Phone Quadpod (tripod)

This phone stand uses simple gearing to allow its four legs to conform to highly uneven surfaces and is quite stable.  The phone holder is attached to the main body with a ball and socket joint to allow the phone to be levelled and tilted.

Printing

Print the stand body, phone support, flange, legs (x4), idler gears (x4) and phone hooks.  There are left and right models for different thicknesses of phones / cases (11mm, 13mm and 15mm).  The gear and leg axels are made from cut pieces of filament (best to use a material that won't crack over time here).

Construction

The idler gears and legs use piece of filament as axels.  Before assembly, ensure the filament rotates freely in the parts.  If not, use a drill to ream out the holes to ensure smooth operation.  Insert the idler gears first and use a piece of filament to secure them in place.  Similarly, insert and secure two opposing legs.  When inserting the final two legs, ensure the upper part of all the legs are close to horizontal.  The filament axels have a tendency to eventually work their way out - squashing an end of the filament can make for a tighter fit and mitigate this.

The flange is held down to the body with four M5-20 machine screws.  The threads are modeled in the flange but running a tap through may make for a smoother fit.  #10-32 screws have a very similar diameter and pitch and should work.  Insert the phone support and flange and tighten the screws until the desired ball joint friction has been achieved.

Optionally, you can sand / smooth the ball and add painters tape to the socket to improve the “feel” of the joint.