Nixie Tube VU Meter for Fiat 500 GPS Dock

prusaprinters

The 2013 (and later?) Fiat 500's have a docking port in the dash for a TomTom GPS unit. I have had my eye on this docking port for some time, with the idea of making my ownsomething to dock in there. Well, the day has finally arrived. I purchased a 6E2 Nixie Tube VU Meter from eBay (http://r.ebay.com/CzhFCB), and designed a functional docking port and case for it. Video of the board in operation is here: https://goo.gl/photos/i6NbzwVF3RGAupBG9 It is possible to print the entire dock and case in one print, it is recommended that you print them separately and glue them together with a few drops of superglue. The case is friction-fit - the board just slides in, and the back slides in under/behind the board. There is an optional shroud for the back of the Nixie tube, which might help with stray light. The docking port is provided as a separate piece, because this may be useful for other projects. The docking port is designed to be printed as a single print on a dual extrusion printer, printing ABS for the shell, and flexible TPU for the interior part. This works well, and only requires minor cleanup. It is possible to print them separately, but this would require a lot of support material. As a dual extrusion model, most of the support for the ABS is provided by the TPU. The original goal was to also draw power from the dock, and the part is designed to do this, but I have not yet fully decided whether to do this or not. Print instructionsLicence: Creative Commons - Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike Category: Automotive Print Settings Printer: Flashforge Creator Pro Rafts: No Supports: Yes Resolution: .2mm Infill: 20% Notes: All parts are in the same coordinate system as assembled, but it is recommended that you print the box, the dock, and the shroud as separate prints. The dock is designed to be printed as a dual-extrusion model, with ABS for the shell and Flexible TPU for the insert. The TPU is to allow the flexibility needed to successfully 'dock' in the docking port. I originally tried this in ABS, but it was too fragile and tended to break off. TPU works well. Post-Printing Assembly Assuming you've printed the parts separately, add the flexible insert into the docking port shell, then glue the case on top of the docking port (note proper orientation) with a few drops of superglue. Then slide the Nixie board into the grooves in the case, then slide the back in. The shroud can optionally be added and held in place with a couple of drops of superglue as well. How I Designed This The case was designed in Autodesk Fusion 360, and source files will be made available on request.