So I have my little “simpit” setup to my right.

I should have chosen the white-laminate version of this desk as it wouldn’t show the dust, but that’s beside the point.

A few years ago I had asked a friend to 3D print a case for my StreamDeck (at the time I only had a small printer which couldn’t have handled the job). I did have to create an additional part from scratch to mount the device to my generic mounting brackets, and thus far it’s all worked pretty OK in the same way that “this is fine” is an expression of “pretty OK”.

As Star Citizen’s 4.0 release is imminent (i.e. if not early 2025, then right before the Holiday break in keeping with CIG’s tradition of dropping patches right before the company closes for the end of the year), I understand that I’m going to need a lot more buttons to handle all of the changes and additions that they’re adding for things like sub-system targeting and jump-gate use. While I could use my keyboard for these things, it’s really only there so I can type names into the map for ease of use, not as a real component of the flight system. To that end, I’ve been considering getting a second StreamDeck. The problem is that while the current mount is doing just OK, I’ve always considered Doing Better so I could have the ‘Deck in a less restrictive position; right now, the right stick (controlling pitch, yaw, and roll) can easily bang into the device where it’s mounted.

Using the original housing file as a reference, I designed this twin-case “StreamDeck Tree” in Blender. The goal has been two-fold. First, get it up higher and further away from the range of the right stick. Second, make a place for another ‘Deck. The render above is unfinished — and more importantly, untested — but I’m thinking that this is at least On the Right Path. It’s basically just a bracket that allows for mounting two StreamDecks, which will need to be designed and printed in two parts in order to fit on the build plate of the printer. It’s also the mounting pillar which will bolt to same point where the two arms meet at the top, and will use the stick’s mounting bracket rail system to attach to the setup at the bottom. My main concern is “structural integrity”. It needs to be solidly attached to the mounting bracket so it doesn’t snap if I happen to hit it, but it also needs to not wobble or break when I’m pressing the buttons on the StreamDeck. It’s been a trade off of trying to make the design small enough so I can print it without needing a swimming pool-amount of resin, but also thick enough that the finished structure will be sturdy.

However, I came to the realization that maybe this is not the best option, so I am contemplating a version which takes the original single-housing design and kicks it up and towards the center of the complete setup, moving it out of the way of the stick’s motion. Then I would flip the design so I could mount another ‘Deck to the left stick bracket. I believe that keeping one-‘Deck-per-bracket is the better option, would result in a more manageable design, and would take less resin to print. I’ll keep you all posted once I have a design for that concept.