Lodestone Cases

Much as I loved the adventure that the Lodestone Latch Box took me on, there were a few things that I really did want to redo. And, it needed to be bigger!

So, now there are two much larger sizes. Oh, and I restyled it while I was rebuilding things, so there are a lot of hexagons on there, too :D

The main change you'll notice, though, is that the lid no longer moves or rattles when closed! Have a look at the inside of the lid in the pictures and you'll see there are little side tabs that engage with the box as it closes, to pull the lid forward into the hinges.

Well, those tabs will pull the lid forwards, but it'll only get so far because there are changes at the hinge end, too, to stop the lid moving forward past a certain point. Tabs on the hinge struts prevent that motion, but also deflect the motion downwards instead, pulling the lid onto the box and preventing rattling in that direction, too.

All this is held in place by the springiness of the magnetic latch, which will just find a good equilibrium position between the force of the magnets and whatever forces might be trying to get the lid to move around.

Assembly

The assembly instructions for Lodestone Case is the same as for the original Lodestone Latch Box, which is to say it's a bit complicated and easiest to express with diagrams. Rather than put those diagrams here, though, let's just link to the other model:

Link to the original Lodestone Box assembly instructions:

• https://www.patreon.com/posts/lodestone-latch-96743839

Print Description

This is an assembly in which the tolerances and dimensions do affect the operation of the mechanisms, so make sure your first layer is nice and neat and that there aren't any printing issues that might impact dimensional accuracy! 

Magnets Required

You'll need four 6x3mm cylindrical magnets for this one, and they really aren't optional this time, since things won't really work without them!

Print Dimensions

The largest case occupies 145mm x x139mm on the print bed and is 45mm tall.

Supports Needed?

Not at all!  Designed for straightforward printing!

Scalability

All sorts of things will cease to work effectively if this one is scaled! And the magnets won't fit :)

Print Orientation

The box body prints open, with the lid against the print bed.  The switch and switch plate print right-way-up, while the bolts can print standing either way, but are probably most reliably printed head-down.

File Location

You'll find this one at at 507 Lodestone Case

Link to dropbox post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31697592

Further Thoughts

One thing I'm still in two minds about is the presence of the latch mechanism on the inside of the box, occupying space. I did have it outside in one version, and then added other features to make things look less awkwardly bulgy, but it just wasn't ideal. Hmm, I wonder if that mechanism could move to the lid instead?...

Happy printing!

xoxo

Sven.