Nintendo Switch Dock

thingiverse

/e: After looking around on Thingiverse, there are much better dock designs you can use. They secure the breakout & power PCB very well, use less plastic, and are simpler to mount the Switch in (as you can see the USB-C port). But hey, I made this one myself, figured I'd share it. /e: Users have reported that if your system is critically warped, Nintendo will repair or replace it. Of course they also say that the replacement units they get back are still bent. This appears to be a manufacturing issue; though heat likely makes it worse, it's not the root cause. Update April 18 2017: Improved the breakout box to more securely snap in the Dock PCB. No screws required. It'll be a tight fit, if you find one errant pole, don't worry about snapping it off to fit the rest. If two poles are errant, adjust file and/or print again. Source file was not updated as I used reference data from "Docky", another design here on thingiverse. Thank you for reading. Greetings. Nintendo's new system, the Switch, is incredibly popular. It is a tablet gaming system with the ability to output its display and increase available amps by usage of an external PCB connected via USB-C. This connection formally occurs via a ribbon cable and two PCBs; one mounts the USB-C connector for the system, the other is essentially a breakout and power box, and the two are connected via a removable ribbon cable. Sold by retail, your Nintendo Switch' dock has a number of problems. The system itself, as far as I understand, will output a measly 16 watts of heat at maximum load. Only 11 of those watts come from the system itself, the rest are for charging purposes. Still, Nintendo's dock design has an air pocket on the Switch and only two contact points with the dock itself, leading to three problems: -- Heat builds up inside the dock, increasing the effective ambient temperature around the intake vents for the cooling system, causing thermal throttling in severe cases (like summertime, or in a poorly ventilated area) -- When heat builds up inside the dock, the entire Switch system's RF shell becomes a heatsink, dispersing heat throughout the system and in the end, to the air through the metal rails on the side. This heat gradient across the ABS+PC shell of the system causes it to warp. This is a serious issue that could permanently damage your system, with no word from Nintendo over whether or not it is covered by warranty. -- The single two contact points that hold the system in place inside the dock have a rubberized pad each. Manufacturing tolerance has it that some users dock's press these pads in so far that the screen is scratched on the ABS+PC shell of the rails meant to secure the system in place. The latter two of these problems are irreversible once they have occurred, so it is highly recommended for users of the Nintendo Switch to seek solutions to these problems. The easiest one is to buy a USB-C extension cable and use it to connect your system to the Dock, and simply lay your system flat atop or aside the Dock instead of inside it. The above solution does not alleviate the primary purpose of the Dock, however, and that is to guard the system from dust or from being abruptly knocked off a table and irreversibly damaged. For all of its flaws, the Dock does fulfill an important purpose. Unfortunately, my Dock design is intended only to solve the thermal issues of the system. That I have confirmed it does. Using a blue tape reference point with a laser, the system's backside temperature on the SoC drops by 10 C when using this dock playing Breath of the Wild as opposed to the original Dock. In addition to that, the entire system is kept much, much cooler. Before you print this file, it is recommended you disassemble your Dock and have a look at the PCB, and compare it to the mounting method I have inside this Dock. My mounting method is what I'd call "quick and dirty". If you have the patience, I advise you design a more sound method of securing the Dock breakout box PCB. Otherwise, this is serviceable, but may not be ideal. I hope this is a good starting point for those looking to be preemptive of system-damaging issues. Note the little outcropping near the USB 2.0 side of the PCB is for the Dock LED PCB and Dock LED acrylic light spreader. You will need 8 #4 3/4in screws with the pointy tip to assemble this Dock. [8 4x20mm screws] Thank you for reading.