Summary
- This 3D-printable mechanical DVD logo mimics the iconic screensaver with corner hits and looks surprisingly authentic.
- It uses two DC motors, a rack-and-pinion system, bearings, and magnets to move the logo; no soldering or processor required.
- Build costs around $58 in hardware, requires 1.1 kg of filament, and 35 hours of printing time; beginner-friendly but time-consuming.
The problem with watching the DVD logo bounce around the screen is that, at some point, someone’s going to actually want to watch a movie on that screen. But what if you had a homemade mechanical device that endlessly bounced a DVD logo around a screen so you could celebrate corner hits forever? Well, that’s exactly what this 3D-printable project lets you do.
This mechanical bounding DVD logo uses 3D-printed parts and magnets
It looks surprisingly good
As spotted by Hackster.io, this cool project was the idea of hugo.workshop over on Makerworld. It’s a cool build which emulates the bouncing DVD logo on a 3D-printed screen, and yes, it includes corner hits. You can see it in action in the video above; note how it really does look like a TV screen with the DVD screensaver playing on it.
So, how did hugo.workshop manage this? Well, they grabbed two DC motors, made a rack and pinion system, some bearings, and some magnets to get everything working. The motors move two arms on the back, which in turn move the DVD logo with magnets. The rack and pinion system ensures the logo swaps direction when it hits a wall.
Here’s how the arms move in unison:
“The X-track sits horizontally and moves the Y-track left-right, using the track’s geometry and magnets to pull the pivoted motor to each direction. The track is constrained and aligned by bearings on the top and bottom. The top-down movement is controlled by the carriage on the Y-track, also sitting on bearings, with the same switching mechanism as the X-track. Move both tracks at the same time, and it moves diagonally, which is the objective here.”
Hugo.workshop warns that the build is expensive, as it requires 1.1 KG of filament and €50 (around $58) in hardware. It also takes 35 hours of printing to make everything. Despite this, the creator flags this as a beginner-friendly build, as you don’t have to solder anything. It doesn’t even need a processor of any kind; it just runs by itself. Still, it does seem pretty daunting for a total newbie, so cut your teeth on smaller projects before tucking into this one.
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