"Robert Green" wrote in
:

"philo" wrote in message
...
On 09/02/2015 01:59 PM, wrote:
On 2 Sep 2015 18:25:43 GMT, KenK wrote:


I have a big bunch of computer type power cords but very few A/C
extension
cords. Any easy cheap way to convert a few? All I can think of is
to
cut
off the female plug and put on a standard three-wire A.C female
plug.
Am I
overlooking an easier cheaper way?

TIA

The big problem with these cords is the wire size. Most are 18ga
and 16ga at best.
BTW blue is the neutral and brown is the hot on European cord sets.




Correct. The cord cannot handle the current of an A/C

Did the OP mean A/C for air conditioner or alternating current? Now I
am not sure. If the former, no computer cable I've seen should be
used. Just not even current capacity (along with another friction fit
point to cause arcing).


Alernating current. Sorry for the ambiguity.


--
You know it's time to clean the refrigerator
when something closes the door from the inside.

On 9/3/2015 10:24 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:

When/if I need to replace a cable (e.g., if the device to which it
is attached gets moved a few feet from its present location, the OLD
cable will be too long or too short -- needing replacement), I have
to *pull* the old cable out of that bundle and thread a new one in
its' place.

You really want the label NOT to change the effective diameter of the cable.

Labels? Who needs labels?

https://static.spiceworks.com/attach...t-guy-0013.jpg

Ha! I would laugh -- but I'm afraid I may soon reach that point! :

On 9/3/2015 10:19 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
Don Y writes:
On 9/2/2015 6:44 PM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 8:28:38 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W load...

You're claiming you can power 2 toasters with that cord?

Yes. Or, two hair dryers, etc. (the computer draws 2200W)

It's also not using AWG18 cordsets.

Not all modular cordsets are 18AWG. *Or*, 110VAC! :

On 9/3/2015 10:17 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 5:55 AM, Robert Green wrote:

If the former, no computer cable I've seen should be used. Just
not even current capacity (along with another friction fit point to
cause arcing).

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W load...

I hope you're not talking a PC that draws 2200W. That's a lot of juice.

It's a computer. PC has a very specific connotation.

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/RedbookAbstracts/tips0995.html

A wee bit bigger, heavier, NOISIER and more capable than most "PC's" :

Looks like that unit is designed for 240 volt operation so it only needs
about 10 amps. That makes the wiring size less than it would for 120 volt
operation.

Yes. I think the cords are rated at 16A.

I plug it in place of the electric clothes dryer when I need to use
it. Moving it is a bit of a chore (200+ pounds) so I try to make sure
I *really* need it before doing so! :-/

[And, SWMBO complains vociferously of all the *noise* it makes -- along
with the heat it throws off!]

bob_villa formulated the question :
On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 6:10:55 AM UTC-5, FromTheRafters wrote:

The switches on
the bulb sockets are harder to reach as the lamps get older.

...not sure how that happens...sure it's not you getting older? ༼ ຈل͜ຈ༽ãÃŽŒ�–*-–*

Absolutely! It couldn't *possibly* be that.

--
....
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 12:06:42 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 9/3/2015 9:54 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:

So, I use 2" wide cellophane packing tape cut to the length of the label
plus half an inch or so. Then, wrap it *around* the cable and label to
effectively protect and secure the label.

This part of the cable is then slightly less flexible but not badly.

What I've done for years to label cables when I think the label may not
stick to the jacket and stay on is to print a label with the information on
each end of a label long enough to stick the cable to the middle of the
label then wrap it to make a flag with the ends of the adhesive backs stuck
to each other. It sticks out from the cable and has enough space for more
information. With a little practice, you can learn to make perfect fitting
tags. ^_^

... then, when you pull the cable through a bundle of other cables,
you discover the "flag" gets stuck *or* tattered. I.e., I have a bundle
of 22 network cables tied to the underside of my workbench. They all
terminate at a switch mounted on one end of the bench.

When/if I need to replace a cable (e.g., if the device to which it
is attached gets moved a few feet from its present location, the OLD
cable will be too long or too short -- needing replacement), I have
to *pull* the old cable out of that bundle and thread a new one in
its' place.

You really want the label NOT to change the effective diameter of the cable.

In the case of densely packed cables like what you have. I've used my wide labels and put them on the cable longways. If I'm really serious about an indestructible label, the clear heat shrink comes out of the tool box. I usually do it before putting the RJ45 connector on the cable but I actually had some that would slip over the connector and shrink down. I do have some very handy Ethernet patch cords that have a flashing LED tracer light. If you have a big bundle of patch cords that you frak with all the time, the lit jumpers save a lot of time. ^_^

http://www.cableorganizer.com/mertek/evo6-patch-cord/

[8~{} Uncle LED Monster

On 9/3/2015 12:19 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 12:06:42 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

When/if I need to replace a cable (e.g., if the device to which it is
attached gets moved a few feet from its present location, the OLD cable
will be too long or too short -- needing replacement), I have to *pull*
the old cable out of that bundle and thread a new one in its' place.

You really want the label NOT to change the effective diameter of the
cable.

