Received mine very recently. I am just amazed at the perfect fit and this is obviously for every single one produced of course. Incredible what cane be done these days. Maybe a time lapsed video of one being printed or is that too geeky ?! Brilliant job !
Thanks bud! It’s on the to do list to make a “behind the scenes” video once I’m caught up with the backlog. For those wondering the parts are designed with 0.1 to 0.15mm tolerance, hence the fit, it took a lot of prototyping 😆
Excellent, got mine Wednesday and it looks great. I forgot to put that fiddly little aerial connector on before sticking the board in the case. OMG what a nightmare. Took it apart again. The case is perfect.
A tip with the U.FL/SMA cable/connector installation. I noticed the U.FL was a little twisted when you were connecting it to the Heltec. While the connector soldered to the board is unlikely to break away, you want to avoid torsional twisting forces along the coaxial cable. It's better to connect the U.FL to the Heltec first and then wrangle the SMA connector into place after carefully curving the cable into the best location. The SMA connector has six positions in can go into the case hole, chose the one that applies the smallest twist to the cable 🙂
The fit and finish of my two are excellent. I did my build. in a completely different order and it was hard going. This video explains it very well. Thanks.
Thanks Tony! The prints face down on the bed so it's impossible to raise that surface of the buttons... unless the raised surface is a separate part that is glued/bonded to the face. That isn't completely unfeasible so I'll think on it, thanks!
Two received last week. First class, perfect fit. One question, how do you get the texture on the front and rear face. Is it the print bed? Cheers, Keith G0FEA
Glad it arrived safely! My plan is to release an adapter that allows the use of a flat 2000mah LIPO cell, that will than free up space for a GPS module. Strictly for the tinker crowd though due to the soldering required :D
I had a GT U7 GPS laying around that I just managed to fit into the case with some minor cosmetic modifications. Quick soldering job to connect some pins and got the GPS to work with the existing case. Seems to work just fine :)
Looking forward to getting my 2nd batch. I have a noob question, though, will the battery charge via the USB-C connection on the heltec as well as power the board (and safely!)? I'm wondering if I should buy some Li-Po chargers.
I charges via the USB-C with no issues bud, no charger needed! The Heltec has over charge protection for one cell batteries, it doesn't have under-volt protection but dies long before draining a battery to a point that it would damage it (around 3.2v in testing by a Bender user)
Heheh the WisBlock's are in my draw awaiting treatment! This is my second and likely final HeltecV3 case before I move on to Lilygo and WisBlock. The advantage the Heltec has over the other boards is size, how small could a node possibly be... just wait :D
Went together. Did the antenna connector before seating the board. Best to seat the antenna connector from the front so the wire is ready to connect to the board, as opposed to inserting from the back and having to bend the wire around to the front later. The nut tool broke, of course. Otherwise the fit was excellent on the parts. Well done.
Yep I would have gone back and re-recorded changing that step but TH-cam doesn’t let you edit things, really dumb. I of course did it the hard way just to test people…. 😆
Does the battery box take Protected or Unprotected 18650s? I'm guessing since I see a spring, then it takes protected cells? thanks! My Bender should be delivered very soon!
Bender is a case for a HeltecV3 lora radio board. That board runs Meshtastic, a mesh communication system for off grid messaging. Check out Ringway Manchester’s video guide that explains it well.
There is less than 1mm between the button and the surround so you need a perfect first layer. So it’s worth just calibrating your first layer, no other setting will make much difference.
I know I am not alone in the worst part about these modules is that UFL connector, so much so that I often wonder if I should solder the SMA straight to the pads.
If you attach the UFL before inserting the board into the case it’s not too difficult. I’ve only had one person mangle the connector, that was on the cable at least and didn’t damage the board connector.
Does anyone know where I can get a few Heltec V3's that are in stock? I ordered a bunch from the Heltec site a couple months ago and they still haven't shipped yet.
@@zerofox3d Thanks a ton! Forgive the noob question but are these ones pre-assembled? I'm more of a firearm nerd than a comms one, so I don't have any tools for (or experience with) soldering but I can improvise if necessary.
