Grado Headphones Height-Locking Cap (Customizable)

Problem

My 15-year old Grado headphones (!) have started to develop some slack in the headband-to-cup assembly. Specifically the hidden o-rings through which the metal rod slides inside the side blocks get stretched and/or a bit oily with time which results in the ear cups sliding down constantly by themselves (and preventing the headband from holding the cups' weight on your head). Replacing the blocks with 3D-printed ones (which provided the opportunity to clean up the o-rings and rods a bit) did not fix this specific issue. In addition, the rods' rubber caps tend to stretch with time and become less snug.

Solution

A 3D-printed cap with a sleeve that goes down to the rod block's top surface prevents the cups from sliding down, locking them vertically in one direction.

Customization Instructions

The model will need to be adjusted in length to get the exact size for your needs.

1. Put the headphones on your head, adjust them to the correct height, then try keeping that adjustment while removing them and laying them on a flat surface.
2. Measure the distance between the rod's top rubber cap to the top surface of the rod block with calipers.
3. Input that distance in the sleeve_length parameter in the Fusion 360 source file.
4. Try printing the cap and doing a test fit on one of the rods. You might need to tweak cap_tolerance and/or sleeve_tolerance to get a good fit depending on your printer's calibration. The cap tolerance is meant to be pretty tight so that the printed cap stays put after being inserted. The sleeve can be looser, as long as it's not too big to avoid interfering with the leather strap.

Printing instructions

• The model is made to be printed with a 0.4mm nozzle (specifically, the sleeve wall is 1 perimeter wide)
• Print it upside down. I suggest adding a small brim to prevent the part from toppling over.