Alternative cases

So I brought a case for the teracube. The case was originally designed for the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite and it works but the case is a tight fit and I would have to cut out a few of the ports. The way that the case is designed is that I could possibly heat up the case to remove the glue and reglue the teracube case instead since it’s one of those phone wallets. I will get a Spigen case soon and I’ll let you guys know how that goes.

Link to the case: Mulbess Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Protective Cover, Magnetic Closure RFID Blocking Luxury Flip Folio Leather Wallet Phone Case with Card Slots and Kickstand for Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PMXJXYD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2pkvEb62VNQFX

Photos of the case with the phone inside.

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Thanks for this info. I just ordered a case made for the Xiaomi Mi8 Lite, I will report back after I see if it will work.

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Just letting you know that you might want to have a knife ready to make adjustments. Since this is a new phone and there aren’t any official releases out yet. Important areas to consider to fix. Fingerprint scanner is going to be off by a bit. So you might want to make the circle larger also the most important part is to cut a hole for the volume rocker. Now remember if you are going to purchase the case from Amazon they won’t take back a damaged case.

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I got the Spigen case last night. I took some pictures as to what the m8 lite case looks like on the teracube. Well off to trimming. I’ll let you guys know how it pans out.
Link to photos:https://photos.app.goo.gl/1fUuSroC1r8UrZMj9

Amazon link: Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Case Spigen Rugged Armor - Flexible and Durable Shock Absorption with Carbon Fiber Design for Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite (2018) - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMJP2R1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DuMvEb8MVRKKZ

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Looks pretty good. Just wondering how “sloppy” the teracube fits into this case? I don’t care about the finger unlock. I’m never going to use it. However, I will have to trim the camera opening…but doesn’t appear like I will have to much. Are you happy with how teracube fits this case? Can’t wait to see pictures. Thanks.

The fit is fine for the most part. My biggest issue was trying to cut out the volume rocker and the headphone jack. I kinda gave up on the headphone jack. When you at the pictures of the top. You’ll see why lol. It’s a nice snug secure fit. The cutouts look pretty shoddy but it’ll do for now. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mEsYM47xFhZ7TUY89

Did you have to cut out the power button side too…or did the red power button fit into one of the pre-existing holes for the Xiaomi Mi 8 phone?

No the power button is on the side of the volume rocker. So I didn’t have to cut out to make room for the power button and yes the red power button did fit into one of the preexisting holes.

Down volume button = power button

Update: Made some final adjustments to my modified case. I used some :fire: and an l shaped screwdriver( to stretch the part of the case to make the headphone jack). I also made further adjustments by cutting a part of the case out to make access the volume rocker easier. Because I used heat to make the headphone jack the top is now raised. Because the port is raised you would have to put in more effort to push the jack into the headphone jack. Otherwise still better than the default case, so I’m content until an official release is out.

what material were you using to 3d print a case? I’m looking at an array of material options. (plastics of different types basically)

I’ve tried printing 4 cases and all of the material seems too brittle…plus I don’t want to jam my phone into the printed case and damage my phone. Therefore, I purchased this universal case through Amazon and it fits great…even over the supplied case. It gives my phone protection on the corners until someone designs a better case. Also…not as slippery now. Check it out. Make sure you get the Larger Size.

https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Collection-Smartphone-Protection-Shockproof/dp/B0778MNMM1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=universal+phone+case&qid=1582858353&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyOVlSVFI4OTI5OE9SJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTEyMDc2UDFaSDhVRzdURjlSJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxNjg2NzExWVZFOVVNRE5WSTRRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

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Thanks for the suggestion! I will try it out and let you know.

My new 3d printer will be arriving today will take some time to setup. Plan is to make plastic cases and do a heavy coat of silicone jacket will peel and then clean inside and glue to the plastic case. This will improve impact resistance and allow for button usage. Also should allow for sticking accessories to the hard plastic stands magnets metal plates for magnetic stands. We should also be able to use cell phone wallets like the one for the LG g4 (wife has one old phone) as it used magnets to stay in place is close to same size so will allow easier to implement. This will require testing of course but this is my theory.

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I purchased this case: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KQ6TSWH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The fit problems on it are very similar to what @caretoexplain experienced. You would need to make another hole on top. There are existing button allowances on the right side that work with the power button. Space would have to be carved out or cut out on the left for the volume buttons. The rear camera opening only needs to be trimmed slightly, but the fingerprint reader opening is off significantly.


Hi, all,
For those with printers, the STL Collection has been updated. I’ll link it again here for convenience. Because the old version was apparently very tight, the new version adds 0.5mm clearance to make it a little easier to put on. It comes in three flavors:

  1. 1mm added to all button and port holes
  2. 2mm added to all button and port holes
  3. 2mm added to all button and port holes, and a stylish Teracube logo cut out of the back, with the benefit of reducing print time. Unfortunately, I forgot to join or remove the floating parts of the Teracube wordmark, so you’ll be printing a few unnecessary donut holes.

File below:
Teracube STL Collection 2.zip

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Glad to hear this seems like a good alternative case! I saw it while searching the other day but wasn’t sure so happy to see it’s working.

So I got the bone case. Amazon Link here
Bone Collection Universal Cell Phone Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0778MNMM1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_A4VwEb5EW438G

So I have a series of photos to share with you guys. They consist of:

  1. Bone case + default Teracube case
  2. Bare Teracube + bone case
  3. Modified spidgen case + bone case

The first set of photos are the bone case + default Teracube case. First of all fits great, but expect a partial cut off at the top of the screen but it does protect the phones screen.

The second set of photos are bare Teracube (w/o default case)

The third set of photos is the modified Spidgen case I worked on earlier this week.

I noticed when laying the bone case the case does not lay flat on this back. The logo on the back is removable so if you want to lay the case flat you have that option. This link also includes bonus photos of what the case looks like on its own.

My final consensus is that the bone case works best with the teracube case. Without the case the buttons are too sensitive and could easily be pressed accidentally.

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I ordered one too to try. It seems to work as you stated.
It feels a bit weird to me to have it be even bigger at top adn bottom, but it does seem to protect.

It might drive me nuts that it covers the battery notification (among others)
Holes would need to be cut for the top microphone, and for the headphone jack.

I might have to cut the inside curves a little more open at the top, to expose the notifications. It may cause the case to tear when one stretches it onto the phone though – if anybody else modifies theirs, please post results!

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I think it’s kind of risky to trim the bone case considering how doing so could ruin the integrity of the case. I would say if you are going to use the headphone jack just remove the bone case. The bottom of the phone is a has one large microphone and the bottom right side is a speaker. I use AccuBattery to give me the battery percentage. I have a screenshot to show you what I mean. Look at the top center left.
Google Photos