Nixie Tube VU Meter for Fiat 500 GPS Dock

thingiverse

Here is the rewritten text: I've had my eye on the docking port in the Fiat 500's dash for a long time now, with the idea of creating something to dock there. Finally, I got around to it. The day has arrived to build this custom docking port using a Nixie Tube VU Meter. I purchased one from eBay (http://r.ebay.com/CzhFCB), and designed a functional case for it. You can watch the board in action here: https://goo.gl/photos/i6NbzwVF3RGAupBG9. Printing the entire dock and case in one print is possible, but I recommend printing them separately and gluing them together with superglue. The case has a friction-fit design - the board just slides in, and the back goes in under it. There's an optional shroud for the Nixie tube to help reduce stray light. The docking port is provided as a separate piece because this could be useful for other projects. It's designed to be printed on a dual-extrusion printer, with ABS for the shell and flexible TPU for the interior part. Printing it separately would require a lot of support material. As a dual-extrusion model, most of the support for the ABS is provided by the TPU. My original goal was to draw power from the dock as well, but I'm still undecided about that. **Print Settings** * Printer: Flashforge Creator Pro * Rafts: No * Supports: Yes * Resolution: .2mm * Infill: 20% * Notes: Print the box, dock, and shroud separately for best results. The TPU is designed to provide flexibility in docking. **Assembly** If you print the parts separately, add the flexible insert into the docking port shell first, then glue the case on top with a few drops of superglue. Next, slide the Nixie board into the grooves in the case, followed by the back. The shroud can be added and held in place with superglue if desired. **Design** The case was designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, and source files will be made available on request.