3D printer repurposing old gadgets (Credits: How-To Geek)
That drawer full of old phones, dusty smartwatches and retired smart home gadgets doesn’t have to be e-waste. With a 3D printer, those forgotten devices can become genuinely useful again — from a car mount for an old tablet to a Game Boy-style cover that turns an unloved phone into a retro gaming handheld.
Here is how tech writer Joe Fedewa actually did it, with practical ideas you can copy.
Turn an Old Tablet Into an Android Auto Display
If your car is too old for built-in Android Auto — like Fedewa’s 2009 Chevy Silverado — an old tablet can do the job. A cheap portable Android Auto display kept dropping its connection, so he switched to an old Amazon Fire Tablet for a summer road trip, and it worked great.
The missing piece was a dashboard mount. Rather than buying a new one, he measured the adjustable arm from the old portable display and designed a simple grip that slotted into the same attachment system — repurposing two things at once: the tablet and the mount. If you go this route, measure the tablet’s dimensions and weight first, print in a sturdy material like PETG for heat resistance, and test the fit before any long drive.
Make a Game Boy-Style Cover for a Forgotten Phone
Fedewa’s Unihertz Titan 2 Elite — a phone with a physical keyboard — sat collecting dust for months. Then he found the “Titan Boy” project: a Game Boy-inspired gamepad cover that fits the phone with or without a case, with controller buttons aligned to the angled keyboard keys. The result is the tactile feel of a real controller, no wireless pad required.
You can print it in a two-button or four-button layout, and it ships with config files for RetroArch. Look for device-specific projects on maker sites first; community-tested designs save you from a pile of failed prints. The same principle applies to any phone you don’t use — search for your exact model plus “gamepad” or “mount” before designing from scratch.
Repurpose Smart Home Gear Instead of Replacing It
Smart home devices are another prime candidate: custom mounts, covers and brackets can keep aging switches, sensors and displays mounted and working instead of landfilling them. The rule of thumb from the article: the most useful 3D-printed objects work with existing devices, not instead of them.
Also Read: This 3D-Printing Trick Turns Flat Photos Into Lenticular Portraits That Shift As You Move
Also Read: 8 Weird and Wonderful Benchy Variations to 3D Print This Weekend
Source: How-To Geek — read the full story there.
