3D Printed Pan Tilt IPad Mount

I am currently an Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student at Washington State University. In our final year, we complete a course called senior design. For my team’s senior design project we were tasked with creating an Assistive Device for the Seeing Impaired.

What that actually meant was a remotely controlled iPad device stand that could pan, tilt, and move up and down.

When a sight impaired person looses something in their home, they have to wait for a relative to come help them find it. This is a significant set back and inconvenience to the life of the sight impaired person.

Our goal was to create a system where a sighted family member could log in from where ever they are, and control a pan, tilt, and vertical movement iPad mount in the sight impaired person's home. This system would provide a video feed so that they two parties can communicate.

Note: This instructable is a work in progress so there are more photos links and instructions to come.

The first thing you'll need to do is print all of the mechanical parts. If you have access to a 3D printer you can use that, otherwise there are lots of online services where you can order parts.

You'll need:

- The base

- The pan mechanism

- The Z-axis section

- The small piece of the iPad case

- The large piece of the iPad case

- The tilt motion

- The braille plaques for on and off (if you are using this for sight-impairment)

What you'll need:

- 1 12 inch 8mm ACME rod

- 1 12 inch 8mm rod

- 1 ACME anti-backlash nut

- 2 Linear motion bearings

- 2 screws with lock nuts

- 2 servos

- 2 stepper motor

- 12 long screws and nuts

- 1 lead screw

- Large flat piece of wood

- 1 slide switch

- 2 limit switches

- Zip Ties

- Hot Glue

Take the two halves of the iPad case. Slide the iPad first into the bigger piece, then slide the smaller piece on until it clicks.

Take the two servos and long screws, and affix one to the pan mechanism, and one to the tilt mechanism.

Using one of the screws that comes with the servos, and another screw and bolt, attach the tilt mechanism to the pan mechanism.

Attach the pan mechanism to the base using one of the screws that came with the servo.

Drill 2 8mm holes in the piece of wood to match the holes in the z-axis part that you printed. Hammer in the rebar.

Attach the ACME screw to the stepper motor.

Put the ACME nut on the ACME screw and screw it on to the Z-axis Platform.

Attach the pan tilt mechanism to the Z-axis platform and put the iPad case on the stand.