I have a Steam Deck, Switch lite with grip, Anbernic 351v, and Gameboy advance (The non clamshell one) that I want to store in my drawer, but also want to keep them tidy, well displayed, and unharmed at the same time.
I was thinking to 3d print insterts/molds of the consoles that I can just slip them in and out of, and was wondering what the easiest way to accomplish that would be.
Also, I tried to upload pictures but kept getting an error.
Someone else mentioned gridfinity, that was my first thought too. You can probably find modules for all of the things you listed already made and ready to print.
Once you start with gridfinity, though, you will never stop.
I didn’t even think about the fact that there are probably some for gridfinity already. Will look into that
Probably the best and safest method is to look into the foam used for camera bags. That is the most common customisable option I know of that is practical. You’ll spend way less time and likely money if you cut foam to fit and pack everything.
Obviously, I’m a fan of 3d printing. Heck I’m beside my printer that is chugging away at a design I made today. However. I think it is a matter of using the right tool at the right time. IMO, big drawer filling organizers are not ideal for printing. I can make wood cardboard or sheet metal boxes much faster and cheaper than printing.
I could see myself designing a quick 2 rail holder with slots for each device to sit within, but that is going to be sloppy and likely wear poorly on the device. Best bet in my opinion is camera bag foam. If it is good enough for a half dozen $1k pro primes in a bag that gets banged around, it will work for some hand helds.
Foam, sharpie and a knife?
If it were me, I probably would not be able to resist the urge to make whatever inserts you develop compatible with a Gridfinity baseplate, because I am that kind of nerd.
To create perfectly console-shaped two dimensional inserts, or at least close enough, I would start by laying each system flat on a piece of paper and tracing around it with a narrow bodied mechanical pencil. Stick this in your scanner and make an image out of it, and then trace over that image at scale in the CAD software of your choice (FreeCAD is… free). This will automatically come with a built in amount of clearance in the amount of half of the width of the body of your pencil.
Just make a flat base with a wall sticking up maybe 2-3mm thick or more if you feel like it, to roughly half the height of each object. You can put some gaps in it if you prefer to have places to grab the item directly.
That’s clever. I’ve wantef an excuse to do gridfinity stuff for a whil. Should have thought of the scanner thing lol.
I am gonna check if there are existing modules already like another commenter suggested, but otherwise will use that paper truck
