Cable management... is electrical tape good?

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:58 am

Hi!

I have used electrical tape rarely but find it nice because it doesn't leave the surface sticky once removed like other tape types. For cable management one could use zip ties, but that's just about it: they are "use once" solutions and if I need to route same cables differently I need to go and cut that zip tie and put a new one. I also don't like elastic / rubber bands, because I would need to route all cables first through the band, wrap the band and make the cables go through it again. So if I need to manage some cables differently then I would need to disconnect all cables and do it all from scratch,

I would love to get a pack of these: http://www.nexustek.nl/ct-600-velcro-cable-ties.htm ...but none of the PC stores I know in Finland carry those (yet). So will electrical tape make a good job or will it somehow affect the cables negatively for example will it make the cables look visually darker or something?

Is electrical tape safe to use for example to wrap a fan's long cable around the fan chassis and tape it on the side to have a sweet and short fan cable?

I'm really new into this electrical stuff and I want to have organized cables (lots of cables inside, very bad looking). Thanks in advance!

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:29 am

Electrical tape is fine, and it provides insulation so it is certainly safe. But I don't know of any electrical tape that does not leave a stickey mess when you take it off.

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:36 am

m0002a wrote:Electrical tape is fine, and it provides insulation so it is certainly safe. But I don't know of any electrical tape that does not leave a stickey mess when you take it off.

My thoughts exactly.
All the different types of electrical tape I have ever used left sticky stuff on the wires afterwards.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:42 am

I use the twist ties that come wrapped around wires in retail packaging.

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:49 am

I use this: http://www.busiboutique.com/cgi-bin/pro ... L03636.jpg

protellect · Post by **protellect** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:18 am

Velcro?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:44 am

I've tried various types of tape, most tend to unbond in a warm environment, insulation tape included.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:10 pm

AuraAllan wrote:
m0002a wrote:Electrical tape is fine, and it provides insulation so it is certainly safe. But I don't know of any electrical tape that does not leave a stickey mess when you take it off.
My thoughts exactly.
All the different types of electrical tape I have ever used left sticky stuff on the wires afterwards.

I might have mixed something up then. Yes I tried it on a wood surface. After a minute or so having the electrical tape there and removing it there indeed are sticky traces. I'm wondering what I could have meant with the non sticky tape... Is there something like that?

protellect wrote:Velcro?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

Looks like a great product and I could cut exactly the wanted size to manage my cables! I found something similar from a Finnish retailer: http://www.blackbox.fi/products/detail_ ... cale=fi_FI

It's not as thick as the one you linked to, but will do the job and is quite cheap too! This will be my next buy unless I find something even more enticing (like the Nexus velcro cable ties: http://www.nexustek.nl/ct-600-velcro-cable-ties.htm)

nutball wrote:I've tried various types of tape, most tend to unbond in a warm environment, insulation tape included.

Yeah that's most likely the case with any tape or stuff with glue / sticky stuff. I remember having the Product Number stickers on the back of my graphics card get off after time due to the heat the card produced (passive NVIDIA Quadro NVS, core temp was always around 80C).

But hey wait a second! Now this looks way too sexy, doesn't it? http://www.blackbox.fi/products/detail_ ... cale=fi_FI

too bad prices aren't listed, I'll need to ask them how much they are. Good I asked before putting electrical tape around my cables. Ok so velcro is the way to go!

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:42 pm

At our local "dollar stores" we have velcro cable wraps that can be tightened quite a bit and are pretty reusable. You get 8-12 per pack for one dollar. I used them for a while, but liked the invisibility and security of nylon zip ties better. It's not that much of a hassle to snip them off when I don't need them anymore or to replace them (how often are you doing this?)

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:19 pm

jhhoffma wrote:(how often are you doing this?)

Often!

