Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's definitely going to be water damage on the plastic, PLA isn't very water-friendly. I'll buy some PETG to print it later on, it should be much more weather-resistant and durable. The nuts and bolts need to be rust-resistant too, yes, although I can always just change those after a while. The good thing about having a 3D printer is that a replacement part is just 20 minutes away.
PLA definitely will absorb water, which decreases its strength, but the effects may not be that noticeable, at least for a while. I have load bearing PLA parts that have now been outside in the yard for 2 and 3 years, and they are showing no signs of degradation. Anyway, it would be an interesting experiment for you to stick with the PLA print until you see a problem before you reprint with PETG. My bet is it will la…
Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
21–30 of 38 posts
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know how easy it would be, even with a fanny pack. There's going to be other stuff in there too, and even hitting the button when I'm holding the remote in my hand is hard with a glove, as the buttons are almost recessed. This design has the button protruding, making it much, much easier to press.
I would be afraid to have my garage able to be gotten into by anyone who happens to know where I live and has a screwdriver. But from a technical standpoint, I'm impressed with what you did, and as a mechanical engineer would love to have a 3D printer of my own! Nice work!
For a few months, we even had the garage door stay completely open all the time, due to some power problems.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#23Whilst it doesn't have all the features of the usual commercial packages (Solidworks etc), SolveSpace is great, cross-platform, a single binary and my preferred open source solution for simple 2D/3D cad jobs [1]. FreeCAD [2] has also come along a lot if you prefer something more like the traditional packages, although I found some annoyances with it's dimension and constraint system when I last used it ~6 months ago due to the fact it has two different sketching modes.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#24The problem with OnShape and Fusion 360 is that if (when?) the services are discontinued your designs go away. You can keep the STL/IGES files but they aren't very useful if you need to quickly tweak a dimension. I've been bitten before by Fusion360 refusing to work (in offline mode) without an internet connection because it had decided it was phone-home time. Whilst it doesn't have all the features of the usual comm…
You're right about the proprietary/cloud nature of the previous alternatives, which is regrettable because Fusion is a desktop program, and could easily just be saving files locally.
I hope FreeCAD becomes a great alternative soon, because Fusion really needs competition in the space.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#25The problem with OnShape and Fusion 360 is that if (when?) the services are discontinued your designs go away. You can keep the STL/IGES files but they aren't very useful if you need to quickly tweak a dimension. I've been bitten before by Fusion360 refusing to work (in offline mode) without an internet connection because it had decided it was phone-home time. Whilst it doesn't have all the features of the usual comm…
SolveSpace is fantastic, and it's impressive that the entire parametric CAD package is ~2MB, it just never ocurred to me to use it for this. I'll give it a shot, thank you. You're right about the proprietary/cloud nature of the previous alternatives, which is regrettable because Fusion is a desktop program, and could easily just be saving files locally. I hope FreeCAD becomes a great alternative soon, because Fusion…
Of course the cloud systems have their advantages and uses too!
Nice project and write up by the way!
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would be afraid to have my garage able to be gotten into by anyone who happens to know where I live and has a screwdriver. But from a technical standpoint, I'm impressed with what you did, and as a mechanical engineer would love to have a 3D printer of my own! Nice work!
Buildings are different here, I live in an apartment complex and the garage is like a parking garage. Anyone can walk in behind someone who forgot to close the door, but there's not much they can do, since it's just parked cars and apartment doors. For a few months, we even had the garage door stay completely open all the time, due to some power problems.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#27Huh, I've never heard to keep weight off the keyring. I imagine this is to avoid unnecessary force on the ignition assembly? Obviously you wouldn't want to put several lbs on there, but it seems like small items would be fine. Regardless, cool project. I'm planning to do something similar, as soon as I can get an indoor space. I might go even more hidden, and hide it under the lip of the gas tank or etc.
Things flap around a ton at speed on a bike - I've got a little toy on my keyring and at anything past freeway speeds it moves around a _ton_.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Things flap around a ton at speed on a bike - I've got a little toy on my keyring and at anything past freeway speeds it moves around a _ton_.
Also, it minimises chances of the tank getting scratches from objects attached to the key. At times the things on the keychain get into the well of the lock beside the key and sort of get in the way while turning it.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh, any time. In any case, I'm sure there's someone here who won't have run across it yet, and for whom it'll come in handy. On a related note - is it just me, or does the nigh monomaniacal focus lately on high-capital-investment tools like 3D printers and laser cutters seem like it might come at the cost of a lot that's of value? Like, for example, any interest at all in how to encourage and support kids coming up i…
Well, I got my printer for $250 new, and the print quality is fantastic, on par with some I've seen that cost $1000+. I'm not sure if you consider that high-capital, but I've definitely seen single tools (e.g. saws, and, hell, phones) cost more than that. I definitely don't think this is moon-house territory, the technology is very accessible, price-wise, especially if you consider that these tools are easily cheap e…
I'm still uncertain that the heavy emphasis is of net value, but I'll need to spend some time considering why I feel that way before I can make a coherent argument.
Re: Designing and 3D-printing a garage remote motorcycle mount
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, I got my printer for $250 new, and the print quality is fantastic, on par with some I've seen that cost $1000+. I'm not sure if you consider that high-capital, but I've definitely seen single tools (e.g. saws, and, hell, phones) cost more than that. I definitely don't think this is moon-house territory, the technology is very accessible, price-wise, especially if you consider that these tools are easily cheap e…
Fair point. But how much effort went into getting that print quality out of a machine at that price point? I'm still uncertain that the heavy emphasis is of net value, but I'll need to spend some time considering why I feel that way before I can make a coherent argument.