Crafty Dan's DIY Sony Spine (and Yet Another Sony Cover)

CraftyDan · 11-07-2010, 05:17 PM

As I mentioned in another post, while I like Sony's idea for mounting their readers, I've hated the plastic spline ever since one failed on me.

The Idea of constantly flexing a plastic mount to get the reader in and out is just plain stupid! It's not an "if it will break", but "when", and then you're left with a useless cover!

So I wanted something:
- durable
- doesn't rely on flexing to release
- takes up about the sames space
- can be mounted onto almost any cover

Here are some pics of my solution. It's made up of 4 pieces:
- a fixed screw end piece
- a screw/nut end piece
- front and back mounting strips

Assemble with pop-rivets or screws

Also pictured is the first cover I made (and the last picture is why it didn't last long -- it wasn't long enough to cover it).

I'll post more later.

SeaBookGuy · 11-07-2010, 05:20 PM

I truly admire your efforts, and the results looks snazzy from the outside ... but I fear the 70's-style font in pink/red/white would prove incredibly distracting!

CraftyDan · 11-07-2010, 06:00 PM

. . . And here's the cover for my 350.

It's made of 3 pieces of leather with two metal cores (top and bottom, cut out of a CD-R drive case). The spine is pop-riveted into the bottom core.

While playing with this, I discovered that there are magnets in the reader itself (NOT the cover!!). The metal cores hold well to the reader.

The outer cover is a single piece of leather, with a tab left for closure. The other two pieces of leather cover the cores.

The closure tab has a set of magnets epoxied onto it. it flips around to the other cover and latches onto the core.

And finally, a 1/4" margin all the way around. A nice solid cover and I'm tickled pink.

CraftyDan · 11-07-2010, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I truly admire your efforts, and the results looks snazzy from the outside ... but I fear the 70's-style font in pink/red/white would prove incredibly distracting!

No kidding.

Wasn't so bad, though -- Fold the cover back on itself and I'm fine.

I'm visually assaulting everyone else in the room, but I'm fine!

lack · 11-07-2010, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraftyDan

While playing with this, I discovered that there are magnets in the reader itself (NOT the cover!!). The metal cores hold well to the reader.

I was going to comment "the latch is a good touch. magnets?"
then I read your post. So that's why sony covers shuts well...
Great work. When I broke my cover's spine I will be sure to follow your example.

SeaBookGuy · 11-07-2010, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraftyDan

A nice solid cover and I'm tickled pink.

You should be - that's quite something!

digital_steve · 11-07-2010, 09:52 PM

Thumbscrews for the win!

elizilla · 11-08-2010, 12:29 AM

OMG. I just tested it and my 650 has magnets in it too! Something to include in my plans, when I design my own cover. And also something to be aware of when I pack it - it would be terrible to find that it's drawn some metal object to itself and scratched the screen. Thanks for the heads up!

ebooker · 11-08-2010, 01:10 AM

i dont know whats cooler, your cover or your screensaver!

Wulf · 11-09-2010, 09:36 AM

Crafty Dan, I just have to ask....why would you be taking your reader "in and out" of the cover all the time? I put my PRS600 in the Sony cover when I got it and I've never found any reason to remove it from the cover. I can't even imagine a reason to remove the cover. Can you enlighten us? Nothing bad intended, I'm just curious...

lack · 11-09-2010, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wulf

Crafty Dan, I just have to ask....why would you be taking your reader "in and out" of the cover all the time? I put my PRS600 in the Sony cover when I got it and I've never found any reason to remove it from the cover. I can't even imagine a reason to remove the cover. Can you enlighten us? Nothing bad intended, I'm just curious...

The question is not intended to me, but I can't resist answering..

I do take my 650 in and out of its cover quite a few times, because:
I just love the rubberized back, it's a nice thing to feel while I'm reading.
The cover add extra width to the device. Extra weight, however, hardly noticeable.
The lid is in the way. Where should I put it? leave it hanging on? tuck it in the back? Will it leave wrinkles? Oh.. I tucked it back and now it's sliding back and forth.. Call me an ACD

SeaBookGuy · 11-09-2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wulf

Crafty Dan, I just have to ask....why would you be taking your reader "in and out" of the cover all the time? I put my PRS600 in the Sony cover when I got it and I've never found any reason to remove it from the cover. I can't even imagine a reason to remove the cover. Can you enlighten us? Nothing bad intended, I'm just curious...

I've never taken mine out either.

44Dave · 11-09-2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lack

The question is not intended to me, but I can't resist answering..

I do take my 650 in and out of its cover quite a few times, because:
I just love the rubberized back, it's a nice thing to feel while I'm reading.
The cover add extra width to the device. Extra weight, however, hardly noticeable.
The lid is in the way. Where should I put it? leave it hanging on? tuck it in the back? Will it leave wrinkles? Oh.. I tucked it back and now it's sliding back and forth.. Call me an ACD

Wouldn't you just get a sleeve then?

