Charles and NiXie's Hamster House on the Moon

This is a FICTIONAL product from the book LEO the Maker Prince, used as a prop in a story about a boy on the moon and his pet hamster. It has NOT been tested as a functional hamster house. To learn more, please read the story:
http://www.leothemakerprince.com

http://www.amazon.com/LEO-Maker-Prince-Journeys-Printing/dp/1457183145

It is the modular hamster house system that Charles made for his hamster, Weenie. The capsules shown here would be just one part of a larger system, similar to the Habitrail Ovo system: http://www.habitrail.com/ovo/eng/index.php Capsules can be rearranged and attached in different configurations, end-to-end or stacked.

PLEASE NOTE: the clear parts pictured here were created using the i.materialise service and may be impossible to replicate with a desktop 3D printer.

This is a prop for a story, LEO the Maker Prince, and not a real hamster house. It is based on a modular system to house a small dwarf hamster similar to Habitrail Ovo. Capsules can be rearranged and attached in different configurations, end-to-end or stacked. The twist ring and closed rings twist and lock at the ends of the capsule bands to hold each one together.

The main part of the model is the modular capsule. Here, two capsules are stacked and connected together, with a bend tube channel for the hamster to explore.

NOTE! VERY IMPORTANT!

This is by far the most complex of the LEO series of objects, and most of the parts you see here were created and polished by a professional 3D printing service, not an at-home printer. In particular, the clear parts such as the capsule, the water bottle and the bend tube may be impossible to recreate at home. it's a good idea to have them clear so you can see your pet!

For two capsules as pictured, here are instructions:

1. Print the following in white:
   
   hamster_house_band_X4.stl (4 pieces)
   
   hamster_closed_twist_cap_X2.stl (2 pieces)
   
   hamster_twist_ring_X2.stl (2 pieces)
   
   hamster_press_fit_cap_X2.stl (2 pieces)

2. Print the following in clear and polish to get them as transparent as possible:
   
   capsule_holes_left.stl (2 pieces)
   
   capsule_holes_right.stl (2 pieces)
   
   hamster_bend_tube_left.stl (1 piece)
   
   hamster_bend_tube_right.stl (1 piece)
   
   ladder_tube.stl (1 piece)

3. Assemble the capsules by placing a left and right capsules together. They will be oriented with the small ventilation holes at the top. You should see a large hole at the top, and one on the bottom.

4. Place each capsule inside a set of two bands, so the capsule edges sit inside the channels on the inside of the band. Be sure to align the large holes at the top and bottom of the capsules with the holes on the bands.

5. Use the ladder tube as a press fit to mate the two capsule assemblies together and give the hamster a way to climb up.

6. Place the closed end caps on one end of the capsules and press and turn to lock into place.

7. Place the twist rings on the other end of the capsules.

8. Put the left and right of the bend tube together and insert it into the open ends of the two stacked capsules. Twist the rings to lock the assembly in place.

9. Use a press fit cap to plug the large hole at the bottom of the lower capsule.

10. For the water bottle, print the hamster_water_bottle.stl file and the hamster_water_bottle_top.stl file. The top should have a pinhole in it to allow the water to drip through. The water bottle will likely need to be split and then glued together in order to clear support and have a proper hollow cavity.