SmartWire Dock

I had been thinking about making this wire organizer for a long time, but kept putting it off. Every time, the same thought stopped me: taking apart the entire workbench, moving it away, pulling out everything that had accumulated over the years up to the ceiling — boxes, tools, fixtures. Not an easy task, to put it mildly.

As it turned out, I ended up moving — and not just to another place, but to another country. Disassembling the workspace was unavoidable anyway, so I decided it was finally the right moment to implement this idea as well.

Overall, I have accumulated quite a few changes and upgrades for my workspace and workbenches. While I was assembling, mounting, and setting everything up, I also recorded new footage, which I will edit and publish later. Among other things, it will include this small wire reel that allows the soldering station to switch into sleep mode when the soldering iron is placed on the stand.

I don’t solder every day, and that’s exactly why this wire kept getting in the way. The magnetic attachment, the cyclone hose, the air hose — everything constantly got tangled together. Every time I had to untangle it, and in the end this wire was a constant source of inconvenience.

Now things are different. The device is hidden behind the tool wall. When needed, the wire simply pulls out — and just as neatly retracts back in.

The stand uses a dedicated contact solution: a regular screw, to whose head the magnetic contact attaches, and a pogo pin built into the soldering iron holder sends a signal to the soldering station that the iron is on the base and can be switched to sleep mode.

At the same time, the device is not strictly tied to a soldering iron. It can be used for many other applications where a neatly retractable wire is needed.

There are ready-made organizers for USB cables, network cables, and similar wires, but they have one important limitation — they do not provide a through electrical contact. Here, as you can see in the video, the contact is implemented using a spiral spring. Such springs are easy to salvage from inexpensive devices and reuse.

All other design details and the operating principle can be seen in the video.

Since the device is small, I printed it at maximum quality: a 0.2 mm nozzle and a 0.1 mm layer height. In this mode, all parts fit together perfectly. Achieving the same result with a 0.4 mm nozzle would most likely be difficult — I didn’t even try. It was important for me to get a high-quality result without any sanding or fitting afterward. In my opinion, it’s better to spend more time printing than to try fixing things later by hand.

All parts are designed without tolerances and are intended to be printed in PLA. In the video, you can see the assembly process and verify how everything works in practice.

One of the tasks of organizing my workspace is now fully completed, but many more upgrades are still ahead. In future publications, you will see updated cyclone fittings, new nozzles, and other interesting solutions.

See the video for details:

If you liked this thing - let me know by putting like!  

Parts links below:

• Gear Box (Spring)
• Bearing MR52
• Round Magnet 5x5 mm
• Silicone Wire
• Insert Knurled Nut M2 M2.5
• Button Head Screw =M2
• Head Flat Screw M2 M2.5
• Cylindrical Pin

Links to used tools:

• NOGA deburring tool and Blades
• Carbide Machine Reamer
• Reamers Small
• Heat Insert Nut Iron Tip
• Heat Insert Nut Iron Tip T12
• Mini Electric Drill
• ARROWMAX A Set-10 Bits of Drill
• AIXUN T3B Intelligent Soldering Station With T115/T210 Series Handle