Introduction: EarPods Earplug Case

By Souzou Maker
About: My name is Eammon Littler and I'm a college student interested in the field of engineering, robotics, and programming. 想像 (souzou) is the Japanese word for imagining, which I find myself constantly doing, and …

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.

Step 1: Parts

Step 2: 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.

Step 3: 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.