Desk cable organiser (number of slots selectable in OpenSCAD)

Introduction

Over time I have become fed up with cables falling down the back of my desk, followed by a period of wrestling the errant cable back up far enough so that I can grab it once more. This is especially hard when I'm on my own...

I tried various cable organisers from Ebay, but they weren't very good. I also looked through Thingiverse, but nothing really matched my requirements. In the end I decided to design my own.

OpenSCAD code

This one can have as many slots as you like, as long as the resulting object will fit on your printer bed - I have shown an example with 4 slots. Simply edit the OpenSCAD file and enter the number of slots you require in the slotQty variable declaration. Set the section variable to "BOTH" while previewing the results, then set it to "BODY" or "LID" when preparing the STL files. You can also alter the height, width and slot width if you wish, and the OpenSCAD code will automatically sort out the length.

The library radiusedCylinder() must be in the same directory as the main file when compiling, or in the local OpenSCAD library directory.

Acknowledgements

Nearly all of this design is my own work, but I struggled to design slots with radiused edges - I didn't want sharp edges that could wear the cables. In the end I sought help from the RepRap OpenSCAD forum. One particular solution caught my eye, written by the forum user called enif, who is also active on Thingiverse. I took this code - originally a module called chamfercyl() - and formatted so that I stood some chance of understanding how it works (I'm still not sure that I do) and renamed it as radiusedCylinder() in a separate library of the same name. I beg forgiveness from enif for these liberties!

Fixing screws

The M3 fixing screws were designed by myself some time ago, and can be found in: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2530144

These screw into M3 nuts pushed into the lower face of the base - adjust the length of the M3 screws so that they fully engage with the nuts without protruding.

Print Settings

Printer:

Custom CoreXY

Rafts: 

No

Supports:

Yes

Resolution: 

0.2 or 0.3 (or whatever you prefer)

Infill:

15% - 20%

Filament:

HobbyKing PETG (or whatever is your preference) 

Black

Notes:

The two parts are best printed with the slots downwards. This means that the mating faces are as smooth as possible.

I used PETG for my organiser, but you can obviously use whatever material you prefer.

Post-Printing

The two M3 nuts should be pushed into the bottom of the base - use glue if they're loose.

Note: If the slots and fixing holes don't line up at the first attempt, rotate the lid 180 degrees - the parts aren't 100% symmetrical, but everything should line up when it's the right way round.

Use double-sided tape to stick the cable organiser to the desk.

Category: Office