Spiral wrap for rounding IDE cables

[PMich]

I got a wild hair the other day and decided to round my IDE cables. It was about midnight and I was out of razor blades and electrical tape so I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of things. As I was walking through the store I got to thinking about the best way to hold the cables together once I split them. I was originally going to use some zip ties I had laying around (these are second in necessity only to duct tape, you know). Then it hit me. I could use spiral wrap instead. For any of you who don't know what this is, it is just a spiral cut plastic tube used primarily in automotive wiring. I bought 6 feet of it for $2 and it worked like a charm. It really kept the cable flexible and the cable can move within it as well. This stuff is now #3 on my must have list behind duct tape and zip ties. I even wrapped about the last 4 inches of my mouse and keyboard cables together since they plug in right next to each other. I wonder if I can spiral wrap my wife's cat?

PMich

[DrZaius]

I wonder if I can spiral wrap my wife's cat?

LOL

Yeah, that's stuff is pretty good. I bought a few feet last year and completely organized the inside of my case, wrapped all the IDE cables and power cables. Now it's much more organized and looks nicer with red cables.

[Blakhart]

Please let me know if either of you have found any data corruption from doing this to the cables. I am greatly interested in this matter.
Did it also help cool your rig after rounding them?
Thank you

[Jenni]

I've been using Spiral Wrap for a while now, and I love it. The only drawback I have found is that if you have kids and frequently need to replace your KB, as I do, it gets to be a pain removing and rewrapping the Spiral Wrap from all of the PC wire bundle. I got some ¾" split-loom tubing from Radio Shack a few days ago, $5 for 5 feet. I got it for 60% off at a local salvage store, or $2. So I'm gonna redo my "wire mess" with it, to make it easier to replace individual wires.

[Blakhart]

Jenni, I have noticed your symbol and wonder if you are part of that family I read about that speaks Klingon at home??
They were in the paper...

split loom is a good way to go, think Ill do that as theres a real mess behind this desk...

[Edave]

PMich
That stuff comes in different sizes doesnt it?
Do you remember what size you used?May be a good project for me to do tomorrow

[Jenni]

Nope, no Klingon at home. I'm an "english only" kinda person. But my first ever case mod window was the Klingon symbol. I like the Klingons. They get to kill everybody that pisses them off, haha.

edave123, AFAIK, spiral wrap is one size only. Since it is just a spiral cut tube, it can be as big around as you need it to be. I don't know about longer lengths, Wal-Mart just carries the one length, 3 feet or 5 feet, whatever it is, I don't remember.

[kcbhiw]

like blakhart mentioned, I am also curious as to the effect with crosstalk on the data lines, especially ATA100 cables. It seems to me that the purpose of 80-conductor cables would, essentially, be comprimised.

long live the empire!

[Jenni]

Well, I never got brave enough to take a razor blade to my ATA100 cable, lol. But I never have had any problems with the 40 wire cable, or the floppy cable. I wrapped all the power wires in my case too, just because.

Now that I have a case with no window, nothing in it is wrapped, just neatly organized to maximize airflow. What I have wrapped now is all that cable mess running to the back of my PC, and the power strip.

[wedor]

Rather than cut the cables I just fold them in half then fold each "half" in half, and then do it once more (if you can follow that). This leaves me with a small flat cable that I food over into a tube shape and tape to form a round cable. I haven't noticed any problems with this method and it is much safer than cutting.

[Edave]

Thanks Jenni,
I was thinking of something different.I was thinking he meant loom at first,unitl I read it again.My Fault