Humidifiers add moisture to the air. They can help people with dry skin, allergies, and respiratory problems. They may also help in preventing influenza and reduce snoring. I bought this AU$2 USB Mini Humidifier DIY Kit from AliExpress and went ahead and created a cute little 3D container for it. In this tutorial, I will show you guys how I designed and assembled the humidifier circuit into the 3D model.

3D Model

While browsing the Internet, I found this cute little candle holder created by SERV3D on Cults3D.com. The design was very cute and I went ahead and upsized and customized the design to fit all my electronics bits into it.

With the help of Microsoft 3D Builder, I modified the 3D Model. The model has 2 compartments.
The top compartment is completely hollow to hold water in it. I kept the top section open to fill water into it.
All the electronics bits will go inside the second compartment. Those two screw holes are to hold the rechargeable 18650 battery holder.
This pipe like structure is for the wires to go from the top section to the bottom section.

The top compartment is 9.5cm x 4.5cm. So, if we calculate the volume of the cylinder it comes out to 604cm-cube. By dividing the volume by 1000 we can get the volume of water that can be stored inside that compartment. So, it comes out roughly around 0.6 liters.

At the back of the model, I created a grove to fit in a block of plastic that will house the TP4056 18650 battery charging module and a SPDT switch. The charging module gets super hot while charging, so I have given enough space in the block to keep the module cool.
The bottom lid will cover and hide all the electronics bits into it. The top lid has a hole in the middle to house the humidifier straw.
Thats it as simple as that.

3D Printing

Once the 3D model was sorted, it was time for me to fire up my 3D printing oven and start printing these 3D models. As we all know, 3D printing is the process that uses computer-aided design or CAD, to create objects layer by layer. 3D printing is not a new technology, its been there since the 1980's, when Charles W. Hull invented the process and created the first 3D-printed part. Since then, the field of 3D printing has grown exponentially and holds countless possibilities. The 3D printing process fascinates me a lot and I sometimes love to sit near my printer and watch these layers getting printed. 3D Printing is a highly addictive hobby! There are so many things you can do using a 3D printer. From designing 3D Models to printing them using the 3D printer has now become my new hobby. I've been a "maker" since I was 10 years old, and have always constructed and made my own stuff. 3D printing for me is a blessing. I am totally lost in the 3D printing heaven.

3D printing has changed my electronics workshop life forever. Before when I used to order parts, I always used to wonder if the parts would fit into my project's resources... but after I got my 3D printer... it doesn't matter at all, because if it doesn't fit - I could design and print it myself. The 3D printer was definitely "The Missing Piece" from my electronics workshop.

 The entire printing process took roughly around 20hrs.
After extracting all the 3D printed bits, I sanded them to give them a nice and smooth texture.

This is the bottom cover, that's the top lid with a hole for the humidifier straw and a handle to open and close the lid. This block will hold the battery charger and the SPDT switch into it. The main body has the top compartment for holding water in it and the bottom compartment for housing all the electronics bits into it.

Schematic

The circuit is very simple. By connecting an USB Type-C charging cable to the TP4056 Module we charge the 18650 battery connected to the B+ and B- terminals of the module. The humidifier module connects to the OUT+ and OUT- terminals of the charging module via a SPDT switch. Using this switch we can turn on or off...