How to Make a Jewelry Box With a 3D Printer

This instructable was created in fulfillment of the project requirement of the Makecourse at the University of South Florida (www.makecourse.com). This is a jewelry box that I have created using Inventor. Some of the parts you will be seeing were made to fit in parts from Arduino so that they could function to the best extent.

Step 1: Step One: Knowing What I Wanted It to Do

For my box, I wanted there to be a way for a heart designed insert to rotate and spin when the box is opened. I also wanted this to be able to hold a piece of jewelry as it did this. So knowing what I wanted it to do, I figured out what all components I needed to have in order for the box to do this.

Step 2: Step Two: Create Box Parts Specialized for Arduino Components.

For the box, I decided I wanted the key features to be a distance sensor that could detect when the lid would be openned and a servo that would rotate about 180 degrees upon the sensor being activated. The sensor was set up so that when the lid was about 5 cm away, the servo would spin and an LED would turn on. The sensor sat about 3 cm away from the lid when the box was closed.

Step 3: Step Three: Coding the Arduino and Creating the Circuit

The code written here starts with the setup. I set the pins that I have used on the Arduino to the correct INPUT, OUTPUT, HIGH, and LOW. The loop then calls for the sensor to continuosly check the distance that the lid is from the sensor. After moving 5+ cm away, the sensor activates the servo and LED. The servo rotates the heart 180 degrees and the LED lights up. Then, when the lid is within 5 cm, the heart rotates back to its initial position and the LED turns off. For the circuit, I wired the Arduino to the bread board to make the power easier to spread around. From there, I set up the pins for the sensor, servo, and LED to use.

Step 4: Step Four: Printing Your Box Parts

After you've got every part you need create, you should go ahead and print them. This way, you can make sure every design you had was exactly what you needed them to be and make adjustments as needed.

Step 5: Step Five: Putting It All Together

After you have gotten everything the way you wanted it, it is time to put it all together. I used super glue first to get the back and both sides of the box in place. After that, I used some super glue and mostly sticky dots to hold the Arduino and wires to stay where I knew they would be able to work and do what I needed them to. From there, I set up the servo holder and sensor holder and put that in place. Following that it was the front of the box, the heart shaped jewelry holder, and the lid of the box. I used a 3D printed rod for the axel on the lid to keep it on the hinges and glued the front of the box to the base and sides and the heart holder to the servo. Lastly, I painted the box and connected the power source (9 volt battery).