In the case of densely packed cables like what you have. I've used my wide
labels and put them on the cable longways. If I'm really serious about an
indestructible label, the clear heat shrink comes out of the tool box. I
usually do it before putting the RJ45 connector on the cable but I actually
had some that would slip over the connector and shrink down. I do have some
very handy Ethernet patch cords that have a flashing LED tracer light. If
you have a big bundle of patch cords that you frak with all the time, the
lit jumpers save a lot of time. ^_^

For my network cables, I label each end of the cable with a "stick on"
label as described. I also write (Sharpie) the length of the cable on
the jacket. So, if I need to move a piece of kit, I can make an educated
guess as to how much more/less cable I will need to reach it in its
new location. Then, look at the length written on the *old* cable
and have a good guess as to what length of cable would be appropriate
for the *new* location.

Nothing worse than replacing a cable -- stringing it through all those
cable hangers -- only to discover that you're a foot short!

J Burns wrote:
On 9/2/15 2:51 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 2:25:49 PM UTC-4, KenK wrote:
I have a big bunch of computer type power cords but very few A/C
extension cords. Any easy cheap way to convert a few? All I can
think of is to cut off the female plug and put on a standard
three-wire A.C female plug. Am I overlooking an easier cheaper
way?


Your method should work fine other than the fact that the cords
aren't very long. Once you start stringing them together for length,
you'll run into issues with sections unplugging, possible voltage
drops at every screw/plug-socket connection, etc. Just doesn't seem
worth the trouble or expense to get any decent length of cord. You
might as well just go buy one.


Yes, in view of the cost and labor of installing a female plug, it seems
more sensible to buy a 25-foot 16-gauge extension cord than to make a
6-foot cord of similar gauge.

I've always found 100-foot cords a hassle. It would be easier to work
with 25- or 50-foot cords and connect them when necessary. It would
also be cheaper to replace a shorter cord in case of damaged insulation.
There used to be clamps to latch connections together. I haven't seen
any lately.

The common thing that seems to be done nowadays is to tie the two ends
of the cords with a half hitch before connecting the plug and socket.


Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message

stuff snipped

The common thing that seems to be done nowadays is to tie the two ends
of the cords with a half hitch before connecting the plug and socket.

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and reveal
the invidual wires.

Since then, I use a barrel-shaped enclosed connector for the cord in the
driveway that occasionally gets run over. It also *tends* to reduce water
reaching the two couple cords.

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/acce...ectrical.shtml

But there are lots of other designs.

http://www.google.com/search?q=clamp...xtension+cords

In a pinch where I might be up on the roof and DEFINITELY don't want a
disconnection while up there, I might still half-hitch cords together. (-:

--
Bobby G.

"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 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.
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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/2/2015 5:47 PM, Robert Green wrote:
Did the OP mean A/C for air conditioner or alternating current? Now I
am
not sure.

"A/C" and "A.C" were used in the original post. Given the context of
the
comment, it seemed obvious that A/C and A.C were both intended to be
"A.C." or "AC"

Obvious to you! (-: Not me.

The OP cleared it up for us. It stands for "alernating" current. (-:

--
Bobby G.

"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 5:55 AM, Robert Green wrote:

If the former, no computer cable I've seen should be used. Just
not even current capacity (along with another friction fit point to
cause arcing).

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W load...

I hope you're not talking a PC that draws 2200W. That's a lot of juice.

It's a computer. PC has a very specific connotation.

I thought you were running a minicomputer but a blade server is close
enough. I used to run a BBS with 16 nodes using the precursor to blades, an
Alloy server setup and an ATT 6300 as the main PC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_Computer_Products

In 1984 Alloy developed the PC-Slave card which consisted of an X86 (8086
or V20) processor, either 256k or 1 Meg of memory and two serial ports. This
card used RTNX (later renamed NTNX) to use the host processor to act as a
file server. Dumb PC-Term terminals were attached to the PC-Slave to allow
the running of DOS programs. At the time it was much cheaper to use this
solution rather than network multiple computers

Each slave card was connected to a USR modem - they were very nice to my PC
group, donating first eight 2400 BPS modems and then when we expanded they
gave us sixteen 9600 BPS units at a time when those suckers sold for $500.
It was good PR because people who wanted to connect at what was then the
fastest modem in the world also bought them.

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/RedbookAbstracts/tips0995.html

A wee bit bigger, heavier, NOISIER and more capable than most "PC's" :

The Alloy unit wasn't nearly as powerful or capable but for its time, it was
pretty hot stuff. Really. We had to cut louvered vents into the door to
the tiny room holding the BBS gear and even that wasn't enough. We had to
have a ceiling fan installed.

--
Bobby G.

"Don Y" wrote in message

stuff snipped

I plug it in place of the electric clothes dryer when I need to use
it. Moving it is a bit of a chore (200+ pounds) so I try to make sure
I *really* need it before doing so! :-/

What application requires intermittent use of such a monster?

--
Bobby G.

