Dice Tower

Having created a previous project Inductive Dice the dice needed to land in a small area for the full effect which could prove difficult without some form of retainer. But I felt that something more than a simple retainer was required and wanting to show the effect in an interesting way, I adopted for a Dice Tower.

The Dice Tower is in the form of a medieval tower complete with spiral staircase, which would in the main be 3D printed with one exception being the main structure of the tower this would entail reusing a transparent fizzy drinks (soda/pop), bottle.

Although, intended to complement the Inductive Dice it will also work with a standard dice in which case the guide and the wireless changing pad can be left out.

Main Supplies

Filament - PLA Blue (although any colour to suit personal preference will suffice).

M3 bolts

M3 x 8mm bolts - Qty 4

M3 x 10mm bolts - Qty 4

M3 x 10mm threaded standoff

Transparent fizzy drinks (soda/pop), bottle. (~49 mm radius x 177(H) mm), 2 litre capacity.

Stainless steel rod (6mm (dia) x 45mm(L))

If it is to be used with the Inductive Dice the following is required:

Wireless charging pad - 100(dia) x 10(H) mm

Some components may have a MOL greater than the quantity specified in the component list.

Tools

3D Printer

Slicing software (E.g.Cura)

Sanding paper

Needle files

Scissors

Craft knife

Tri Square or Combination square.

Fine marker pen

3mm drill bit

6mm drill bit

6.5mm drill bit

Drill

Allen keys or Screwdrivers (subject to the type of M3 bolts available)

Mallet

Adhesive (capable of sticking PET bottles), I used T700 but as its black use sparingly to eliminate bleeding around edges.

Masking Tape

Fine tipped marker

Know your tools and follow the recommended operational procedures and be sure to wear the appropriate PPE.

No affiliation to any of the suppliers used in this project, feel free to use your preferred suppliers and substitute the elements were appropriate to your own preference or subject to supply.

Links valid at the time of publication.

Five 3D elements were designed in BlocksCAD and consist of the following:

1: Pommel (holds the Castellation top in place) - 16 x 16 x 19.4 mm

2: Castellated top (holds the clear cylinder in place and provides access to the staircase) - 103.3 x 103.3 x 15 mm

3: Spiral staircase - 102.3 x 102.3 x 174.5 mm

4: Arena (bounded area into which the dice comes to rest) - 169 x 193 x 42 mm

5: Guide (ensures the wireless die comes to rest in the centre of the wireless charging pad) - 130 x 129.6 x 17.3 mm

Print settings for most pieces are as follows.

Layer Height: 0.15mm

Wall Thickness: 2mm

Infill Density: 25%

Infill Pattern: Tri-Hexagon

Base Adhesion: Skirt with the exception of the Arch which has a Brim.

No supports

Exceptions to the main settings for specific parts.

The larger pieces (staircase & arena), have long print times >12hrs*.

The Castellation top and Guide print times are ~4Hrs* each.

For the Pommel the Infill Density is set to 100% for a print time of ~ 30mins*.

*Print times may vary subject to the printer, software and settings diferences and should be viewed only as a guide.

Some post processing in the form of filing and sanding may be required subject to print quality to remove strings or blobs that may be obscuring holes or result in uneven surfaces.

Do not smooth the outer edge of the guide too much as it designed to be a tight fit to retain its position when fitted.

Holes in the base and staircase to accomodate the M3 bolts will require opening with a 3mm drill bit.

The centre hole in the staircase & castellation top require a 6mm drill bit and the pommel requires a 6.5 mm drill bit to open the holes.

A clear plastic bottle forms the walls of the tower but it needs to be prepared for use.

Empty the contents, wash and remove the label, some glue may remain on the surface which can be removed by rubbing with a light penetrating oil on a cloth.

Take a bottle with a uniform radius of ~49 mm over most of its length, cut off the bottom and the top to leave a tube of 177mm in length.

On the particular bottle used a faint ring was evident just above the point were the radius reduces and similarly on the top. These marks were used to identify the cut points, other bottles may not have these identification marks.

