Cable Management

[mubs]

I'm thinking of getting some stuff from Bluelounge, including this cableclip.

I've always believed that winding a cable that is in use in a loop will create problems - inductance, signal getting funky, etc. To date I've always laid cable out, making sure it's never looped.

Am I paranoid? The cableclip will really help clear the complete mess behind my PC.

I'd like jtr to also chip in.

Thanks.

 

[ddrueding]

I would only worry about coiling low voltage wires in the same pile as high voltage ones.

Those guys make some neat stuff, but boy is it expensive.

 

[LunarMist]

My computer cables are all over the place. Except possibly the analog audio, I don't know why it would be a concern under normal conditions. Do you have some unshielded cables?

 

[time]

I don't know much about inductance, but it's proportional to the square of the number of turns. With only 3 to 4 turns, I doubt you have too much to worry about.

I'd be more concerned about minimum bend radius. The absolute minimum for Cat 5/6 is 4 times the cable diameter, which is about 25mm. So a loop formed around one of those cable clips would need to be more than 50mm in diameter to avoid damaging the cable.

That's pretty damn tight, I think 8 to 10 times is more reasonable for storing a cable long-term, i.e. 100 to 120mm diameter for Cat 5/6, 65 to 80mm for USB. According to Wikipedia, 15 times is the safe baseline for fiber optic cable.

 

[mubs]

DD, yeah, they are expensive, but at least they look good.

LM, aren't most cables unsheilded? In my case, it's power cables, USB cables, FW cables, and audio cables.

time, if you look at the pics, the loop seems large enough to the eye.

What other means do people use to manage cables? Cables ties?

 

[time]

Mubs, if you look at the second and third images at the top of the page (power cables), or the large image gallery, you will see what I mean. The design of the clips means that even the large one holds the innermost cable loop about 20mm apart, with a total length of less than 200mm in their examples.

That may be okay for a power cable, but grab a Cat 5e patch lead and see how you feel about folding it the same way. USB is smaller, but actually even higher frequency.

To use these clips safely with high frequency cables, you would need to double the length of the loops to end up with a large bow shape - perhaps not so neat and elegant after all?

 

[mubs]

I get you point; thanks time. I'll scratch that idea and save a few bucks.

 

[Mercutio]

Both Lifehacker and Apartment Therapy (part of Unplugd) have suggestions for cable management all the damned time. Personally, I use binder clips to keep my stuff looking tidy.

 

[Santilli]

I just ordered new cat6 cables from monoprice.com

None are long enough to worry about bend length, but, I'm hoping to get consistent Gig speeds with them.

 

[Handruin]

Both Lifehacker and Apartment Therapy (part of Unplugd) have suggestions for cable management all the damned time. Personally, I use binder clips to keep my stuff looking tidy.

Merc is right, I've also seen numerous cable management posts on LifeHacker.

 

[Handruin]

I just ordered new cat6 cables from monoprice.com

None are long enough to worry about bend length, but, I'm hoping to get consistent Gig speeds with them.

I use monoprice CAT 6, 25' and 100' patch with consistent GigE speeds. You shouldn't have any problem.