"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 9:54 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
stuff snipped

What I've done for years to label cables when I think the label may not
stick to the jacket and stay on is to print a label with the information
on
each end of a label long enough to stick the cable to the middle of the
label then wrap it to make a flag with the ends of the adhesive backs
stuck
to each other. It sticks out from the cable and has enough space for
more
information. With a little practice, you can learn to make perfect
fitting
tags. ^_^

Unfortunately it takes a while to get the hang of that and the downside is
that if they don't mate perfectly, they leave adhesive exposed that picks up
dust boogers, bugs and worse. The do have one nice feature - you can label
both sides and have a better chance of seeing what's on the label.

... then, when you pull the cable through a bundle of other cables,
you discover the "flag" gets stuck *or* tattered.

I used to use those sorts of labels and still do when they aren't likely to
ever have to be pulled through a hole that will shred them.

When/if I need to replace a cable (e.g., if the device to which it
is attached gets moved a few feet from its present location, the OLD
cable will be too long or too short -- needing replacement), I have
to *pull* the old cable out of that bundle and thread a new one in
its' place.

You really want the label NOT to change the effective diameter of the
cable.

Definitely. Also, a cable labeled with a partially or completely torn
flag-style label is a liability. When I do it that way, I also mark the
cable end with a Sharpie. Lots of times I really believed I could "just
tell" what cable belonged where from memory. Now I am smarter because I
realize how dumb an idea that was. (-: I often use colored crayons to hold
against the wire as I pull them. My old Crayola flip-top box of 78 crayons
has at least a dozen that are noticeably different colors. Burnt sienna,
burnt umber, burnt offering g are all just dark shades of brown. Wait,
there's no burnt offering crayon!

--
Bobby G.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

stuff snipped

Labels? Who needs labels?

https://static.spiceworks.com/attach...t-guy-0013.jpg

I just printed that out to hang in the server closet. Thanks!

--
Bobby G.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 8:42:29 PM UTC-4, Robert Green wrote:

stuff snipped

"(like my charging station that now has a record 37 chargers of
different types. Really, chargers for cell phones, garden equipment, tools,
batteries, shavers, kitchen gear, laptops, PDAs, MP3 players, portable
vacs, cameras, etc.)"

I am trying to get a visual handle on this. You have a single charging
station for all of your chargeable devices?

It would be more correct to say that *many* or even *most* of my charging is
done in one area. That's true for the most part because the charging area
has meters, testers, fire extinguishers, three different types of detectors
(smoke, CO and rate-of-rise) and a fairly fireproof surface. The power
strips are on timed outlets just to prevent accidental overcharging and they
all have little pigtail cords to accommodate the wall warts.

The reasons is that my wife had a very serious overcharging issue with her
PDA that caught fire while charging. It didn't burn anything up other than
itself (and to say it burned is not accurate - it melted while emitting
horrible-smelling fumes).

Anyway, after that I decided charging should be done in an area dedicated to
it. A friend's kid had his laptop melt after leaving it on the bed and
managing to cover it with a pillow. In a dedicated area for charging, those
things are less likely to occur.

Are you charging your weed wacker in the bathroom with the shaver or
charging the shaver in the garage with the weed wacker?

Neither. It's a spare bedroom. Items like a shaver can hold a charge for
weeks so those items only need occasional charging are in the bedroom.
There are shelves above the desk that contain chargers based on category.

There's also never much doubt where to find a charger. Before adapting this
I had lost a number of chargers (one made it into the box with the
retired-for-the-year Christmas lights) around the house. Now it's the
default location for charging stuff. Fewer wall warts hanging around all
over the house, too, which has a high SAF.

I jest (somewhat) but only because I'm confused.

It makes sense and if one of your charged devices ever melts down, you'll
probably say "Ah ha! NOW I see why he put them in a single location."

I charge my cell phone on the nightstand, I charge my cordless tools in
the
garage or shop, I charge my garden tools in the shed, etc. Are you really
charging all of your devices in one location? Just curious.

Most of them except for the cell phones and the laptops I use now as desktop
replacements. It's a few more steps but I think it's much safer. Speaking
of labels, each charging plug has one that specifies what it connects to.
You can guess why. )-: Fortunately nowadays they seem to be standarizing
plug sizes. The 12VDC plugs are usually much larger than the 5V units, but
it's not a hard and fast rule, hence the labels.

I think this technique reduces overall power consumption because the wall
warts aren't plugged in when they're not in use. It tends to prevent
premature battery death from overcharging, too.

Also, since it's in a room rarely occupied, there's less chance of an
exploding cell injuring someone. A high-cap NiMH AA cell can make a pretty
impressive pop when it blows. DAMHIKT but I have a picture of that shredded
cell somewhere. It was just another "trigger" event that made me want to
consolidate charging to one area.

I suppose I should take a charger inventory noting all the
voltage/amperage/polarity/size information. When the stun cane charger went
AWOL, I didn't have (nor could I find) any information about what I needed
to charge the unit. I rarely see a device that's marked with that
information, either.

--
Bobby G.

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.

On 9/3/2015 11:39 PM, Robert Green wrote:

[flag style cable labeling]

Unfortunately it takes a while to get the hang of that and the downside is
that if they don't mate perfectly, they leave adhesive exposed that picks up
dust boogers, bugs and worse. The do have one nice feature - you can label
both sides and have a better chance of seeing what's on the label.

