Connectors add some flexibility to the sequence of parts you assemble. Too many usually adds too much flexibility, but your needs may vary. I use the fewest number of connectors possible, and also the longest possible. Those two rules make for the most stable structures.
For completely stable structures you can superglue the parts together.
Some connectors expect one ball below them, but they offer multiple balls above, the branching structure is like what you can do with plumbing fittings.
The small, straight connector is about 18mm long from the center of the ball to the center of the connector. There are also longer connectors: 50mm and 100mm.
There is also a .3mf and .gcode for PLA that is set up for six small connectors on one plate. The small ones are less useful because of the two rules mentioned above. But, if you need maximum flexibility, then the short ones are best.
There is also a Connector Kit below that allows you to create connectors using a ball & cup and various straight and curved extensions, all held together with a pins that fit into holes.
Straight Connectors
- Single 18 mm connector
- Six 18 mm connectors on one plate
- 50 mm connector
- 100 mm connector
Connector Kit
This set of parts allows you to create connectors of any length with or without curves. It includes:
- 15, 30, 45 and 60mm straight extensions
- small, medium and large 90º extensions
- medium and large 45º extensions
- a small Y extension
You can print just the parts you need if you load the .3mf file and delete or duplicate the parts as needed.
These connectors are compatible with all other Tentacle System parts with pins. So, you can use these to extend other parts and make unique shapes to suit your needs.
You will need to superglue these parts to make useful combinations that do not simply fall apart. While sometimes these press-fit with a satisfying and useful amount of friction, they often do not. It can vary from filament to filament and printer-to-printer.
There is also a short extension with a zip-tie base on its side – see Zip Tie Connectors below.
Tee connector
This connector has one cup on the bottom and a ball coming out sideways on each side. This model was split in the slicer, so it uses a pin and socket connection. You will need to trim any excess plastic from the pins so they will fit with just the right amount of friction. You can put the ball ends on either side, to create two equal length stalks or one long and one short stalk. If they are too loose you can superglue them.
This one requires supports under the two sides and the pins that stick out. They are already painted on in the provided .3mf files, but if you need to repaint them, I use a 3mm circular brush and paint a line along the center of the bottom, except where the cup is.
Cross connector
This has one is like a Tee connector with a ball straight up in the middle. This model was split in the slicer, so it uses a pin and socket connection for the two side ball connectors. You will need to trim any excess plastic from the pins so they will fit with just the right amount of friction. You can put the ball ends on either side to create two equal length stalks, or one long and one short stalk. If they are too loose you can superglue them.
This one requires supports under the two sides and the pins that stick out. They are already painted on in the provided .3mf files, but if you need to repaint them, I use a 3mm circular brush and paint a line along the center of the bottom, except where the cup is.
Trident connector
This has one cup on the bottom and three balls coming out vertically on top. This is a one-piece print and doesn’t require any trimming or gluing.
However, this one also supports under the two sides that stick out out. They are already painted on in the provided .3mf files, but if you need to repaint them, I use a 3mm circular brush and paint a line along the center of the bottom, except where the cup is.
Manifold connector
This has two cup on the bottom and five balls coming out vertically on top. It has a cup on each end of a 124mm bar. I’d recommend mounting that either on a gridfinity baseplate where it uses up the span of four consecutive spaces (1×4), but you only need a 1×1 Gridfinity Tentacle Base each side. There would be two open baseplate positions under the big crossbar. So, you could put other tools there to clamp from below, for example.
Or, you could use two Tribases, but if you put too much stuff on a manifold connector it can get top heavy. You could use the small box style holder to hold a counterweight if needed. But, you might have to superglue a manifold to any connectors and bases under it to get a solid base for the structure above.
This one one also supports under the long crossbar. They are already painted on in the provided .3mf files, but if you need to repaint them, I use a 3mm circular brush and paint a line along the center of the bottom, except where the cup is.
90º Connector
This is a small connector where the ball and cup are 90º from each other. It prints in two parts. You might need to trim for a smooth fit, but they probably do not need to be glued together unless you trim off too much.
Large Binder Clip Tentacle Monster
This is a multi-way connector that can be a base a holder or a connector.
- It has a ball so it can be a base
- It has a cup so it can be a holder
- It has a thin slot and retaining flange so it can be attached to the back of a binder clip.
- It has a long dovetail pin so a binder clip can be attached to the side of this connector.
- It has a hole in the middle so things can be hung from it or tied to it
You can use this lots of different ways.
- Attach a binder clip to something and this connector provides a ball so it can be a Tentacle Base.
- Attach this connector to any other Tentacle System base and this provides a binder clip to as a holder.
- Attach this connector to another similar connector to add more cups and balls for more connections
It prints in three pieces, with supports. The pieces can be oriented however you wish, except that the ball and cup are always at 90º to each other. The pair can be oriented however you like. You will probably need to superglue them together to secure them.
Zip Tie Connectors
There are three connectors that have a way to attach zip ties. They are all part of the Tentacle Zip Tie Kit You can use them for cable management or to attach a tentacle to something for support or balance. Two of these feature a loop that can accept multiple zip ties. The loops on these two are in different orientations for convenience. A third connector accepts a single zip tie, but in either of two orientations. The connectors are called Tentacle Member Ziptie, Tentacle Member Ziptie Lateral and Tentacle Ziptie Mini Member.
There is also an pin-and-socket extension with a zip tie base compatible with the Connector Kit above.
