Cable Port in 60mm Desk Grommet by Zed42

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Do you also find a plethora of different connecting and power feeding cables occupying your desk? Some of them are only temporary and can be put away (if you’re that kind of person with extraordinary discipline keeping your desk nice and tidy) and some can be managed with different sorts of cable management solutions and mostly be put out of sight and out of way.
But some need to stay permanently and can’t be tied away – since the device they are connecting and/or power feeding is not resting in one place but is to be moved around freely. In my case (so far) those are a magnifying lamp and motorized pen sharpener (which I absolutely insist to be power fed from the grid and be stowed away yet readily available without plugging it in each time they are to be used).
Miraculously all cables possess the ability to tangle up in no time and according to Murphy’s laws the one you imminently need is obviously tangled up most.
This (mostly) 3D printed gimmick which from lack of other ideas I decided to call Cable Port is using 60 mm round grommet through your working desk. It thus allows the actual power supplies and other cable ends to rest below your desk. There are either steel or carbon-fiber rods stuck into the Port cones. The rods support the cable up into the air and down again.
Pulling the device around the desk forces the rod to bend and form an A-like shape leading the cable in the air thus away from any other cables and stuff occupying the desk. Once the device is put back next to the port the rod straightens up storing the cable automatically.
I’m using this design for over a year now – and it has proved itself very well.
The longer the rod is the bigger operational radius of course but with length the cable weight becomes noticeable and starts to matter. I’m using 2 mm thick steel rods. Originally I was afraid they will flex and the bend will not straighten up – esp. if left bent for an extended period of time.
Thus I tested also carbon fiber rods which flex a lot more easily and there is no threat of permanent deformation. However 2mm thick carbon fiber is too weak to support even very light cables with any reasonable length.
So I settled with 60 cm long 2 mm thick steel rods and they work just perfect – bridging 1m long distance easily giving sufficient operational radius for my needs. Thicker carbon fiber rods could possibly be a better option but there was no need for this change.
The design of the whole thing is split into several parts bearing ease of print and flexibility of use and future modifications in mind.
There is a main body which is held in place by “Holding screw” – which leads through the desk grommet and is tightened with a 3d printed nut from below the desk. All this while maintaining approx. 45mm wide clearance through the desk for cables (not necessarily only the ones supported by the rods) to be lead through.
Originally the main body and the thread-coated screw were joined in one piece – but with current design they print a lot easier. And, obviously, if Port was to be transferred to other – for instance thicker – desk, only a longer “holding screw” is to be reprinted.
Then there are slide-in drawers – one from each side – which support the cones which in turn support the rod(s). The cones are deliberately printed separately: it gives an option to fix (obviously only the metal) rods by bending it twice under the cone’s base – although it is not necessary. Just sticking the rod into the cone shall be enough for most applications – the cone is long and tight enough to keep the rod in without further fixing.
And then, obviously, it also leaves way to design a different type of cone as per any future needs – and print only this small element without reprinting the whole thing.
I’ve myself printed an am using the two-cone (longer) version of the slide-in drawer from each side (i.e. 4 cones altogether) however in that case the main body is almost 250 mm long so not printable on printers with smaller beds. Moreover somebody might need only one or two rods – so I’ve also created short version of the slide-in drawer and main body for one cone only. But haven’t used or printed myself – use at own risk.
Finally there are two version of a cap to be placed at the top of the rod in order to tie the cable there. Smaller is a simple one with one mounting point (small cable ties to be used) – or alternatively a long one with several options hence giving more freedom e.g. for shorter cables while maintaining the same overall rod length.