Category: Machine Shop

This isn’t quite the smoothly rounded clip I had in mind:

It seems somewhat better looking than the square design, though:

I ran off a few of both styles to have some on hand:

They’re in a bag until I install the new LED strips and needle light.

The OpenSCAD source code:

// LED Cable Clips
// Ed Nisley - KE4ZNU - October 2014

Layout = "Oval";			// Oval Square Build

//- Extrusion parameters must match reality!

ThreadThick = 0.20;
ThreadWidth = 0.40;

HoleWindage = 0.2;			// extra clearance

Protrusion = 0.1;			// make holes end cleanly

AlignPinOD = 1.70;			// assembly alignment pins: filament dia

function IntegerMultiple(Size,Unit) = Unit * ceil(Size / Unit);

//----------------------
// Dimensions

Base = [12.0,12.0,IntegerMultiple(2.0,ThreadThick)];	// base over sticky square

CableOD = 2.0;

BendRadius = 3.0;

Bollard = [BendRadius,(sqrt(2)*Base[0]/2 - CableOD - BendRadius),2*CableOD];
B_BOT = 0;
B_TOP = 1;
B_LEN = 2;

NumSides = (Shape == "Square") ? 5*4 : 6*3;

//----------------------
// Useful routines

module PolyCyl(Dia,Height,ForceSides=0) {			// based on nophead's polyholes

  Sides = (ForceSides != 0) ? ForceSides : (ceil(Dia) + 2);

  FixDia = Dia / cos(180/Sides);

  cylinder(r=(FixDia + HoleWindage)/2,
           h=Height,
           $fn=Sides);
}

module ShowPegGrid(Space = 10.0,Size = 1.0) {

  RangeX = floor(100 / Space);
  RangeY = floor(125 / Space);

	for (x=[-RangeX:RangeX])
	  for (y=[-RangeY:RangeY])
		translate([x*Space,y*Space,Size/2])
		  %cube(Size,center=true);

}

//-- Square clip with central bollard

module SquareBollard() {

	intersection() {
		translate([0,0,(Base[2] + Bollard[B_LEN])/2])			// overall XYZ outline
			cube(Base + [0,0,Bollard[2]],center=true);

		union() {
			translate([0,0,Base[2]/2])						// oversize mount base
				scale([2,2,1])
					cube(Base,center=true);

			for (i=[-1,1] , j=[-1,1]) {						// corner bollards
				translate([i*Base[0]/2,j*Base[1]/2,(Base[2] - Protrusion)])
					rotate(180/NumSides)
					cylinder(r=Bollard[B_BOT],h=(Bollard[B_LEN] + Protrusion),center=false,$fn=NumSides);

			translate([0,0,(Base[2] - Protrusion)])			// center tapered bollard
				cylinder(r1=Bollard[B_BOT],r2=Bollard[B_TOP],
						 h=(Bollard[B_LEN] + Protrusion),
						 center=false,$fn=NumSides);
			}
		}
	}

}

//-- Oval clip with central passage

module OvalPass() {

	intersection() {
		translate([0,0,(Base[2] + Bollard[B_LEN])/2])		// overall XYZ outline
			cube(Base + [0,0,2*CableOD],center=true);

		union() {
			translate([0,0,Base[2]/2])						// oversize mount base
				scale([2,2,1])
					cube(Base,center=true);

			for (j=[-1,1])									// bending ovals
				translate([0,j*Base[1]/2,(Base[2] - Protrusion)])
					resize([Base[0]/0.75,0,0])
						cylinder(d1=0.75*(Base[1]-CableOD),d2=(Base[1]-CableOD)/cos(180/NumSides),
								h=(Bollard[B_LEN] + Protrusion),
								center=false,$fn=NumSides);
		}
	}
/*
#	translate([0,0,6])
		rotate([0,90,0])
			cylinder(d=CableOD,h=10,center=true,$fn=48);
*/
}

//----------------------
// Build it

ShowPegGrid();

if (Layout == "Square")
	SquareBollard();

if (Layout == "Oval")
	OvalPass();