawing up a replacement that could be cut from acrylic scraps on the laser cutter. Here’s the result: (click for higher-res)
It is made of four slices of 1/4″ acrylic (actual width 0.22″). The top two slices have an oval opening just snug enough to fit the ipod connector and keep it in place with friction. The third slice has a channel for the cable to escape out the back, and the bottom slice keeps the cable from falling out and provides some pushback when the iphone is inserted. It’s held together by four 1″ 2-56 machine screws with nuts. I was a little concerned with the nuts scratching the table, so I’ve since added little hot glue feet to the bottom of each nut.
I didn’t add an additional layer at the top to provide lateral support of the iphone because I didn’t have long enough screws. And besides, it doesn’t seem to need it. If I get longer screws, I might make one that has the extra layer, which would also make the dock bigger, to encompass the bottom of the iPhone. And that would be good because it adds more mass to the dock, making it more stable.
If you want to try making one yourself, here are the files:
yzf600, the speed/power/frequency settings on my Epilog 45W are 6/100/5000, which I think is pretty standard for cutting 1/4″ acrylic on a 45W. I then manually focus the laser just a little into the material, but I’m not sure if that matters, what I’m really trying to do is minimize the taper of the cut from the conical laser beam.
I was worried about that too. But since it’s exactly straight up-n-down (instead of at a slant, like the normal dock), the stress seems to be lessened.
Nice idea but without any support it’s going to put a lot of stress on the dock plug and socket.
What speed and power did you use? I guess I’ll need your model/wattage number as well to try to reproduce your results.
Yup, Epilog. And pretty much all the lasers will give you those grooves. This piece has that also, but it’s not that visible. By boosting the power or slowing the speed, you can reduce the visibility of the grooves at the expense of the accuracy of the cuts. This is because you’re pumping more heat into the material so it melts and reflows a little.
Did you use an Epilog laser? A colleague of mine has done a fair amount of acrylic cutting, but the edges always come out with little grooves on them. We were just wondering how you got your cuts so soooth.
Thanks.