I've "solved" that by just standardizing on how I apply the labels
to the cables. Specifically, with the "end" of the cable in my right
hand (and the balance trailing off to my left), the label is applied
so that it can be read. As I can always *see* where the connector
*is* (or, should be!), I know whether the writing will be rightside
up or upside down based on my location wrt the cable's "service loop"

... then, when you pull the cable through a bundle of other cables,
you discover the "flag" gets stuck *or* tattered.

I used to use those sorts of labels and still do when they aren't likely to
ever have to be pulled through a hole that will shred them.

They make some ty-wrap style labels that are like a "T" -- where the
top portion of the T is intended to be labeled. But, now instead of
the "knot" on a tywrap that wants to get snagged as you pull the
cable, you've instead got this 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide RIGID piece of
nylon in the way.

When/if I need to replace a cable (e.g., if the device to which it
is attached gets moved a few feet from its present location, the OLD
cable will be too long or too short -- needing replacement), I have
to *pull* the old cable out of that bundle and thread a new one in
its' place.

You really want the label NOT to change the effective diameter of the
cable.

Definitely. Also, a cable labeled with a partially or completely torn
flag-style label is a liability. When I do it that way, I also mark the
cable end with a Sharpie. Lots of times I really believed I could "just
tell" what cable belonged where from memory. Now I am smarter because I
realize how dumb an idea that was. (-: I often use colored crayons to hold
against the wire as I pull them. My old Crayola flip-top box of 78 crayons
has at least a dozen that are noticeably different colors. Burnt sienna,
burnt umber, burnt offering g are all just dark shades of brown. Wait,
there's no burnt offering crayon!

grin In a pinch, I can rely on a cable tester to sort out which "near
end" is tied to which "far end". But, that makes a bigger project out of
it all.

Remember that you *will* need to sort out which cable is which BEFORE
you install them; then, take measures to make that inevitability easier!

"Don Y" wrote in message

stuff snipped here and inline

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)

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.

That's the reason everything around here is R6QS - just one kind of cable
end, stripper and compression tool required. I never did get the hang of
putting BNC's on thinnish RG59 coax for CCTV. So I use adapters which my EE
friend frets over because of the loss that adapters involve but a bad crimp
REALLY causes problems.

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)

Another reason I use R6QS - even the colored stuff has footage marks. I
find it really helps to use different colored cables for different purposes.
I have spools of black and white indoor R6, one outdoor spool, three spools
of CAT6 (which gets used for everything so theres Network 1 (blue) Network
2 (red) and everything else (white because it's easiest to write on).

"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.

You've got it. I can't recall if the HF strips have the ground hole going
left or right or even up or down. I'll look.

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!

Definitely.

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!)

I figured out, quite accidentally, how to open up solvent welded cases in
one feld swoop. While trying to blow water out of one that had gotten wet I
drilled a tiny hole in the case and pressed the conical rubber nozzle of my
air compressor against it, expecting water to blow out of openings around
the plug blades and power cord. BANG!!!! Split right in half. (-:

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).

Very dumb but I see more and more engineering "What were they thinking?"
moments all the time.

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).

Read again! That's what I said. The added ground wire (which I assume is
the center) gives Mickey his head. (Sounds obscene)


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.

Polarized v. unpolarized. I said that too!

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.

It's clear that tech weenies all behave the same way. I even segregate the
D cords by color since I have so damn many of them.

--
Bobby G.

Don Y writes:
On 9/3/2015 10:19 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
Don Y writes:
On 9/2/2015 6:44 PM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 8:28:38 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W load...

You're claiming you can power 2 toasters with that cord?

Yes. Or, two hair dryers, etc. (the computer draws 2200W)

It's also not using AWG18 cordsets.

Not all modular cordsets are 18AWG. *Or*, 110VAC! :

As I just pointed out.

"Robert Green" writes:

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and reveal
the invidual wires.

You're not doing it correctly, then. Make the half hitch about a foot
below the plug/socket..

"Scott Lurndal" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" writes:

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to
bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the
socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and
reveal
the invidual wires.

You're not doing it correctly, then.

Probably.

Make the half hitch about a foot
below the plug/socket..

It seemed that when I tried that, it ended up pulling together anyway.

Maybe there's a U-tube video out there that demonstrates the proper
technique.

In reality, I'm happy with the clamps so far and I know from the stress
marks they've taken more than one hit from a car. So they have a protective
factor as well.

I use mine to connect a short D cord to run a trickle charger for the car
through the cigar lighter. I just close the front door on the D-cords
(safety purists are shuddering!). When it's taken enough abuse I replace
it, plug it into the clamp and start over again.

--
Bobby G.

On 9/3/2015 11:25 PM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message

stuff snipped

I plug it in place of the electric clothes dryer when I need to use
it. Moving it is a bit of a chore (200+ pounds) so I try to make sure
I *really* need it before doing so! :-/

What application requires intermittent use of such a monster?

