How do you store your Cables and Wires?

[Devils'Advocate]

I have spare audio/video cables, firewire cables of all configuration, coax cable, usb cables, audio cables, S-video cables, etc, etc, etc. And being the brilliant man that I am, I have tossed them all into one box where they have gotten wrapped around each other. Thus when I need the firewire cable for hooking the camcorder up to the computer, I need to spend a half hour untangling it from the rest of the cables.

The only thing I can think of is wrapping them in circles and hanging them from a hat-rack:

[Bobblehead]

I have the tried and true "rats nest"

And when I clean up the wires behind my computer I swear it takes 20 minutes to do and 5 minutes later it is as bad as when I started.

[FurnaceFace]

http://www.cableclamp.com/store.html

You can get these at Lee Valley and other places.

[BlackArcher101]

I wrap them in a circle (coil them), then either wrap a peice of tape around it, zip tie it, or tie a string around it so that it doesn't uncoil. I do this on the coil twice, both apart from each other. Then I still throw them a box and they don't get tangled up. You can even label the peice of tape if you want.

[Phanuthier]

When you coil them, torque the wires 180 degrees on each turn so when the unravil (sp?) they don't tangle. Twist tie them after, and you have nice neat wiring.

[Juventus3]

I just got rid of probably close to 40 or 50 cables that have become obsolete over the last few years. It's definetely not as bad now as it was 10 years ago for the number of cables as a lot of stuff is becoming wireless.

As for the question...i have a cardboard box of cords that would make one hell of a maze.

[jammies]

I put 'em in plastic Baggies of various sizes - I have probably over a hundred cables of different types stored in a bin in the computer room closet. It's cheap, you can still easily see what kind of cable you are looking at when you are looking for a particular one; and one day, if you get enough cables, you'll be able to dive into them and swim around like Scrooge McDuck and his money.

[RedHot25]

Elastic bands.

[Engine09]

When you coil them, torque the wires 180 degrees on each turn so when the unravil (sp?) they don't tangle.

That's the key right there. Then use a zip tie, simple and easy.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

That's the key right there. Then use a zip tie, simple and easy.

I was hoping more people would take notice

Guerenteed, they never tangle. Not even a little bit. They'll unwind into a straight cord when you let go (I've wound cables over 80 feet, and never had a tangle once). Its an electrician's secret, ask your local electrian friend to show you (no, I'm not a technician, I just learned from a electrian)

[Devils'Advocate]

I guess this is what you guys are talking about:
http://www.viewdo.com/now_viewing.php?id=266

Okay, this will help me make better circles, but I already have most of them wrapped (the wrong way) and tied. But they are all sitting on top of each other in a cardboard box, sorta like this:


So if I'm looking for something at the bottom of the box, I have to dump them all out on the floor. Which is why I was thinking of the hat-rack thing.

Here is a variation on that idea from 3M:



Stick the hooks on the wall and hang your cables from them.

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by fotze

I just battled with my power washer cables, I almost flung the motherfataing thing over the fence with the water cable and the power cable tangled up with water dripping and mosquitos biting.

lol

[Devils'Advocate]

BTW - is there a place where you can BUY twist ties? I need some for these cables, but I don't want to buy a bag of garbage bags and then throw away the garbage bags....