On Printables there are many variations of pliers designed to pull JST connector plugs out of their sockets. To me, they were all sub-optimal. I decided to design some JST connector pliers that addresses all the deficiencies I found.
The original plug-pulling pliers and derivatives probably came from Micro Center. My design is original, done from scratch in OpenSCAD, and customizable. It's even possible to make other kinds of pliers from this.
Improvements in this design over others available:
The overall design can be customized in many ways using the OpenSCAD customizer.
Update 10 May 2023: Made clip thinner to prevent breaking when printed with PLA, which is too brittle for the original thicker clip. Split into separate STL files for Cura users.
Printer: Prusa i3 MK3S
Supports: No
Resolution: 0.20-0.30mm layers, 0.4mm nozzle
Infill: 4 perimeters, 30% cubic, solid at axle base
Filament: Prusament PETG
Notes:
At 0.3 mm layer height, this takes about 1.5 hours to print.
4 perimeters and 30% cubic infill is the minimum you should use. I printed one at 30% infill and one at 40% infill and didn't notice any difference in stiffness. PETG flexes anyway.
Solid infill should be used for a couple of millimeters above and below the base of the axle on the "male" part, to distribute the shear load across more area. Use a cylindrical infill modifier in the slicer for this.
To assemble the male and female handle parts, you must compress the leaf springs a bit to allow the axle to be inserted into the bearing. You can press the springs against each other as you align the axle with the hub, and it should slip together.
After the two halves are together, insert the snap-lock clip into the slot at the top of the axle. You need to sqeeze the ends together to get it through. This may require significant force. Once you manage to get the teeth into the channel, push it in all the way until it snaps.
If you ever need to remove the clip, use needle-nose pliers to squeeze together the locking teeth while pushing.
Designed completely in OpenSCAD.
Some features I am pleased with:
Category: Hand Tools
The author marked this model as their own original creation. Imported from Thingiverse.