LabQuest 3 Stackable Stand (V4, Final)

Instructions and tips

Please print in the default position, which is “on its side”, as shown in the web 3D preview.

PLA is fine, though probably PETG would also work.

Background

The Vernier LabQuest 3 is a versatile data recording device that is used in science classrooms, probably for the older age range in K-12 and early undergraduate STEM teaching labs within the United States.

It has touchscreen capability, so I gather Andrew “bunnie” Huang's assessment is that the LabQuest is a glorified tablet fitted with various proprietary Vernier connectors (including serial interfaces).  However, using a purpose-built and more rugged chassis, instead of “just using an iPad” probably helps to deter theft of school property and helps lab equipment last longer.

Instead of having a custom data recording device for each experiment set from Vernier, Vernier created the LabQuest 3

Problem and motivation

However, Vernier seems to not have put too much into internal user experience research before releasing this device.  A crucial usability issue that all LabQuest 3 devices have is that the rechargeable battery makes the device back-heavy and easily fall onto its back, if unsupported.  This usability issue makes the experience of using the LabQuest 3 devices in chemistry lab classes tedious.

One of the STEM Club's project idea for summer 2025 was to make a stand for the LabQuest 3.  So, I started doing some research.

(Also, the requested characteristic of making the stand stackable came halfway through the problem solving process, so the write-up isn't telling the order of events strictly chronologically.)

What exists currently, officially

If you perform an online search for “labquest 3 stand”, your current OEM option from Vernier costs $5 and, as a simple “third arm” made of plastic and precision-cut 3M adhesive, looks more appropriate on a smartphone rather than the large and bulky LabQuest 3.  This was current, as of June-July 2025.  (I might've reimplemented the wireframe stand, but our school doesn't have any metalworking related programs - yet.)

Curiously, the prior version of the LabQuest 3 stand used to look more reminiscent of a wireframe book stand, and the last version of this recorded was taken by the Wayback Machine in January 2025.  I'm not sure why this rather solid option for an OEM accessory was silently taken away.

Sources of inspiration

• Searching for “labquest 3 stand 3d print” easily yields the model from @PhysicsGuy_288633, which was uploaded in 2022 and updated in 2024.  This was released under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  • However, shortly after testing this stand out, the STEM Club received an additional request to make the stand stackable.
  • So, I only ended up making sure the final model had a similar side profile as this model.
• When searching for stackable phone cases, I hoped to find one that looked simple enough to reimplement.  I came across this model from MakerWorld, licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Tools

• For 3D design, I used Onshape.
  • I know I usually try to avoid cloud platforms, but I only started learning 3D design with Onshape barely 3-4 months ago; so I haven't tried looking into FreeCAD.
• For 3D printers, I used:
  • MakerBot Replicator+
  • Bambu Lab A1 mini with AMS Lite

Design process changelog

Here's the design process that I went through:

• Revision V0: reimplementing the phone stand
  • I created 2 variants, because in my technical drawings I was ambiguous and didn't know if I should define the front shelf with the “top” surface, where the device's bottom surface rests on, and called it “overhand”; or the bottom of the stand, which touches the top surface of the table, and called it “underhand”.
  • V0, Overhand
  • V0, Underhand
  • Printing these successfully indicated that I was on the correct track.
  • I knew that the stand needed to be thicker, so I increased the thickness from 2mm to 3mm for revision V1.
• Revision V1: designing the first version for the LabQuest 3 without access to it is a poor decision in hindsight.
  • Eventually we figured out a way to access the devices for physical measurements.
  • This caused the front shelf of 32mm to be way too short to hold the LabQuest properly.
  • Not all was in vein, as it was determined that the stand could be narrower, so it reduced the width from 150mm to 100mm.
  • This was the last revision with overhand and underhand variations.
  • V1, Overhand
  • V1, Underhand
• Revision V2: this was the first version that “worked”.
  • This is deprecated, though this still does the job.
  • Only 4 versions with front shelves of 38mm, 40mm, 42mm, and 45mm were created.
  • The LabQuest 3 moves a bit from side-to-side, as this is 10mm narrower than the final stand width of 110mm.
  • I suppose this is partly why I couldn't yet discern that the 38mm had the best fit overall.
  • I measured the width of the battery cover on the back of the LabQuest 3 and decided to increase the width from 100mm to 105mm.
  • Measuring the depth of the LabQuest 3 indicated to me that maybe even a shorter 37mm front shelf could work.
• Revision V3: getting there, one step closer to the end.
  • This is deprecated, though this still does the job and better than V2.
  •  5 versions with front shelves of 37mm, 38mm, 40mm, 42mm, and 45mm were created.
  • The LabQuest 3 moves a tiny bit from side-to-side, as this is 5mm narrower than the final stand width of 110mm.
  • This is when I could tell that only the 37mm front shelf was needed for the LabQuest 3 to sit with an overall clean and tight fit.
  • Measuring with a ruler indicated that the stand width could be increased from 105mm to 110mm.
• Revision V4: the final one is here!
  • A total of 24 will be printed.

Conclusion

Here's what I learned:

• You cannot always trust OEM accessories to be offered for a long period of time, and also that you cannot trust all accessories to make sense from a UX/customer service perspective.
• Making good 3D prints doesn't have to be fancy and artsy: sometimes you just look at solutions others have made before you to guide yourself to a working solution.
  • This is sort of like gauging how far others have cast their skipping stones, and then trying incrementally to skip your stone further than they had done, along a calm lake.

Thanks

Thanks to "The Machinist" for input that helped to focus on the 37mm variant in the V3 revision that hugged the back of the battery cover of the LabQuest 3 stand as a crucial for the final version.

I'd also like to thank the STEM Club overall for giving me an opportunity and a good excuse to learn the basic functions and operations in Onshape.  It's sort of like Linux: everyone starts on Ubuntu, but then you use other Linux distros once Ubuntu can't serve your distro needs anymore.  (Also getting 3D printers to work on Linux is relatively easy, and still relatively easy compared to even paper printers.)

Lastly I'd like to thank Panda for generously lending me your Bambu Lab A1 mini with AMS Lite “on indefinite loan”.  We finished the project in a “reasonably” “finite” amount of time thanks to your A1 mini.

I only chose the 37mm front shelf variant and increased the stand width to 110mm.