Cable tidying guide

[WilHarris]

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2005...g_guide/1.html

[Firehed]

Hmm... not what I'd have expected from the title. But it gives ideas, which is good. I dunno about the thing which said sleeving was fairly easy to apply (if you have the right tools, yes, or if you use something too large or super-expandible, but it's 99% of the time a pita to sleeve a PSU), but the end result is easily superior to any of the other solutions.

imo the split loom is only good for external stuff. it's too bulky to use in PCs considering how available sleeving is, but it's superb for doing the behind-the-desk mess. there are these useful little reusable clamp things also (most Lian Li's include one or two), good for internal stuff but superb again for behind-the-desk wiring.

[Rich_13]

It's nice to see a range of articles from common problems to some of the crazy cool mods. So I liked it for that reason. :-)

[skedders]

You can get this "split loom" stuff in Ikea.

I can't remember the price, but I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't cheap.

I bought mine in silver, but I seem to recall black being available too.

[Zypher_X]

Originally Posted by skedders

You can get this "split loom" stuff in Ikea.

I can't remember the price, but I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't cheap.

I bought mine in silver, but I seem to recall black being available too.

It's in the "montera" series at IKEA, 2.5 m @ £2.99 link

[Flibblebot]

You can also buy it in B&Q, Homebase etc. in the electrical department - although generally only available in black. I agree, though, that it's only really useful for cleaning up the behind-the-desk spaghetti.

I agree with Firehed - I was expecting the article to be more of a "how to tidy up your wiring" rather than a "this is what you can cover your wires in" article.

Just my tuppence worth

[Hwulex]

Split loom (or conduit) sold as a cable-tidy accessory boxed in Maplin.


Nice article.

[Da Dego]

I liked it, Bindi. Leave it to you to put the force of entropy in a wiring article. Nice job with the overview.

As for the idea of "I expected to see how you apply these," some finished cases may not have been a bad idea...maybe browse the project logs and pick up some reference pics of jobs well done. Aside from that, maybe some actual links on the article as to where to get some of the things, and it would be a perfect article IMHO.

Oh, and sleeving a PSU might deserve a mention of what a PITA it is when you consider often having to remove the molex connectors. Because really....it's a pain.

[cpemma]

If you (or your dad) have got one, the hot-air guns sold for paint-stripping are excellent for heat-shrink, especially with the pale colours that show flame scorch marks so easily.

And the velcro ties are very good outside the case, for things like running printer cables up table legs.

[Bindibadgi]

See, everyone has an opinion This is what i like

And everyone has their own knowledge of where to buy the cheapest stuff. I have looked in Ikea before but finding the one thing you want in it is like a needle in a haystack.

[Hamish]

zip ties are reusable, you get a knife or something small like that and push the little tab up then you can pull the cable back through

[keir]

I think cable braid and heat shrink is the way to go

[Kipman725]

just hide all the wires behind the mobo tray using zip ties an cut holes in the tray were cables need to come out.

[RotoSequence]

You kinda forgot to mention in the article how useful Velcro wraps are for managing huge bundles of wires that just need to be directed; Server room cable management would be a nightmare without them

[Bindibadgi]

Originally Posted by RotoSequence

You kinda forgot to mention in the article how useful Velcro wraps are for managing huge bundles of wires that just need to be directed; Server room cable management would be a nightmare without them

Yea, but technically i could have been there FOREVER listing all the different applications.

[Potato]

Nice article guys... and I just did my wires behind my desk up in Split Loom! BTW, in the US they sell it in Radioshack also.

[Stephen Brooks]

I liked this article. Made me want to apply split loom to something

Unfortunately the most annoying wire for me is outside the case and it's the 4m-long headphone lead, which is great when you want to be over the other side of the room without strangling yourself, but is really bad when there's a messy knot of wire on the floor that gets involved with your chair. What is needed is a retractable spool of wire like a tapemeasure, but I don't know if those exist...

[GuardianStorm]

nice informatice artical....if i dint already use cable ties in excess in the UK look in poundland, they sell pots of 500 cable ties for £1

[Froggy]

Lol you should of used my photos for your article

[Zidane]

ok.... when sleeving cables. put the ends of the cables inside a plastic sandwich bag, with a lil tape around it, then feed it through. that way they go through dead easy, instead of catching on the braid.

sounds simple, but damn, it works like a charm and makes it easy as heck to get the cables through. i did see somewhere a way of bending the atx plug back with the cables around it, but you will have to for it, cause im too lazy to, lol.

nice article, i didnt know what velcro ties were, when i saw the pick i thought they were those fluffy hair-band things now i know how to replace the cableties up the leg of my desk, lol.