Oh man, this is great! I don't have a 3D printer, but my nephew does, just roped him in to print me a few, once I order the plan from your website! Thanks for such a great build!
Perfect bender! Two on order (batch 2) awaiting dispatch. Hope you don’t stop with just this case, many more ESP32 style devices looking for a quality case too. Watching and waiting 😀 Well done you!
Thanks Shane. Batch B production is well on schedule, I should have really put the dispatch date as a Monday not Sunday because who the F can post something on a Sunday lol (it was late when I set up the products un-aware of what lay ahead...)
Just ordred the 3D print files. Printed them out and it looks great. Much better than the one I designed using TinKerCad. Mine was just a rectangle box.
Glad you like it bud. The only thing that bugs me is the seam position but everything I tried looked naff so I settled having it smack bag in the centre on the bottom. I've printed hundreds of them at this point and the failure rates are really low, the support in the middle of the body really helps. Also worth pointing out this design would have been almost impossible to print without the invention of organic supports so kudos to those guys.
I got my two through the post this week, and they are amazing. Snug - but perfect! - fit for the v3. Only thing to note is that the antenna that comes with (some?) of the Heltecs doesn't have a long enough cable to work with your case - the length of cable is too short to reach all the way from the board through the hole to the bend in the casing. (But that's not your fault, obv).
Cheers Ben, glad Bender arrived safely. I only found out about the different Antenna they have used after I launched and did wonder if the pigtail would reach, thats annoying. If anyone who buys it finds its doesn't fit they can email me and I'll refund the cost of the antenna housing. I'll mentioned that in the next update email I send out. Thanks for the heads up.
@@zerofox3d I see that, $12 (half the price of the product) is a bit steep considering you are completely sold out of the product, don't ya think? Most STLs are between $1-$5. I understand you gotta eat, but damn...
@@cuppacheese The cost is based on what I consider the quality of the case and other factors. For example I sell the hardware kits at a price that allows you to buy the files and print it yourself for less than I sell the full product. You can also print as many as you like. The digital files also cannibalise sales of the physical product. If you buy the digital files and are not happy with it I’ll refund it bud 😉
It's really simple, it's on the positive cable between the battery and Heltec so essentially just cuts the circuit. The Heltec comes with a JST connector cable so if you wanted to make the cable yourself you just buy a battery holder and some switches.
This is awesome! Always wanted to try 3D printing out. Do you mind sharing the type of 3D printer you have? Whatever it is its high quality! Not to take away the expertise it takes to design and construct a case like that. That's the hard part! Lol
Thanks man! I use Prusa MK3 and MK4 printers. My recommendation is always buy one in Kit form and build it. It's huge fun and teaches you how they work which is pretty vital because they need maintenance just like anything mechanical! I've done cheap printers, its a false economy and Prusa are worth paying the extra $$$ for IMO.
Do you have a bender case with the battery on/off switch? Can you provide a link to the tiny switch you found? I’d like to try to add the switch to a lithium battery. I’m new to Meshtastic (less than a week) but the power consumption is killing me.
I don’t think it’ll be too bad with the top antenna mount, side maybe a little tippy but of course would really depend on the size of antenna. Thanks for the purchase bud 👍
Sadly not. I’ve not been approached by any resellers in Australia yet but even if I did they’d add margin to cover import fees and make profit. You could of course just buy a printer 😂
Just ordered mine (Matt Mills - Durham) q? Don't suppose you've got some olive green knocking about still? I've ordered black but would love og if at all possible, love the cases Ringway Manchester got from you. Cheers.
Thanks for the order! If things were not so busy bud I'd do the odd custom colour order but priority right now is fulfilling orders as fast as possible. Got big news coming in the next few days :D
It prints with the face down and yes requires support but only for internal structures not visible when assembled. The support serves to not only support the internal structure but also stabilises the print and ensure good adhesion too. The 3MF files include support enforcers and if you use tree/organic support with these files the support is pretty minimal and very easy to remove.
Purchased and printed your Bender 3D print files, however actual housing which prints face down, it prints an almost impossible to remove waste area from USB to side-mount antenna. Would send picture for your review to advise what I might be doing wrong. Otherwise project prints beautifully.
I think I just mentioned it's in the release notes but here you go, this is the section from the release notes going over the battery holder: Single 18650 Battery holder with measurements no larger than 76mm x 21mm. These are extremely common in the popular online market places, you can see an example here: a.co/d/3M1bqga
@@TappingMyRoots If the IPEX does not fit down the hole it may need opening up a bit, small drill bit or trim any elephants foot around the hole. If the cable is too short you likely got old stock with the different antenna I did not know about! Both are a bit rubbish so I'd bite the bullet and buy a proper antenna, you'll have a better experience!
@@zerofox3d that's what I'm gonna do, just thought it was odd because the antennae looks just like the one that slid nicely into yours in the video. I took a drill bit to it and everything, no luck. After that and the battery pack I got a bunch of from Amazon not fitting I thought there was something majorly wrong. Trying different battery packs that are on the way 🤞🏻and got a proper antennae ordered. Hoping it all comes together. Thanks again.
@@TappingMyRoots Hmm if it’s the same looking antenna it should slide in easily. I’d print a calibration cube and check dimensions, just in case the printer is making everything too small!
Can you please share an Aliexpress link to the battery holder? and any other hardware you recommend? I'm going to buy the file to print. I live in the US. 73!
Pretty much all of the 1 cell 18650 battery holders seem to come from the same factory. I've ordered from multiple suppliers showing different images and the same holder has turned up each time. If you order one that looks similar to the one pictured on the hardware kit product on my site you should be safe!
@@TappingMyRoots There is a link in the release notes that should be the right holders. All of the holders I’ve ordered have the name “YIENLAO” written inside them but you never see that in titles or descriptions of the products.
Hi will the battery holder take a 3.7 volt 18650 nimh battery like the one pictured in your video? i am not sure what to search for on Amazon. Are they Nimh or Lipo batteries? Do they have a flat top like in the video? Or do they have a Button top on the positive battery terminal? Is it possible for you to pin a Ebay/Amazon search link? Sorry for so many questions i don't want to get the wrong one. Great little case though thank you for the demo. on the strength of the video I have ordered a case for my meshtastic just what I was looking for. Thank you very much.
The battery holder with take both flat top and button top 18650 cells. I believe lipo are the better option but I don’t think it’ll matter. Thanks for the order, had to buy another 2 printers today thanks to you lot 😂
Bender doesn't include a HeltecV3, it's a case with battery holder and SMA cable! You'll need to add the HeltecV3 with the appropriate frequency for your region.
Thanks Brian! I'm having cables produced externally now and have invested quite a bit in expanding capacity. Target is to fulfil all orders by mid April so everyone will not be waiting very long!
Great work. 👍🏽 Looks good. Not used my heltecs for a couple of weeks now. What is the file format? I use step files for fusion. Just wondering if it is customisable? 73
I'm not publishing step files just because someone will inevitably rip it off. The STLs can be modified of course and happy for people to do that for personal use!
Just purchased your print files and printed out 2 full assemblies, loving it 👍, I have a question regarding the battery does it get charged if you connect it to the USB? as I understand this board has charging capability, and I suspect in order to charge the battery this switch will have to be in ON mode so the battery makes contact. Thanks in advance
Thanks for the order, Bender is proving quite popular 😁 You’re right the Heltec charges the battery and yes the switch needs to be in the on position to allow the battery to charge (it’s spliced into the V+ cable)
