3D print Graflex battery doors?

juan · Nov 19, 2020

The battery doors on Pacemaker, Super, and Super Speed Graphic cameras are often missing. They are a rather simple piece of plastic with a piece of spring metal attached to make the battery contacts. Could the plastic part be successfully fabricated by 3D printing?

138S · Nov 19, 2020

juan said:
The battery doors on Pacemaker, Super, and Super Speed Graphic cameras are often missing. They are a rather simple piece of plastic with a piece of spring metal attached to make the battery contacts. Could the plastic part be successfully fabricated by 3D printing?

Of course, it looks quite easy... but the part is that simple that it can be also made with simple tools:

https://lommen9.home.xs4all.nl/battery door/index.html

grat · Nov 19, 2020

Trivial to 3D print. It appears to literally be a cube that's 57x15x2 mm. The springs look unnecessary if the door is properly sized-- they're not touching the batter contacts. For bonus points, the middle section could be slightly raised to make it flush with the outside of the rangefinder.

juan · Nov 19, 2020

I guess I was picturing the Super and Super Speed, which are different. On those, the batteries are parallel with the lens and the metal connects the two batteries in series. I know little about printing, but if the plastic would be strong enough for a Pacemaker, I assume it would be for the others.

BrianShaw · Nov 19, 2020

juan said:
I guess I was picturing the Super and Super Speed, which are different. On those, the batteries are parallel with the lens and the metal connects the two batteries in series. I know little about printing, but if the plastic would be strong enough for a Pacemaker, I assume it would be for the others.

Plus, there is a lip to keep the left side if the door in place. I haven’t used mine in a while but I thought the door was some kind of fiberboard.

shutterfinger · Nov 19, 2020

grat said:
Trivial to 3D print. It appears to literally be a cube that's 57x15x2 mm.

Graflex/Graphic cameras made by Graflex Corp. were laid out with an engineers rule therefore all measurements were in inch, tenths, hundredths, thousands of an inch. Graflex/Graphic cameras that were imported are metric.

Do you need a template with measurements for the Super/Super Speed battery door?

juan · Nov 19, 2020

If you have the drawing, yes. I’d like to explore having some made. Thanks.

grat · Nov 19, 2020

shutterfinger said:
Graflex/Graphic cameras made by Graflex Corp. were laid out with an engineers rule therefore all measurements were in inch, tenths, hundredths, thousands of an inch. Graflex/Graphic cameras that were imported are metric.

Do you need a template with measurements for the Super/Super Speed battery door?

I merely commented on the linked article, which gave the dimensions I used.

I'm just saying it should be relatively trivial to design the part.

shutterfinger · Nov 19, 2020

That linked site has a tendency to round corners and being metric is his standard measurement system it stands to reason that he will use the metric measurement.

grat · Nov 19, 2020

shutterfinger said:
That linked site has a tendency to round corners and being metric is his standard measurement system it stands to reason that he will use the metric measurement.

And issues like that is why I'm happy to offer opinions on feasibility-- but not step up and offer to print.

BrianShaw · Nov 19, 2020

It’s not too difficult to measure a sample with an inch-o-meter, is it?

shutterfinger · Nov 22, 2020

juan said:
If you have the drawing, yes. I’d like to explore having some made. Thanks.

I don't have drawings but these pictures of my Super Speed's door should help. Measurements with a digital caliper.

3D print Graflex battery doors?

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