How to Fix a Rats Nest of Cables at a Workstation

[Jim Yanik]

Yeah, that's what they say, but few people actually respect it. All
the "industrial" grade plugs over here have purpose-built strain
reliefs in them anyway, so that yanking on the cord transfers all the
stress to the shell and none to the contacts.

I just read a neat idea in American Woodworker;use a section of foam rubber
tubing used to insulate water pipes from freezing,it's already slit the
whole length,just put the cables and power cords in it,it can even be
pained to match your walls.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

I don't recall ever having a molded-on plug fail, and I usually
extract them by the cord. I wouldn't do that to an aftermarket
screw-terminal cord. Well, not often.

The twist-locks don't work well this way.

John

I've seen a prong pull out of a plug a couple times. Once was while
I was in elementary school. The teacher jerked a cord at an angle and
damaged the plug. She dug around in her desk for a pair of pliers to
pull it out of the outlet. Then she grabbed the unpainted EMT conduit
that fed the surface mounted outlet with her left hand and tried to get
a good grip on the piece of brass with the pliers in her right hand. I
yelled at her to stop, but the stupid woman told me, "Shut up! You don't
know anything, you're just a stupid kid". Then she turned bact to the
outlet and nearly killed herself. She couldn't let go of either piece
of metal for several seconds. She screamed so loud that a half dozen
teaches came running into the classroom to find her on the floor, still
screaming. When she could breath again, she started yelling at me,
telling me it was all MY fault because I had distracted her, that she
had done that dozens of times. She needed medical attention, and I
believe that the school board refused to renew her contract at the end
of the school year. What a dangerous maroon.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Remember the old Colecovision power supplies from the '80s? Seemed like they
were being sold by All Electronics and similar surplus places for years at
$5.95 a pop.

It definitely qualified as a tumor.

Wow, eBay still has them available... here's one that gives some idea of
scale:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-Colecovisio...ryZ49230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've junked every one of those Adam "computers" I've ever had the
misfortune to have enter my shop. I think that I still have a couple of
the power supplies in storage. Someone bought thousands of the surplus
Coleco Adam power supplies and put them in a metal box, with binding
posts, then sold them as dirt cheap bench supplies. They were selling
from $49.95 to $79.95

People used to come into my computer store, wanting a used XT or 286
AT. Some wanted to use their existing printer and monitor. Then I
would discover that they had bought one of the Coleco Adam printers at a
flea market, and the monitor turned out to be an old B&W TV set.


BTW, I have a couple HUGE NCR switching power supplies from a couple
minicomputers I scrapped.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[D from BC]

I just read a neat idea in American Woodworker;use a section of foam rubber
tubing used to insulate water pipes from freezing,it's already slit the
whole length,just put the cables and power cords in it,it can even be
pained to match your walls.

Wow! I like that foam idea.

One of my crazy ideas is to buy a big plastic tool box and mount
electrical boxes and receptacles inside.
A hole would be cut in the plastic tool box for the ac cables running
to monitors, printer,PC,modem, router,cell charger,etc.
All the extra wire lenghs will just be coiled up in the tool box.

The foam idea can be used to guide wires out of the tool box.

I could put my feet up on the toolbox and use it as a foot stool
D from BC

 

[Gary Tait]

Wow! I like that foam idea.

One of my crazy ideas is to buy a big plastic tool box and mount
electrical boxes and receptacles inside.
A hole would be cut in the plastic tool box for the ac cables running
to monitors, printer,PC,modem, router,cell charger,etc.
All the extra wire lenghs will just be coiled up in the tool box.

The foam idea can be used to guide wires out of the tool box.

I could put my feet up on the toolbox and use it as a foot stool
D from BC

Keep in mind heat. The box won't let transformers breathe. The foam will
keep the heat the wires create dissepate. Also, keep LV signals and
power separate from AC power cables.

 

[Gary Tait]

Remember hte old Colecovision power supplies from the '80s? Seemed
like they were being sold by All Electronics and similar surplus
places for years at $5.95 a pop.

Funny though, I seen wall-wart versions of the Colecovision supply in a
surplus store someplace.

On a similar note, a I converted a large 12V 1.5A transformer (I use for a
number of things) from a wall tumour to a floor tumour with a linecord.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Funny though, I seen wall-wart versions of the Colecovision supply in a
surplus store someplace.

That was for the video game that preceded the Coleco Adam.

On a similar note, a I converted a large 12V 1.5A transformer (I use for a
number of things) from a wall tumour to a floor tumour with a linecord.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Joel Kolstad]

On a similar note, a I converted a large 12V 1.5A transformer (I use for a
number of things) from a wall tumour to a floor tumour with a linecord.

Closest I've come is getting sick and tired of the giant floor tumor that's
the power supply for an arbitrary function generator (Telulex SG-100... Eric
Cox's design, great guy... now owned by Berkeley Nucleonics) and stuck in it
the back of the instrument itself, adding a standard IEC receptable to the
case. Doing so made me far happier than it should have...

 

[Jim Yanik]

Keep in mind heat. The box won't let transformers breathe. The foam will
keep the heat the wires create dissepate. Also, keep LV signals and
power separate from AC power cables.

if your power cords and data cables are generating heat,there's a problem.
and 60 hz EMI from a power cord is not going to interfere with data.

 

[Gary Tait]

if your power cords and data cables are generating heat,there's a
problem. and 60 hz EMI from a power cord is not going to interfere
with data.

The thing is, they are designed or specced for open air, not to be bundled.
True, in most cases, they are overrated for the load, but you never know
what will happen.

I would, at most, bundle them open air, at least in thin plastic tubing
that can dissipate the heat, rather than keep it in. And 60hz/120 or 240V
cound be enough to interfere with data, so I'd keep it separate.

 

[Jim Yanik]

The thing is, they are designed or specced for open air,

Nonsense.

They are designed to carry a certain level of current,with a certain level
of insulation (voltage rating).
SHOW ME a spec for that "design for open air".

 

[krw]

I do that, too. They don't fall out.

That's what I do too. In addition I use cable ties to coil the
excess cord so it doesn't drape on the floor. It makes vacuuming
under the desk easier. Power supplies can be a little more of a
problem though.