Convoluted Contraption Phone Stand

I love simplicity. But I also love gratuitous complexity! It's a fun thing to juggle, and there are definitely positives in both extremes. I set out to make a new, simple phone stand, and things went in two quite different directions.

Well, I should start by saying that I already had a nice, simple, robust design I could use, namely the Hex Sweep Phone Stand, which would have served my purposes perfectly well. And that one is about as simple as things get! But, why print an existing design when I can just design something new, right?!

I figured I'd make something that started out relatively flat, with some kind of movement to turn it into a more effective stand. Adding a screw thread with mechanical linkages seemed like the obvious next step, as I'm sure you'll agree. Spin the integrated handle nestled into the end of the frame, and the support platform gradually rises to position while two feet pivot into position underneath. Simple!

One of the inevitabilities of multi-part linkages with generous tolerances is that the results will have a reasonable amount of play in it when there's no tension on the bolt. In the photos, I'm pushing the parts upwards with my hands from the original flat position!

Now, I mention this because you'll need to actually do that before turning the handle, or else the screw will just try to pull all the hinges apart instead. I did explore some mechanisms for having a turn of the thread automatically push the assembly upwards, but that introduced problems with jamming things up when things were wound back down. So, push it upwards while you turn the handle initially. Or hold it upside down and let gravity direct things.

So, that was where I ended up, and it's really the kind of phone stand you need when you also need to tell the world that you like 3D printing. Sometimes, though, you just want to prop your phone up, so I did circle back and make something simpler, too.

(now you should go read the writeup for the Refolded Phone Stand! :D)

Print Description

This is an articulated model so ensure your bottom layers are nice and neat and that you don't have print issues such as stringing or overextrusion that might bind moving parts together!

Print Dimensions

The Convoluted Contraption Phone Stand occupies 98mm x 139mm on the print bed and is 24mm tall.

Supports Needed?

Not at all!  Designed for straightforward printing!

Scalability

The Convoluted Contraption Phone Stand might be scalable, though the linkage behaviour might be affected in some negative way. As usual, try it, for science!

Print Orientation

The Convoluted Contraption Phone Stand prints closed and flat, base-down. 

Happy printing!

xoxo

Sven.

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552 Convoluted Contraption Phone Stand