for the first episode of this series I'm going to take the classic at
sketch and use 3d printing to make a newer more modern version this new
version that I've designed lets you turn your cell phone into a digital edge of
sketch but before we talk too much about that let's pay our respects and take a
quick look at how the classic version works so how does an etch-a-sketch work
well it's pretty ingenious gray aluminum powder that is sealed inside coats the
glass screen this is what gives the screen its gray color here you can see
I'm draining that aluminum powder out of the hole I just drilled in the corner
this is a close-up of the aluminum powder where you can see there's
something else mixed in we'll talk about that shortly an internal stylist think
fine pointed scraper is controlled by these two white knobs this stylus then
scrapes the powder off the screen very thin lines and this is what lets you
draw on an etch-a-sketch this image calls out the stylus itself what you see
is mounted on two rods that tie back to the two control knobs through a wire and
pulley system that you see in the corners I've taken the stylus and I'm
using it to etch away a thin line so you can see the full effect
raising the image is done by shaking the etch-a-sketch
remember those beads that were mixed in with the aluminum powder
all those helped to smooth out and redistribute the powder across the glass
which resets the drawing area when you step back and think about it it's a
really interesting device no batteries or electronics a dead simple user
interface and unlike me people are able to make amazing artwork with it
now let's see how I made the newer more modern version first I designed the cell
phone sketcher in SolidWorks
then I printed it out on my lulzbot has six 3d printer links to the STL files
are in the video description the free app I use for Android devices is called simple draw so here's where the blending
of old and new gets interesting I found some neat benefits of being able easier
cell phone as an etch-a-sketch you can adjust the pointer size you can save
your sketches this makes making mistakes less deadly you can actually lift the
stylus off the screen and move it to a different location this is very
different than the original sketch you can use eraser mode to erase selective areas of the screen and adjusting the
pointer size helps you do it better you can of course clear the whole screen at
the push of a button and finally you can draw in different colors let's take a
look at how the cell phone sketcher works and how it compares to the classic
edge of sketch the cell phone itself as held on a platform which moves in one
direction this moves by means of a rack & pinion mechanism a conductive stylus
is mounted in another rack and pinion mechanism which moves in the other
direction this stylus is spring-loaded and can move up and down to accommodate the different heights of various phone
types as I mentioned earlier you can pull the stylus upward to break contact
with the screen as with the classic version it has two knobs that let you
control what is being drawn on the hole the implication of this is much simpler
than the classic version except that you need a highly sophisticated self
touchscreen cell phone to make it work but you know details there are some
downsides to this current design which are mostly due to making it as 3d
printer friendly as possible the controls are not as accurate or smooth
as a classic version and the stylus tip partially obscures the drawing area if
you are planning on printing and building one of these please read the
assembly guide that I have included written and included with the files I
found some interesting and slightly annoying differences between
Apple and Android devices there's enough overall interest in this sign I'll do a
more detailed video on assembly and those differences that I found between
Apple and Android I hope you like this cell phone sketcher and a look we took
it as grandfather the classic edge of sketch links to STL files and any
materials needed to make the newer version are in the video description if
you do print one please share pictures with me on social media links to my
Twitter and Instagram are below finally if you want to help the channel grow and
encourage me to make more interesting designs please take a look at my patreon
page thanks for watching keep your eye out for the next old and new episode
you