Aliexpress had them, but uk resellers are scamming people by buying them up and selling them for silly prices. I paid £21 Inc delivery for 2 within 3 weeks.
Is there such thing as a Wirral accent? I was born in Hull and brought over here just as I was learning to talk so always thought I ended up with the pretty neutral, hard to place accent... maybe thats a Wirral accent though! I always say it's "Posh Scouser" even though I ain't posh! :)
@zerofox3d Yup! That's the Wirral accent for you, Liverpool One side, Wales the other, bit of Irish over the pond, and posh Chinshire below! Pretty neutral 🤣 I always go with Plastic Scouser, "Plazzi Scouser"
I don't think the TH-cam audience is ready for the term "plazzi".... "Hey lads check out mi plazzi cases for dis boss little radio thingy, it's mint LAAAAAA"
@zerofox3d Aye our kid, forgot about all dem der who won't get us, probably easier to understand on ere rather than a chin wag on the radio. Anyways larr!, I'll be on them pazzi cases when me giro'a in, they are boss!
I broke the little tool. Don’t take that the wrong way lol. The hex tool. The man himself said it’s a torque wrench after I broke it that’s the exact torque it for lol
@@chandlertechnologyI started rationing hex tools to get things out quicker 😆 I’ve now changed the design of the hex tool, now uses half the material, prints in half the time and is stronger 😄
The cost is more than just plastic. It’s weeks of my time developing it. It’s the hardware which is included. It’s my Dad’s time preparing all the battery boxes and JST cables. My manufacturing partners time soldering all the cables. My wife’s time doing all the packaging. It’s the cost of building a print farm, renting an office, paying tax. There is profit, of course, but it’s not exorbitant and I have yet to receive a single complaint in over 1000 orders. Here’s an offer for you, buy one and if you don’t agree it was worth the cost I’ll refund it 😉
@@zerofox3d I do understand that being a 3d printer guy. But I still find it to be expensive. Add 25% for Canadian currency exchange and it's over the top
@@cukymonster33 Bender is 19.99 GBP, that’s 34 Canadian dollars. Add international shipping and tax (if you actually get charged) and the total should be under 60 Canadian, not sure how you get to 100 dollars. I sell the files for £9 too bye the way. I wish it could be cheaper but I have kids that demand food and I don’t own a cow. Of course you can just not buy it, free will is a wonderful thing! 😆 (Irony here is it was the badgering of a lovely Canadian chap that made me offer international shipping and dealing with the logistics in the first place 😂)
@@zerofox3d I'm so very sorry. I'm in Peru right now and the currency is in Peruvian Soles. For $1.00CDN you can buy almost 3 soles. I did not notice the posted currency. Makes more sense now ....
Received mine very recently. I am just amazed at the perfect fit and this is obviously for every single one produced of course. Incredible what cane be done these days. Maybe a time lapsed video of one being printed or is that too geeky ?! Brilliant job !
Thanks bud! It’s on the to do list to make a “behind the scenes” video once I’m caught up with the backlog.
For those wondering the parts are designed with 0.1 to 0.15mm tolerance, hence the fit, it took a lot of prototyping 😆
Excellent, got mine Wednesday and it looks great. I forgot to put that fiddly little aerial connector on before sticking the board in the case. OMG what a nightmare. Took it apart again.
The case is perfect.
A tip with the U.FL/SMA cable/connector installation. I noticed the U.FL was a little twisted when you were connecting it to the Heltec. While the connector soldered to the board is unlikely to break away, you want to avoid torsional twisting forces along the coaxial cable. It's better to connect the U.FL to the Heltec first and then wrangle the SMA connector into place after carefully curving the cable into the best location. The SMA connector has six positions in can go into the case hole, chose the one that applies the smallest twist to the cable 🙂
That sir is a very good point! 👍 I’ll see if I can edit the vid later.
What a superb product, the quality of this is fantastic. Assembled mine in 2 mins. Brilliant price and service. If you have a Heltech V3 get this.
