Hello, my name is Nate and I'm from Colorado. I'm working for a company that designs electronics primarily. I however am the only mechanical engineer there who does all of the design housing packaging for their circuit boards. Occasionally I have to attempt to design things out of my current understanding. Now I'm getting to my point. Has anyone here ever picked up a headset (one for listening to audio on a computer or one that is for recreational use) and noticed how you can adjust the radius of the plastic piece that goes around the back of the head in order to provide a better fit for the user? (Sometimes the product has that feature.) I am very interested in understanding how those plastic adjustable pieces work inside? I suppose I could go buy a headset and rip it apart. From what I have noticed some have teeth that fit into little slots on the interior surface of the headset's housing and as you apply tension or compression to either side the teeth snap into position. I have also seen some headset products that have a compression material (foam or something) of some sort around the interior piece that allows for more smooth adjustment. If anyone has any insight into how these things work I would greatly appreciate any response. If you have no idea what I am talking about then just message me and I will try to clarify further. Thank you
Basically, either use a racket catch concept or pure friction between a soft and hard material. a geared element engaged with a idle gear. a steel wire for a frame which can slide within a rubber bush telescopically
It is common practice when working on designs to existing problems to learn what the current state of the art solution is. Go out and purchase a few headsets and learn how they accomplished it. Document what works well, what doesn't, and why. Research patents so you don't infringe on someone else's work. Also keep an eye out on similar concepts in different products, it may be possible to cross pollinate an idea into your specific application.
the other posts are on track. the design you copy, create or modify will be dependent upon the overall intent eg. easy to adjust on the fly, rigidly lock in place once adjusted, or combination of the two. it is your job to you to figure out what will work best based on the requirements you have been given. of course cost is typically a factor; which is based on many things like grade of material, manufacturing methods required based on design, assembly etc... try to keep in mind that many plastics will take a set as well as wear out fast if if not selected and designed properly.
simple prototyping Nate, suggest you try simple prototyping with some Styrofoam, cardboard, and zip ties for the ratching parts. Chris
