blank_lemur
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The end of this month will be the 1 year anniversary of publishing my Rivian Cup Holder 3D print models. It's grown a lot this past year, but wanted to post about all of the changes I've made in the last couple of months. There are some great additions and enhancements.
New locking pin design
I went through many different iterations looking for a better way to lock a cup to a clip. The current design uses nubs to generate a friction fit, but those do wear down over time or with some heat they can become less effective. I originally had a version with a tab that rotated to lock into place, but it was fragile and would easily break off (and they were difficult to unlock), so I dropped that. I've tested various other built-in mechanisms but all of them either created a more complicated print (that generally resulted in visual artifacts) or just weren't strong (mostly because of the orientation the pieces are printed).
I finally settled on a much simpler design and one that doesn't adversely affect printing. I ended up adding 3mm x 3mm holes integrated into the base of the female side of the connectors and a simple pin. The pin is printed separately so that it can be strong (layer lines follow the direction of the pin). Then, once you connect a cup and a clip, you can slide the pin through the holes and it secures the connection very well. It's nearly indestructible. For me, this is particularly useful between the 35 degree angle adapter and the front storage bracket. This keeps them locked together quite well.
Remix of Rob's R1T seat clip
In January, Rob@OpenSourceEV contributed his model for his R1T seat clip that he designed and sells. That's still available, but I've also remixed it to match the styling of the rest of my clips. The connector on my model sits 12mm lower than Rob's after test fitting it in an R1T. I wanted it to be low enough that you can raise the seat fully without squishing a cup holder if it's still connected. Here you can see Rob's version on the left and mine on the right:
Redesigned Front Storage Clip (v3)
NOTE: This is technically still in the "Experiments" folder, but I'll be moving these into the main folders soon, as I think they're good to go.
- New locking pin -
I took another stab at the front storage clip that attaches to the sides of the storage area on the floor between the driver and passenger. I kept wanting a better "locking" mechanism to keep them from easily detaching. I originally just had a piece that you could slide between the clip and the trim and it would help a little, but it would also fall out pretty easily. It wasn't great. I also tried creating a joint between the two so they would stay attached, but that was finicky to print and hard to use. I then reset my brain and decided the better way was to have a pin you could slide in from the top. The pin could be much bulkier and stronger. So far this has worked really well.
- Ascend trim compatibility -
A user (https://www.printables.com/@csoups_1633008) notified me about troubles they were having attaching the front clips with their Ascend trim. It turns out this trim has slightly thicker trim pieces. I think they wrap the trim in faux leather. The lip that slides inside the panel gap of the trim simply couldn't be inserted. The lip is 2.8mm from the top, but the Ascend trim looks like it requires 4.0mm of space. As such, I now have two versions of all of the front storage clips to accommodate both trims. While you can certainly use the Ascend version on non-Ascend trim, it does leave a bit of a gap on top and isn't quite as tight-fitting.
Window Clip Updates
- Double-wide versions -
I had heard from Rob that he's gotten feedback that the window clips can feel unstable at times, so he has updated his products to be double-wide to help with stability. I've included double-wide versions here as well.
- Extended length version -
NOTE: This is currently in the "Experiments" folder, but I think it's pretty close to final.
I have a new extended length version of the window clip that sits 80mm lower than the original. It also includes 2 attachment points, which gives you the ability to support larger water bottles pretty well. Additionally, it includes a hook mechanism on the backside that slides into the trim of the door panel, where the LED lights are. This gives it something to hold onto, which really helps given how much it hangs. I posted a longer video on Reddit about this or you can see the quick example here:
NEW Cup Holder Inserts
Finally, I wanted to share that I've also uploaded some new Cup Holder Inserts. Sometimes you just want to use one of these cup holders as storage or you don't want the cup holder arms to expand for certain drinks. These are just a simple 1mm shell insert that you can drop into any cup holder. They are only 0.10mm inset from the inside of the cup holders, so they do fit fairly tight. I'm still deciding if they should be looser... if you try one out, let me know! I use vase mode to print them with 0.8mm walls on a 0.4mm nozzle. Turns out great.
