T-Trak Universal Wiring Plates

Simple T-Trak cable management

modules easier. One of those is something as simple as the openings on the back of a module for track power and other wiring.

Several of the modules I’ve built or worked with already use rectangular openings for Anderson Powerpole connectors, and these plates were designed to work with those existing cutouts. But I also wanted the system to work for builders who don’t have a factory or laser cut opening. All three plates are designed to fit through a standard 1-1/4 inch (32 mm) round hole, which can be made with a hole saw or Forstner bit. That makes it easy to add the same wiring system to an existing module with nothing more than a drill.

That led me to design a set of three interchangeable plates that all use the same outside dimensions and four-hole mounting pattern. Instead of three unrelated solutions, I now have one standard opening that can serve several purposes without having to modify the module again.

From the Printer to the Modules

These were actually some of the more straightforward parts I’ve designed. The opening dimensions and four-hole mounting pattern on the modules were already established, so there wasn’t much guesswork involved. Once I had those measurements, it was simply a matter of designing three different solutions around the same footprint.

All three designs worked as intended without needing a series of prototypes or revisions. The pile of yellow plates on the workbench isn’t a collection of test prints. Those are finished parts, printed and ready to go onto additional modules.

I’ve already installed both black and yellow versions of the Powerpole plate, and seeing them mounted on the modules is really what I was after. They provide a clean, finished installation while establishing a mounting standard I can continue using on future T-Trak modules.

More importantly, the function of that opening is no longer permanent. The same opening can accept a Powerpole plate, a protected wire pass-through or a blank cover. If the wiring requirements of a module change later, I can change the plate instead of cutting or drilling the module again.

Application Gallery

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Available on MakerWorld

I’ve now published all three designs together on MakerWorld as the T-Trak Universal Wiring Plates. The set includes the Anderson Powerpole Connector Plate, Wire Pass-Through Plate and Blank Cover Plate, along with a Bambu Studio print profile.

It’s a simple project, but that was really the point. The dimensions were already known, the mounting pattern was already established, and there was no reason to make the solution more complicated than it needed to be.

Now I have one consistent mounting standard and three interchangeable ways to use it. On laser cut modules I can build the opening in from the beginning, while existing modules can be upgraded with a simple 1-1/4 inch round hole. Either way, I can decide what goes into that opening based on what the particular module needs.

Download the 3D STL Files