3d Printed Muroidea Pedal

[gregsmakercorner]

I just completed a 3d printed Muroidea / Rat clone, which is my 4th completed pedal. I did a few things different and I thought I'd mention it in case anyone is interested.

1) I used the TL071 Op Amp instead of the LM308. I didn't need to use the 30p capacitor but I soldered two wires to it (not connected) in case I decide to try it later. Other than that, it's the same circuit as in the directions.

2) I have been in the 3d printing hobby for a while (and have a YT channel on DIY printer builds, etc.). I wanted to see how far I could go with 3d printing. I designed my own 125B enclosure with Open SCAD (CAD program) and after several prototypes I arrived with a case that I believe will hold up. I also used a high temp filament, ASA, which requires an enclosed print and a lot of heat (270C, 100C heated bed) to print successfully. This filament is similar to ABS but also has additional UV protection, so you could leave this out in the sun or in your car and not have to worry about it warping.

3) The cover art is also 3d printed. I used a program called "Hueforge" which allows you to take a 2d image, match filament colors to it, and then print by changing colors as you go. It takes into account transmission distance (TD) of filament, so you can do some pretty amazing art even with just a few colors. This print only required a handful of color changes.

This pedal sounds amazing. I don't have a real Rat to compare to, but I love the distortion on it.

 

[gregsmakercorner]

Info about costs:

I estimate the total cost of the 3d printed enclosure to be around $2-2.50. ASA filament costs about $30 per role and I estimate I can print about 15-20 of these from one 1kg roll. The filament art is probably less than $1 worth of filament because you only need a tiny bit for the size.

If you don't already have a 3d printer, you'll need one that can do high heat. I use a VzBot which is a custom built DIY and I won't even mention the price here because it's not something that you'll want to consider unless you are really into the 3d printing hobby. You can get enclosed pre-built printers that will do the job for as cheap as $600. I'd recommend going with a BambuLab P1S and also getting the multi color, which makes using the Hueforge even easier (total is around $1000).

The Hueforge software as of now is pretty cheap, around $30 and up depending on options.

If you have any other questions please ask away!!

 

[Guardians of the analog]

As cool as it to make something yourself, I would never trust a plastic box. Imagine being in the moment and doing this with plastic

 

[ITG6]

Very nice! Did you do two separate prints and glue them?

 

[gregsmakercorner]

As cool as it to make something yourself, I would never trust a plastic box. Imagine being in the moment and doing this with plastic

Lol, I would be worried about any pedal taking that kind of abuse! But yeah, it’s not going to be great if someone decides to dance on it.

 

[gregsmakercorner]

Very nice! Did you do two separate prints and glue them?

Yes, the top layer is the “art” and is probably about 1.2mm thick or so. I used an e6000 glue to attach it. This method could be used on metal as well and I may try that to get the best of both worlds.

 

[DailyDovetails]

I have done a bunch of 3D printed enclosures myself. I think it is neat seeing someone come up with a different solution to the same problems. I really like the way your artwork came out on yours.

I have also gotten the feedback about them potentially being weak and although the designs I have come up with aren't particularly strong, they suit my needs however, I believe through design the foot switch could be made to be stronger than that of a typically Hammond box.

 

[gregsmakercorner]

I have done a bunch of 3D printed enclosures myself. I think it is neat seeing someone come up with a different solution to the same problems. I really like the way your artwork came out on yours.

Thanks!! It was a lot of fun coming up with the art and as far as I know I’m the first one to use Hueforge for this (software came out late last year and I was an early adopter). I love how thin the print is and yet you can do a lot with the coloring and really thin layers. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are into printing and haven’t tried it yet.

I have also gotten the feedback about them potentially being weak and although the designs I have come up with aren't particularly strong, they suit my needs however, I believe through design the foot switch could be made to be stronger than that of a typically Hammond box.

I’m eager to test these out and have several friends that I plan on testing them out. We play 2-3 times a month together and I figure if they hold up I will be in good shape and make a few more. Most likely I’ll have to strengthen things up a bit, but I’ve had really good luck with ASA and have used it a bunch in other designs. One of them is a naglene cup holder that sits in a car year round and works really well, takes a lot of abuse too.

 

[ITG6]

As cool as it to make something yourself, I would never trust a plastic box. Imagine being in the moment and doing this with plastic

Yes, the top layer is the “art” and is probably about 1.2mm thick or so. I used an e6000 glue to attach it. This method could be used on metal as well and I may try that to get the best of both worlds.

Nice! I use Hueforge as well and your post made me think about merging Hueforge artwork onto other prints as well.

Just did a 3d printed fix/enhancement on one of my builds:

Skeptical Buffer Build

Took forever to complete this but after multiple parts orders, mis-drilled holes, and LED struggles I finally got this one wrapped up. First mistake was drilling the holes for the switches too high. Instead of using a different enclosure I made a 3D printed plate with transparent letters to...

forum.pedalpcb.com

 

[airbud]

Info about costs:

I estimate the total cost of the 3d printed enclosure to be around $2-2.50. ASA filament costs about $30 per role and I estimate I can print about 15-20 of these from one 1kg roll. The filament art is probably less than $1 worth of filament because you only need a tiny bit for the size.

