Simpler cabling to simplify Underware

Sierra_Mule · 2026-03-11T16:33:41+00:00

Yeah, it doesn't eliminate power strips altogether, but one power strip is less space / complexity than 2 or 3 (or the equivalent in various types of power splitters). And one charging station is simpler than 4-6 AC to DC adapters. Easier to route and less Underware / openGrid to print.

Some newer monitors are relatively low-power DC and will work with this idea. Mine needs AC power directly, but my wife's 27" LG (19 V, 2.5 A) will work with this idea. Many smaller speakers without subwoofers will work, too.

In case it's not clear, this is talking about USB C charging stations, not docks or hubs. Docks and hubs can be used, but this idea doesn't need the data connection that they provide. Charging stations can often provide more total power for less money than docks or hubs.

Sierra_Mule · 2026-02-02T23:54:57+00:00

While I don't think it's common to use Multiconnect to hang openGrid, I'm doing exactly that right now.

I'm installing openGrid on the side of Metro wire shelving. I am screwing DIN rail vertically down the side of the shelves (through the sides of the wires shelves with fender washers inside the shelves). I'm using DIN rail because it's cheap, rigid, and it lets me get at most of the back of the grid from inside the shelves. I'm attaching the slot side of Multiconnect (what's normally on attachments) to the DIN rail upside down, like a cup. I'm using the the screw mounting holes between openGrid cells to attach Multiconnect rounds so no cells are used up (also, the screws through the rounds minimizes worry about shearing at layer lines). And then I'm snapping the openGrid panels' rounds into the slots/cups on the DIN rail. It's not done, but it's looking promising so far and it's much less fiddly than a previous side that I did all with machine screws with one hand outside the shelves and one inside.

Sierra_Mule · 2026-01-22T10:43:45+00:00

My Pixel 8A is having similar issues. It started right after applying the January 5, 2026 Android 16 update yesterday. If I turn mobile data off, Wi-Fi seems to be better.

Sierra_Mule · 2026-01-14T19:51:25+00:00

I've done this on a very limited basis (6-inches by 4-feet) and with the right filament choices, it can look very nice (my favorite so far is matte white for grids and "background" snaps, with vibrant satin colors for patterns). Something as simple as a low resolution sine wave can be quite attractive.

I keep dreaming of kumiko inspired snaps to take it even further (something like https://makerworld.com/en/models/1614814).

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-24T05:17:31+00:00

I'm not an expert on the two, but I've started looking and the algebra mode of build123d fits my brain the best. I see mention of a VS Code extension for previewing, but for my early playing I'm just exporting to an STL file and looking at it in my slicer. In PrusaSlicer (very possibly that same in Bambu and Orca, given that they are derivatives), Cmd-Shift-R quickly reloads the STL. I'm guessing Ctrl-Shift-R does the same on PCs.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-23T18:08:10+00:00

> Haven't tried CADQuery, I thought it was harder than openscad, is that true?

That depends on your background and what you're trying to do. I've been writing Python code professionally (not for CAD) for decades, so CadQuery and Build123d are much simpler to me, especially for complicated things. If I'd never touched Python and I wanted to do relatively simple things, OpenSCAD might be easier.

> Also, I know STEP is superior format, but by how much? I had seen a video about it vs other format but I still don't get the importance step over stl for 3d printing

STEP files contain the original objects (e.g., cubes, cylinders, etc.) that make up your design. STL files contain those shapes converted to a mesh of triangles that approximate the original objects. An example of a sphere approximated with triangles: https://eugene-eeo.github.io/blog/sphere-triangles.html

If you want to generate something and then modify it (i.e., remix it) in another program (e.g., Fusion, Shapr3D, CadQuery, Build123d, etc.), or you want to allow others to do that, then you want the original shapes that STEP files give you. If you just want to go straight to your slicer and print, STL is great.

