The various grips and supports allow you to attach things to the end of tentacles.
Alligator Clip Grip
This holds a standard alligator clip in either of two positions: pointing straight up or pointing sideways. A standard alligator clip has a split end that starts out round. It could be crimped onto wire, but it can also be slightly enlarged or reduced to fit with some friction as it is pushed into the alligator clip holder. The holes to receive them decrease in diameter so the clips get stuck inside snugly, but they can be removed.
You can rotate the clip or the holder and angle it on its base to provide a lot of gripping angles. Alligator clips are great for holding wires to solder. But, if PLA parts get too hot they will deform, so PETG might be needed, or a layer of tin foil to act as a heat shield.
Flat box with curved sides
This is a 48mm square shallow box with curved interior edges to make it easier to get things out of it. This was split in the slicer and uses a shallow pin and socket connection for easy alignment. You will need to superglue this one together.
Deep box
This is a 24mm square x 24mm deep box. This was split in the slicer and uses a shallow pin and socket connection for easier alignment. You will need to glue this one together.
You could use the deep box to hold something handy in case you need it, or you could put something heavy in it like coins and use it as a counterbalance for a structure that is too heavy on one side.
Just because a structure is rigid doesn’t mean it is balanced, so you might need to balance even a glued structure using some kind of counterweight. Considering how little this kind of structure can be expected to actually hold even when glued, a box or two of coins is probably all you would need.
Keychain LED Holder
This holds a standard keychain LED. It also has a spot for a 6x2mm magnet, which is close enough to attract the battery inside and hold the light at any angle, even upside down.
Some keychain LED lights are vErY bRiGhT, such as this one. You can use this holder in conjunction with, for example, a magnetic base or a glue-on base to create completely customizable light that can conform to almost any space. Put the light right where you are working without needing to worry about how you will connect a flashlight.
Binder Clip Holder
This holds a standard, medium binder clip (about 33mm wide). You attach the clip to something you want to hold (like a wire or part) and then place the clip onto this special holder. One direction it fits easily with no force. The other direction it presses into place and gets wedged for a more solid fit.
The binder clip acts like a vise. This holds the vise and makes it easy to switch out with another. So, if you had repetitive work on small items, you could secure them with binder clips and move them quickly to your tentacle stand that holds it at the right height for working.
Magnetic holder
This holds anything made of steel using seven 6x2mm neodymium magnets. The magnetic holder isn’t as strong as the magnetic base because the base uses twelve of the same magnets. For example, the holder could hold onto a figurine you are painting if you attach it to a bottle cap. The tentacle would allow you to hold the figurine at any angle, even upside down, when painting, or dipping, etc.
Clamp-to
This provides a thin panel on which anything with a clamp can be secured, for example, a reading light. It also has a big round hole which can be used to hold things that end in a hook.
This is kind of a catch-all because some things that are useful to hold already have a clamp. All that is needed is something to clamp onto that is in just the right position.
Webcam holder
This provides a standard ¼ x 20 threaded end to attach to a camera. It can’t be a very heavy camera. I’ll work on a different model that uses a ¼ x 20 bolt through a hole for a little more durable holder than these 3D printed threads. But, this will work for light little webcams.
There is also a complete Tentacle System camera stand that fits into an Altoids Box
Gridfinity 1×1 holder
This gives you a baseplate you can use to hold a standard 1×1 Gridfinity module. So, you could use a Gridfinity Tentacle Base and put a Gridfinity 1×1 holder above it and have baseplate you can incline at various angles. Or add one or more straight connectors and raise one module up above the others, or incline it at a useful angle, or cause things to collect on the lower side.
Your Gridfinity organizers can be three dimensional and completely configurable. They can be adapted to fit a space or application.
You can create workspaces that hold all the components needed for a task, at an angle and position that is comfortable to use. Gridfinity is already incredibly diverse – much more than just storage. It is a useful standard for organization. It is already magnet-based with standard sizes, and the public definition is straightforward and easy to understand. If you standardize on grippers as Gridfinity modules, the Tentacle system can put those modules where you need them, in case that isn’t a rectangular grid.
Tentacle Binder Clip Grips
You slide one of the metal handles of a binder clip into one of these holders so you can use the binder clip to hold onto anything that fits. Binder clips have a lot of closing force.
There is one model designed to hold a medium binder clip and a separate model designed for large binder clips.
There are also some small binder clip grips that hold the grip 90º to the cup in the Altoids Box Soldering Stand kit.
Zip Tie Grips
There are two different zip tie grippers: one for cylinders that looks like a Y and one for other shapes that accepts zip ties in two orientations. They are all part of the Tentacle Zip Tie Kit. The grippers are called Tentacle Ziptie Grip and Tentacle Ziptie Minigrip.
Screw-on Grip
This grip attaches using 4mm hardware. The nut fits inside a slot and the bolt attaches to it through a hole in the bottom. The washer is optional. If you use a washer, it would go on the inside of the object behind held, just under the bolt head. Don’t over-tighten the the bolt. Over-tightening can cause layers to separate and cause a crack by the nut.
Lego Grip
This grip attaches to a 2×2 lego brick. There is also a Lego base.
These print without supports as two pieces each. You can superglue the two parts together easily by simply aligning the edges.
The reality of FDM-printed Lego parts is that they don’t fit nearly as well as actual lego bricks fit because the printer has an accuracy of about 1/3mm and the pieces are designed for an accuracy much, much smaller than that. It would work with a resin printer.
For an FDM printer you might need to scale up or down the part that attaches to lego bricks. The other part (the grip or base) must not be scaled or it won’t work with the tentacle system. In both models the part that attaches to the lego bricks is quick to print by itself so you can try a few different scales to see what works for your printer.
Specifications from: https://www.bartneck.de/2019/04/21/lego-brick-dimensions-and-measurements/
Fischertechnik Grip
This grip works with Fischertechnik components. There is also a Fischertechnik base. This part lets you attach a Fischertechnik model or part to a tentacle.
These print as two pieces each. You superglue the two parts together to make a complete base or grip.
You might notice that there is no peg for attaching into the slots of Fischertechnik pieces. There are only slots on these Tentacle System parts. That is because the pegs would just break off. And, there is no slot on the ends. That is because both parts are radially symmetrical so you can just rotate it by 90º if you need a slot on the “side”.
The reality of FDM-printed Fischertechnik parts is that they don’t fit nearly as well as actual Fischertechnik parts fit because the printer has an accuracy of about 1/3mm and the pieces are designed for an accuracy much, much smaller than that. It would work with a resin printer.
For an FDM printer you might need to scale up or down the part that attaches to Fischertechnik parts. The other part (the grip or base) must not be scaled or it won’t work with the tentacle system. In both models the part that attaches to the Fischertechnik parts is fairly quick to print by itself, so you can try a few different scales to see what works for your printer.
More Fischertechnik Grips
Over on Printables, Juh created his own remixes of these parts, and they are really cool!
https://www.printables.com/model/772134-fischertechnik-tentacle-system-adapters
Cylinder Grip
This grip can hold anything cylindrical up to about 20mm. It is actually the grip equivalent to the pegboard base. But, a tentacle cannot meaningfully hold a pegboard, so the converse of the base is meaningless. This works for almost any shape that isn’t too large.
Tentacle Figurine Grip
This component grips a figurine for painting. You can use any tentacle base, but the Pill Bottle Weighted Base is great for painting figurines.
A 7/8″ or 22mm O-ring in the groove around the bottom makes it easier to use, but it is optional. The grip works without an O-ring.