On 9/3/2015 11:12 PM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message

Cool! I just bought one of the el cheapo's when Costco had them on sale.
I did so because I had "rescued" several new "ribbon" cartridges; I
figured
I could afford to throw the whole thing in the trash when I ran out! :

I think Fry's was perpetually selling refurbed label makers and I realized
that if I had them strategically placed in the house I would be tempted to
use them more often. The problem now is that I have to keep using larger
and larger fonts as my eyes get older.

I use about 1/4" high text. I think it's the second from the largest
size available (the larger didn't seem to be *much* larger)

I have a much larger labeler (Kroy K2000):
http://members.tripod.com/~HANOVER_TECHNICAL/kroy03.html
that prints on heat-shrink tubing. A better solution -- but impractical
for cables with "connectors" already on both ends!

The ones I bought all do heat shrink tubing which I haven't used once
because as you note, they only work on cables that aren't "ended" already.

Exactly. I don't want to have to have two different approaches to
the problem. Easier to just treat everything the same. I'd still
need to "cover" the heat-shrinkable with a layer of cello tape.
So, the shrinkability doesn't really buy me anything.

Still, it *would* be a good way to mark a new run of cabling. Instead I
have a silver, gold, black and other colored Sharpies that I use. While not
as neat and legible as Dymo labels, they do the job.

Ah, *fancy*! ;-) I just settle for plain old BLACK! (doesn't work well on
the black patch cords or power cords; but, those have "known" lengths so
I don't need to mark them)

Check out a similar item at Harbor Freight. About $20 for a 4 foot
black
anodized strip with 12 outlets.

Really? I'll have to look. Getting strips with the outlets "facing"
the right direction is a chore. The Lowe's strip (below) has everything
"just right"... but, it's too long (I need something around 2.5-3').

That's going to be a problem with the H-freight ones, too. What do you mean
by the outlets facing the right way? Ground hole to the left instead of the
bottom?

Hard to decide what left and bottom mean :-/

The way a standard duplex receptacle (in a US home) is constructed is
the *wrong* way. Rotate each *outlet* 90 degrees -- without rotating
the receptacle itself. So, wall warts end up side-by-side instead of
one atop the other.

When I disassembled it to try to just "elide" one outlet, I was
disappointed to find that it was essentially one large assembly wrapped in
a metal case. :

Haven't disassembled one to see (and before my wife made me swear to stop
wrecking things for internet posts grin) but I have taken apart others and
agree that there aren't discrete components but an assembly. Just took
apart an Eveready UPS (rebadge APC) and found exactly that - outlet blades
just soldered together and fit into an elaborate plastic shell that's part
of the case.

Exactly. I have some very nice 6 outlet strips that have individual outlets
"snap fitted" into a heavy aluminum frame. But, they are arranged like
the duplex receptacles I mentioned, above. And, they are too close
together.

I have some singleton outlets that can be mounted onto a frame (they have
two "ears" with screw holes instead of "press fitted"). I just need to
find a piece of heavy gauge aluminum U-channel (so I can press on the
outlets with cords that are stubborn to insert without fear of deforming
the case!) *and* some sort of BACKING for that piece of channel so the
wires aren't exposed, etc.

The advantage of modifying something COTS is not having to do any fabrication
work!

If I can get the mechanical aspects (i.e., a case that I can mount
singleton receptacles in), then the rest of the components are
essentially free -- pick them from my parts bins. But, the case
the right length and outlet orientation is the ****er.

Good luck with that!

All of my bricks (save one that I found for the P-Touch unit) have
removable
power cords. I have cords in various lengths: 1', 3', 5-6', 12', etc.

I just recently started to see non-removable cords on the bricks from new
stuff coming from China. I guess it saves a penny or so but it does make
them less convenient.

It is also a surefire way to ruin the "assembly" as the cord will have
dubious strain relief, at best. When it fails, you're stuck without a
way of replacing it (esp as most bricks are solvent welded assemblies;
"no user serviceable parts inside" -- and no way to GET inside!)

Dell makes a line of laptop bricks that are like this. *And*, the
design intentionally encourages you to wrap the CAPTIVE cord around
the brick for storage. Doing so trashes the cord (the AC inlet is a
special modular cord but the DC outlet is captive).

So, I arrange to use the shortest cord possible (to keep the amount of
"cord clutter" down to a minimum).

I have a few bricks with Mickey's. Unfortunately, all of those cords are
the same length (apparently?).

I assume Mickey's are the figure 8 cords used to power things like laptops
with a ground wire that give a head to the two ears. I see very few of
those - mostly laptops. I do see a lot more of them in both polarized and
unpolarized format.

No. Mickey as in "Mickey Mouse" -- three circles (his head and two ears).

Note that the figure-of-eight cords can also be found with one end
of the '8' flattened. So, instead of OO, it's more like DO.

I keep boxes of cords, sorted by style. So, when I need a new one,
I can save myself the $1 and just pull one out of the box.