Thank you bud, appreciate it!
A well thought out product that looks great, especially in the best colour combination (black on black). It's so black, it's hard to photograph! 😆
The fit and finish of my two are excellent. I did my build. in a completely different order and it was hard going. This video explains it very well. Thanks.
As my instructions state Andy I fully expect you as a bloke to bin the instructions instantly!
As soon as I have watched this, I will be assembling mine. Thanks,- good looking case.
Thanks bud, glad you like it!
Nice one, just did My 'L' batch one now, great quality and instructions, thank you.
Glad it arrived safe! Wait till you see whats next after Bender :-)
brilliant just put mine together this morning arrived yesterday
I love the new branding. I wondered if future prints could have slightly raised buttons to make presses a little easier. I have hands like shovels!😂
Thanks Tony! The prints face down on the bed so it's impossible to raise that surface of the buttons... unless the raised surface is a separate part that is glued/bonded to the face. That isn't completely unfeasible so I'll think on it, thanks!
thanks! from Indianapolis, IN!
Two received last week. First class, perfect fit. One question, how do you get the texture on the front and rear face. Is it the print bed? Cheers, Keith G0FEA
Glad they arrived safely! It is indeed the bed surface, Prusa textured PEI sheets 😄
I got mine today, very excited to use it. I am wondering if you ever considered making it slightly bigger to allow the support of a GPS?
Glad it arrived safely! My plan is to release an adapter that allows the use of a flat 2000mah LIPO cell, that will than free up space for a GPS module. Strictly for the tinker crowd though due to the soldering required :D
I had a GT U7 GPS laying around that I just managed to fit into the case with some minor cosmetic modifications. Quick soldering job to connect some pins and got the GPS to work with the existing case. Seems to work just fine :)
Looking forward to getting my 2nd batch. I have a noob question, though, will the battery charge via the USB-C connection on the heltec as well as power the board (and safely!)? I'm wondering if I should buy some Li-Po chargers.
I charges via the USB-C with no issues bud, no charger needed! The Heltec has over charge protection for one cell batteries, it doesn't have under-volt protection but dies long before draining a battery to a point that it would damage it (around 3.2v in testing by a Bender user)
Really intrigued about the up n coming project teased on your mail shot, is it for Rak's per-chance?
Heheh the WisBlock's are in my draw awaiting treatment! This is my second and likely final HeltecV3 case before I move on to Lilygo and WisBlock. The advantage the Heltec has over the other boards is size, how small could a node possibly be... just wait :D
Went together. Did the antenna connector before seating the board. Best to seat the antenna connector from the front so the wire is ready to connect to the board, as opposed to inserting from the back and having to bend the wire around to the front later. The nut tool broke, of course. Otherwise the fit was excellent on the parts. Well done.
Yep I would have gone back and re-recorded changing that step but TH-cam doesn’t let you edit things, really dumb. I of course did it the hard way just to test people…. 😆
Great work！
Does the battery box take Protected or Unprotected 18650s? I'm guessing since I see a spring, then it takes protected cells? thanks! My Bender should be delivered very soon!
With a plain 18650 the spring has a lot of space so should not have an issue accommodating the extra 4mm of a protected cell 👍
Thanks Chris!
Never heard of this before, what does it do?
Bender is a case for a HeltecV3 lora radio board. That board runs Meshtastic, a mesh communication system for off grid messaging. Check out Ringway Manchester’s video guide that explains it well.
@@zerofox3dokay Meshtastic and LoRa I know, thanks for the reply
Nice job :)
The buttons on my own print don't come out very well defined/separated. Is there something I can change in my print settings?
There is less than 1mm between the button and the surround so you need a perfect first layer. So it’s worth just calibrating your first layer, no other setting will make much difference.
If you contact you node to a power source via the USB will this recharge your battery.
Yes the Heltec USB will charge the battery as long as Benders switch is in the ON position 👍
I know I am not alone in the worst part about these modules is that UFL connector, so much so that I often wonder if I should solder the SMA straight to the pads.