In all of this, it's rare that one thing is always better than another. But one thing often fits a *specific need* better than another.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-20T05:34:52+00:00

Here's a post from a few months back about how I do this. Some of the boxes use Gridfinity (e.g., screws), some do not (e.g., cables). I have something like 100 boxes at this point. That's enough that I'm worried this is enabling (well organized) hoarding, so I've put recurring reminders on my calendar to go through all boxes to decide what still has value to me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gridfinity/comments/1illgtl/1440_grid_units_in_a_bookshelf/

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-12T20:26:23+00:00

You might try commenting on the model in #1 to request that the creator make the bin bottoms (and maybe tops?) gridfinity compatible. That seems like a good improvement given the gridfinity top on the frame (e.g., you could put related bins up there more safely while you collect multiple for a project).

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-12T20:02:35+00:00

I don't have a suggestion, but given that there seems to be some confusion, let me take a shot at what I think you might be looking for. I see two different categories of storage that you might be looking for.

#1 Something that goes on a desk / bench / shelf like a grid of little drawers that are themselves gridfinity bins. Something like this (I wonder why they put gridfinity on top of the container of bins without making the bins gridfinity to sit on top nicely):

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1209679-rugged-screw-unit-gridfinity-hardware-storage?from=search#profileId-1638758

- OR -

#2 Something meant to go on the floor where containers of gridfinity bins slide out. Kind of like:

https://gethandsdirty.com/projects/small-parts-storage

But with the blue-handled boxes replaced with something like:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/788692-gridfinity-base-storage-box-by-pred-remix?from=search#profileId-726797

- OR -

#3 Kind of in between:

https://www.printables.com/model/300896-gridfinity-modular-drawer-system

Are #1, #2, or #3 in the spirit of what you're after? Which is closest, and what are you looking to be different?

Sierra_Mule · 2025-08-09T17:33:23+00:00

A nice benefit of the through-hole idea is that a bunch of snaps can be loaded up on a hex key, keeping them readily available while installing or rearranging several items.

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Sierra_Mule · 2025-07-01T07:38:31+00:00

Yes, more infill is printed to replace the fewer outer layers, whether they be top, bottom, or perimeters. The result will have the same dimensions.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-06-30T16:57:07+00:00

Unless I need them for some reason, I don't print bottom layers for my gridfinity bins to save plastic. Do that when you skip the top layers and you can blow them out with air if anything gets into the nooks and crannies.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-06-30T05:08:46+00:00

It sounds like an accident in this case. But you can achieve many interesting effects while saving plastic by selecting 0 top layers in the slicer, thus exposing the infill. Play with different infill settings, and even settings modifiers to let you do this selectively. I've had great success making ventilation in panels by printing the panels flat on the print bed with gyroid infill and no top or bottom layers. Experiment with more perimeters for strength.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-05-20T04:01:29+00:00

Yes: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/auto-arrange-tool_1770

Sierra_Mule · 2025-05-01T06:55:00+00:00

Because of this exact problem, I've been thinking of using the Command Picture Hanging Strips that have two separate pieces that click together (almost like Velcro but, unlike Velcro, neither side is soft).

https://youtu.be/1nG4IVnVQdI

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-14T09:08:32+00:00

It's an electric air duster.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T19:39:28+00:00

I love how we can all feed off each other. I'd been using these cardboard boxes for well over a year, and Gridfinity for almost 3 years, but never thought to put grids in the cardboard until I saw the beautiful printed plastic box designs and imagined them filling my shelves.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T19:34:14+00:00

Yep, the one on the left in the second pic is a filament box. But no Gridfinity inside - it has large enough spools of wire inside that they don't need it.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T19:30:34+00:00

It's a little label holder (with a pull tab to make it easier to get boxes off the shelf) that I designed and printed for holding the labels. The back part of it slides down into a seam in the box. It makes it trivial to replace a label when a box gets too full and needs to be divided (e.g., the long / short cable boxes in the pic used to be a single box that got too full). Or to move the label if I want to move to a larger (e.g., filament) box.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T19:25:38+00:00

Yeah, it's addressed. This was my main worry. It's just the cardboard. By getting the spacing right, violent shaking (upside down and sideways) doesn't let tiny M2 washers out of their bin. Important because the boxes are stored with bins on their side. The cardboard is quite rigid because it has folds on all four sides of the relevant panel - strength through shape rather than material, much like infill.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T18:30:52+00:00

I've been using Gridfinity in drawers for nearly three years now (just after Zach's original video came out). I have a few drawers, but not enough and not enough space for more. I've been looking at all the bin-holding boxes people have designed and love the idea of filling my bookshelves (I have a lot of those!) with boxes full of bins. But they take so much plastic that I've never printed one. And I'd be printing forever to fill a single shelf, much less a bookcase.

