Slide to eject card wallet, custom number of cards

A secure card holding wallet that allows you to remove one card at a time with sliding arms
In the contest Wallets
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updated July 23, 2022

Description

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Description

This is a wallet sized to fit standard cards (standard, as defined by the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 size). The wallet can hold any number of cards you want, so long as you can find M3 bolts long enough to work. The wallet holds cards securely so they won't fall out if you hold the wallet upside down and the side slides allow you to easily remove a specific card. The modular nature of the wallet allows you to customize: if you want different color slides to color-code your cards, you can do that; if you want to put a custom design on the front (or rear) cover, you can modify the design to do so.

When I was looking at wallets available online to print, I noticed that several had shortcomings I wanted to address.

  • You were forced to a specific number of cards in your wallet. If the designer thought 5 cards were the perfect number for everyone, that's the only option.
    • This design allows you to choose how many cards you hold. You want to have a holder JUST for your library card? Done! Print one cover, back, tray, and ejector and you got it. You want a holder for all 30 credit cards you signed up for in college? If you can find a long enough M3 bolt to hold it together, go for it.
  • Holders with slots were hard to remove specific cards.
    • This design has slides that make it easy to manipulate specific cards out. If you print the ejectors in different colors, you can even color-code cards!
  • Holders with slots didn't look secure – if you hold them upside down all the cards could fall out.
    • This design integrates spring loaded nubs that grip the cards into the slots. You have to shake fairly hard to get the cards to come out without using the ejectors.
  • Several holders use magnets. Right beside cards that have magnetic strips on them.
    • No magnets here, just plastic and a few bolts.

I'm not saying my design is the best for everyone, but I think it's pretty nice.

Required Materials

To assemble this, you'll need the following:

  • 4x M3 thin nuts (square or hex). I used McMaster 97258A101 (square) as I had some on hand from a previous project. You can also use thin hex nuts (e.g. McMaster 90710A030). Your fastener choice here dictates which back panel you use.
  • 4x M3 button head screws, length sized to fit how thick your wallet is. For a 5 card wallet, 18mm length screws are perfect; I used McMaster 92095A472 for mine.
  • One back panel. At time of publishing this I only have one style available, but I plan for at least a couple more that I'll try to add over the coming weeks when I flush out their designs. Choose either the hex or square nut version to match your hardware.
  • One front panel. I've got three different choices already with this publish, your choice. Note, you could use the solid cover and then modify the design in software of your choice to customize it as you see fit.
    • The Window Front is sized to allow you to insert a clear plastic sheet as a window. If you use this one, you'll have to glue the clear sheet to the inside of the cover. I haven't tested this one since I don't have any clear sheet at home, so it's provided only as a concept / experimental cover.
  • One Card Tray and Card Ejector PER card you want to hold. So for a five card wallet you'd need five trays and five ejectors.
    • EDIT 2022-07-26: PyBN made a remix of my ejector / tray that looks like it clears up the binding issue some have had (you can tell by the number of revisions I made to the design before posting that I had some issues – I got it working on my prints, but I can see how their remix could better fix the problem). It's worth looking at that if you have issues with my tray / ejectors.

Printing Instructions

I'd recommend printing in PETG (or other impact / wear resistant material) so this doesn't break from use, but ultimately it's your choice. The infill percentage doesn't matter because these parts are so thin that there's basically no infill.

All parts are printable without supports.

Assembly Instructions

Press four nuts into the holes in the back cover:

Flip the back cover over and place a card tray on top of this so that the alignment pins / cones line up with the back cover. Place a card ejector onto the tray so the ejector's pins fit into the slots of the tray:

Repeat previous step for however many cards / trays you want.

Place the cover over the assembly, again paying attention to the alignment cones / holes. Insert the four M3 screws and tighten them to secure the assembly. Make sure they are sized appropriately so you don't have excess bolt length extending out the back (as that could catch on things and cause injury).

Insert cards and enjoy!

 

 

Disclaimer

Keep in mind that you're making a card holder out of plastic wire in your garage / bedroom. I'm not responsible if the holder you print breaks and you lose all your cards or damage / injure yourself or your pants.

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