The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Rounded Cable Clips

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

    LED Cable Clip - rounded channel
    LED Cable Clip – rounded channel

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

    LED Cable Clips
    LED Cable Clips

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

    Cable clips - on platform
    Cable clips – on platform

    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();