You’ve got an old USB-stick and want to give it a new look? Not hard if you’ve got some wooden plates and a laser cutter near you. Here is a small documentation how I did it.
Step 1- Remove the case It probably won’t work to open the case with a screwdriver, at least for me it didn’t work. Use something like a hammer instead like in this video. Brilliant how he uses the pliers!
You should end up with something like this:
Step 2- Measuring the the size If you’ve got a Kingston Datatraveler G3, you won’t have to do it, I’ve done it for you. Else, check the length width and height of the board, and also the length between the end of the USB-Stick plug and the start of the board.
Step 3- Create graphic Get my vector file, and change the sizes if necessary. You should end up with a bottom part, a middle part and a top part.
Step 4- Custom design Start designing your USB Stick, of course the design will go on the top and bottom part. If you haven’t worked with vector graphics before, I would highly recommend Inkscape, open source and very powerful!
Step 5- Cut it Now you’ve got your cutting file. Go to the lab of your choice (In Vienna for example Metalab or Happylab) and cut the file in wood. I used 3mm ply wood.
Step 6- glue it all together You want to align all parts, so that the USB-Stick is already inside the wood and glue it all together. Let the structure rest for a few hours, then give it a finishing touch, by polishing the the edges. I ended up with this:
Step 7- Plug it in The time of truth has come, plug in the USB Stick and see if it works. Gladly mine did work, and so I had a nice little present.
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