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Topic: Cables |
Shaun Swanson
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 10:59 am |
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I'm sick of velcro straps. How do you all manage your cables? Are there any neat winding products to keep things organized?
Thanks
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www.swansonillustration.com |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 11:59 am
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| Zip-Loc sandwich bags! |
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Jonathan Cullifer
From:
Gallatin, TN
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 12:28 pm
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| Jonathan, I do that....just before they go in the bag. |
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 12:51 pm
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I'm wondering if Jonathan is referring to what we down-under call "figure-8ing" the cable...you lay out the cable on the ground at your feet in a figure-8 pattern which builds up stacking itself off the ground. Each half of the "8" gets a half-twist, but alternate half-twists work against each other, meaning there is no stored twist in the cable once you have finished, and thus the cables are very easy to run out again when needed. Just get hold of one end and start walking - or running!
This is widely used with long television Triaxial camera-cables, but it also works beautifully with long lengths of coaxial cable, as well as shielded audio cable. Brands such as Canare audio cable respond very well to this, especially in winter when all cables tend to be stiff and difficult to coil any other way.
OB crews use this widely because the figure-8 coiling allows the cable to run free when deploying it for rigging the OB, speeding up the process. A typical Australian cricket OB may have fifteen or more cameras and associated video feeds disposed all around a very large arena, so ease and speed of running cables is very important. It is also appreciated during the de-rig.
It works best for long runs (anything over about 50 feet) and once the figure-8 is finished just wrap some electrician's tape around the coils at the top and bottom of the "8", and one wrap around the middle-section. Then they'll keep their shape and you can heave them into trucks, stack them on each other, etc.
This also works with long multi-core audio cables such as Gepco cables.
_________________
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 2:10 pm
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The "over and under" method of coiling cables really does work well. Here is a link to an earlier discussion:
Click Here
I like that idea about the zip-lock bags!
Lee, from South Texas |
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Shaun Swanson
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2009 2:20 pm
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I guess what I'm looking for is a product like this http://cableorganizer.com/cord-it/ but big enough for guitar cables. Just wondering if anyone had run into anything like that.
What would be really neat is if all your cables could reel out of a pack-a-seat like garden hose, and then spring back in like a tape measure.
_________________
www.swansonillustration.com |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 1 Jan 2010 9:05 am
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I found these cable cuffs at my local hardware store. The cost was only a dollar or so for the small ones.
So far it's been 5-6 years with no failures or breakage. They come in various sizes. I use a large one for the cable on my power strip and various smaller ones to tame the cables in my pack a seat.
I keep all 4 of my regular cables in one bunch and extras in another.
over and under wrapping for mic and speaker cables is the way to go for transport.
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 1 Jan 2010 3:09 pm cables
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| Pipe cleaners work fairly well. I wind my cables into coils approximately ten inches in diameter, secure them with the pipe cleaners, and then insert them (in specific groups) into zip lock freezer size bags. Label bags according to cable group use (steel guitar, pedal board, etc). Makes setup a bit simpler. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 1 Jan 2010 4:10 pm
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This is the ONLY proper way to treat cables in my opinion. Takes practice. It's all in the fingers as you twist the cord to naturally coil over and under. Makes cables uncoil perfectly too. I like putting a velcro tie on the cables to hold the coil together and prevent tangling with other cords.
Brad |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 1 Jan 2010 6:37 pm
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Bagging everything seems a bit extreme to me especially if you have 10-25 mic cords, speaker cables of various types, etc.
I used to use a hose reel and connect all the mic chords and roll them up they go on and off very easily... the problem was the reel weighed a TON!!
Now we use one large tote box for mic wires, one for speaker wires , and another for specialty stuff. They stack and roll out on a hand truck or dolly. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 1 Jan 2010 6:41 pm
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I practice the "over-and-under" cable winding bit, and I discovered at Home Depot a few years ago those orange Cable Cuffs that Bo shows in his post - excellent product IMO.
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Mark |
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Michael Holland
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Walter Killam
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2010 12:35 pm want a cheap solution?
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Go to your grocery store and buy a packet of ponytail/braid holders. I've used them for years.
_________________
Mostly junque with a few knick-knacks that I really can't do without! |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 5 Jan 2010 12:40 pm
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I prefer the velcro ties myself ! Having worked in Computer Networking most of my adult life, I have always coiled my cables in this manner ...!
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2010 2:24 pm
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I use a different cable to secure the electrical wire for my amps. I could not locate exactly what I use on the web... but remembered that I stole them from my wife. The link below is pretty close to what I use. Easy on... easy off. The round ball loops back inside the circle for a secure wrap.
http://mp.hairboutique.com/Smoothies-Floral-Wood-Ball-Pony-Black/P/106083/C/245 |
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