New project - MSFS C++ USB interface

[Demon]

are you printing in pla ? ...

Yup.

...if so what glue are you using...

I was thinking of using crazy glue (cyanoacrylate - CA). That's the one that I'm seeing used online. Unless that's not crazy glue, but a newer product.

Which reminds me, I can test some crazy glue using that test print.

[Demon]

Confirmed on tube, ordinary cyano-thingy GH1200 from dollar store.



Broke the frame in two, glued them together. I'm hurting my fingers trying to separate the pieces.

I'm gonna let it on the shelf and see how long it lasts.

[richard]

i find super glue won't last on "common garden variety" pla. there are quite a few pla variants around now, silky smooth , pla+ , pla super strong
that i have not tried gluing up. glue may not be the only issue, one of the silky variants i tried wont hold its shape over time in normal summer time temps/humidity either. its a bit of a mine field, abs is more durable/predictable but the fumes give me trouble.
had similar issues with resin printer, the nice fume free water wash up resins fall to pieces if exposed to sunlight for a couple of weeks
they come off the printer looking lovely, it was marketed as dental resin like .... not!
the first abs print i did to repair my weather station wind vane bracket has been out in the sun and rain for 10 or 11 years now and is still fully intact.
can't remember gluing abs but i think that was not easy either to get a good result , got some memories of acetone being involved

[Demon]

ABS is definitely superior. Check the plumbing section at the hardware store; look for the ABS glue close to the black pooptoobs (not to be mistaken with the PVC glue - those white tubes).

I'm using ordinary amazon PLA, and I was able to separate by hand the 2 pieces just now. Took an effort, but it did separate.

You do bring up an important detail about PLA; exposure to UV destroys it quickly. I'm using LED lights in the basement, but I want my original prototypes to live long without being OCD about keeping it in light-proof wrapping (I don't want to reprint later, then refinish the surface again - I know there's a lot of detailed work involved - I've done something similar before).

I guess that means development and testing with a glued-together PLA prototype (I'm gonna try Gorilla super glue - they tend to make quality products), then printing an ABS unit when I'm ready to make the mold.

[Demon]

Speaking of longevity, I made this silicone mold way back in mid-2000.




Last time I checked it maybe 5 years ago, it looked "not bad", now it's got a slimy feel, and the main bulk has shrunk relative to the 3 small partitions. I'd say it was good quality for at least 10 years.

I don't know if Smooth-On has "watered down" their products by now, but I can guarantee they were awesome when I was playing with this stuff.

I also tested one of the liquid plastics that you can make threads. All I remember is that it was graded industrial strength, and was mixed by volume, 50-50 (I didn't have a digital scale back then and didn't want to be bothered with them).

[Demon]

So I did a full-frame test to see how cooling, warping and shrinkage would affect the end results. The frame shrank nearly 1mm at the widest part, and there's practically no warping (I left it cool on the 3D printer).




I didn't do any detail work, like front bezels and covering that unused section on the top (it's actually upside-down, that's really the bottom).

Overall, I'm happy with the results. The screen fits just right.




Now I have to see how I'm going to make the honeycomb innards, connector openings along the bottom edge, buttons on the lower front as well as supports for the main controller and button board.

[Demon]

I love FreeCad. I don't have to print the whole frame to do a test; I can just crop out the rest until I get the button section right.




I still have to make a clear LED chimney in that 3rd hole from the left.

Buttons and cable fits snuggly in the frame.




I don't think Im even going to bother making caps for those pushbuttons. They are easy to operate.