[subego]

How do you do it? Show and/or tell us your brilliant management solutions.

[Spheric Harlot]

Ikea Signum

cheap, simple, gets shit off the floor.

[Doofy]

Management? It's a rat's nest.
Storage? A few large boxes. I know the cable I want will be in *one* of them. Somewhere.

[ort888]

I have one of those big plastic tubs you can get anywhere. I then purchased 5 or 6 boxes of ziplock sandwich and larger freezer bags and spent an afternoon untangling and bagging up every cord I owned. Everything goes in the box. One wire per bag. Maybe two if they are exactly the same. No more tangles, no more mess. You still need to dump out the box and go hunting anytime you need anything, but it so much easier.

[andi*pandi]

Spare cables get twist/velcro tied and shoved in the computer cupboard. I've also started labelling them with taped sticky notes or stickers, because I forget where they came from or which camera cord is which.

Belkin F8B024 8 Velcro Cable Ties 6 Pack

[Thorzdad]

I have a milk crate full of spare cables, wires, adapters, etc.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Management? It's a rat's nest.
Storage? A few large boxes. I know the cable I want will be in *one* of them. Somewhere.

Same here, I have two totes filled with various cables/adapters. If i need something I empty both out and find what I need, then wrap everything back up and put it away.

The spaces behind my electronics areas are a tangled nightmare.

[seanc]

Large clear plastic bags.
-Power
-Video
-Audio
-Networking
-USB
-PC internal cables
-Misc

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Spare cables get twist/velcro tied and shoved in the computer cupboard. I've also started labelling them with taped sticky notes or stickers, because I forget where they came from or which camera cord is which.

Belkin F8B024 8 Velcro Cable Ties 6 Pack

Wow. $10 for eight velcro ties?

Here you go, $6 for 50. The funny part is that it's probably the same cable, just doesn't have the Belkin logo on it.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Wow. $10 for eight velcro ties?

Here you go, $6 for 50. The funny part is that it's probably the same cable, just doesn't have the Belkin logo on it.

It's not the same cable wraps as the Belkin wraps. The Belkin (and APC and several other brand names) ties are fabric with Velcro applied to it and with cloth tabs to pull to open them. The Monoprice ties are flexible plastic "hooks on one side, loops on the other" ties that are intended to push the end through a slot at the other end to make a relatively difficult to un-do wrap.


Belkin ties


Monoprice ties

The Monoprice ties are very similar to Velcro® Brand One Wrap ties.

[-Q-]

Originally Posted by seanc 

Large clear plastic bags.
-Power
-Video
-Audio
-Networking
-USB
-PC internal cables
-Misc

Add "Firewire" and "iPod" and you have my storage system.

[subego]

My name is subego and I put my cables in ziploc bags in boxes.


There's got to be a better way.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by subego 

There's got to be a better way.

There is. But you'll need a "cable closet" and the whole caboodle will look much the same as the cable section in your local electronics store, with everything neatly hung on pegs.

[ghporter]

I completely forgot to list how I manage cables. At the moment, I have a power cord that goes over the edge of the table to a surge protector. My keyboard plugs right into the back of the iMac, and as needed I get out the iPhone cable and plug that in as well. Networking is by 5GHz WiFi. This is not my normal setup; I'm working on my home office and it's pretty much uninhabitable at the moment, so desk, cable management, etc. are out the window. In "normal" times, I have run all the "off the desk" cables through flexible plastic loom, and kept all the "on the desk" cables (somewhat) bundled with wire twist ties or velcro wraps. As I'm completely redoing the office, I'm still working out how desk cabling will be handled-but I'm more and more focusing on quality velcro wraps and planned cable layouts, versus the "just plug it in" layouts I've used in the past.

I am going to put in a wire shelving system to hold printers, network hardware, supplies, files, etc., and all cabling on that will be organized, bundled and routed for clear, neat layouts. Bundling will almost certainly be with velcro wraps, including attaching cables/bundles to the wire shelves to manage and support them.

Unused cables are currently in boxes in a spare bedroom that should be a hobby room. I have at least separated out cables I use regularly (like camera cables, iPhone cables, etc.) from those I haven't used in a while-the regularly used cables will be stored on my shelving system. In an electronics shop, cables are usually hung vertically, making it easy to find and separate the one you want. That won't fly at home, as my cats will not play nice with hanging cables. Not sure yet how I'll handle those cables...

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

There is. But you'll need a "cable closet" and the whole caboodle will look much the same as the cable section in your local electronics store, with everything neatly hung on pegs.

Coat racks screwed to the sides of the 19" rack tower work rather well, although they give a cluttered - if organized - look.

[ghporter]

Coat hooks can work OK, but they pretty much require folding the cable over, confusing which wire has which ends. Professional hangers aren't expensive, and do a better job of making it obvious what's what.


Typical "professional" cable hanging rack.

The classic Pomona test lead holder:

They used to make this in a color best described as "coral." Yep, pink cable hangers...

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Coat racks screwed to the sides of the 19" rack tower work rather well, although they give a cluttered - if organized - look.

I've always sort of avoided that in the workspace - too much potential for taking one's eye out.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Coat hooks can work OK, but they pretty much require folding the cable over, confusing which wire has which ends. Professional hangers aren't expensive, and do a better job of making it obvious what's what.

If my perception of scale is correct on those photos, those things would last about five minutes in a studio before someone unscrewed them and tossed them out the window. At a push they might do for patchbay cables, but a mic cable would kill them.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I've always sort of avoided that in the workspace - too much potential for taking one's eye out.

At two meters mounting height, the danger is minimal.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

At two meters mounting height, the danger is minimal.

Hard to pogo with a Hammond strapped on, eh?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

If my perception of scale is correct on those photos, those things would last about five minutes in a studio before someone unscrewed them and tossed them out the window. At a push they might do for patchbay cables, but a mic cable would kill them.

They do come in different widths for different size cables. Mic cable (shielded 2 conductor, extra flexible rubber-like insulation) is not only pretty large in diameter, that rubber jacket can push back at something that compresses it. You'd need a hanger with slots of about 10mm for decent mic cable storage. But frankly, all the XLR cables I've worked with have been spooled up rather than hung.