A Student makes an ID case with a power bank and USB flash drive

Back when I was still in high school, I always carried my 128MB USB flash drive with me. Since it was very expensive back then, I made sure I didn’t lose it by tying it to my ID lace, along with my house keys. Today, there’s another necessity you should carry around: a power bank. You surely don’t want to hang a bulky battery on your neck, but that won’t be a problem with this ID case.
Check: Wow! Swings Bluetooth earphones are also good-looking earrings

Angelo Casimiro, the Filipino student that created a working life-size BB-8, has a new creation: an ID case prototype with a power bank and a USB flash drive. Portable batteries are already built in to modern wallets and cardholders, so putting it into an ID case is a great idea for students.

Image credit: Angelo Casimiro

Casimiro’s ID case prototype is made using a 3D printer. It has a sizeable 3000mAh Li-poly battery and a pull-down USB flash drive with a whopping 128GB of storage. According to him, the overall weight of the ID case is just 50 grams.

The battery capacity of the ID case should be able to fully charge an iPhone or Android smartphone depending on battery size, while the 128GB storage is more than enough to store software, videos, and games.

Image credit: Angelo Casimiro

On the side, the ID case has a full-size USB port for charging portable devices and an LED battery level indicator. The built-in battery is charged through a micro-USB port just like a typical power bank. A pull-down USB connector is hidden beneath the case when you have to plug it into a computer.

“I usually offer my 3D Printing services and electronics expertise to fellow La Sallians for product prototyping and fabrication, but never have I had a client with such a brilliant idea. David Zinampan and his groupmates had an idea to sneak in a compact 3000mAh Li-poly battery inside a custom 3D-printed ID holder while stuffing in a 128GB pull-down USB flash drive,” said Angelo in his Facebook post.

The ID case is just a prototype and a college project, so you won’t see it in stores anytime soon. But, it could actually be a product designed for students by students.

This prototype is just one of the many creations of Angelo. He has his own YouTube channel called TechBuilder where he showcases his inventions and DIY projects.

Update (July 23, 2018): I reached out to Angelo to ask more details about the project. His post regarding the ID case power bank was just meant to be a showcase of another finished DIY project in collaboration with David Zinampan, Sarah Tan, Celine Solis, Andreana Gabrielle Yu Santos, and Ivan Yeung. He didn’t expect it to go viral outside his circle. The demand pushed them to work on its patent and look into mass production. If things go well, there are plans to start a company and sell the ID case power bank as a consumer product.