Cable McClippy

thingiverse

Cable McClippy was designed to simplify storage of my extensive music-gear related cables. The cable management system can hold mic cables, midi cables, guitar leads, and any other audio cable up to 20ft in length without damaging them. To ensure optimal performance and longevity, it's essential to handle high-quality (expensive) audio cables with care. They will last for years if treated properly. While velcro ties are great for keeping cables coiled loosely, they don't provide the organized solution I was looking for. Having recently ventured into 3D printing, I created Cable McClippy using Tinkercad to address this issue. The design is intentionally flexible but had to be adjusted since I didn't have access to flexible materials at the time. The cord used to wrap around the cable and hook back through the body has been designed to flex to accommodate various materials. Printing with ABS or PLA was feasible, although both can be brittle when thin. Using PLA with 50% infill/0.3mm produced a strong yet flexible result. Print times should be relatively quick, under 30 minutes. The hook is robust enough to support the weight of the cable, but the cord poses a challenge due to its tendency to snap easily if bent at one point in PLA or ABS. To overcome this issue, gently bend the cord across your finger just enough to create the necessary curve for twisting and passing through the hole in the body while still warm from printing. This approach avoids putting excessive stress on any single points, which can cause a breakage. In my experience, PLA exhibits more resistance to breakage than ABS. However, I'm still experimenting with getting optimal prints from the ABS material I have. I believe this design would be even better printed in a flexible material if the hook doesn't compromise its ability to hold the attached cable's weight. If you test it with a flexible material, please share your results. Interestingly, printing Cable McClippy laid out diagonally across the bed resulted in better adhesion between the shell and infill, yielding stronger prints.