SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
I have a problem. It is a problem I try to hide out of sight and out of mind, one I try to pretend doesn't exist. But it does, and every so often it raises its ugly head to bite me. Most recently, I needed to replace an Ethernet switch as I needed more ports. As I unplugged the old switch, my monitor turned off. Why? Because under my desk I have a cable catastrophe. The mere act of unplugging the old switch had so disturbed and enraged the rat's nest of cables under my desk that in retaliation it decided to turn off my monitor.
So intertwined and confused is the mess beneath my desk that even the most mundane of acts—plugging in a new gadget, removing an old one, sometimes just even moving my feet—threatens to destroy everything.
TFA addresses the perennial problem of cable jungles. I use zip ties. What are the best solutions Soylentils have come up with, and what are their pros and cons?
(Score: 5, Informative) by ledow on Wednesday September 09 2015, @10:46AM
Velcro cable ties.
As tight as a cable tie in normal use.
Under major stress (things falling off desks), they will give a little rather than strip and destroy the cables they contain.
When you want to move them, or add another cable to the bundle, you just unzip them and re-zip them.
Cheap as chips for a reel, cut it with scissors and have as long/short as you like (no more tying two plastic cable-ties into each other).
In permanent installs behind walls and in roofs, yeah, maybe a plastic cable tie but that worries me for things like fibre if they are put under any stress, and they should be in proper encasement elsewhere anyway.
For behind-desk stuff with humans wanting to use them - velcro ties.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Leebert on Wednesday September 09 2015, @02:27PM
Not only Velcro, but also replace as many cables as you can with cables of appropriate length. Standard power and data cables can be purchased at practically any length, and removing the need to find space for excess slack can have profound effects on the neatness of your cabling.
My TV has several 0.5 meter HDMI cables; my computers have power cables as short as 18 inches.