Pyritohedra/Dodecahedra Magnetic Tile

thingiverse

This script for OpenSCAD (http://www.openscad.org/) generates dodecahedra with a single parameter, allowing you to switch from a cube to a rhombic dodecahedron. For more information, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecahedron. You'll need 12 tiles and 4 or 6 disc magnets per tile (axially magnetized). The script will automatically determine if two magnets can fit comfortably on the 'base edge' of a pentagon. Because these edges are always paired together, they cannot accommodate a single magnet in the center position. In the rhombic dodecahedron case, that edge has zero length and cannot accommodate any magnets. Magnet orientation is crucial: * The pair of base edge magnets must have opposite polarity. * Edges to the left and right of the base need to have opposite polarity. * Top edges (the 'peak') need to have opposite polarity. All tiles must be identical in terms of magnet alignment. A good way to keep track is to create your first tile according to these rules, then use it as a reference for every subsequent tile. Test your magnets against this reference tile. Note that for the cube and regular dodecahedron, the magnet pattern will not work as designed, so 'legal' placements of tiles may be repelled (we want face transitivity, but not edge transitivity for the magnet patterns to work). To see examples that create the solid model or assembly of tiles, scroll to the bottom of the script. I printed mine with ReplicatorG accelerated defaults and no raft or support. They printed in about 20 minutes each. Check it out on github: https://github.com/eshira/polyhedra