You can use Clip-on Straps to mount your keyguard when you’re not using a case:
As well as when you are using a case:
Clip-on straps have the advantage of holding your keyguard securely onto the tablet or case but not so tightly that it’s hard to remove. If you have a curious student or client, clip-on straps can be the happy medium between slide-in tabs (hard for everyone to remove) and raised tabs (easy for everyone to remove).
The following video shows the clips in action in a variety of settings – with and without a tablet case.
You’ll need some additional measurements to get a proper fit. The following video shows you how to measure your case to get the best fit.
Now that you have all the measurements you need, choose “Clip-on Straps” from the “mount keyguard with” pull-down list of the “Mounting Method” category . The following video takes you through the process.
Use the STL file you’ve produced to print the keyguard on your 3D printer. It took our printer about 2 hours and 10 meters (about 60 cents) worth of PLA filament to produce the keyguard for an iPad Mini. A similar keyguard for an iPad 2 took about 7 hours to print and 12 meters (72 cents) of PLA filament.
You’ll then need print 4 to 6 clips to attach the keyguard.
If you’re using the clips with a case, especially a soft case, you may not need to use elastic to hold the clips in place. Print your clips and put them on. See if they hold firmly as is or if they tend to slide around on the bottom and side of the case and disconnect as a result. If they won’t hold by themselves, you can add elastic bands as described next.
If you choose to add elastic bands, you’ll need some 1/2 inch (15 mm) or 3/8 inch (9 mm) elastic band, depending on the width of the clip. You can get elastic band at any fabric store or we found this product on Amazon which offers 4.5 yards (4.1 m) of 1/2 inch band for less than $7. You will only need about 2 ft (60 cm) of band for even the largest tablet so this amount will provide banding for many different tablets. A single set of clips and bands can be used for multiple keyguards on the same tablet.
To determine how long the bands should be, take the width of the tablet in cm, divide by 2, and add 14 cm. Cut two bands that length. Now take the height of the tablet in cm, divide by 2, and add 14 cm. Cut one band that length. My iPad mini is 20 cm wide and 13 cm high, so I cut two bands 20/2 + 14 = 24 cm long and one band 13/2 + 14 = 20.5 cm long.
Finally, to keep the tablet with the clips from sliding on a smooth surface, add some 10 mm silicone bumpers to the bottoms of the clips in the round recesses provided. It’s sufficient to add bumpers only to the the clips on either end of the two lengthwise bands but you can add bumpers to all 6 clips for the greatest stability.
The video below shows how to attach the elastic band to the clips and how to install the clip-on straps on a tablet without a case, but first, here’s an image that shows how to run the elastic band through the two slots in the clip:
Clip-on Straps with Tight Cases
Starting with version 23 of keyguard.scad, you can use clip-on straps even if your case fits very close to the edge of the screen – so there’s very little plastic around the edge of the keyguard to attach the clip to:
You may need to add a small amount of additional plastic to the sides of the keyguard where the clips will attach. Look for the “height compensation for tight cases” (portrait orientation) or “width compensation for tight cases” (landscape orientation) options under “Special Actions and Settings”. The above keyguard had an additional 4 mm of width compensation (2 mm on each side) added.
You may need to go with a clip that is wider than you otherwise would have chosen to get a good, stable grip on the keyguard. You may also want to tell keyguard.scad that the case is a couple of mm wider than it really is so that the clip has to stretch a little further to engage with the keyguard.
Vertical Clip-on Straps
In addition to (or instead of) using clip-on straps to hold your keyguard in place along its left and right edges, you can use vertical clips to hold the keyguard along its top and bottom edges. You may find that vertical clips and straps allow you to hold your tablet and case securely to a wheel chair mount or other mounting system.
In order to add vertical clips to your keyguard, expand the Clip-on Straps Info section of options:
Measure the height of your case from outside edge to outside edge and enter that value into the “case height” box.
Now expand the “clip locations” pull-down list:
Choose whether your clips should be oriented “vertical only” or “horizontal and vertical” depending on your needs.
Because the case may be thicker or thinner on its vertical edges than it is on its horizontal edges, you can print the clips independently. To print the clips you need, expand the “Special Actions and Settings” section of options and expand the “generate” pull-down list. You’ll see options there for you to display the horizontal clips(s) or vertical clip(s) to print based on your case:
Note, if your case has a wider edge on the left versus the right or on the bottom versus the top, you should enter those values in the “unequal left side of case” and/or “unequal bottom side of case” options. In that instance, you will see two clips of different sizes displayed when you choose to generate a horizontal or vertical clip.
Mini Clips
Starting with version 30 of keyguard.scad, you’ll see two additional options for clips that you can generate. We’ve added two different “mini” clips. Mini Clip “1” doesn’t extend under the tablet/case. It is intended for use with a strap and with a strap that must go around another object like a tablet mounting system. The most important thing about a Mini Clip 1 is that the force applied on the clip is perpendicular to the surface of the tablet:
A Mini Clip “2” has only the top portion of the clip. It is designed for instances where a strap will be used and the force of the strap on the clip will be parallel to the surface of the tablet.
Note: In no case should one rely solely on the clips to suspend the tablet.
If you add additional plastic to the outside of your keyguard, you have to manually create pedestals for your clip-on straps. Read more about this feature at the bottom of this page.