4d ago

How are you organizing your spare cable drawer?

Currently they're in types in ziploc baggies but there must be a better way

the baggies:

USB A > USB C
USB C <> USB C
USB A > USB B Micro
Ethernet
HDMI to different sized HDMI
HDMI to USB B
HDMI to other USB
HDMI to HDMI
USB female to male and extenders
Dongles, converters, and USB hubs
VGA
USB A to lightning bolt
A few old ipod charging cables

Not pictured: separate drawer for guitar cables, XLR, headphones jack to jack and adapters, phono and midi; separate duffel bag for long power cables; separate baggie in another drawer for international adapters and plugs

76 comments

It's the one with the spare cables in it is how it's organized. I think there's an old clock, an airbrush and a couple long expired sectional charts in there.

- I joined the conversation only to post this question. To it, you beat me
- I may be dull, but I'm certainly not organized or motivated!

Toiletpaper-rolls works 👍
- Oh, that is brilliant!
  
  no brilliant, only dull
- Why you need so many though?
  
  It just feels wrong to throw away cables...
- This is very clever.
- That's a great hack. Reduces the cleanup of having them zip tied together too. Grab and go
- You'll make the bidet people cry
  
  You can use a bidet to keep the cables in, too
- What did you do with all that toilet paper, though?
  
  Shit on it
- I don't go through toilet paper quick enough for this to be viable, I'm not waiting years to have a pile of them
- That's a great idea, plus you can label them on the outside of the roll!
  I mostly use assorted small cardboard boxes – usually from computer peripherals.
- If Lemmy gave awards I'd give you one. I'm glad it doesn't though.

I used to have a big plastic tub that I just tossed all the cables into. After a few years, it was literally all one piece; no matter where you pulled, the entire thing would come out. It took 5 minutes of untangling to get anything out. My brother called it an abomination.
I bag each type separately, as you do. I have fewer audio cables, so they are also bagged in the same bin, quarter and eighth inch phone cables separately. No Apple stuff. Extras like DE9 serial and MIDI cables. IEC power cables are in the bin, extension cords coiled, hanging from the basement ceiling.

Mine is a cable storage tub, but same way. Baggies.

You guys have drawers??
- Hehe
  I just noticed the empty drawer just below the pile.
  Hm.
  
  The plastic box?
- Sweet harmonica.
  
  Shit, THAT'S where that thing has been.
  Thanks :)
- Things like this make me think of the only good advice from Jordan Peterson.
  
  What's that?

I just get a big ziplock and stuff cables in it till its full and get a new one.
I just go through looking for a cable by going "hmm would this be a 2015-2020 cable or a 2010-2015 cable?"
My system is undoubtedly flawed, but it works well enough to not fix it.

Organize?

How are you organizing your spare cable drawer?
Should I be?
- Buy a refrigerator box, write "CABLES" on every side and put all cables in the box
  Sorted

No drawers in the server closet, so 3D printer to the rescue:
- mind sharing those .STLs?
  
  Sure! Here are the cable organizers and "magazine".
  The magazine is for a gridfinity setup but I modified it to work with my printed Skadis panels, which are in turn a heavily modified version of this openscad model with a custom "wedge" mount to lock the panel tighter onto the wedges as more weight is added. My customizations aren't shared anywhere, but if you're interested, I'll put them up on printables.

For those that haven't yet discovered them, reusable cable ties exist. They make keeping cables properly coiled a lot easier. No more rat kings!
- You can also just buy an entire reel of velcro tape and cut pieces as needed.
- If you have Ethernet cables that are old or have damaged ends in your pile just sacrifice them to make your own cable ties. Cut it into pieces as long as you need to wrap your other cables and in each section you cut you get four twist ties.
  Cheap, readily at hand, and if the cables were bad you can call it recycling.

Throw them in and let them become one.
- Like a techno rat king!
- And somehow never have the one you need.

Are you kidding me? I have 21 drawers of cables and bs.
(Not all of these are filled / bottom right are empty)
- I was about to ask if you could show off some of your assorted cables, then I couldn't stop thinking of Professor Farnsworth
  Prof. Farnsworth: Let me show you around. That’s my lab table and this is my work-stool. And over there is my intergalactic spaceship! And here’s where I keep assorted lengths of wire.
  Fry: Whoa! A real live spaceship!
  Prof. Farnsworth: I designed it myself. Let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I used.

Wait, you're supposed to organize your spare cables??

Michael's store sells thee 16 5x7 photo organizers in a carry case.
- It's called Simply Tidy: Photo and Craft Keeper. Also fits 3.5 inch HDDs.

Rubber band everything and throw them in a series of different drawers of varying sizes with a vague organizational scheme

Organize?

There is no better way. Any more structure, like hooks or dividers, reduces the usable storage space.
Label your ziplocs and call it a day.

Mine are just chucked in with no organisation whatsoever. If I want a cable I have to search the entire box and untangle it from all the other cables.
- Or buy one then realise you already have several in that tangled mess.
  
  Usually it's, "I'm sure I've got one of these", can't find it, buy new one, find it somewhere else whilst waiting for the new one to turn up.

It's a box. It's full of cables.

velcro ties, in fabric grocery bags

Ponytail hair rubber bands. soft on the cables, reusable, cheap...

Shockingly similar. Ziplocs with labels.
- my bags are transparent so i didnt label them.

I have all the "USB-A to ?" cables rubber banded together at the opposite end. That way I can find the non USBA side that I need quickly.

I only keep one spare of each type.
I use cable ties to keep them coiled
- Then how do you keep your spare spare cable drawer sorted?
  
  There's not really enough to sort. I just put them in a box.

I don't, they're everywhere

Three drawers, divided into USB, A/V, and power supply/adaptors.

I use a combination of zip lock bags and small cardboard boxes with the contents written on the outside.

Loose in box that u have to go digging through to find anything. Its the technological version of a rat king. I did go through it lat week and threw out 90% of the shit. I found cables I didn't even know existed.
Its kinda a useless box now since the only 3 cables I need in my life are USBC HDMI and power.
- Just wait. In 3 days you're going to need that null modem cable and it's going to ruin you.

I prefer a more stochastic approach.

Like that photo.

Into nooses.

I have a few small totes. I have a few categories: USB, networking, computer internals (SATA), power, A/V. From there, I just coil them up and hope for the best. I still have to hunt a little to find stuff, but the vague categories makes it a lot easier.

Clear plastic bins full of toilet paper rolls with the cables folded and inserted so that both ends stick out upwards. Keeps everything tidy and visible at a glance.

Nice! So far I have a box of bags, vaguely sorted by function

went to a shoe shop and asked them for old shoe boxes. now i have free cardboard boxes, all the same size and easy stackable.

I have a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full with just USB cables of all types.

76 comments