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Apple composite cables: How do I make them less slippery?

PaperQueen

PaperQueen

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Crazy question, I know, but given the number of hotel TVs I plug my iPad into for watching movies, it's only a matter of time before I accidentally pull the wires right out of the too-smooth-to-grip silver "pins" (red / yellow / white).

The pins always seat very tightly in the television ports (typically in very narrow spaces to begin with); getting them unplugged is nearly impossible sometimes. More often than not, my fingers slip off, nearly ripping the wires right out of the pins. 😱

Any suggestions about what I could wrap around them that would (a) give more grip when removing them from tight hotel TV ports without (b) adding so much bulk they won't fit in the narrow space allotted?

Duct tape is too smooth...can't figure out what to try next.

Thanks in advance for your help, Oh Wise Ones!
 
Yeah, it's very poor design. Very tight-fitting plugs with no grip; a bad case of form over function.

I haven't tried doing anything with mine. You could do something like wrap a short piece of string around the plug, then cover it with strong sticky tape. The bulge of the string would give you more grip when pulling it out - as long as the tape's adhesive is strong enough to hold it.
 
you could also try find a set of wires that are more durable, and get a female to female connection to join it to your adapter. that way itll be less likely to break, and if it does you can just get another set of relatively cheap wires, instead of an entire new apple adapter
 
Okay. I feel like an idiot right now. What am I missing about the way self-fusing/self-amalgamating tape works? It doesn't seem to adhere to itself, regardless of whether I stretch it out or not.

😱
 
Consultant said:
Peel off backing mentioned here? First search result on Bing
http://www.my-car-computer.com/self-amalgamating-tape.html
Click to expand...

Insert: Image of me slapping open palm to forehead while muttering :::duh:::

Silly me. Thought the textured white layer was the traction necessary for gripping the slippery plug posts---not a peel-off layer. Just tried the tape without it, as directed in your helpful post, and voila! Works like a charm.

Some days, even the simplest things.... THANK YOU!
 
PaperQueen said:
Insert: Image of me slapping open palm to forehead while muttering :::duh:::

Silly me. Thought the textured white layer was the traction necessary for gripping the slippery plug posts---not a peel-off layer. Just tried the tape without it, as directed in your helpful post, and voila! Works like a charm.

Some days, even the simplest things.... THANK YOU!
Click to expand...

Cool, glad to help. I am wondering how well it works.
 
Consultant said:
Cool, glad to help. I am wondering how well it works.
Click to expand...

Definitely more "grippy" than the slick chrome finish. The trick is to keep the tape layer as thin as possible, angling up from the jack end > the cord end of the plug, creating a subtle ridge for additional traction.

Definitely don't layer the tape any more than necessary---it's impossible to predict how small the recessed plug area will be on individual hotel TVs.

My home television ports provide ample room, so they're not a good test. Wish I'd done this before going to Atlanta last week, since the plug area on the Westin's televisions would have been an ideal test--recessed, side entry, on the back side of the tv (read: royal pain the patoot).

Thanks again to everyone who helped!
 
Arran said:
Wrap a little self-fusing/self-amalgamating tape around them. You won't need much as it stretches before fusing to itself to form a permanent, non-slip grip.

Home Depot ($2.50): http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-3-4-in-x-22-ft-Temflex-Splicing-Tape-2155/202195401#

AutoZone ($7): http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...bber-tape/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=529801_0_0_
Click to expand...

PaperQueen said:
Definitely more "grippy" than the slick chrome finish. The trick is to keep the tape layer as thin as possible, angling up from the jack end > the cord end of the plug, creating a subtle ridge for additional traction.

Definitely don't layer the tape any more than necessary---it's impossible to predict how small the recessed plug area will be on individual hotel TVs.
Click to expand...

Update (after being in a couple of hotels, testing this out):

Works perfectly! A single layer with minimal overlap was just right on the back of two different hotel TVs (one LG, the other Vizio). Double layering wouldn't have worked---too much bulk for the closely situated ports.

Thanks again, Arran, for the great suggestion!
 
PaperQueen said:
Update (after being in a couple of hotels, testing this out):

Works perfectly! A single layer with minimal overlap was just right on the back of two different hotel TVs (one LG, the other Vizio). Double layering wouldn't have worked---too much bulk for the closely situated ports.

Thanks again, Arran, for the great suggestion!
Click to expand...

You're welcome! But you get some credit too - since it was your original post that got me thinking.

You see, I'd struggled with my own cable for years and despite having several rolls of that tape in my toolbox, had never thought to use it that way.

The internet works in mysterious ways! 🙂
 
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