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How do you organize your cables and adapters and misc. computer crap

A

Anarchy99

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 13, 2003
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I'm probably not the only one who has piles upon piles of rat nested cabling and random adapters etc. that I've collected over the years
I'm looking to try to organize these on the cheap so I'm kind a looking for suggestions

so how do you guys do it?

thanks
 
My work space is cluttered but so was Einstein's...

einstein-office.jpg
 
It's all in a big wooden box labeled "Booze 'n smokes" at work that has poorly drawn female figures on it. I did not label the box nor did I adorn it with imagery.
 
Your options will be limited by your desk set up. For example, is it a big desk where you can attach things on the back or is it a small set up with no where to attach anything? Is is made of wood and opaque where cables can be hidden or is it made of glass where you can see right through? These kinds of factors will limit your choices in cable management.

I have a larger wrap around style desk with built in cabinets and storage in our home office. This affords me lots of space to hide stuff. I went to our local Fry's store and bought a 4 foot power strip with mounting hardware and attached it to the back edge of the desk. Now I have plenty of direct outlets right on the back underside of the desk where I can plug my computer, various devices, and externals. With the outlets being raised off the floor I don't have to deal with a mess of tangled cords all over the floor. I run each plug to it's outlet and use ties to take up any and all slack in the cable. As for connectivity cables like USB, FW, etc., well, you just have to manage those on top of your desk as best you can so as not to create a mess. Obviously this depends on how many devices you are connecting like phones, card readers, etc.
 
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After many years, I have collected probably a hundred of different types of cables, from audio to video to computer to data...you name it. I ran into the same issue as you, trying to figure out what to do with all of them.

I went on the search for a drawer system, but couldn't find anything I liked which had the right combination of size and number of drawers needed. What I ended up doing was getting a bunch of gallon-sized and quart-sized ziploc bags. I have a separate bag for each type of cable, and the size of bag is determined by the size and quantity of cable going into it. So I have a bag for USB cables, a bag for Cat5 cables, a bag for 1/8" to 2-RCA cables, a bag for optical cables, etc, etc. Each bag has a printed label on it for easy identification. All the bags live in a cardboard box.

It's not very elegant, but I went from trying to find $100 worth of drawers that weren't gong to really work, to $5 in supplies.

As for my desk, every cable was purchased to length, so everything lays out really neatly. With half a dozen peripherals, three USB hubs, a network switch, two monitors in addition to the iMac, and five hard drives, my desk still looks mostly clean.
 
I mounted a narrow shelf behind my desk (took a standard 6" shelf and ripped it in half) and attached 2 surge protectors to back of desk. All AC adapters and cabling live on the shelf. Can't see any cables.
 
The power cable for my MBA kept falling behind the desk, so my granddaughter volunteered Eeyore as keeper of the wire.:D

photo-1-3.jpg
 
Any sort of organization project requires some discipline. And the most important discipline of all is knowing what to throw away: Lets face it, but many of those cables and adapters will never be used again.

Almost always toss: Extra PC power cables. SCSI cables (remember them..); DVI and other obsolescent video cables.

Probably toss: Odd length CAT-5 cables. Chargers and cables old cellular/smart phones.

In short: Unless you are an avid electronic hobbyist/hacker don't keep old chargers/adapters/cables. If you buy a new device - it will come with the needed adapters/cables.

Those cables you decide you do want to keep: Those that get used rarely, coil up, secure with cable ties. Label, and store in plastic tubs.

Those that get used weekly/daily: Create some sort of charging/storage station.

Last note, regarding cables: Coil your cables properly to avoid putting nasty kinks into them. (I coiled cables wrong for twenty+ years till a kind engineer friend put me on the right track.)
 
rhett7660 said:
Can you post a picture of this? I like this idea.
Click to expand...

Antares said:
I would love to see a picture of how this looks....to understand and possibly mimic your setup.
Click to expand...


Sorry, can't get a picture without moving the desk. I just took a shelf that was 6" deep and ripped it in half, so 3" deep. Mounted on wall behind desk with small brackets. Mounted 2 surge protectors on the back of desk about 6" higher than shelf. I just lay the AC adapters and extra cable lengths on the shelf.
 
rdowns said:
Sorry, can't get a picture without moving the desk. I just took a shelf that was 6" deep and ripped it in half, so 3" deep. Mounted on wall behind desk with small brackets. Mounted 2 surge protectors on the back of desk about 6" higher than shelf. I just lay the AC adapters and extra cable lengths on the shelf.
Click to expand...

They make cable trays that are very similar to the home solution you did for yourself. I've seen both plastic and metal. Here's a link to a metal one for anyone who might be interested.

http://www.cableorganizer.com/under-desk-cable-tray/#

They show it attached to the back of the actual desk top. I think the better way to use trays like this is to attach it to the back desk below the desk top so there is nothing between your deskstop and the wall or you can do what rdowns did and attach the tray to the wall below your desktop.

Edit: A few others

http://www.amazon.com/Viable-Inc-Wire-Tray/dp/B008FC2CMY

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30200253/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20195596/

These links were taken from this article which includes other links as well.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/our-favorite-cord-control-gutters-and-trays-174720
 
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Anarchy99 said:
I'm probably not the only one who has piles upon piles of rat nested cabling and random adapters etc. that I've collected over the years
I'm looking to try to organize these on the cheap so I'm kind a looking for suggestions

so how do you guys do it?

thanks
Click to expand...

I use these to bundle.

http://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Reusab...TF8&qid=1405114178&sr=8-1&keywords=cable+ties

And these for the run.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_480709-3568...ntURL=?Ntt=cable+management&page=4&facetInfo=
 
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