Introduction: The Cable-aid

Hello, this Instructable will teach you how to create an aid to hold cables.

We are two students industrial design at the university of Ghent (Belgium) and one student ergotherapy of the Howest of Kortrijk (Belgium). This is a project of cocreation to provide a solution specific for a specific user with a specific problem. This is a D4E1-project (Design For Everyone).

Our user is Babette. Babette works in Westlandia in Ieper (Belgium). There she has to hold electrical cables which are coming out of a machine. She has to hold them together and position them in the right way. When she has a bundle of (for example) 40 cables, she has to bind them together.

Babette has Leiri-Weill and when Babette works for a moment at this task, her wrists start to hurt.

We wanted to help Babette to improve her daily task at her work, so we designed ‘the cable-aid’. We wanted Babette to handle ‘the cable-aid’ with her feet, so we designed a pedal to operate ‘the cable-aid’.


You can find our design process on our blog:
http://kabelhulp2015.blogspot.be/

Video:

Our 'cable-aid' exists out of 3 big parts:

  • The clamp of the cable-aid
  • The pedal
  • A holder for the long cables

This instructable explains how to make the clamp of the cable-aid. The other instructables can you find in the link below:

Step 1: Step 1: Materials & Tools (CLAMP)

To make the clamp of 'the cable-aid', you need the following materials and tools.

TOOLS

  • one hacksaw
  • wood glue
  • a pair of scissors
  • double-sided tap
  • lasercutter

MATERIALS

  • Multiplex minimum 430x560 mm (thicknes = 5 mm)
  • Broomstick minimum 420 mm (diameter = 18 mm)
  • Metal axes minimum 250 mm (diameter = 4 mm)
  • rope
  • wire cutter M8
  • 6x screw-nut M8
  • 2x butterfly nut M8
  • 8x fleet M8
  • 2x Pulley
  • 2x key ring
  • Antislib material
  • 1x Spring

Step 2: STEP 2: Lasercut the Wooden Pieces

NEEDED

  • Multiplex plate minimum 5x430x560 mm
  • Vectorized/illustrator file (you can find ours below)
  • lasercutter

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Download the illustrator file
  2. Print file to lasercutter. Make sure you use the right properties.
    - RGB color mode
    - Cutting: R=255, G=0, B=0
    - Line thickness = 0,025 mm
  3. Let the lasercutter cut your parts out of the multiplex

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

  • We made our parts with a thickness from 5 mm, but you can use thicker multiplex. When you use thicker multiplex, you need to adapt our files to another thickness.

Attachments

Step 3: STEP 3: Saw the Two Axes

NEEDED

  • Metal ax (diameter = 4 mm)
  • Broomstick (diameter = 18 mm
  • One saw

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the metal ax and saw the metal ax at a distance from 250 mm with the saw.
  2. Take the broomstick and saw the broomstick at a distance from 420 mm with the saw.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

  • You are also able to use an ax and broomstick with other diameters, but than you also have to adapt our files.

Step 4: STEP4: Assembly the Parts (PART 1)

NEEDED:

  • Lasercutted parts 2 (x2) and 3 (x2)
  • wood glue

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the lasercutted parts.
  2. Place them as shown on the picture above.
    Normally, you won't need glue. The parts are made to stick in each other. Sometimes the laser has another precision, if the precision is not the same, the parts will not stick together anymore. In this case, you need to add glue at the pieces where they connect.

Step 5: STEP 5: Assembly the Parts (PART 2)

NEEDED

  • Parts assembled in STEP 4 and lasercutted part 1
  • New lasercutted part (white part in the picture above)
  • woodglue

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the lasercutted parts.
  2. Place them as shown on the picture above. Normally, you won't need glue. The parts are made to stick in each other. Sometimes the laser has another precision, if the precision is not the same, the parts will not stick together anymore. In this case, you need to add glue at the pieces where they connect.

Step 6: STEP 6: Assemble the Parts (PART 3)

NEEDED

  • Lasercutted parts 9 and 7 (x4)
  • Wood glue

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the lasercutted parts.
  2. Place them as shown on the picture above. Normally, you won't need glue. The parts are made to stick in each other. Sometimes the laser has another precision, if the precision is not the same, the parts will not stick together anymore. In this case, you need to add glue at the pieces where they connect.

Step 7: STEP 7: Assemble the Parts (PART 4)

NEEDED

  • Assembled parts from STEP 6
  • Spring
  • Lassercutted parts 12 (x4)
  • Metal axis

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Place the metal axis throught the holes of the assembled from STEP 6.
  2. Place the small rings (Part 12) and the spring on the metal axis, placed as shown in the picture.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT

  • We used a spring to have a strength betweeen the clamps. But you're also able to use an elastic. A spring is more sustainable and will work better.