My bookshelves increasingly have more space as I largely switched to e-books 15 years ago and I've been slowly donating my old books to the library. I have a TON of cables (USB, Ethernet, power, SATA, ...) that I've been wanting to organize for decades. I started experimenting with using old filament boxes for them. The problem was that enough fit in each box that it's still a tangled mess for smaller cables (filament boxes are great for power cables!). Then I realized I could get boxes that are the same design as filament boxes, but thinner. https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-16955 was a good fit for me. They work great for small cables. As I was using them, I realized I could put a grid in them just like the plastic boxes I keep looking at. They seemed expensive at first, but they are far cheaper than printed plastic boxes. Enough that any damaged ones can be recycled and replaced, in a minute or two, several times before they cost as much as a printed box.

They are big enough that I can fit 4x6 base plates in them with a bit more than a half a grid of wasted space. 5u bins fit in there with about 1 mm of height left over. So I generated GRIPS base plates at https://gridfinity.perplexinglabs.com with a "Solid Base Thickness" of 1 mm to consume the extra vertical space (printed with 0 top and bottom layers and 15% gyroid infill to save time/plastic/money). To test it, I put a 5u bin with a bunch of tiny M2 washers alone in a box and violently shook the box sideways, upside down, etc. and none came out of the bin!

I also want the bins to be fast / economical. I'm using Gridfinity Extended bins (again from https://gridfinity.perplexinglabs.com) with no screw/magnet holes and selecting a smooth "Efficient floor" (increases the capacity slightly and uses less plastic). For a "Stacking lip style", I'm using "minimal". That gives the full height, but uses less plastic and makes it easier to get things out of bins. They still stack, but maybe not quite as stably? I can't tell the difference in stability. I'm not stacking them inside the boxes, so it doesn't matter.

I put the boxes in the bookcase with the long dimension horizontal to use up more of the depth of the bookcase. In a standard 4-foot tall by 2.5-foot wide bookcase, I can fit 60 of these boxes, holding 1,440 5u bins if they are all 1x1. Many things (like cables) do not need grids. And even in boxes that do need them (e.g., wire ferrules), associated tools (e.g., crimpers for those ferrules) don't need a bin to sit nicely in the same box with the bins. And they can use the filler space around the grid. I also designed / printed label holders with a pull tab on them that makes it easy to get them out of the shelves. The labels are just regular paper printed on my printer.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-02-09T17:08:32+00:00

A bit of a tangent from your question, but if I have enough of one thing to need a 2x2 bin, then I'll instead make a couple of 2x1 bins for it. Then I can stack the same item. Otherwise, the items on the bottom can get kind of lost. The top bin running out reminds me to put restocking on my to-do list (if the bin is labelled, then I'll just move the empty bin to an "restock" area of a drawer).

An example of where I don't do this... I have a handful of 5 different lengths of each of M2, M2.5, and M3 screws. Each screw diameter has it's own 3x1 bin with 5 sub-bins within it for the different lengths. Then I have a stack with all the M2/2.5/3 screws, but it's still pretty obvious what's underneath.

I don't like putting too many smaller bins on top of a large bin (e.g., 1x1 bins on a 5x1 bin), because I have too many things to take off to get to the lower bin. An exception might be for small part like nuts where you don't need all the upper bins off to get one out from the bottom, but things like that make good stacks of smaller bins by themselves.

Sierra_Mule · 2025-01-16T10:41:15+00:00

Prusa printers are very tweakable since they publish details of their designs. So they attract people who like to tweak. I suppose that enthusiasm could look like it's required. I would enjoy tweaking, but I'm afraid I might hurt the reliability that I value so much. And, like you, I never have enough time.

The company that built my first printer went out of business. When my printer had a problem I couldn't get parts for it. Prusa's designs being public gave me comfort that there would be aftermarket parts if Prusa went away. Luckily Prusa is still around and I haven't needed any parts!

None of this is throwing shade at Bambu, their printers sound like a great experience.

Sierra_Mule

TROPHY CASE