External Drive Dock

thingiverse

This is one of the coolest 3D print projects I have created and it really didn't take me all that long to design. This is a docking system for laptops. If you work with external drives, this device allows you to securely lock your drive to your laptop. Using 3M two-sided tape, you secure a "key" to the drive you wish to use, and a "base" to your laptop. Slide the key into the base and give it a 1/4 turn to clockwise and you're all set. In addition to the standard key and base, I have also included a 3-place drive holder, which can be attached to just about anything to store external drives when not in use. Also, a thicker key is included which is great for using with a power supply (for example, this would work awesome with the brick for my 2011 MacBook Pro) or other items that may need more distance from your laptop. The final additional piece included is a cable management attachment. This is approximately the right size for securing a MacBook charging cable and may also work with others. The thought here was to hold the charging cable (or even a mouse cable) out of the way when working. I do have other attachments in the works (like an arm w/magnetic phone holder) that have not been printed or tested yet. I have printed a few of these out of PLA and they work great. Even the prototype unit worked just fine and I still use it frequently. If you have other attachment ideas, by all means, make them!