Gravity SmartPhone Holder/Mount

Fully 3d printed Gravity Smartphone Holder

This gravity smartphone holder is designed to securely hold your phone in both a vertical position and a horizontal position. A large groove in the sidebars avoids accidental button pushes. The smartphone holder with phone can be set directly on a flat surface, used with the included 3d printable tripod mount or included stand. This is great for remotely taking a selfie of a large group of people with a linked watch or setting up on a tripod photography.

You can also hold the phone in either the vertical or horizontal position on your desk to watch videos or take zoom calls.

The Fusion 360 file for the tripod mount is included if you want to design your own attachment for the phone holder.

The smartphone holder is fully 3d printed and the only other part you need is the ¼-20 nut if you are going to use with a tripod. No adhesive required. Most parts can be printed with no supports. All of the parts snap together. The smartphone holder is not meant to be disassembled and will likely break if you try to detach parts other than the back mount.

I have tested this smartphone holder with iPhone XR, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 with normal sized cases. For phones with thick cases, such as one that also holds credit cards, you can substitute the thick model sidebars and central gear to hold your thicker phones. My phone with case is 13.5mm thick x 78mm wide x 152.5mm tall.

Printing Instructions

For durability, print in PETG. Dry PLA will work but will not last as long. Old/wet PLA which is brittle will break during assembly so be sure to dry your filament.

Print the components in the color combination you prefer.

I prefer the geared arms and central linear gear to match each other and the cover and back plate to match the sidebars.

Supports

Only the following parts require supports :

- sidebars to support the overhang that keeps the phone from falling out (see below to avoid supports in the bottom holes that may be difficult to remove) - central linear gear for the teeth that also hold the phone - stand the hexagonal extrusion requires support if you are printing this piece I prefer organic supports but use what works for you. You will need to paint several sections to not use supports if you print them with parts requiring supports.

The following sections of these parts should be painted to block supports :

- The back stand and tripod mount do not require supports around the bead on the triangle head for the snap fit. - The holes in the sidebars do not require supports as the bridging distance is minimal. - The slots in the back of the back plate do not require supports and may be difficult to remove. The tolerances for this model are fairly tight (0.1mm in places), so you may have to dial in some settings in your slicer if your printer prints models slightly larger or smaller than the model.

Assembly Instructions

Print all the pieces

- 2 left arm pieces - 2 right arm pieces - 2 sidebars - default = 13mm thick with case - sizes range from 13-31mm - 1 center linear gear - thickness should match sidebars - 1 back - 1 front - (optional) tripod mount and plug OR stand 2. Place the back (hourglass with posts) in front of you with posts up the open triangle closest to you.

3. Gently slide each of the arms (geared with bar and post) onto the 4 outer posts.

They should take a little force to get over the bead around the top of the posts used for snap fitting cover later. Make sure the gears are positioned as shown in the picture above. Don't worry about the alignment of the arms relative to each other (we'll fix that in the next step).

4. Align the gears with the bars all horizontal and insert the linear gear.

The lowest gear on the center piece should engage with the two lower arm gears. The two center posts should be in the center slot. There will be a slight deviation from horizontal for the lower arms. You can lift up each arm gear and gently turn it while holding the center gear to get the teeth aligned properly.

5. Gently but firmly press down the side bars with the overhang facing inward over the posts on the arms.

These require a bit more force to secure in place. Once they snap into place, the posts are more likely to break off than come apart. This snap fit is achieved using a bead and corresponding groove for the components.

6. Attach the cover plate

Carefully align the cover plate so that the holes line up with the posts. The outer four posts have beads and the cover plate has corresponding grooves to achieve a snap fit. You may need to press down over the posts very firmly to get them to snap in place.

7. Operate the gears

You should be able to move the central linear gear up and down and the arms on the sides should swing open and closed accordingly. Don't worry if this is a little stiff at first, it will loosen up with a little use. If it is very stiff, you may need to reprint the mount with different settings.

8. Assemble tripod mount or back stand

The tripod mount is made of 3 parts, the stand, the plug and the ¼-20 nut (not 3d printed).

- Insert the nut into the slot and make sure it is lined up properly with the hole below. It should slide in very easily. - Slide the plug in so that the ramp lines up with the stand. This is designed to be press fit and does not require glue. If it is too tight, you can sand the plug lightly.

The back stand is assembled by placing the hexagonal post in the hexagonal hole with the longer section facing the front of the smartphone holder.

The triangle section of either stand can be snapped into the triangle slot in the back plate.