Check your mail (assuming those '00' should have been 'oo')

On 9/3/2015 11:23 PM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 5:55 AM, Robert Green wrote:

If the former, no computer cable I've seen should be used. Just
not even current capacity (along with another friction fit point to
cause arcing).

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W load...

I hope you're not talking a PC that draws 2200W. That's a lot of juice.

It's a computer. PC has a very specific connotation.

I thought you were running a minicomputer but a blade server is close
enough. I used to run a BBS with 16 nodes using the precursor to blades, an
Alloy server setup and an ATT 6300 as the main PC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_Computer_Products

In 1984 Alloy developed the PC-Slave card which consisted of an X86 (8086
or V20) processor, either 256k or 1 Meg of memory and two serial ports. This

This is similar, conceptually, to what my needs are. The difference being
my "nodes" are more loosely coupled; instead of an ISA bus that allows you
to "talk" to each of the cards, each card talks to the others over the
network.

card used RTNX (later renamed NTNX) to use the host processor to act as a
file server. Dumb PC-Term terminals were attached to the PC-Slave to allow
the running of DOS programs. At the time it was much cheaper to use this
solution rather than network multiple computers

It's still cheaper. With multiple computers, you bring along more disks,
keyboards, monitors, etc. (even if you run headless). And, they take up
more space!

Each slave card was connected to a USR modem - they were very nice to my PC
group, donating first eight 2400 BPS modems and then when we expanded they
gave us sixteen 9600 BPS units at a time when those suckers sold for $500.
It was good PR because people who wanted to connect at what was then the
fastest modem in the world also bought them.

Yeah, I used a USR many years ago. Along with Telebit "PEP" modems to
talk to UN*X boxen.

A wee bit bigger, heavier, NOISIER and more capable than most "PC's" :

The Alloy unit wasn't nearly as powerful or capable but for its time, it was
pretty hot stuff. Really. We had to cut louvered vents into the door to
the tiny room holding the BBS gear and even that wasn't enough. We had to
have a ceiling fan installed.

Perhaps more important than the advances in cost and compute power that
have taken place over the years is the advances in power reduction!
E.g., my current design uses 500MHz processors that *could* run on
*batteries*!

On 09/04/2015 12:59 AM, Robert Green wrote:
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message

stuff snipped

The common thing that seems to be done nowadays is to tie the two ends
of the cords with a half hitch before connecting the plug and socket.

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and reveal
the invidual wires.

I used to have a cord where the female end would somehow put little
pieces of plastic through the holes in the male end to hold it in place.
I don't know where to find another like that.

[snip]

--
112 days until the winter celebration (Friday December 25, 2015 for 1
day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"He's a born-again Christian. The trouble is, he suffered brain damage
during rebirth."

"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 11:23 PM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/3/2015 5:55 AM, Robert Green wrote:

If the former, no computer cable I've seen should be used. Just
not even current capacity (along with another friction fit point to
cause arcing).

The modular power cord to one of my machines handles its 2200W
load...

I hope you're not talking a PC that draws 2200W. That's a lot of
juice.

It's a computer. PC has a very specific connotation.

I thought you were running a minicomputer but a blade server is close
enough. I used to run a BBS with 16 nodes using the precursor to
blades, an
Alloy server setup and an ATT 6300 as the main PC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_Computer_Products

In 1984 Alloy developed the PC-Slave card which consisted of an X86
(8086
or V20) processor, either 256k or 1 Meg of memory and two serial ports.
This

This is similar, conceptually, to what my needs are. The difference being
my "nodes" are more loosely coupled; instead of an ISA bus that allows you
to "talk" to each of the cards, each card talks to the others over the
network.

If I recall correctly, ArcNet was the only game in town at the time (1985).

card used RTNX (later renamed NTNX) to use the host processor to act as
a
file server. Dumb PC-Term terminals were attached to the PC-Slave to
allow
the running of DOS programs. At the time it was much cheaper to use this
solution rather than network multiple computers

It's still cheaper. With multiple computers, you bring along more disks,
keyboards, monitors, etc. (even if you run headless). And, they take up
more space!

CPUs are so powerful now that all you need is a multiport serial card to
drive 16 modems - not that anyone runs BBS's anymore. Even back then the
archtypical personalities of the Internet were emerging. The guys who truly
want to learn from each other, the guys who want to prove they're superior
to the rest of the world and the guys that just want to mess things up for
everyone else.

Each slave card was connected to a USR modem - they were very nice to my
PC
group, donating first eight 2400 BPS modems and then when we expanded
they
gave us sixteen 9600 BPS units at a time when those suckers sold for
$500.
It was good PR because people who wanted to connect at what was then the
fastest modem in the world also bought them.

Yeah, I used a USR many years ago. Along with Telebit "PEP" modems to
talk to UN*X boxen.

A wee bit bigger, heavier, NOISIER and more capable than most "PC's"
:

The Alloy unit wasn't nearly as powerful or capable but for its time, it
was
pretty hot stuff. Really. We had to cut louvered vents into the door
to
the tiny room holding the BBS gear and even that wasn't enough. We had
to
have a ceiling fan installed.

