Low2No Tape Mast Cable Guide for Foil Drive Assist

thingiverse

__My other Foil Drive printable parts:__ + [FDA Board Cable Guide](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6123146) + [FDA Motor/Can/Prop Covers](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6134502) __Print Instructions__ Printed vertically with 20% infill, a brim for adhesion, using PETG filament. I recommend against using PLA, which is brittle and becomes more brittle with long-term exposure in water. The provided STL file will print a 10cm long guide. For different lengths, try scaling it in your slicer in just the Z-axis. __Description__ This is a redesign of the mast cable guides provided by the [Foil Drive team](https://foildrive.com.au/) for their Foil Drive Assist / FDA kits. It attempts to improve upon their design in a few ways: + Pictures 1 & 2 shows the original guide (small and gray) compared against this one (larger and black). The extra depth/width across the mast eliminates the resulting concave shape left by the original guide, which should improve fluid dynamics by eliminating the soft void space under the electrical tape when it is stretched across the mast to secure the cable and guide. (See the last photo with ruler and red circle highlighting the void from the original guide. When electrical tape is applied, it spans this gap just like the ruler, leaving a floppy/stretchy section that is less aerodynamic.) + With the use of 2-sided tape (picture 3) to secure the guide to the mast, and the deep channel that securely snaps the cable in place, the need wrap the entire mast with large amounts of tape is eliminated. The fit is snug and unlikely to come loose during normal use, but a collision could pull the cable free, so you may still want to secure each end of the cable to the guide with a loop or two of tape, or drill a small hole for a zip tie (picture 6). + By reducing the use of external tape, the cable can be more easily removed from the mast when disassembling your foil for transport and storage. + The cable guides and 2-sided tape can be pried free from the mast with a thin paint scraper, allowing you to more easily reposition your FDA+ motor and pod between "efoiling" and "assist" positions on the mast, or anywhere in between. No more unwrapping, tossing, and re-wrapping large amounts of tape.