Its not always convenient to place the Echo Dot on a flat surface. A wall mount is sometimes more suitable and practical. You can obviously just use double sided tape and attach it to the wall but why do it if you can 3D print your own mount.

Supplies

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation speaker
Autodesk Fusion360 (or any other good 3D design software)
3D Printer + Filament
Time

Step 1: Design Base Form

The design starts off as a flat disc. The outer diameter of the disk should match the diameter of your Echo Dot 3 speaker.

The next step is to extrude the side walls, to form a cylinder. This will form the basis for the side grips of the mount.

Divide the cylinder into three equals spaced parts such that you can cut out the cylinder walls leaving the "side grips" exposed. I used some Gide lines from the centre of the disc to the cylinders edge, at 120deg from each other. Then repeat the process, offset in either direction, such that you can mark out the grip edges.

Fusion 360, allows you to easily extrude the unwanted parts in a negative direction, thereby eliminating them from your design. What you should be left with is something like in the images above.

Step 2: Design Finishing Touches

Once you achieve the base form of the mount, you will need to add some finishing touches. The most important is the grip at the top of the mount. This grip needs to curve and form around the top of the Echo Dot 3 speaker such that when the speaker is mounted on a vertical surface, the speaker does not fall out.

To get the nice rounded edges, I used the fillet tool in Fusion 360. That gave the edges on the inside of the grips a nice smooth surface.

All the angles in the design are such that when you 3D printing this design you don't need supports.

Step 3: 3D Printing

This is the most rewarding part of ethical design process. This is where you find out if your design will actually work or fit your needs. If you took your time measuring out your requirements, then I am sure your final product will be spot on.

It took me 3 test prints to get this perfect. The biggest issue was getting the grips form around the sides of the curved speaker.

TIP: Rather than test print the whole design, cut up the design such that you are left with only one grip and part of the base. This will significantly reduce your print time and allow you to quickly see where you need to make the adjustments.

Here was my printing setup:

Printed on: Prusa i3 MK3
Filament used: 3D Fillies PLA+ Marble
Print mode: No supports
Print quality: 0.2mm
Print time: 2hr 5min

Step 4: Conclusion

I have added a screw mount into the bottom of the design if you need to permanently mount it on the wall. However I found that just applying two strips of double sided tape easily holds up the mount with the speaker.

For any additional design ideas and information, please visit www.candco.com.au