The Amazon Echo Dot Gets an Old School Makeover as a 3D Printed Gramophone

From simple song requests to complicated trivia questions (not to mention painlessly ordering new bubble gum), the Amazon Echo Dot is undoubtedly a fun little gadget to have around. But for some, the minimalist Roomba-like puck design could use a little work in the TLC department.

Baard Fleistad has always wanted a gramophone of his own. But seeing as mobile phones and mp3 players are outshining the ancient music players, the few gramophones left in the world are growing increasingly more expensive while usable music and audio interfaces are growing increasingly more digital.

Seeing as to how he didn’t want to spend a small fortune on an antique functional gramophone, Fleistad instead turned to his copy of Autodesk Fusion 360 and 3D printed himself a design that functions as a housing for his Echo Dot. The result is what he cheekily calls the Gramazon.

To create the modern take on the classic design, he began by sketching the diameters of the horn starting at the widest part of the form. Using three sketches driving a loft, he then uses the Shell function to hollow it out. As to be expected, he carefully measures the dimensions of his Echo Dot to ensure the gramophone housing has a snug fit over the smooth-surfaced device.

As most amplifiers for the Echo Dot lift the device slightly off the ground to make full use of its radial speakers, Fleistad mimics this by forming a hollow chamber inside the base. He adds a fillet to the bottom edges while letting the lid serve as the roof of the chamber.

After printing, he sands the parts with 80 and 00 grit sandpaper before detailing with Bondo. Once dried, he follows up with primer before sanding to a desired surface finish. Finally, the Gramazon undergoes a few layers of paint before earning its much-deserved place on the shelf.

Thankfully for the rest of us, Fleistad made all of the 3D files for the Gramazon available for free on Thingiverse.

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