Aug 10, 2015 | By Simon
When it comes to various creative processes - whether painting a picture, developing a product design, or testing circuit board layout - some of the most effective tools in a creative’s toolkit are oftentimes hacks that have been created for specific jobs.
Thanks to the low cost of 3D printing, a lot of creatives have generously modeled these hacks in 3D for 3D printing purposes and have been actively sharing them on platforms such as Thingiverse and Instructables over the past few years. Among other creative hacks, the Mechanical Wire Prototyping Pencil from Instructables user Proto G is likely to be one of the most useful tools for those who prototype with printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Using a simple, easy-to-find Papermate .5 mm mechanical pencil, Proto G has designed a 3D printed attachment for the plastic pencil that transforms it from a writing instrument to a dispensable storage vessel for .5 mm magnet wire. According to Proto G, the hack was inspired by “the old school roadrunner and verowire wiring pencils.”
Because the magnet wire has an enamel that melts away with the heat of a soldering iron, there is no need for stripping the wires. To use the hacked pencil, a user simply dispenses approximately one-half-inch of wire at a time and holds it to the solder joint until the enamel melts back. Once the solder has hardened, the wire can be “clicked and dragged” using the material dispense function on the mechanical pencil for moving onto the next solder joint.
“I like to use tweezers and snips like in the video,” explains Proto G. “You can even use thin solder to make a soldering pencil to go with your wiring pencil.”
Like most other 3D printing hacks, one of the best parts about the project is how easy it is to print and assemble. In total, all that is need for the project is a Paper Mate Clear Point 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil, magnet wire with solderable enamel (with a diameter of 0.5mm or less), any nut and screw with 0.2" diameter or less, super glue and of course, the 3D printed components, which have been generously supplied by Proto G.
Once the STL files - which include spool halves for the wire - have been 3D printed, the halves are glued together to create a spool for the wire. Once this has been completed, the pencil clip is inserted into the spool holder and attached with the screw and nut.
Needless to say, this is one of the better hacks that we’ve seen for hackers and tinkerers in awhile.
To download the STL files and read the instructions in-full, be sure to head over to the project’s Instructables page.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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