Taotronics BH040 Headband Repair Brace

thingiverse

This is a brace/clamp held together with M3 screws, originally designed to repair/prevent damage to the headband on the <b>Taotronics BH040</b> headphone model. (As a user pointed out that these clamps seem to also work on the <b>BH060</b> headband, it's possible these proportions carry throughout multiple Taotronics models. Would need further confirmation.) I found that these headphone models have a particular under-designing flaw: they use small M2 screws to fasten together the headband components at the terminal ends of their plating, which doesn't provide nearly enough resistance to negotiate the stress from daily usage. I didn't think much of it when the plating of my own headband first showed signs of loosening, and drew a thin U-Bracket to be held together with some tape. 6 months later I ended up with a critical failure when the M2 screws finally gave out entirely and all the accumulated stress shattered the U-Bracket right down the middle. Thus I was forced to revise my solution into something more robust. It took way more design iterations than something like this deserves, but the current revision was beefed up to 5mm thickness and has served me well for over a year without any sign of giving out. I'm releasing this in case anyone else finds themselves in the same boat. At this point there could be an argument that this abomination is now more PLA than headband but hey, save $40... <hr> <u><b>Revisions:</b></u> <b>2021-05-07</b>: Added a V2 with thicker walls and more rounded edges, but around the same time my headband shattered into smaller pieces, compromising its integrity and rendering it beyond repair. It had lasted almost 1.5 years at that point, but it was only a matter of time. If you experience complete failure with the headband plastic like I did, I have made a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4851593"><b> replacement brace</b></a> which replaces this component of the headband entirely. <hr> # Hardware - (2) 8mm M3 Screws (per brace) - (2) M3 Hex Nuts (per brace) <hr> Print at 80% infill and above for optimal strength. I would go so far as to use PETG/ABS instead of PLA as the latter is brittle and has a tendency to fissure under continual stress. It's possible to swap the 8mm screws for 6mm screws, but it's a very tight fit. Optionally: Wrap the headband in something like electrical tape before applying the brace in order to prevent scratches on the headband's plastic finish. This also allows for a firmer clamp and to redistribute the load a bit The pointy edges of the brace may also be sanded down and rounded for comfort, though they shouldn't be touching your head once the headband is under tension.