Rode SC6 Adapter Support

Jan 22, 2016 · Comments
making

3D Printing and a Cheap iPhone Case

This post is about a support that I 3D printed for the Rode SC6 which keeps it connected more solidly to an iPhone. I got a Rode smartLav+ (Amazon UK link) which is a nice lavalier mic for use with mobile phones. The first annoyance was not being able to monitor the audio as it was being recorded due to the headphone socket being used by the mic! So I then had to find an adapter to split the mic and the headphones. It took me longer than it should because it turns out that Rode make one themselves - you’d think they draw it to the attention of mic owners. Some people complain about the adapter not working because it triggers the music or podcast app on the phone. I didn’t have a problem with that but for me, particularly when using it with a phone case, it wasn’t stable enough in the socket. It was just too easy to knock it slightly out of the socket. Here’s the adapter on Amazon UK.

I started with a £1 iPhone case from the local pound shop. I got a flexible one that’s reasonably thick. It’s got a football on the back. Never mind. To make sure the case wasn’t the cause of keeping the adapter away from the socket I cut away all the plastic that was likely to be in the way.

Here’s how it looks underneath. I glued it in place and that seemed strong enough but I thought I might as well run a weld of plastic along the edge with my 3Doodler.

The case is flexible so I can push the phone onto the jack and then pull the top of the case over the phone for a really tight fit. I started by measuring the adapter and modelling around it. Here’s a render.

You can download it to print yourself on pinshape. I’ve sent a test to Shapeways and will update this post when I’ve got it back and checked it fits ok; so if you don’t have a printer you’ll be able to buy it from there.