Car radio antenna ^^ / M5 spacer

thingiverse

Last week, I headed to the car wash but overlooked one critical detail - taking off my radio antenna. The result was disastrous; it simply stopped working. I got socked for a brand new M5 threaded rod that replaced my busted antenna. In retrospect, paying a small fortune seemed ridiculous. Why not create my own replacement? That's exactly what I did! First things first: grab a meter of M5 threaded rod from the hardware store and cut it into manageable pieces. I sliced four lengths, allowing me to keep some extra spares on hand - after all, these types of mishaps can occur anytime. I next paired this fresh thread with my existing socket and discovered that my radio's signals began streaming strong again! My DIY antenna was functional; its design left much to be desired, though. This mediocre appearance prompted a follow-up plan: devise a way to secure something stylish on top of the makeshift antenna I'd built. Step two got underway when I conjured up a 3D printed cap to adorn my handcrafted rod using a software known as Solidworks. Fiddling with Slic3r's advanced features - specifically, its 'spiral vase settings' - was a vital next step in perfecting this solution. I carefully fine-tuned my parameters until that ideal balance of quality and functionality emerged. The exact settings that led to this eureka moment are below: • Nozzle diameter: .8mm • Thickness of individual layers: 0.75mm (Note: adjusting for lower layer height required a slightly wider nozzle) • The printing speed I opted for? 7 mm/sec; extremely slow • One loop around the shape only - no additional details necessary • My fans worked at a steady 70% capacity during the print Under materials: • My extruded object's size was a key aspect: an incredible diameter of 1.75 mm • Given my preferred parameters, doubling material production seemed mandatory (a factor of .2). That's where I implemented that precise value for Extrusion multiplier Lastly, since scaled versions might have an edge over one-size-fits-all solutions, I set my final printed design to 144% normal size to ensure snug fitting around the core rod. This new part - now called "female" M5 threaded rod – became an exact match. Incorporating similar processes led to fantastic results when tackling a "male M5 threaded-rod"! Simply downscaling it by roughly 61%, then I got exactly what I was searching for in a perfectly functional piece.