New locking pin design
I went through many different iterations looking for a better way to lock a cup to a clip. The current design uses nubs to generate a friction fit, but those do wear down over time or with some heat they can become less effective. I originally had a version with a tab that rotated to lock into place, but it was fragile and would easily break off (and they were difficult to unlock), so I dropped that. I've tested various other built-in mechanisms but all of them either created a more complicated print (that generally resulted in visual artifacts) or just weren't strong (mostly because of the orientation the pieces are printed).
I finally settled on a much simpler design and one that doesn't adversely affect printing. I ended up adding 3mm x 3mm holes integrated into the base of the female side of the connectors and a simple pin. The pin is printed separately so that it can be strong (layer lines follow the direction of the pin). Then, once you connect a cup and a clip, you can slide the pin through the holes and it secures the connection very well. It's nearly indestructible. For me, this is particularly useful between the 35 degree angle adapter and the front storage bracket. This keeps them locked together quite well.
Remix of Rob's R1T seat clip
In January, Rob@OpenSourceEV contributed his model for his R1T seat clip that he designed and sells. That's still available, but I've also remixed it to match the styling of the rest of my clips. The connector on my model sits 12mm lower than Rob's after test fitting it in an R1T. I wanted it to be low enough that you can raise the seat fully without squishing a cup holder if it's still connected. Here you can see Rob's version on the left and mine on the right:
Redesigned Front Storage Clip (v3)
NOTE: This is technically still in the "Experiments" folder, but I'll be moving these into the main folders soon, as I think they're good to go.
- New locking pin -
I took another stab at the front storage clip that attaches to the sides of the storage area on the floor between the driver and passenger. I kept wanting a better "locking" mechanism to keep them from easily detaching. I originally just had a piece that you could slide between the clip and the trim and it would help a little, but it would also fall out pretty easily. It wasn't great. I also tried creating a joint between the two so they would stay attached, but that was finicky to print and hard to use. I then reset my brain and decided the better way was to have a pin you could slide in from the top. The pin could be much bulkier and stronger. So far this has worked really well.
- Ascend trim compatibility -
A user (https://www.printables.com/@csoups_1633008) notified me about troubles they were having attaching the front clips with their Ascend trim. It turns out this trim has slightly thicker trim pieces. I think they wrap the trim in faux leather. The lip that slides inside the panel gap of the trim simply couldn't be inserted. The lip is 2.8mm from the top, but the Ascend trim looks like it requires 4.0mm of space. As such, I now have two versions of all of the front storage clips to accommodate both trims. While you can certainly use the Ascend version on non-Ascend trim, it does leave a bit of a gap on top and isn't quite as tight-fitting.
Window Clip Updates
- Double-wide versions -
I had heard from Rob that he's gotten feedback that the window clips can feel unstable at times, so he has updated his products to be double-wide to help with stability. I've included double-wide versions here as well.
- Extended length version -
NOTE: This is currently in the "Experiments" folder, but I think it's pretty close to final.
I have a new extended length version of the window clip that sits 80mm lower than the original. It also includes 2 attachment points, which gives you the ability to support larger water bottles pretty well. Additionally, it includes a hook mechanism on the backside that slides into the trim of the door panel, where the LED lights are. This gives it something to hold onto, which really helps given how much it hangs. I posted a longer video on Reddit about this or you can see the quick example here:
NEW Cup Holder Inserts
Finally, I wanted to share that I've also uploaded some new Cup Holder Inserts. Sometimes you just want to use one of these cup holders as storage or you don't want the cup holder arms to expand for certain drinks. These are just a simple 1mm shell insert that you can drop into any cup holder. They are only 0.10mm inset from the inside of the cup holders, so they do fit fairly tight. I'm still deciding if they should be looser... if you try one out, let me know! I use vase mode to print them with 0.8mm walls on a 0.4mm nozzle. Turns out great.
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