Perhaps more important than the advances in cost and compute power that
have taken place over the years is the advances in power reduction!
E.g., my current design uses 500MHz processors that *could* run on
*batteries*!

I switched all the desktops in my house to laptops with low power CPUs.
Amazing how much it lowered my monthly electric bill.

--
Bobby G.

On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 10:01:29 AM UTC-4, Scott Lurndal wrote:
"Robert Green" writes:

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and reveal
the invidual wires.

You're not doing it correctly, then. Make the half hitch about a foot
below the plug/socket..

If I employ this wiring technique, what is the proper knot to use inside the
wall so that I don't violate the "hidden junction" rule?

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...vfcG-c1DB_pL1A

On 9/4/2015 11:08 AM, Robert Green wrote:

Perhaps more important than the advances in cost and compute power that
have taken place over the years is the advances in power reduction!
E.g., my current design uses 500MHz processors that *could* run on
*batteries*!

I switched all the desktops in my house to laptops with low power CPUs.
Amazing how much it lowered my monthly electric bill.

Yes, I keep threatening to do so. But, have way too many peripherals
that would be virtually impossible to support with a laptop; esp
a *modern* laptop! Also, it's a *huge* undertaking to reinstall
all the software currently on the workstations onto a set of laptops!

OTOH, on my ToDo list for today is to power down a workstation that's
been "doing nothing" (because I've not had a chance to get back to
what I was working on, at the time) and move the tools that I
was using (DTP) onto one of the larger laptops so I can do my
"editing" without having to burn all that power.

On 9/4/2015 2:50 AM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message

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.

That's the reason everything around here is R6QS - just one kind of cable
end, stripper and compression tool required. I never did get the hang of
putting BNC's on thinnish RG59 coax for CCTV. So I use adapters which my EE
friend frets over because of the loss that adapters involve but a bad crimp
REALLY causes problems.

I ran RG6, CAT3 and CAT5 to each of ~25 "drops" around the house.
In hindsight, should have run two lengths of CAT5 as the CAT3
is effectively useless -- just for *wired* phones -- but, then again,
where it terminates wouldn't be of any use for networking kit! OTOH,
even 100BaseTX is fast enough for anything distributed in the house
(you can push *video* down it)

[outlet strips]

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

Definitely.

OTOH, if you can't *buy* what you want/need, then the make/buy decision
is easy!

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!)

I figured out, quite accidentally, how to open up solvent welded cases in
one feld swoop. While trying to blow water out of one that had gotten wet I
drilled a tiny hole in the case and pressed the conical rubber nozzle of my
air compressor against it, expecting water to blow out of openings around
the plug blades and power cord. BANG!!!! Split right in half. (-:

That may work for some; it may do nothing for others; and may turn some
into balls of shrapnel! :

If I need to cut a brick/wall wart apart, I use a heated Xacto knife and
a bit of patience. But, usually, I can find a replacement device with
the same output ratings and just replace the defective unit.

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).

Very dumb but I see more and more engineering "What were they thinking?"
moments all the time.

IBM used to have bricks with wrap-around cords. But, they designed the
strain reliefs to support this, not hinder it.

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).

Read again! That's what I said. The added ground wire (which I assume is
the center) gives Mickey his head. (Sounds obscene)

Argh! Yes, sorry. I was distracted by your figure 8 reference as those
cords are mechanically different sizes/shapes. So, couldn't make sense
of your later comment.

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.

Polarized v. unpolarized. I said that too!

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.

It's clear that tech weenies all behave the same way. I even segregate the
D cords by color since I have so damn many of them.

I have 10.5x5x18" boxes labeled:
- cord (modular power cords)
- extend (male modular to female modular; sometimes called HP cords)
- odd (right angle modulars, 220V, mickeys, 8's, etc.)
- extension (traditional, short, extension cords)
- medusa (think: octopus)
- reel (small retractable cord reels)
- RJ45 short (i.e., patch cords)
- RJ45 long (like 30 - 100 ft)
- coax (RG58)
- coax long
- Printer
- DB9
- DB25
- DB25 long (typ. 25' extensions)
- KVM (2 x PS2 w/ HD15 "VGA")
- KVM long
- KVM extension
- Video (VGA, DVI, 3/4/5BNC, etc.)
- HDMI
- SCSI-1
- SCSI-2
- SCSI-3
- SCSI-V
- Morph-1 (SCSI-1 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-2 (SCSI-2 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-3 (SCSI-3 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-V (SCSI-V to some other form of SCSI)
- SUN (misc SUN cables)
- SUN-O (Old style Sun SCSI)
- SUN-N (New style Sun SCSI)
- SUN-W (Wide Sun SCSI)
- USB (A-B cables)
- USB Odd (e.g., not A-B cables)
etc.

I learned a long time ago to horde cables as you *always* need one
for SOMETHING! And, they're expensive! Cheaper and more convenient
to just find a place to store them (they don't get upset with the
high temperatures in the garage!) than to have to run out and *buy*
one (or borrow one from some other piece of equipment!)

