Fidget Pi (not the jerk in charge of the FCC)

chris1 · March 15, 2018, 6:10pm

I made a bunch of these for a work event yesterday and I almost forgot to take picture before I gave them away.

Tom_A · March 15, 2018, 6:25pm

Very nice!

I’m guessing that’s acrylic?
If I may, how’d you get the crisp white numbers?
Also, did you make or purchase the center holder thingy? (I’m sure this has a proper name.)

anticzcom · March 15, 2018, 6:31pm

These are great.

You were close, it’s my understanding the proper name is the ‘center holder thingamajig’ but I’ve not found a source for these. Perhaps @chris1 knows an alternative name and source?

karaelena · March 15, 2018, 6:33pm

Fidget Spinner Caps.

https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-Holody-Spinner-Bearings-Plastic/dp/B072MWSMGK/

Back when fidget spinners where the rage, I used to machine them out of 6061 (Aluminum)

drathus · March 15, 2018, 6:39pm

It looks like there’s an engraved layer of clear acrylic over a colored acrylic. So the engraving on the clear stands out.

Tom_A · March 15, 2018, 6:43pm

Ya know, when I was looking at the pics the left one made me think that, too. But I wasn’t sure. And now that I look closer, that’s probably the case. But now I’m not sure if these are “single-sided” or not. Would be hilarious to do the other side and just have the number continue from where it leaves off on the 1st side.

Jules · March 15, 2018, 6:45pm

Very cool! I like the Pi addition.

chris1 · March 15, 2018, 7:40pm

Yes, the text is back engraved on clear acrylic, and there’s an unengraved piece of opaque acrylic behind it. The bearings are very tight and hold everything together like a bought one.

It’s the same as Miscellaneous Projects, Not Elsewhere Classified where you can see the layers more easily. Since I have the template from that one, it’s easy enough to open it up and change the text for a different occasion.

The caps and bearings are purchased from Amazon. I’ve been ordering the parts in bulk-ish whenever the prices look good (they vary a lot) so I’ve got everything in stock when I want to make some. These are the products I’ve used:

Cheap bearings for outside weights (and the spinner after a generous cleaning with WD-40, if the recipient doesn’t deserve a deluxe model)
Ceramic bearing for people worthy of a $6 upgrade, 3 models: 1, 2, 3. I’m sure people who are really into fidget spinners can tell the difference and care, but I can’t and don’t.
Caps. I’ve 3D printed some, but it’s easier to buy them.

The original design I got from a web site I don’t have the link to on this computer, but I can find it later. Assuming the license allows redistribution, I’ll post my file.

ptodd · March 17, 2018, 1:10am

These are great!

YawString · March 17, 2018, 1:38am

Thanks for taking the time to provide the product links you’ve used!

chris1 · March 17, 2018, 7:45pm

Here’s the link to the files: Customizable Fidget Spinner

YawString · April 30, 2018, 9:25pm

Thanks @chris1! Finally got around to ordering some parts. Great design, went together perfect!

YawString · May 1, 2018, 8:54pm

I found the design easy to customize. Using Inkscape, I duplicated the outer cutline and used [Path->Inset] to shrink it just a little bit – created my custom text and used [Text->Put On Path] – edited the text for length, converted the text to an object and mirrored. I’m quite happy with how it turned out, thanks again!