I 3D printed my own smart display because Google’s wasn’t good enough
Sometimes the desired product does not exist. I liked my Google Nest Hub, but thought it could be better. Naturally, as someone with a 3D printer and DIY skills, I took it upon myself to create the solution. I am very happy with the result.
The funny thing about the Nest Hub is that it’s called a “smart display,” but the screen is the stupid part. Apart from smart home controls and a very small selection of “apps”, there’s not much to do and the voice assistant works just as well on smart speakers without a screen. Here’s how I fixed it.
The problem
Google’s smart display wastes its display
For many years, I have had a Google Nest Hub (2nd generation) prominently displayed on a shelf in my kitchen. I use it every day as a speaker to listen to music and podcasts while cooking or doing dishes, and I use the voice assistant to add items to my Google Keep lists, set timers, and control smart home devices. This setup worked well, but it had some issues.
The main problem is that Google’s smart speakers and displays have very limited support for media services. If you want to use your voice to control music and podcasts, you’re limited to YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, Deezer, and Amazon Music. Well, I don’t use any of those services, which means manually streaming from my phone every time I want to listen to something.
Why should I do this when the Nest Hub already has a 7-inch touchscreen? It felt like wasted potential. I liked the speaker and voice assistant, but what I really wanted was a smart display running Android. This is the idea that launched this project.
- Brand
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Google
- Display
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Yes, 7 inches
The solution
Designing new technology to look like old technology
This wasn’t the first time I thought about designing a custom enclosure for a Google smart speaker. I had played with a model while teaching myself how to use Fusion (formerly “Fusion 360”) a few years ago, but my interest waned. The idea of combining an Android phone with the speaker was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Let’s dive a little into my design process. I had three requirements for the final product:
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It must have contained a Google Home Mini.
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He had to hold a phone.
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It had to be beautiful.
Rather than spending a lot of time meticulously measuring the Home Mini, I knew there were hundreds of Google Home Mini models available on Thingiverse. I found this model and reused the top part as a speaker stand.
Everything else was modeled from scratch by me. I love mid-century modern design, so that’s my inspiration. Vintage radios often had control dials on one side and a speaker behind cloth on the other. It seemed like the perfect model to follow. I could trade the big tuner knob for a phone. I just had to decide which phone to use.
My first thought was to use an old Pixel 9, but I quickly realized that the radio would be too big to sit on my shelf with a regular panel phone. Then I remembered the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 that I reviewed last year. It’s small when folded, has a nearly edge-to-edge cover screen, and the flat edges would be easy to model. It’s settled.
From there it was just a matter of measuring and modeling a location for the phone, making sure to leave room for it to open if necessary. I also had to consider charging cables. I found a size and shape for the radio that I liked, modified the speaker stand to fit, modeled some fake buttons, and split the model into pieces to fit my build plate. Off to the printer!
7/10
- Brand
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Samsung
- SoC
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Samsung Exynos 2500
The finishing process
Putting it all together
The quality of a 3D printed project depends on the finishing process. It’s the difference between “this is 3D printed” and “this is 3D printed?!” » Since I have an extremely basic Anycubic Kobra printer, finishing usually takes the longest.
I wanted to wrap the body of the radio in walnut wood grain vinyl, so I used Bondo and sandpaper to smooth out the rough seams and layer lines. I did the same thing for the speaker stand, which would be covered in linen fabric. The only part that wouldn’t be covered in a different material was the phone holder. I printed it in black PLA, then sanded it and spray painted it matte black. The buttons were printed in gold PLA and needed no finishing.
Now let’s talk about the non-3D printed parts of this project. The only thing I bought was an $8 micro-USB/USB-C splitter. This allowed me to use the Home Mini’s original charging cable to power both the speaker and the Galaxy Z Flip. This also ensures that the phone does not receive too much power.
Speaking of power, I have the Galaxy Z Flip set to limit charging to 80%. Lithium-ion batteries experience more stress when constantly operating at 99-100%. Keeping a phone’s battery in the 20-80% range is better for long-term health.
The phone can be fully controlled from the cover screen. I used the Multistar module in Good Lock to add an app launcher widget and pin my music apps, Pocket Casts, Google Home, Google Keep and Paprika. Just double tap to wake you up and immediately swipe right.
The last thing to do was final assembly. I wrapped the speaker stand in fabric, glued the Home Mini in place, then glued the two front halves into position. I added weights and foam to the empty interior, popped the divider out the back, and closed it with exposed filler back plates.
The final product
How does it work?
As I write this, I’ve been living with what I call my “Google Radio” for about two weeks. I’m happy to report that it works great! I really appreciated having quick access to a handful of apps and playing media without waiting for streaming connections.
The Galaxy Z Flip connects to the Home Mini via Bluetooth. It’s very simple to set up: just say “Ok Google, pairing mode” and select the speaker from your phone’s Bluetooth devices menu. I have found that devices will stay connected for at least a few days, if not longer. However, when they disconnect, I just say “Ok Google, Bluetooth mode” and they quickly reconnect. It’s not serious.
Obviously a wired connection would be ideal, but this works well. The reason I don’t use a wired speaker is so I can still use the voice assistant. Sure, I could enable Gemini on the phone and connect a wired speaker, but that wouldn’t allow my wife to use her voice either. Smart speakers are best suited for multiple people in the household.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the end result. It’s easy to listen to music or a podcast, I still have the option to use the voice assistant (the speaker lights still show), and I’m happy with the way it looks. That’s the beauty of 3D printers. Google doesn’t make the product I want, so I made it myself.
I canceled Spotify and started my own streaming service
Move aside Spotify DJ, I’m in control now.
