MakeToLearn Monochord Pickup Bobbin

Make to Learn releases “open source Smithsonian Invention Kits that permit students to understand and re-create working inventions.” One of these kits is the Monochord, available for free at

https://maketolearn.org/introducing-the-monochord/

The pickup bobbin from this kit can be downloaded as a .STP file that can be separated into three different objects. They can then be converted into .STL mesh files that can be printed separately. If you download the file as an .STL mesh file, separating the parts is much more difficult. I've done the work of converting the .STP object file to separate .STL mesh files and generating g-code for the Prusa Printer. I've included the original .STP object file the meshes were sourced from, and the FreeCAD file I used to cut the cylinder for completeness.

At the request of a friend, I've also created a modified version of the cylinder where the hole goes all the way through. The original file is called cylinder-closed, and the modified file is called cylinder-open.

I've posted pictures of what printing the file as a single STL looks like, and posted the two finished models as comparison.

The g-code files I've generated include supports, though the parts can probably be printed support-free. The support material doesn't seem to cause any decrease in quality.

I release copyright of the modifications I've made to the files. All files are copyright ©2022 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE)

While it's clear the files are free to download, whether the copyright includes a modern license is unclear. For this reason, I've marked it as the most strict version of the Creative Commons licenses. The actual license of release is up to the copyright owners.