If you attach the UFL before inserting the board into the case it’s not too difficult. I’ve only had one person mangle the connector, that was on the cable at least and didn’t damage the board connector.
Have ordered mine and wanted to clarify, 18650 battery ……. does it matter if its flat too or button top type?
Either should be absolutely fine bud! Thanks for the order!
Does anyone know where I can get a few Heltec V3's that are in stock? I ordered a bunch from the Heltec site a couple months ago and they still haven't shipped yet.
This is the AliExpress seller I buy from: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004993320023.html
Week to ten days to arrive 👍
@@zerofox3d Thanks a ton! Forgive the noob question but are these ones pre-assembled? I'm more of a firearm nerd than a comms one, so I don't have any tools for (or experience with) soldering but I can improvise if necessary.
No problem! I solder the cable here, you literally just do as shown in the video and connect it up :-)
Aliexpress had them, but uk resellers are scamming people by buying them up and selling them for silly prices. I paid £21 Inc delivery for 2 within 3 weeks.
I need a order a couple andet my nodes out of project boxes.
Great hearing a local Wirral accent on TH-cam for a change.
73
Sean de 2E0SYA (Wallasey)
Is there such thing as a Wirral accent? I was born in Hull and brought over here just as I was learning to talk so always thought I ended up with the pretty neutral, hard to place accent... maybe thats a Wirral accent though! I always say it's "Posh Scouser" even though I ain't posh! :)
@zerofox3d Yup! That's the Wirral accent for you, Liverpool One side, Wales the other, bit of Irish over the pond, and posh Chinshire below!
Pretty neutral 🤣
I always go with Plastic Scouser, "Plazzi Scouser"
I don't think the TH-cam audience is ready for the term "plazzi".... "Hey lads check out mi plazzi cases for dis boss little radio thingy, it's mint LAAAAAA"
@zerofox3d Aye our kid, forgot about all dem der who won't get us, probably easier to understand on ere rather than a chin wag on the radio. Anyways larr!, I'll be on them pazzi cases when me giro'a in, they are boss!
I broke the little tool. Don’t take that the wrong way lol. The hex tool. The man himself said it’s a torque wrench after I broke it that’s the exact torque it for lol
Exactly, its a torque wrench you use once :)
@@zerofox3d ;-) but I got two cases and one tool... (I actually have pliers that can handle that nut)
@@chandlertechnologyI started rationing hex tools to get things out quicker 😆 I’ve now changed the design of the hex tool, now uses half the material, prints in half the time and is stronger 😄
$100.00 or a few once's of plastic.... no thanks
The cost is more than just plastic. It’s weeks of my time developing it. It’s the hardware which is included. It’s my Dad’s time preparing all the battery boxes and JST cables. My manufacturing partners time soldering all the cables. My wife’s time doing all the packaging. It’s the cost of building a print farm, renting an office, paying tax. There is profit, of course, but it’s not exorbitant and I have yet to receive a single complaint in over 1000 orders. Here’s an offer for you, buy one and if you don’t agree it was worth the cost I’ll refund it 😉
@@zerofox3d I do understand that being a 3d printer guy. But I still find it to be expensive. Add 25% for Canadian currency exchange and it's over the top
@@cukymonster33 Bender is 19.99 GBP, that’s 34 Canadian dollars. Add international shipping and tax (if you actually get charged) and the total should be under 60 Canadian, not sure how you get to 100 dollars. I sell the files for £9 too bye the way. I wish it could be cheaper but I have kids that demand food and I don’t own a cow. Of course you can just not buy it, free will is a wonderful thing! 😆 (Irony here is it was the badgering of a lovely Canadian chap that made me offer international shipping and dealing with the logistics in the first place 😂)
@@zerofox3d I'm so very sorry. I'm in Peru right now and the currency is in Peruvian Soles. For $1.00CDN you can buy almost 3 soles. I did not notice the posted currency. Makes more sense now ....
@@cukymonster33 Well that explains it 😂