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Transparency in Gadget Design

A project log for The Open Book

An open hardware reading device that's easy to build, easy to manufacture, and easy to make your own.

joey-castillojoey castillo 09/27/2023 at 19:560 Comments

On a lark a few weeks ago, I took my existing Open Book enclosure designs and sent them to PCBWay to try out their 3D printing service. For the record, this was not a PCBWay sponsorship thing; although they have sponsored runs of the circuit boards for workshops in the past, this was just me forking over some cash to try out a new process, as sometimes I do. Anyway, on seeing that they offered an option for printing in completely transparent resin, I leaped at the opportunity to check it out. 

I know it's hard to see something whose entire purpose is to be transparent, so here's a close-up of one of the corners, showing how the black metal M2.5 screw connects the front of the enclosure to the backplate: 

Anyway, for the record, I don't think you should order this just yet; I can see where I'd like to change the design to implant standoffs for the screws, and the backplate isn't as rigid as I'd like, which is something I think I need to iterate on. 

Still, it does look extremely cool, and I think it's rad especially for a project like this that aims to demystify the object inside the enclosure. 

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