IDispense - the Pencil Dispensing IPad Box

Hey, I'm Jacob! I'm a 16 year old getting ready to go back to school. This instructable will show you how to turn an old iPad box into a pretty neat pencil dispenser. As many of you already know, the iPad is an incredible device that is capable of so much. In order to have an iPad box like the one I used in this Instructable, you must have purchased an iPad. Unfortunately, my mom is the one who actually bought the iPad; she just gave me the box to "have fun with." I thought it was a pretty cool box, but I couldn't think of anything to make with it. I tried several ideas, but none of them seemed that interesting. After seeing the Back to School Contest, I began thinking of something to make. Finally, I came up with the idea to make a box that can hold and dispense your pencils with ease. This device is relatively simple, yet quite useful. The iDispense can be used on your desk at home or in your locker at school as a pencil storage box. I always seem to misplace my pencils at school, so whenever I need a new one, I can just get one out of the iDispense. You can watch the video to see how the iDispense works. The remainder of this Instructable will show you how to create your own iDispense.

Step 1: Materials Needed for This Project:

Creating the iDispense was fairly simple, and consisted of very few materials. The main component was the iPad box. The box is what housed all the materials needed to create the iDispense along with your pencils. Next, you will need some sort of cradboard-like material. I used some corrugated plastic sheets, but simple cardboard would be sufficient. You will also need scissors and a hot glue gun. These two items are essential. I also found an old motorized spinning mechanism that was used for a toy plane I use to own. I then used a drill and some duct tape for an extra step, but these items are not neccesary. Finally, you will need pencils, lots and lots of pencils to give the iDispense a purpose.  

Step 2: Beginning the Project:

Once you have gathered all of the materials, you can begin the physical construction. Before I began on this project, I layered the inside of the iPad box with construction paper - that is why the box is blue. This is not necessary for this project. Using the smaller portion of the box (not the lid), I removed the top layer of the box. Then, using corrugated plastic, I cut a strip that would fit into the iPad box at an angle. I hot glued this piece in at an angle so that the pencils would go to the lowest point of the box.

Step 3: Adding the Internal Slants:

After I finished the initial steps of this project, I began adding internal slants to the iPad box. Just like in the previous step, I added another piece of plastic at an angle except this one was at the top of the box. I then added a small triangular piece of plastic to act as a support for the slanted piece. I hot glued both of these pieces into the box. I then applied pressure to one side of the box, so the pieces would dry properly. Next, I added two more triangular support pieces for the next plastic slanted piece. Another internl slanted piece was added in the middle, and the project was doing alright so far.

Step 4: Drilling Entry and Exit Points for the Pencils:

After I hot glued all of the internal slanted pieces into the iPad box, I began drilling holes into the box for the pencils to enter and exit. In the first image, you can see a hole at the top for the pencils to enter and a larger hole at the bottom for the pencils to exit. I drilled through both parts of the box at once. Because the iPad box was relatively sturdy, the drill went through the sides with ease. If you don't have an accessable drill, you can use scrissors or an exacto knife for this part. I then used duct tape to tape the bottom slant of the box. This allowed for a smoother surface for the pencils to slide. You can see that the mechanical pencils, which I prefer, fit very nicely.

Step 5: Adding the Motor:

After I finished drilling all of the holes, I added the motor component. The motorized spinner was battery powered and consisted of a spinning mechanism and a button to operate the device. I began by tracing the spinng component on the bottom of the box. I then cut out the outline using an exacto knife. Scissors would work fine too. I placed the device into the cut out portion, and the spinner fit perfectly. I then aligned the button with the edge of the box. This was important becuase now you can operate the iDispense by simply applying pressure to the top of the box. I then taped the motor into place. I wanted to make the project a litte more complex with a better way of actually dispensing the pencils, but I didn't have enough time because of sports and other extracurricular activites.

Step 6: Almost Done:

After everything was in place, I still had to add one more internal slanted piece. Using two more triangular pieces of corrugated plastic, I created a place in which the pencils could rest before being dispensed. All I had left were a couple of finishing touches.

Step 7: Finishing Touches:

Once all of the steps were completed, all I had left to do was add the name. iDispense seemed to fit quite well. I taped the name on the sides, and I was finished! You can watch the video if you missed it earlier.