Star Trek TOS Communicator Kit

thingiverse

A fun little project for Star Trek fans. I made a kit to build the communicator from separate parts that are fitted together for easy gluing and coloring. You can choose to make a solid version or one that has space for electronics. Parts should open in the orientation they were printed in. Use supports for the lid (doesn't use much - only needs it for the hinge part). For the bulbs/sockets/knobs I suggest printing a few copies of them all at once since they tend to get lost easily when removing them from the print bed. I use a paper towel to cover and remove them to keep them from jumping away, if that helps. So far I've only printed the kit using a .25mm nozzle.The lid fits and opens great for me at that size, so please tell me if you have any trouble with it at .4mm. The top and bottom body pieces benefit from low layer height to keep things smooth, I used .10mm. The high detail versions of the speaker disc and microphone were the first drafts and turned out to be a little to hard to print, but you might get better results with smaller nozzle or tuned settings. Try enabling "detect thin walls" setting or equivalent in your slicer to see what effect that has. You can also choose to print the Moire disc (speaker) on paper or transparency for better detail. For more information on the Moire disc and many other facts about the prop, check this out https://www.herocomm.com/BeginHere/TheBasics2.htm, and this http://www.startrekpropauthority.com/2008/03/authenticating-tos-communicator-hand.html After finishing the build I found the bulbs to be a bit tight in the socket so you might want to scale them down about 2%. The connector pegs seemed too big at first but it was just that there was some elephant foot (over-squished first layer) on the body that made it tight.The whole thing came together quite well. To keep the pegs from breaking if you need to separate the body halves later, insert them sideways. Update: 9/17/20 based on feedback from tony8888 I added a lid with a stronger connection to the wheels (just need to flip it over in your slicer), and also a new top body, panel, and microphones that should allow the lid to close all the way. The new parts have v2 in the filename. 9/19/20 Added a display stand. It has an optional little arm that can swing up to hold up the lid upright for those who have a looser one. Swings down out of the way for closed lid display. Not the best stand but it works. The tag in the picture was designed for a .25mm nozzle but I also included a slightly bigger one for .4mm. Also added a lid with a looser hinge based on feedback. Should open smoother so no risk of breaking it. But of course let me know if it still isn't good enough and I'll gladly fix it. Also fixed the stand leg to fit the base better. - Update 12/10/20 added a hollow version to use electronics. The new body, trim, speaker & bulb housings have "hollow" in the filename. Use supports where necessary. Updated photos with newest print (1/6/21) using Overture matte black PLA, CC3D silk antique gold pla, and Ziro silk silver pla. The antique gold is the perfect color for the cover.