Not too long ago I exchanged my ASUS P5LD2 in favor of the ASUS P5K WS. Right now I removed my SCSI card and two SCSI disks from my previous RAID configuration to replace with the new SATA disks (WD Raptor). Just recently my PSU changed to the Nexus NX-8040 modular power supply from my older Antec SmartPower. Also now I have removed all my current case fans and made an order for around five 80mm Nexus fans, replaced the cooler of my GeForce with the VF900 Cu and am waiting for a CNPS-7000C to replace my current CNPS-7700. My case was originally the Cooler Master Cavalier 3, now I'm using the Nexus Breeze and still in this week I'll get the new Super Flower Melody. Not so long ago I bought the Akasa AllInOne front panel, I also exchanged my older IDE DVD drive with a new SATA one.

My PC is changing all the time. I am very good in selling used parts (actually I should say I am very good in finding people with the need for my used parts). So I sell and buy, sell and buy, sell and buy, etc... First it started with my very first PC. It was a Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo. Sporting an Intel Pentium 4HT 3.2Ghz and an ATI Radeon 9800XT, I was the only one in the neighborhood with the best PC parts. I didn't like it though. It was too loud and the OEM case made it look cheap (fortunately it was not beige, just plastic silver). So I started with buying silent fans and then invested in a better CPU cooler. At some time I ended up replacing the case completely after seeing my friend's PCs on a LAN party. Now this madness has grown into a hobby. It's not an expensive hobby. For under 500â‚¬ I can build a new PC from scratch with very silent components but still with a high quality case like the ZALMAN GS1000 or Cooler Master Cosmos 1000. With that small budget I could still squeeze in a SCSI drive with a decent SCSI controller, an ASUS Workstation motherboard and a good CPU cooler. I would not be able to put a high end graphics card, but a GeForce 6600GT or better would be in no problem. I'm not the gamer type, more of the musician type so if I invest a lot in something in a PC then on audio hardware. It's second on my list after silent PC components.

So in short yes I do change my system often and I need to do cable management again every month or so. Even if it's an expensive hobby that I have, I was able to sell so many used parts that I have probably lost only 200â‚¬ for new components (wild guess, last PC from scratch was 1000â‚¬ at the time DDR2 memory costed more than 100â‚¬)

DanceMan · Post by **DanceMan** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:14 pm

Twist ties work well and they're easily changed when you have to move or add something. I've used pvc electrical tape to wrap the main cables from the psu. We use it a lot to bundle cables for touring shows because it leaves the least mess.

Zip ties are overkill and a nuisance.

Velcro is the most elegant solution. Thanks for the tip; I'll be checking the local dollar stores.

Tephras · Post by **Tephras** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:54 pm

LodeHacker wrote: I would love to get a pack of these: http://www.nexustek.nl/ct-600-velcro-cable-ties.htm ...but none of the PC stores I know in Finland carry those (yet).

Biltema sells these.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:36 am

Tephras wrote:Biltema sells these.

AWESOME! Kiitos!

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:19 am

Tephras wrote:
LodeHacker wrote: I would love to get a pack of these: http://www.nexustek.nl/ct-600-velcro-cable-ties.htm ...but none of the PC stores I know in Finland carry those (yet).
Biltema sells these.

Those are the handiest things. I steal mine from work (shhh!)

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:50 pm

DanceMan wrote:Zip ties are overkill and a nuisance.

Velcro is the most elegant solution. Thanks for the tip; I'll be checking the local dollar stores.

That's pretty subjective don't you think? I used to use the velcro straps for everything, but found that they can be awkward in small spaces and you are left with either a big bundle or a lot of slack if you use them on smaller cables. They are also much larger and stand out more than a black ziptie when trimmed.

Also you can get way more torque on a ziptie than on some velcro (for permanent mounting and stabilty).

But to each their own.

alcachi · Post by **alcachi** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 3:02 am

I use different methods depending on what I want to achieve:
- Final position: zip ties (easier to fix than velcro or twist ties, very resistent)
- Possible rearrangement (e.g. sata/ide cables or power connectors): velcro or twist ties
- Keeping cables together around a path: spiral wraps (quite useful, there are different sizes available)

Cable management... is electrical tape good?

Cable management... is electrical tape good?

Re: Cable management... is electrical tape good?

Re: Cable management... is electrical tape good?

Re: Cable management... is electrical tape good?