Functional Pokéball - Nintendo Switch Game Cartridge Case by samk3ys

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

I wanted a cool way to hold my switch game carts and this is what I thought to do.
I modeled this pokéball a couple of months ago and it's one of my first big 3D printing projects; I'm quite proud of it and hope you all can enjoy it too. With the new Pokémon Let's Go games being announced I figured it's a great time to share!
Disclaimer: The switch logo is a trademark of Nintendo and the pokéball is a copyright of the Pokémon Company. I do not claim to own them.
Design
There's already quite a few nice pokéball designs on Thingiverse (see https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1615753 by MrFozzie, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:411193 by Intentional3D, & more), but none were exactly what I wanted. So I figured I'd improve my 3D modeling skills while making exactly what I want.
I made this in AutoDesk 123D Design, which is apparently discontinued now. I was going to share my design files until I heard that. However if you want the files to make any edits feel free to message me.
The pokéball can open and close (you can even add a small torsion spring to the hinge so it pops open). When printed at 100% size, you can use 1.75 mm filament as the hinge (I actually permanently melted the filament into the case using an old soldering iron). The button also has a spring in it and feels really nice. I used pen springs for the button and hinge (cut it and bent the ends), though you may be able to find nicer ones.
I made a few different layouts, but only printed the "9 carts" version so far. It's designed to hold tightly onto the cartridges, but not damage the game art b/c it has larger "windows" where the art is. The "9 carts - loose" does not have this, but shouldn't damage the art anyway. The "11 carts" may not leave much room to grab games if it's full. "flat" doesn't have any cartridge slots if you'd like a canvas to design your own. "hollow" is like a traditional pokéball and leaves more space for things other than cartridges. Each of the "carts" designs also have room for 2-4 micro-SD cards.
The bottom shell has a version called "90-degree cut", which simply guarantees the pokéball can open up to 90 degrees. Otherwise the top shell will hit the bottom shell before opening to a full 90 degrees. The top shell comes either original or with a cutout for a switch logo to be embedded.
Assembly
It's a modular design that should fit together easily. There are 5 parts: top outer shell, top inner shell, a button, bottom inner shell, and bottom outer shell. There are a few different versions for some parts (shown in 3D models).
Also, the button is 3 different parts (button, shell, & latches). To assemble put a spring (got mine from a pen) in the button cylinder and insert it into the shell. Hold that in place and push the latches in (may have to cut/sand the edges off). You may also have to glue the latches in depending on if they stay by themselves or fall out (button-tight may have more luck staying put). Be careful putting the button into the ring on the top inner shell (probably the most fragile part of the print, but should be pretty strong after getting the button in)
Make sure to remove all support material, especially where the button latches to the bottom inner shell, or else the ball may not be able to stay closed.
If you opt for the Switch Logo insert it may have to be sanded to fit properly into the top outer shell. I actually sanded the white logo edges and then stuck it in the freezer and later shoved it into place.
First get the button assembled and put into the top inner shell, lining the latch up with where it goes in the bottom inner shell. The outer shells fit onto their respective inner shells (they're keyed and will only fit one way) and should be glued once you have a fit you like. Then the top and bottom half fit together and a hinge (1.75 mm filament) can be inserted. This is the time to insert a torsion spring if you have one (it can be very tricky to position correctly and get the hinge in). I recommend hot gluing the ends of that spring onto the inner shells. Make sure the pokéball opens and closes to your liking and you're done! Message me if you need any help. I may try to make a video the next time I can print one (may not be until Fall).
I didn't design a stand, but there's a lot of nice ones. I really liked this one by xlitec13 (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:656385).
Hope you like the design!