HPmuirt
Member
@Admins, I was not sure where to post this as I am not selling anything (yet) but please move as appropriate.
Hello all,
Whilst I continue to work on my design for a billet handbrake button I designed and 3D printed a temporary one (probably in the wrong material) which only lasted a couple of uses. I know, I should have bought one from Paul (Mr Depronman) in the first place but you live and learn!
So I have now designed a fix for the failure that I have experienced on both the factory button (which itself is a replacement as the original one broke a few years ago) and the 3D printed replacement, which is that the rear side walls that hold the button on to the T-shaped plastic arm snap off, allowing the button to shoot forward and disappear under the front passenger seat as you pull away from the lights!....sound familiar or just me?
Since my original broken button is with a machinist friend, I have applied the fix to my 3D printed button and so far it is working well, but the car is not in daily use. Paul has very kindly machined a few more repair pieces and so we therefore want a volunteer or two to test whether this is a viable solution. The alternative is to order one from Audi Tradition and somehow get it shipped to the UK, but as far as I can see, they do not offer the aluminium ones, just black plastic ones.
Our fix can also be applied to buttons which have not (yet) broken to hopefully prevent future failure of the old and thin plastic sides, but this would mean making a minor modification to the T-shaped arm (possible in situ but may require some interesting body positioning for access). At the moment my test is running without modifications to the button and is not even epoxied in place, but I have designed a version which can be permanently attached if required, depending on feedback.
So, my questions are: -
Simon
Hello all,
Whilst I continue to work on my design for a billet handbrake button I designed and 3D printed a temporary one (probably in the wrong material) which only lasted a couple of uses. I know, I should have bought one from Paul (Mr Depronman) in the first place but you live and learn!
So I have now designed a fix for the failure that I have experienced on both the factory button (which itself is a replacement as the original one broke a few years ago) and the 3D printed replacement, which is that the rear side walls that hold the button on to the T-shaped plastic arm snap off, allowing the button to shoot forward and disappear under the front passenger seat as you pull away from the lights!....sound familiar or just me?
Since my original broken button is with a machinist friend, I have applied the fix to my 3D printed button and so far it is working well, but the car is not in daily use. Paul has very kindly machined a few more repair pieces and so we therefore want a volunteer or two to test whether this is a viable solution. The alternative is to order one from Audi Tradition and somehow get it shipped to the UK, but as far as I can see, they do not offer the aluminium ones, just black plastic ones.
Our fix can also be applied to buttons which have not (yet) broken to hopefully prevent future failure of the old and thin plastic sides, but this would mean making a minor modification to the T-shaped arm (possible in situ but may require some interesting body positioning for access). At the moment my test is running without modifications to the button and is not even epoxied in place, but I have designed a version which can be permanently attached if required, depending on feedback.
So, my questions are: -
- Is this of any use to anyone or is it just my car that eats handbrake buttons?
- Would anyone like to trial the design on either a broken or non-broken (with modifications) button?
- If testing goes well and a batch were made, would anyone consider buying it (as either a fix or for preventative purposes) or is this problem unique to me?
- Have I missed anything Paul?
Simon