NICE Whistle 2

A follow-up to the original NICE Whistle 1.

Too many whistles with more designs on the way. Find them all in the WHISTLE WORKS collection: https://www.thingiverse.com/timcel/collections/43888798/things

Links to all whistles in this group are at the bottom of these notes

NICE Whistle 2

While developing and testing multiple revisions of Whistle 1, I began designing an entirely new whistle. Whistle 2 is not an updated Whistle 1 design, it’s an entirely new whistle that has a richer, fuller, more resonant sound and is easier to blow and is better tuned. It even prints better and faster.

What’s different

Pretty much everything. I got kinda obsessed with whistle design, so studied up on the physics of whistles and similar musical instruments. The result is this whistle has much better air flow, requires less blowing pressure to make a full sound. It features an airflow design that compresses, a new sound chamber design, improved air turbulence, tone creation and a new fipple and window optimized for 3D printing. To make them easy to carry, there’s a horizontal lanyard hole so the whistle rests flat when worn or if added to a key ring.

Customizing

The bottom of the whistle is designed to be customized with added information or a message. Because these whistles are printed on their side, text can be embossed recommended (pushing out) or de-bossed less recommended (pushing in) by using add text features in Prusa/Bambu/Orca/Cura slicers. Instructions and videos on how to do this using your favorite slicer are online.

Models

• NICE Whistle 2 has NICE printed on the end
• FICE Whistle 2 has FICE printed on the end
• MPLS Whistle 2 has MPLA printed on the end as a tribute to the people of Minneapolis

Other variations may be added in the future and I reserve the right to make this thing better in any way anytime I want.

Why Whistles?

Different whistles. Different tasks. This whistle is designed to warn of the presence of agents. It has an intense, distinctive sound. Every 3D printer owner can help by making lots of whistles to share with local organizations who distribute them.

PS These whistles also make excellent protest whistles. Print lots of them to bring to local events and share with fellow protesters.

Whistle Design

As a designer, I frequently use 3D printers for design development and prototyping. The goal for this project was to create a really good small whistle with a rich, full, distinctive sound that 3D prints well that can be customized. Being a simple device, I assumed whistles would be easy. Turns out designing a good whistle is hard. Probably one of the reasons I like it. 40-50 prototypes and weeks of development went into creating, testing and refining designs.

Depending on how hard you blow, the whistle is tuned to C#7. The tone is sharp, full, distinctive and a bit uncomfortable. Unlike many 3D printed whistles, this one works with low and high pressure blowing. Fair warning: it is very loud. 118db - 120db. For comparison, a rock and roll concert can be 85lb-100db. Rolling Stones and heavy metal concerts a bit louder. So, be careful how and where you use a whistle and always be aware of how close you are to others when using it. Whistles may be a great warning tool, but use them responsibly. Pro tip: If you whistle often, ear plugs are a good idea.

Printing

These whistles are printed on the side for best print quality on the critical fipple, window slot, and a clean sound chamber. That leaves the bottom (which is printed on the side) available for customized messages. You can leave the bottom blank if you just want a NICE whistle, or add favorite slogans, or information for local groups and organizations.

Printers used for testing Prusa XL, Prusa Mk4s, Prusa Mini, Bambu X1C, Bambu Mini. There are no reasons any well tuned modern printer won’t print whistles.

Basic Settings

Rafts: No
Supports: No
Resolution: .15 or .16 depending on your slicer
Infill: 15-20%
Use a .4 nozzle. Smaller nozzles are not needed.
Slow speeds down. Particularly first layers, outer walls, and top surfaces.
Printing takes 4-4.5 grams of filament and about 18-20 minutes to print.
Notes

Don’t assume this just another print and use your default settings. Printing small things in quantiles requires different methods, settings, and printing techniques than average 3D prints I’ve designed a lot of 3D printed models that are very small and printed around 20,000. (It’s a long story…) I have a few helpful suggestions.

Printing Techniques

Printing small 3D models requires a different approach. Because these models have a lot of vertical mass for their small size and a tiny contact area they can easily get knocked off the plate. So, I recommend the following…

• Use smooth printing plates if available, not textured plates. Textured plates are fine for large printed or when printing fairly small things in PETG. Not so much when printing small things in PLA. Just because textured plates come standard on most printers doesn’t mean they’re good for every project. Smooth plates are frequently the best solution where bed adhesion issues are likely.

• When printing small models on a smooth plate I start with a clean plate and always use a thin layer of some sort of glue or bed fixative and refresh it every few prints. Various 3D printing bed products work fine but so does a thin layer of glue stick. Serious and professional 3D printer users know this trick and when printing small items they always use some kind of bed adhesive as insurance.

• Slow things down. When printing small items, I slow down first layers, top layers, and outer walls. On small items, I usually run first layers at 30mm to insure a perfect first layer.

PLA

The model was designed to be printed with inexpensive PLA filaments. The idea is for you use left over spools so you can print lots of whistles with whatever filament you have around. Best to stick to regular PLA and not use filaments with added materials. IE carbon fiber, glitter, etc. Also avoid soft filaments like silks and some mattes filaments as they’re more prone to stringing. On this project, it’s a good idea to dry your filament before printing. Wispy strings often cause a whistle to not work. PETG certainly works but it is even more prone to stringing. Drying before printing in PETG is even more critical.

The included 3MF files contain recommended print settings. Note that Prusa, Orca, Bambu and Cura slicers can open these same 3MF files and print settings will be included.

Whistle Problems

Turns out 3D printing any whistle can be challenging — particularly small whistles. I tested over a dozen available models before deciding to create my own. Some problems are related to design. Many us are 3D printing issues: air leaks, stringing, retraction settings or filament issues.

Wispy strings inside the sound chamber or in the window/fipple path can interfere with sound creation and projection. Stringing is often a symptom of wet PLA filament. If you’re able to start by drying your filament. The next adjustment you can make is to optimize printer retraction settings and to run retraction tests. Look for YouTube videos to help you test and adjust temperature and retraction settings for your particular printer. Next, make sure nozzle temperature is just right for the filament you’re using. To prevent air leaks, layer-to-layer adhesion must be perfect. A slight clog in your nozzle can create gaps between layers. Any air leak in the sound chamber can result in whistles not whistling.

Always test print first

Print out a single whistle to make sure it works well for you before committing to 10-50 at a time. What you're looking for is a full, resonant sound under low and high pressure blowing. No airiness. These whistles should deliver a crisp, sharp sound with little blowing pressure. If your printer is not well tuned or you have filament problems and your whistle doesn't whistle try these other changes: scale the model to 105 percent, change layer height, or adjust filament temperature. I have often found that different filaments sometimes give different results. When changing filaments I run a test before committing to large runs. I’ve printed almost a 1K so far and get best results by using simple, basic high quality filaments. If you have a problem, try a different filament. That might be enough Again, print single whistles until your settings are dialed in before committing to production.

Test every whistle

You never know if a whistle works until you try it. So, like ACME in the UK who have been making whistles since 1870, I test every whistle. Rather than blow and pass along germs I use a bulb-type camera lens blower. Simple and it works great.

Remember: Make lots of whistles and share with your community groups and protestors.

Related models...

FICE Whistle 1... https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7211638
NO KINGS Collection... https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7075290
PEACE Pins... https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7292294