Here, have a really, really niche printable solution

As part of my ongoing air-exchange-based HVAC project, I have an outdoor air quality sensor from Ambient Weather (disclosure: nothing to disclose, no sponsorship, I bought it). It’s battery/solar powered, and that’s fine… except for the part where that doesn’t work here in the winter. We’re too far north and too dark.

But since it plugs in to charge and keeps working when plugged in, winner winner chicken dinner, right?

WRONG! Because first you have to take the bottom off the case, then the charge plug sticks directly out from the bottom facing down, like a goddamn Apple Magic Mouse.

I can’t fix the mouse, but I can fix this, and I have made a printable tray and rack system to let me use it that way. And, of course, I’ve put it up on Thingiverse.

I’m rather pleased with it – I think the design is pretty good – but in all honestly my favourite part is…

you know what they call positive fitment in the machining world? When two things really fit together just right?

This has that. At least with my print settings. It’s just… thonk and then it stays, and it does this with a third object I didn’t even make so had to measure out myself, and that’s just … yeah. Oh yeah. That’s the good stuff.

Ambient Weather unit held over my 3D-printed tray and rack, with the cord going through the tray and rack down to an outlet while plugged into the air sensor. Three of the four mounting rails – the ones that thonk into place – are visible.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.