pocketengineering

First, they made dirt-cheap synths and drum machines. Then, they made housings that turn them into handheld calculators. Now, they want … you to rethink the case entirely.

Say what? So, the bad news is, Teenage Engineering’s cool calculator-style cases for their amazing-sounding, crazy-cheap synths and drum machine are backordered. And that is too bad. Because, damnit, even I can’t get one. And they’re really cool – I had a look at the cases at Musikmesse, and they recall nothing if not a Braun-style dress-up suit for these wonderful (and useful) sonic toys.

But this being Teenage Engineering, they’ve found a cooler-than-usual solution to being backordered. (Remember, this is the firm that made accessories 3D-printable when they had trouble making and shipping them overseas to everyone who wanted them.)

They’re letting you get in on the act. And with these creations already in the hands of a design-savvy crowd, I don’t doubt for a second that’ll inspire some ingenuity.

To make your job easier, they’re releasing precise measurements and CAD files. .PDF, .DXF, .SLDW, .STL, .STEP, all there. (Hint: if you have to ask, it’s probably not a format you need.)

Send designs, ideas, or videos, and you get an exclusive t-shirt. (As in: “Teenage Engineering couldn’t ship their cases, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt — okay, actually, kind of awesome exclusive t-shirt.”)

Deadline: 3 weeks.

Go win one for Team CDM.

https://www.teenageengineering.com

Hey, one of you already had one idea:
Teenage Engineering Drum Machine, Hacked with Big Buttons

What? Still want to drool over the official cases (and want to wait to get them)? Or at least use them as inspiration? Here you go:

IMG_3136

IMG_3138

pocketcase

Oh, how I love these things. Seriously, if anyone else made a product with a bare board and then offered up a t-shirt for someone to work out how to house it, that normally wouldn’t be cool. And yet…

Previously:
A Cheesy Pocket Techno Jam with Tiny Cheap Gear

How TE’s $59 Drum Machine Sounds – And How The Pocket Operators Work

Nintendo Game & Watch Inspires Tiny, $59 Synths from Teenage Engineering [CDM Hands-on]