Lightning connector dust cover for use with a phone case

thingiverse

This is a small plug that protects the Lightning Connector found on Apple products like iPhones and iPads when used with a case. My pockets are always full of lint, which ends up in my connector and causes connectivity issues over time. To solve this problem, I decided to create something. I liked the design of the dust cover I remixed (see attribution), but it wouldn't work for me since I use a case with my phone. Each time I wanted to charge, I would have to remove the case. So, I added a small nub on the end of the original dust cover with a circular indentation to make it easier to grab. I tried adding a fillet to the top edge, but it didn't make much difference. However, I did print the handle part (not the plug part) on the build plate, which made it hard to deal with that small curvature, especially in the first layers. Maybe if I flipped it around so the plug side was on the bottom (touching the build plate), then that fillet would be more effective. In the end, what I did was use my pocket knife to remove the edge and then sandpaper to smooth it down. I've included the original CAD (.ipt) file, which is an Autocad Inventor part file, and made the design parameterized so you can adjust some of the dimensions to match your phone case.