In the absence of predefined marks using a tri square put the part of the body that forms a right angle with the ruler on the bottom of the bottle. If the bottom is uneven tape a coaster to the bottom to create a flat area to sit the tri square.

Measure up from the base past the curve to a point were the radius become uniform and make a mark with a pen.

With the tri square in contact with the base rotate the bottle at 45 degree intervals marking each of these points until one revolution has been completed. Wrap a piece of tape around the circumference aligned to the marks previously made.

Repeat the process on the top part of the bottle.

Make a slit close to the line with a craft knife and with a pair of scissors taking care not to crush the bottle cut along the line to remove both the top and the bottom leaving an open cylinder.

Using the cylinder created from the bottle an exit arch is required to allow the dice to exit the spiral staircase.

Take the arch previously printed and using it as a template position it to the outside of the cylinder at the end which will sit at the base of the spiral staircase. Ensure the base of the arch is level with the base and rim of the cylinder by sitting the cylinder on its rim, tape the arch to the bottle by its front without the tape extending into the inner perimeter.

Mark the inner perimeter of the arch, remove the template and cut out along the line with scissors.

Apply a suitable adhesive and position the 3D printed arch around the opening and press in place, if necessary hold in place with tape until the adhesive cures.

The staircase is attached to the castellated top by a metal tube (6mm (dia) x 45(L)mm).

Prepare a chrome plated M3 x 10mm hollow standoff by filing the edges on one end to create a shallow taper.

(The chrome plated M3 standoffs were a little wider for a snug fit compared to the non plated brass standoff, this may simply be down to supplier variations).

The taper is to allow the standoff to just fit into the inner edge of the steel tube without falling out.

Into the other end of the steel tube insert a bolt or nail with a flat head that overlaps the tube circumference.

Hold the tube on end with the standoff facing downwards and place it on the flat top surface of a vice or wooden block. Lightly tap the bolt/nail head with a hammer to drive the standoff into the tube.

Remove the nut/nail, glue and insert this open end of the tube into the staircase column to a depth of ~30mm

The staircase is attached to the arena with 3 x M3 X 10mm bolts.

These are fitted up through the bottom of the area platform.

Ensure to align the end of the staircase toward the centre of the arena prior to fixing in place.

Siide the transparent cylinder over the staircase with the exit arch facing towards the centre of the arena.

Position the lower rim of the transparent cylinder into the groove in the base of the staircase.

Slide the castellated top over the 6mm diameter metal tube and align the groove in its underside with the transparent cylinder and press down to sit on the transparent cylinder.

Press the pommel over the metal tube, adjust the opening in the castellated top to align with the upper part of the staircase to enable the dice to fit and fall down the stairs.

Fit a M3 x 10mm bolt into the end of the pommel and tighten,

If using with the inductive die, a wireless charging pad is required for which provision has been made.

Pass the USB plug under the arena base and out through the small slot and plug in the charging pad.

The space in the arena is designed for a circular charger with diameter of ~100mm and a depth of ~10mm.

Sit the charging pad into the cavity.

Due to the rapid falloff in the magnetic field from the centre of the charging pad the dice has a limited area in which to land to activate the appropriate side. Therefore, a guide is included to ensure the dice lands in the central area of the charging pad.

The circular guide has a central hole and a inner banking which is steeper at the back to guide the dice to the central opening.

Fit the guide with the flat side facing the charging pad and orientating it with the highest and steepest part positioned furthest away from the exit arch, the shallow end of the guide sits in front of the exit arch.

Do not push the guide down flush with the charging pad but leave a ~2mm gap, this creates a drop to prevent the dice stopping short.

The guide is a tight fit to prevent slipping and can be held in place with 4 x M3 x 8mm bolts if required.

For use with the Inductive Dice install the wireless charger and plug the USB lead from the wireless charger into a suitable power adapter.

Ensure the Dice tower is on a firm level surface.

Drop the dice through the hole in the castellated top and watch it cascade down the tower to land on the pad and illuminate the pips of the appropriate number on the uppermost side of the dice.

Alternatively a standard die can be used with or without the charging pad and guide.

Now its time to use it with a game of your choice.

Thanks for reading, hope you will find it of interest. Let the games commence.