CraftyDan · 11-09-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wulf

Crafty Dan, I just have to ask....why would you be taking your reader "in and out" of the cover all the time?

Depends on the mood. I ALWAYS want a cover out-and-about, and sometimes at home -- sometimes not. Couple of reasons why:

- Most covers are bulky when folded back on themselves, so having the option was a requirement. (mine folds nicely, but I didn't know at the start)

- Covers are either protective or light. The lighter the reader more protection I want.

Most of the time, my old 600 stayed in its cover, but the occasional desire to read "bareback" ended up breaking the spine on my old deluxe cover. When I'm out and about, I want my cover attached to the reader (else, I'd loose it), so a slipper won't do. I ended up with a MEdge as a compromise, but wanted something more like the previous cover. When I switched to the 350, it was time to do something different.

In the end "easy removability" is a designed feature of this bracket, but "durability" was the primary design goal. In fact the first version of the bracket was screwed in with a flat-head screw, but to quote Digital Steve:

Quote:

Thumbscrews for the win!

switchman2210 · 11-10-2010, 07:26 PM

Do the threads from the screws damage the holes in the reader? I wonder if it would be better to go with a slightly larger screw so the threads could be filed off where it inserts into the reader or put a plastic sleeve on it. That is a nice design you came up with. I wish I new a machinist who could make me one. I could see the ends being a little thicker so a nut could be press fit or possibly threads could be tapped directly into the metal. I would love to get an Oberon cover with this retaining mechanism.

11-07-2010, 05:17 PM	#1
CraftyDan Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 7724 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Middle Ga Device: PRS-600 and PRS-350	Crafty Dan's DIY Sony Spine (and Yet Another Sony Cover) As I mentioned in another post, while I like Sony's idea for mounting their readers, I've hated the plastic spline ever since one failed on me. The Idea of constantly flexing a plastic mount to get the reader in and out is just plain stupid! It's not an "if it will break", but "when", and then you're left with a useless cover! So I wanted something: - durable - doesn't rely on flexing to release - takes up about the sames space - can be mounted onto almost any cover Here are some pics of my solution. It's made up of 4 pieces: - a fixed screw end piece - a screw/nut end piece - front and back mounting strips Assemble with pop-rivets or screws Also pictured is the first cover I made (and the last picture is why it didn't last long -- it wasn't long enough to cover it). I'll post more later. Attached Thumbnails

11-07-2010, 06:00 PM	#3
CraftyDan Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 7724 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Middle Ga Device: PRS-600 and PRS-350	. . . And here's the cover for my 350. It's made of 3 pieces of leather with two metal cores (top and bottom, cut out of a CD-R drive case). The spine is pop-riveted into the bottom core. While playing with this, I discovered that there are magnets in the reader itself (NOT the cover!!). The metal cores hold well to the reader. The outer cover is a single piece of leather, with a tab left for closure. The other two pieces of leather cover the cores. The closure tab has a set of magnets epoxied onto it. it flips around to the other cover and latches onto the core. And finally, a 1/4" margin all the way around. A nice solid cover and I'm tickled pink. Attached Thumbnails

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11-07-2010, 05:20 PM	#2
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I truly admire your efforts, and the results looks snazzy from the outside ... but I fear the 70's-style font in pink/red/white would prove incredibly distracting!

11-07-2010, 09:52 PM	#7
digital_steve Muppet Posts: 240 Karma: 442 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Tasmania Device: Kobo Aura HD, Sony PRS-650	Thumbscrews for the win!

11-08-2010, 12:29 AM	#8
elizilla Addict Posts: 271 Karma: 610286 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Sage, others	OMG. I just tested it and my 650 has magnets in it too! Something to include in my plans, when I design my own cover. And also something to be aware of when I pack it - it would be terrible to find that it's drawn some metal object to itself and scratched the screen. Thanks for the heads up!

11-08-2010, 01:10 AM	#9
ebooker Banned Posts: 140 Karma: 16076 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NYC Device: sony prs-650!	i dont know whats cooler, your cover or your screensaver!

11-09-2010, 09:36 AM	#10
Wulf Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Connecticut, USA Device: Sony PRS-600	Crafty Dan, I just have to ask....why would you be taking your reader "in and out" of the cover all the time? I put my PRS600 in the Sony cover when I got it and I've never found any reason to remove it from the cover. I can't even imagine a reason to remove the cover. Can you enlighten us? Nothing bad intended, I'm just curious...

11-10-2010, 07:26 PM	#15
switchman2210 Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 416 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Black PRS-650 with lighted cover & Kindle DX.	Do the threads from the screws damage the holes in the reader? I wonder if it would be better to go with a slightly larger screw so the threads could be filed off where it inserts into the reader or put a plastic sleeve on it. That is a nice design you came up with. I wish I new a machinist who could make me one. I could see the ends being a little thicker so a nut could be press fit or possibly threads could be tapped directly into the metal. I would love to get an Oberon cover with this retaining mechanism.

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