If you don't already have a 3d printer, you'll need one that can do high heat. I use a VzBot which is a custom built DIY and I won't even mention the price here because it's not something that you'll want to consider unless you are really into the 3d printing hobby. You can get enclosed pre-built printers that will do the job for as cheap as $600. I'd recommend going with a BambuLab P1S and also getting the multi color, which makes using the Hueforge even easier (total is around $1000).

The Hueforge software as of now is pretty cheap, around $30 and up depending on options.

If you have any other questions please ask away!!

i have a bambu p1s and i would HIGHLY recommend it. the software is a little more user friendly, and the multicolor printing is incredible. i had a creality ender 3 pro as my first printer, which i would also recommend, but if you can pony up for the bambu you won't be disappointed!

 

[gregsmakercorner]

For anyone interested, I went ahead and published all my 3d printed files (and instructions) here:

Printables

www.printables.com

 

[Feral Feline]

I don't 3D-print, but that is VERY cool of you to share your files.


Your pedal art looks great; I'd be interested to see what extremes (colours, intricacy, etc) you could get to with printing just the art-layer for sticking on a Hammond enclosure.

 

[gregsmakercorner]

I don't 3D-print, but that is VERY cool of you to share your files.


Your pedal art looks great; I'd be interested to see what extremes (colours, intricacy, etc) you could get to with printing just the art-layer for sticking on a Hammond enclosure.

Thanks!! I am hoping to inspire folks to try this method out. HueForge is such an easy tool to use, too. The software has a pretty low learning curve, is cheap, and you don't need a fancy printer. I did the 3d printed the art on a $250 printer (Bambu A1 Mini).

I still have several Hammond/125B aluminum enclosures and I would like to see how well this works on them. I am thinking about how to best incorporate it. I could see doing a full "wrap" of the enclosure (minus the lid?) with a thin layer of 3d printed material, OR just doing the top of the enclosure. Putting the art only the top layer would be the easiest, but it might not blend as well with metal, so you'd still probably have to paint or do something with the rest of the enclosure. I will definitely have to experiment.

The other concern I have is getting the holes to line up exactly in the enclosure and the artwork. My drilling skills are "decent" but I've always had the holes slightly off, and even being off by .5mm can make a difference with alignment. I did design my art exactly to the dimensions of the drill template, so buying a pre-drilled enclosure might be the way to go to get the best results.

 

[vigilante398]

i have a bambu p1s and i would HIGHLY recommend it. the software is a little more user friendly, and the multicolor printing is incredible. i had a creality ender 3 pro as my first printer, which i would also recommend, but if you can pony up for the bambu you won't be disappointed!

Bambu is a champion for multi-filament prints. I picked up the X1C last year as one of my friends recommended it as the "buy once, cry once" printer and it's great.

I haven't kept anything in a 3D printed box long term as I mostly use 3D printed enclosures for things like fit checks and to try weird things out without wasting an aluminum box, but I will say the ABS boxes I've done at 100% infill absolutely feel robust enough to use on a board. That being said I don't wear doc martins and stomp with my full body weight on my footswitches.

 

[airbud]

Bambu is a champion for multi-filament prints. I picked up the X1C last year as one of my friends recommended it as the "buy once, cry once" printer and it's great.

I haven't kept anything in a 3D printed box long term as I mostly use 3D printed enclosures for things like fit checks and to try weird things out without wasting an aluminum box, but I will say the ABS boxes I've done at 100% infill absolutely feel robust enough to use on a board. That being said I don't wear doc martins and stomp with my full body weight on my footswitches.

good to know about ABS, i figured nothing was strong enough. luckily i have no doc's and i have a light touch!

 

[vigilante398]

good to know about ABS, i figured nothing was strong enough. luckily i have no doc's and i have a light touch!

Yeah I do ABS a lot when I need strong but cheap, and for more important things that I need strong I use PCTG, but that's quite a bit more expensive ($80 per kg) so I'm not as frivolous with it as I can be with a $15-20 spool of ABS.

 

[gregsmakercorner]

Bambu is a champion for multi-filament prints. I picked up the X1C last year as one of my friends recommended it as the "buy once, cry once" printer and it's great.

I haven't kept anything in a 3D printed box long term as I mostly use 3D printed enclosures for things like fit checks and to try weird things out without wasting an aluminum box, but I will say the ABS boxes I've done at 100% infill absolutely feel robust enough to use on a board. That being said I don't wear doc martins and stomp with my full body weight on my footswitches.

Completely agree!! I can see ABS or ASA (or other "engineering grade" filaments) holding up really well, especially for the majority of people who baby their gear or aren't rough on stuff. I always put my pedal board in a nice bag when I'm not using it on stage, and otherwise it sits on my basement floor next to the amps.

I do like the idea of creating a 3d printed part (with the Hueforge art on top) that fits over a metal case to get the best of both worlds, which might be attractive especially if you are in the business of selling pedals and want a fairly easy / low cost approach to pedal art. That was one of my main goals with this project- figure out a way to make pedal art a bit less daunting. I have some ideas rolling around in my head that I think I may try out soon.