The DoomScroller - A Smartphone Tripod for the COVID Pandemic

thingiverse

##Presenting The DoomScroller, a smartphone tripod for the COVID pandemic. There are many tripods designed for smartphones, but this one is designed specifically for extended scrolling at home during the COVID pandemic, e.g., in bed, on the couch, on a recliner, on a table. Perfect for Netflix, FaceTime, and social media. Designed with accessibility in mind. ##What is doomscrolling? Doomscrolling or Doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of negative news. I took a harm reduction approach. People are probably going to be doom scrolling anyways, so you may as well try to keep yourself safe while you're at it. No need to hurt your hands, neck, or eyes if you don't have to. ##Origin During one of several COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, I started to feel some strain in my hands and neck from scrolling all of the social media timelines on my smartphone. There was nowhere to go, nobody to visit, vaccines still being developed, all a person could do during the winter months was to escape into their smartphone for work and personal reasons. There were already some mounting and tripod projects on Thingiverse, so I remixed them. Thanks u/HeyVye and u/DieZopfe for posting, updating, and sharing your designs! ##Printing Instructions 1. Pick a length for your DoomScroller's legs, either 150 mm (file 1a) or 240 mm (file 1b). I'm 5'10" (178 cm) tall, and I prefer the 240 mm legs myself. 2. Pick a mounting style. iPhone 12 users may want to use the MagFace (7a), and most users will need the Frame (7b). 3. Files are listed from bottom to top of the DoomScroller. Printing a plate with the 150 mm legs and Frame mount with my Prusa i3 MK3S, it takes about 9 hours at 0.300 mm layer height. ##Non-3D-Printed Parts Required + Three (3) of M3x8 mm socket head cap screws + Three (3) of M3 hex nuts + Three (3) of M5x20mm hex bolt + Three (3) of M5 hex nuts ##Colour Schemes You can do whatever you want here, truly, but some ideas based on my prototypes. ###Two-Tone + Print the Legs (1ab), Hip (2), Neck (3), Ball Joint split (5), MagFace (7a) or Frame base (7b), Frame lock (7b) as the main colour. Lighter colours recommended. + Print the Knob (4), Ball Joint screw (6), and Frame screw (7b) as the accent colour. Darker colours recommended. ###Logos e.g., companies, sports teams, flags Consider how many colours are used and how much area each one takes in the overall image. Usually there will be one or two dominant colours, and then some accent colours. You can even get different colours for the screws and nuts. Dominant colours: Legs, Neck, Hip, Frame Base, Frame Lock. Accent colours: Hip, Knob, Ball Joint Screw, Frame Screw, metal screws. See the example photo of the Edmonton Oilers' McDavid jersey with an older prototype I made for a friend. I got lucky with this logo because of the oil derrick structure and orange oil drop look created by the ball joint. ##Print one and give it away to someone in need! ##Updates 2021-12-31: Added a frame for iPad Pro 12.9 because why not. 2021-12-28: Added some new legs. The rounder shape feels better, and it prints without supports! Added colour suggestions for logos, with the Edmonton Oilers as an example. 2021-12-27: Changed length of M3 screw from 12 mm to 8 mm. Also added pictures documenting the assembly process. Added a new Neck file, tall enough to leg the Frame spin freely when you want to switch between portrait and landscape mode. Recommended direction of rotation is clockwise because of the threads on the Ball Joint. 2021-09-03: Uploaded correct version of "7b DoomScroller - Frame lock.stl." The previous file came directly from u/DieZopfe's thing, but I modified "7b DoomScroller - Frame base.stl" from that project to print a little easier, and the Frame lock needed a small tweak to match.