Earpods Earplug Case

In college, I would constantly sleep over in friends' rooms or find myself in a situation where I need earplugs. I've tried many earplugs, but these seem to be the only ones that work without making my ears sore. Since the earplugs come in a container, I would have to carry them around loosely somewhere before using them. That's when I came up with this idea for EarPods; a simple magnetic case to hold my earplugs. These truly block out the sound and your environment all in a comfortable compact case. The case mimics the real AirPods case's opening and satisfying click sound. It's a really easy 2 part print with very little assembly.

Parts

Assembly

  1. Use hot glue or super glue to stick one magnet to each side of the case parts. Make sure they attract when they close; mark with a sharpie to be sure.
  2. Bend a paperclip straight and insert into the backside where the hinge lies. Pull out again and cut the excess paperclip.
  3. Put a dab of superglue or hot glue to seal the end of the hole where the paperclip was inserted to block it off.
  4. Let everything dry.

This is a nice simple technique for making hinges that aren't 3D printed. The paperclip is metal, so it should last longer than a purely 3D printed hinge.

Conclusion

The Earpods have been really convenient. After using them for the past 3 months, they have been an everyday carry item for me. They're light, compact, and fun to open and close, and I can definitely see myself using this hinge idea in another project down the line.