Step 8: STEP 8: Assemble the Parts (PART 5)

NEEDED

  • Lasercutted part 8, 6 and 5 (x2)
  • Wood glue


WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the lasercutted parts.
  2. Place them as shown on the picture above. Normally, you won't need glue. The parts are made to stick in each other. Sometimes the laser has another precision, if the precision is not the same, the parts will not stick together anymore. In this case, you need to add glue at the pieces where they connect.

Step 9: STEP 9: Cut the Antislip-material

NEEDED

  • Antislip material
  • A pair of scissors


WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the antislip material and draw the form (Given on the picture) at the antislip material.
  2. Cut the antislip material.
  3. Do this twice!


POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT

  • We used an antislip mat, but you're also able to use other materials. The material must just have the antislip property.

Step 10: STEP 10: Glue the Antislip Material to the Assembly of STEP 7&8

NEEDED

  • Assembly of STEP 7
  • Assembly of STEP 8
  • Cutted parts from STEP 9
  • double sided tape

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Place double sided tape on the assembly of STEP 7&8 on the side showed at the picture.
  2. Add the antislip material at the double sided tape.

Step 11: STEP 11: Add the Key Rings

NEEDED

  • Assembly of STEP 8
  • 2 key rings

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the assembly made in STEP 8.
  2. Open the key ring and place the keyring in the holes of part 8.
  3. Close the key ring.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT

  • We used little clamps, but these are not necessary. You can also place the rope (later on) directly to this part 8.

Step 12: STEP 12: Assemble the Parts (PART 6)

NEEDED

  • Broomstick sawed in STEP 3
  • Assemblys from STEP 5&10
  • Wood glue

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the Assemblys from STEP 5&10.
  2. Hold the Assemblys as shown at the picture.
  3. Place the broomstick between the holes.
  4. Glue the pieces where needed (shown in the picture). The parts are made to stick in each other. Sometimes the laser has another precision, if the precision is not the same, the parts will not stick together anymore. In this case, you need to add glue at the pieces where they connect.

Step 13: STEP 13: Assemble the Parts (PART 7)

NEEDED

  • Assembly from STEP 12
  • Lasercutted parts 10&11
  • Wood glue

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the assembly from STEP 12.
  2. Place first part 11 at the broomstick as shown in the picture.
  3. Place part 10 at the broomstick as shown in the picture.
  4. Glue the parts when needed.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

  • These parts are needed to position the cables and to hold them at a certain height. You are able to change the form if wanted.

Step 14: STEP 14: Make the Placeholder

NEEDED

  • Rope
  • Lasercutted part 4
  • Pulley (x2)
  • A pair of scissors

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Cut 2 pieces rope of 150 mm.
  2. Place the Rope through the little holes in part 4 as shown in the picture.
  3. Place the Pulley between the ropes.
  4. Place the ends of the ropes in the little loop.
  5. Pull untill everything is fixed.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

  • This part isn't really necessary, you can also use two normal glue clamps when it is possible.

Step 15: STEP 15: Finish the Place Holder

NEEDED

  • Assembled part from STEP 13
  • Wire cutter M8
  • 6x Screw nut M8
  • 2x Butterfly nut M8
  • 8x Fleet M8
  • One hacksaw

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Take the wire cutter and saw 2 equal parts of it. The parts has to be 10 cm longer than the table on which you want to connect your cable-aid
  2. Place the wire cutters, screws and fleets as shown in the picture.
    PAY ATTENTION: The two screws on the top, can be butterfly nuts. Butterfly nuts are better when you want to deconnect the cable-aid from the table.

POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

  • Like said before: 'This part isn't really necessary, you can also use two normal glue clamps when it is possible'.

Step 16: STEP 16: Connect the Rope

NEEDED

  • Assembly made in STEP 15
  • Rope
  • Pair of scissors

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Cut two equal lenghts of the rope. The length has to be 30 cm extra than the height of the table on which the cable-aid is connected.
  2. Make at one and a loop in the rope. You can make a loop as shown in the picture. Do this for each rope.
  3. Connect the loop in the key-ring.

Step 17: STEP 17: Connect the Rope Through the Pulley

NEEDED:

  • Assembly made in STEP 16

WHAT TO DO?

  • Take the connected ropes.
  • Connect the ropes through the pulley at each side. Watch the pictures to see in which direction.

Step 18: STEP 18: Connect the Spring

NEEDED

  • Assembly made in STEP 17

WHAT TO DO?

  1. Connect the free side of the spring with the little hole in lasercutted part 6.

Step 19: STEP 19: ENJOY Your Aid!

The clamp of the cable-aid is ready now!

You're also able to find the instructions for the pedal and the holder for the long cables in the links below:


  • The pedal:
  • The holder for the long cables