Keyhole retainer

thingiverse

Human: Vertical keyhole mounts work great because gravity keeps the mounting bolt in place within the narrow portion of the keyhole, preventing the item from falling even when the bolts are loose. Keyholes pose a risk for horizontal mounts such as those found on ceilings since there is no natural tendency for the bolt to remain in the secure end of the slot. Furthermore, when tightening the bolt it has a tendency to cause the hung item to move along the keyhole slot. This retaining clip secures the bolts into the narrow end of the keyhole slots, making horizontal mounts safer. They were designed specifically for an overhead power cord reel but can easily be modified for any keyhole mount. The dimensions of the keyhole are: * 19.5mm for the large hole. * 10.2mm slot width * 35mm total slot length A conscious design choice was made to make the hole in the retainer the same size as the slot, which is much wider than the bolt used. This allows for some slop in the distance between centers of the mount holes when drilling. After mounting the overhead cord reel a notable issue arose that would improve the design and which I'd change if given another opportunity. The width of the retainer was sufficient to contain the bolt hole and the key plug in their proper positions, unfortunately the mounting plate attached to the ceiling is wider than the retainer. Since the retainer holds the mounting plate 3mm away from the ceiling this allows the mounting plate to wobble. Were I to reprint this I would extend the width of the retainer to match the mounting plate. If I were really ambitious, I'd combine two retainers into a single piece whose outline matched the mounting plate, allowing me to use the holes as a drilling template. This design was created with Tinkercad. Edit it online at https://www.tinkercad.com/things/afCU1Ehg1gW