Bittle Robot Storage and Travel Box
Update Post 1:
This update is taken from my thingiverse post (see the link below).
While the original "v0.10" box with round corners is suitable for storage, it is not optimal for travel. The Bittle robot, when collapsed, has a rectangular shape so a box with square corners is better for carrying around or packing in your luggage. Such a box provides a tighter fit to hold the robot more securely (little "rattling"). I also found that the original box top was unnecessarily tall.
I have therefore added a "v0.11" version with square corners and a shorter box top. The box bottom comes in 3 heights (Short = 50 mm, Medium = 60 mm, Tall=70 mm). My preferred size is the the Short since it very closely fits the Bittle robot. This is the size I have photographed (with the red box top).
The other sizes are useful if you want to put additional padding and/or items like sensors. Of course, with the .json and .scad file you can alter these dimensions any way you like!
Note that all sizes are internal measurements and the wall / floor thicknesses are 3 mm.
@DarwinJS asked below what I thought the minimum internal height could be. I speculated that an internal height of 45 mm would work. However, in the event, 45 mm seemed too short and I didn't want to waste print time and filament so I went with 50 mm for my "preferred" size. Perhaps some brave soul, with lots of print time and filament on their hands (or really good measuring tools), can determine the true minimum internal height!
Again, go to my thingiverse post for the files but here are some pictures of my now preferred square corner box.
Original Post:
This little 3D printing project was inspired by a post from @DarwinJS (link) regarding a printable travel case for Bittle. I too have wanted a sturdy "Bittle-sized" box for my robot so here is the simple one that I made.
The box uses the OpenSCAD parametric design approach (see https://openscad.org/ ). I have posted the .stl files and the OpenSCAD files on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6824459). The box bottom is close fitting in the "XY" dimensions but has some extra height to allow for added padding during transport. Also, the box top (lid) fits fairly tightly so it should not come off during transport.
The nice thing about the OpenSCAD parametric design approach is that, with the .scad file and the .json file I supplied, anyone can easily tweak the dimensions to get the exact fit you want.
Hopefully others will find this a useful addition! 😀
@DarwinJS, on my Bittle, neglecting the wires that I added to access the ports on the Hat Extension, I estimate a Bottom internal height of about 45 mm (plus whatever you want to add for padding below or above the robot) might work for your situation. Still I recommend you take some careful measurements on your Bittle. If this measurement is accurate, I would also reduce the Top internal height to about half of the bottom height (so about 22 mm). This is partly for esthetics and partially to make the lid a bit easier to remove.
BTW, this was just a quick first design. The current box is fine for storage but for transport, I think more optimization is needed. For example, I am not happy with how the front corners act as pressure points for the front leg "knee" joints.
Regardless of the design, I think padding / blocking is needed to keep Bittle from rattling around in the box and thereby getting damaged during transport.
<Update: The new design with square corners and tighter tolerances means little or no padding / blocking is needed to keep Bittle from rattling around!>
When you plan to transport your Bittle in some box/case, will you hand carry it or will you put into checked luggage (and all the extra shaking that implies)? Also, do you have any specific length, width or height restrictions or is the desire to merely "keep the box" as small as possible? Any further input from you and others in the forum on this topic would be appreciated.