"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/4/2015 2:50 AM, Robert Green wrote:
I ran RG6, CAT3 and CAT5 to each of ~25 "drops" around the house.
In hindsight, should have run two lengths of CAT5 as the CAT3
is effectively useless -- just for *wired* phones -- but, then again,
where it terminates wouldn't be of any use for networking kit! OTOH,
even 100BaseTX is fast enough for anything distributed in the house
(you can push *video* down it)

Yes, I've run a lot of relay control wires and sensor wires using CAT5 and
6. So easy because they all use the same connectors, boots, tools, etc.

[outlet strips]

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

Definitely.

OTOH, if you can't *buy* what you want/need, then the make/buy decision
is easy!

I've found if you can't find what you need, you haven't looked hard enough.
Look at how many NEMA/IEC connectors people discovered. You can essentially
pay a little over a buck each or six dollars each if you don't look hard
enough.

I figured out, quite accidentally, how to open up solvent welded cases
in
one feld swoop. While trying to blow water out of one that had gotten
wet I
drilled a tiny hole in the case and pressed the conical rubber nozzle of
my
air compressor against it, expecting water to blow out of openings
around
the plug blades and power cord. BANG!!!! Split right in half. (-:

That may work for some; it may do nothing for others; and may turn
some into balls of shrapnel!

Hence the smiley face. I don't recommend it without a protective casing of
some kind. I also agree that it could come apart in a number of different
ways of increasing risk. But it did surprise me to see it split quite
nicely at the weld line. The big bang suprised me, too. (-:

If I need to cut a brick/wall wart apart, I use a heated Xacto knife and
a bit of patience. But, usually, I can find a replacement device with
the same output ratings and just replace the defective unit.

I still have wall-warts from the sale the Lafayette Electronics when closing
out their stores. All wall-warts were 50 cents each. The molded connectors
on them were worth more.

Very dumb but I see more and more engineering "What were they thinking?"
moments all the time.

IBM used to have bricks with wrap-around cords. But, they designed the
strain reliefs to support this, not hinder it.

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).

Read again! That's what I said. The added ground wire (which I assume
is
the center) gives Mickey his head. (Sounds obscene)

Argh! Yes, sorry. I was distracted by your figure 8 reference as those
cords are mechanically different sizes/shapes. So, couldn't make sense
of your later comment.

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.

Polarized v. unpolarized. I said that too!

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.

It's clear that tech weenies all behave the same way. I even segregate
the
D cords by color since I have so damn many of them.

I have 10.5x5x18" boxes labeled:
- cord (modular power cords)
- extend (male modular to female modular; sometimes called HP cords)
- odd (right angle modulars, 220V, mickeys, 8's, etc.)
- extension (traditional, short, extension cords)
- medusa (think: octopus)
- reel (small retractable cord reels)
- RJ45 short (i.e., patch cords)
- RJ45 long (like 30 - 100 ft)
- coax (RG58)
- coax long
- Printer
- DB9
- DB25
- DB25 long (typ. 25' extensions)
- KVM (2 x PS2 w/ HD15 "VGA")
- KVM long
- KVM extension
- Video (VGA, DVI, 3/4/5BNC, etc.)
- HDMI
- SCSI-1
- SCSI-2
- SCSI-3
- SCSI-V
- Morph-1 (SCSI-1 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-2 (SCSI-2 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-3 (SCSI-3 to some other form of SCSI)
- Morph-V (SCSI-V to some other form of SCSI)
- SUN (misc SUN cables)
- SUN-O (Old style Sun SCSI)
- SUN-N (New style Sun SCSI)
- SUN-W (Wide Sun SCSI)
- USB (A-B cables)
- USB Odd (e.g., not A-B cables)
etc.


Yep. Got boxes for all those except for SUN stuff but make up for it with a
plethora of DiskPacks and other forms of removable hard drives.

I learned a long time ago to horde cables as you *always* need one
for SOMETHING! And, they're expensive! Cheaper and more convenient
to just find a place to store them (they don't get upset with the
high temperatures in the garage!) than to have to run out and *buy*
one (or borrow one from some other piece of equipment!)

Yes, long ago I realized my time was too valuable to be jack-assing over a
six dollar cable. I may have overdone it because I used to buy from
Computergate whose volume pricing made buying lots of extras relatively
cheap.

When I retired the desktops I realized how deep in spares I was. But in the
days before same day shipping at Amazon, you could lose some serious time on
a project waiting for a cable to shift.

Tonight I have to order a bunch of new 15' USB cables. They seem to fail
prematurely and worse, this last run had an outer casing that was too long
and prevented complete insertion. Devices would power up but complain they
were not connected because the power "fingers" reached but the data
conductors did not. I chased that bad cable for a while because the thumb
drive LED lit up, but Windoze would not see the drive. I rebooted,
re-everything'ed and finally moved the cable elsewhere and discovered the
issue.

I am going to introduce the bad cable to a sheet of sandpaper to see if I
can't make it connect more firmly. USB connectors tend to fall out from
vibration - I don't find them a particularly good design. But I was
impressed how they could retrofit more lines in a compatible 4 wire
connector for USB3.

--
Bobby G.

On 9/4/2015 8:30 PM, Robert Green wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message

[outlet strips]

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

Definitely.

