ThinkFun Parametric Connector Library

thingiverse

The spirit of thinkFun is providing a minimal set of building tools that can interact with the ordinary and the everyday in fun and surprising ways. All you have to do is think fun! I wrote a parametric thinkFun Connector Library in order to make making custom connectors easier for everyone. I took thinkFun’s open source connector STL and chopped it into an end cap and a midsection, and then rebuild it with any number of holes. Now we can have classic thinkFun connectors of any length. It’s not truly open source until its parametric! Once the classic connector was built, the midsection and end caps could be redesigned and reassembled into new types of thinkFun connectors. The Clip Connector.I designed a connector with a clip on one side for attaching pieces of cardboard. The Slot Connector. This connector has a horizontal slot through the middle. I imagine printing a bunch of these and running a piece of fabric through them and connecting it together in a loop — creating a tank tread! The Lego Connector. This connector is fun for adding in basic lego-connectivity. Mini-figures can now easily ride along and lego plates can add structural support to your designs. The Bent Connector. This connector makes a good angle bracket for building a chassis or other rigid structures. The Flexible Connector. This is bendable connector that would work great as a shock absorber for a vehicle, or a spring action for a catapult, or even just as a non-linear connector. The Narrow Connector. Sometimes the width of the connector is too much. This narrow connector offers a slimmer version of the classic connector. The Grooved Connector. This connector has groove instead of holes. It could be used adding mechanical motion like for train wheels or legs on a robot. There are a several other ways to make connectors. The first thing that comes to my mind is curved connector with H many holes and X amount of arc. At any rate, this library can be used to quickly create the connectors listed, and it can easily be extended to make even more types of connections. All you have to do is thinkFun!