Micro SD Card Storage with 3" x 5" Index holder/Dust Cover

thingiverse

Of all the really cool SD/Micro SD card holders I've found on Thingiverse so far, none allow writing contents of given micro SD cards directly onto an index and storing them in a holder with an index marker. Those who have multiple devices using micro SD cards know the problems trying to keep track of tiny, multi-gig storage device contents. Like many others, I have several versions of Raspberry Pi distros and backups, a bunch of Arduino stuff, photographs, drone footage, firmware updates, music, etc., and I don't need to tell you how time-consuming it can be to keep track of all this or find out what's on these with no system for indexing them. They're too small to write on, and SD card adapters most of them ship with aren't much larger, so stickers aren't a good solution, and wrapping them in paper is just plain sloppy. To address this issue, I made this micro SD card holder with indexed slots that will hold up to 48 of these tiny things. It has a stand that allows mounting of the dust cover/lid which accepts common 3" x 5" index cards. For this purpose, I've included a template in Word and PDF that has plenty of room to write contents of cards occupying two rows for each index card, so four 3 x 5's should allow recording of contents for all 48 micro SDs, and all four cards may be stored in the cover. The SD card holder can be lifted out of the stand or bonded permanently at your option. It is designed with 45-degree angles requiring no supports when printed but you probably should use a brim for best bed adhesion as the slots have plenty of clearance, but they will not tolerate very much warpage. If your printer is properly calibrated, the holder can be put to use with no cleaning other than removing the brim if you print with one for best bed adhesion. I advise making certain the slots are clear before inserting cards to avoid damage to contacts by errant bits of plastic debris. The lid must be printed with supports for slots that hold index cards and for pivot pins that engage with the stand. Removing support material from slots is a minor challenge, and must be done with care and patience but it's possible as my test prints show in photos. The stand is designed to be printable without supports which is why I present it in four pieces. These have locator pins and holes to assist assembly, with dado slots in side pieces to receive the lid support member. There is an illustration in the photos showing how these pieces fit together. Take care when removing delicate "center" piece from your print bed as it's quite thin and might seem rather flimsy but the assembly becomes very rigid and sturdy when four pieces are fully bonded together. My dream is to someday create a tiny, automated storage machine powered by Raspberry Pi that automatically keeps these, accepts input of their contents, and spits out desired card from touch-screen GUI much like a CD changer. Until then, I hope this manual system is as useful to you as it has been for me!