OTOH, if you can't *buy* what you want/need, then the make/buy decision
is easy!

I've found if you can't find what you need, you haven't looked hard enough.
Look at how many NEMA/IEC connectors people discovered. You can essentially
pay a little over a buck each or six dollars each if you don't look hard
enough.

That's not been the case with the switched outlet strip! The link I
posted up-thread was the *best* I could find -- and it was way too
short, too few outlets and too expensive.

If I need to cut a brick/wall wart apart, I use a heated Xacto knife and
a bit of patience. But, usually, I can find a replacement device with
the same output ratings and just replace the defective unit.

I still have wall-warts from the sale the Lafayette Electronics when closing
out their stores. All wall-warts were 50 cents each. The molded connectors
on them were worth more.

Lafayette. Ha, blast from the past.

Nowadays, most of the wall warts/bricks I use are pretty big. E.g.,
50 - 200W.

I learned a long time ago to horde cables as you *always* need one
for SOMETHING! And, they're expensive! Cheaper and more convenient
to just find a place to store them (they don't get upset with the
high temperatures in the garage!) than to have to run out and *buy*
one (or borrow one from some other piece of equipment!)

Yes, long ago I realized my time was too valuable to be jack-assing over a
six dollar cable. I may have overdone it because I used to buy from
Computergate whose volume pricing made buying lots of extras relatively
cheap.

Friends, neighbors, colleagues usually bring me bits of kit to see if
they are repairable. Often, they use me as an "excuse" to dump something
so they can buy something newer. Hence the many laptops that I have, etc.

We have a few places here that have weekly or monthly auctions. You
can usually find offbeat items for a song. E.g., a cubic yard (!!) of
power cords for $7. I have floor-to-ceiling industrial metal shelving
on both sides of the garage. The *lot* cost me $37.50 -- and three
trips with the car to get it all home!

When I retired the desktops I realized how deep in spares I was. But in the
days before same day shipping at Amazon, you could lose some serious time on
a project waiting for a cable to shift.

Tonight I have to order a bunch of new 15' USB cables. They seem to fail
prematurely and worse, this last run had an outer casing that was too long
and prevented complete insertion. Devices would power up but complain they
were not connected because the power "fingers" reached but the data
conductors did not. I chased that bad cable for a while because the thumb
drive LED lit up, but Windoze would not see the drive. I rebooted,
re-everything'ed and finally moved the cable elsewhere and discovered the
issue.

I only use a single "long" USB cable -- to connect one of the scanners
to one of my workstations (there's not enough space on the desktop to
move the scanner closer to the workstation).

I am going to introduce the bad cable to a sheet of sandpaper to see if I
can't make it connect more firmly. USB connectors tend to fall out from
vibration - I don't find them a particularly good design. But I was
impressed how they could retrofit more lines in a compatible 4 wire
connector for USB3.

Robert Green posted for all of us...


alernating


Is that illegal? Just askin...

--
Tekkie

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

stuff snipped

If I employ this wiring technique, what is the proper knot to use inside
the
wall so that I don't violate the "hidden junction" rule?


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...vfcG-c1DB_pL1A

The correct procedure is to route and tape the wires this way:

http://i.stack.imgur.com/o9H0E.png

--
Bobby G.

"Scott Lurndal" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" writes:

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to
bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the
socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and
reveal
the invidual wires.

You're not doing it correctly, then. Make the half hitch about a foot
below the plug/socket..

It wasn't until I found a picture on the net that I realized how you were
tying the cords. Most of the hits I found looked like this:

http://i.stack.imgur.com/9gm6F.jpg

I think what you're talking about is he

http://p-fst1.pixstatic.com/52555a51...405_s.fit_.jpg

Takes up a little bit more cord but it does relieve the sideways strain that
the 9gm6F image shows. Thanks for the info, Scott.

There's still going to be some strain on the cord because the two cords that
enter the knot in parallel will eventually end up going in the opposite
direction. That's far better than the often-used overhand knot that often
puts extreme side-wise strain that almost always yanks the individual
conductors out of the jacket.

FWIW, I'd still opt for the barrel-shaped connectors that have adjustable
strain relief, protection from run-over damage and that present an easier to
move around profile. I would imagine that the half-hitch can snag pretty
easily on stumps and shrubs.

--
Bobby G.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 10:01:29 AM UTC-4, Scott Lurndal wrote:
"Robert Green" writes:

While I realize you're not condoning the practice, I've done that in
the
past but now I use "clamps" designed to keep long cords coupled. The
reason? Tying the extension cords in a half-hitch causes the cords to
bend
180 degrees where the wire exits either the plug of one cord or the
socket
of the mating one. I've had the insulation break from the stress and
reveal
the invidual wires.

You're not doing it correctly, then. Make the half hitch about a foot
below the plug/socket..

If I employ this wiring technique, what is the proper knot to use inside
the
wall so that I don't violate the "hidden junction" rule?


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...vfcG-c1DB_pL1A

The correct procedure is to route and tape the wires this way:

http://i.stack.imgur.com/o9H0E.png

(-:

--
Bobby G.