For Christmas last year, my family bought a Playstation VR bundle. It’s great fun, but it’s also two more controllers that need to be stored and charged. While there are charging docks available to purchase, I thought it would be a fun project to attempt making a dock with usb cables and a 3D printer. Below is the finished product:
The body and the base are two separate pieces, which when adhered together with a bit of double-sided tape lock the USB cables in place between them. The Micro B ends are held in the base with more tape; The openings are just big enough to fit MOST Micro B connectors with a little extra room, but you might want to measure yours. I used Q968-ND and AE10418-ND as these gave me the proper lengths to come together (about 200mm difference). Digi-Key carries a small 4 port usb hub (TL1236-ND)that has the ability to be externally powered, I use that as it can provide enough current to charge all 4 devices at once. You could glue the connectors in, but I prefer to be able to replace the cables if something happens to one. The following pics are during test fits, so they won’t match the final product. Here is the body and the base viewed separately:
You can see here the micro B connectors just fit into the openings, and a little bit of double sided tape on one side of the connector is enough to hold them securely so the controllers won’t push or pull them out of place.
To assemble, simply insert the Micro B ends of the usb cables through the bottom of the base and out the top. Add your tape, glue, gum, whatever to the connector and pull it back into the base so the connector housing is flush with the opening leaving only the metal exposed and standing up. Make sure the rounded side of the connector is facing the front of the base (the back has two slots for the wrist straps.) If you have older versions of the Move controllers that use Mini B usb, any one of these cables should work, but again, you may need to adjust the size of the opening. I’ve linked to an editable version of the files down below if you want or need to make changes.
Feed the cables through the slots at the bottom of the body, then mount it into the base being careful to align the cables with the slots there as well.
After everything was assembled, I realized that I had no way of seeing the tiny little status LED on the front of the controllers, so I couldn’t tell if they were charging or not. Taking some careful measurements, I drilled two holes in the front of the body and glued in a couple of light pipes (L70570-ND in the final version) to bring out the light. It’s not very bright and alignment is somewhat of an issue since there is a small amount of play in the controllers when mounted, but it’s enough to tell if they’re charging or not.
I used OnShape to create the 3D models. Onshape is a terrific online CAD tool, and free to hobby users. The files I created are below.
PS charger - base.stl (1.3 MB)
PS charger - controller 1.stl (2.4 MB)
PS charger - controller 2.stl (2.4 MB)
Move - Move charger.stl (3.2 MB)
Link to editable files on OnShape You will need to have a valid OnShape account and be logged in to edit the files. Just click “make a copy” in order to save to your own account and make changes.
Print it with your preferred printer and plastic - in addition to almost any electronic component you might need, Digi-Key carries a variety of printers and filaments if you’re in the market.