donaldsonlab/blackwhitecage

This chamber has an open-topped half painted white and an enclosed half painted black

BlackWhiteCage

This repository contains 3D models, created in Solidworks, and fabrication files for designing and constructing a Black and White Cage. This is divided into two sections: one white with an open top and the other black and enclosed. The lid for the enclosed half integrates magnets for quick and quiet attachment and removal during experiments. For modularity, the rest of the cage is assembled using 3D printed brackets.

The walls of this chamber are laser cut out of clear 0.118" acrylic sheets and the floor is cut out of 0.22" acrylic for stability. They are then painted matte white and matte black accordingly and assembled using 3D printed brackets. These brackets, along with the necessary fasteners, may be ommited if an adhesive is used instead, making the assembly permanent. This is the method used for the PPT. The files used on the laser cutters are located in the DXF directory. To optimize the nesting of parts on as few acrylic sheets as possible, we use an open source software called Deepnest. The L-brackets, floor brackets, and magnet mounts are 3D printed on a Zortrax M200 Plus FDM printer with PLA, ABS, or Z-ULTRAT filament. The .STL files for printing are in the STL directory.

| Bill of Materials |

Item No.	Part	Description	Quantity
1	bw_floor	Laser cut bw_floor.dxf	1
2	bw_sideWall	Laser cut bw_sideWall.dxf	2
3	bw_frontBack	Laser cut bw_frontBack.dxf	2
4	bw_doorway	Laser cut bw_doorway.dxf	2
5	bw_door	Laser cut bw_door.dxf	1
6	bw_lid	Laser cut bw_door.dxf	1
7	bw_magnetMount_Lid	3D printed PLA/ABS bw_magnetMount_Lid.stl	2
8	bw_magnetMount_Wall	3D printed PLA/ABS bw_magnetMount_Wall.stl	2
9	15x2mm Disk Magnets	Off-the-shelf 15x2mm refrigerator magnets	4
10	bw_LBracket	Optional 3D printed PLA/ABS bw_LBracket.stl	4
11	bw_floorBracket	Optional 3D printed PLA/ABS bw_floorBracket.stl	4
12	M3x8mm Screws	Off-the-shelf screws required for magnet mounts but optional for brackets if using plastic cement	16
13	Plastic Cement	Optional Plastruct Plastic Weld or IPS Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement	<1
14	Matte White Paint	Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray Paint, Matte, White, 12 oz.	<1
15	Matte Black Paint	Black, Rust-Oleum American Accents 2X Ultra Cover Ultra Matte Spray Paint, 12 oz	<1

The brand of acrylic cement is not important, as long as it can hold the acrylic pieces together. Similarly, the brand of paint is unimportant and can either be matte or flat, although matte finishes can typically withstand more cleaning. The magnets can also be sourced elsewhere, but the mounts are fitted for 15x2mm disk magnets.

Note: If the wall thickness is adjusted, the 3D models and .DXF files must also be modified. This can be done manually in the part files or by using the text file, blackWhiteEquations.txt, which contains equations used for each Solidworks part. Simply change the "WallThickness" and/or "FloorThickness" to the desired value and rebuild or refresh the part file.